Posted by JohnL on February 11, 2000, at 2:43:46
In reply to Re: Mood stabilizers for Unipola.....JohnL, posted by PattyG on February 10, 2000, at 18:40:22
Karen, being edgy to begin with doesn't predict that a stimulant will only make it worse. As a matter of fact, I know someone who tried everything in the book for years to try to treat anxiety. An adventurous and very smart pdoc cured her completely with...you'ld never guess....a child's dose of Ritalin. A stimulant of all things. For anxiety? I think the moral of the story is that if the stimulant corrects the underlying chemical imbalance/failure, then the symptoms will disappear, regardless of what symptoms they actually are. After all, stimulants actually calm down millions of hyper kids, right?
Patty, you are correct that Cylert has some liver risk. It is one of those drugs that requires periodic blood testing 2 or 4 times a year to monitor the situation, from what I've read. You have a good point about abuse potential. I mean, how can one abuse the drug when dosing is limited? A doctor can only prescribe one month at a time. And it requires a hard copy prescription, not a phone call to the pharmacy. So any addiction or abuse doesn't stand any chance of getting out of control.
poster:JohnL
thread:20861
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000209/msgs/21104.html