Posted by Pennie Lane on August 25, 2001, at 11:41:48
In reply to Re: Abuse of Prescription Medication Penny Lane, posted by Rosa on August 25, 2001, at 7:49:36
Rosa:
re: "Is this board limited to sedatives, antidepressants, antianxiety drugs and antipsychotics?"
no, i don't think so, but that does cover a broad swath of psych drugs, and this board is focused on psych drugs. There has been discussion at times about whether psychiatric treatment can be discussed primarily from a pharmaceutical approach. I think a primary focus on medications tends to discount other factors that contribute to psychiatric complaints, but that is what PBSocial is supposed to be about. For my interests, the discussion there tends to be very social and casual. It is not as often focused on theoretical or scientific evidence of social/behavioral/cultural stressors that contribute to psychiatric problems.
The doc seems to have established a boundary here when he said this board (PB) does allow discussion of psychiatric drug abuse. For the sake of discussion, the abuse of Oxycontin, quaalude, GHB, rolfies, and other such drugs is interesting, but is not central to a discussion of psyhciatric drug abuse.
Sedatives and stimulants prescribed specifically for phsyciatric complaints are often abused, even by people in positions of authority, so discussion of abuse involving those drugs is particularly interesting. The abuse of other pshyc drugs, such as anti-depressents, is also very interesting, but can be problematic on this board. Some people are convinced, rightly or wrongly, that they have no personal issues but instead are effected by an exclusively biological disorder that is of an entirely different league than are psych symptoms related to a social situation or to life-stresses. I might disagree - people might feel they have enjoyed a normal youth, but might not realize how the norms they excepted effected their development, and what alternatives might have produced different results. So if you want to discuss that here, I might contribute, but you should know it has been a sensitive topic and if the discussion does not frequently touch on psych drugs, or maybe even if it approaches psych drugs from a critical angle, you might get booted over to PB.
Now, in the use and abuse of amphetamines, the topic would seem to fit here, but again, some people's opinion of the overall use of these drugs might be influenced by their own preference for amphetamines or by their need to defend the practice of ready access to psych drugs in general. (Or at least ready access for those who can afford access.)
Phil:
I didn't mean to insinuate that you were insinuating Oxycontin was a psych drug, though I realize it appeared to be the case. My intent was to focus on patterns of abuse that are particular to psych drugs. In most cases, those patterns involve selective reporting of symptoms intended to obtain prescriptions for a chosen drug, or in the misidentification of symptoms by caregivers who do not understand the social and behavioral complications effecting those they care for. Diversion and theft seems to be more of an issue with opiods than with psych drugs. People tend to obtain homemade amphetamines on the black market rather than through the medical community, and it is often arguable that their purpose is self-medication of the same symptoms for which a licensed practitioner would administer similar sympathomemetics.
Beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit and meanwhile back.>
> Rosa
>
> > Was not trying to infer that Oxycontin was a psych drug. Just shootin the breeze. Probably should have mentioned Disco Bisquits; The late 70's wonder drug...Quaaludes. :-)
poster:Pennie Lane
thread:75755
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010822/msgs/76358.html