Posted by Mr.Scott on May 29, 2005, at 19:27:52
In reply to Meds need vs addiction?? what do you think?, posted by rainbowbrite on May 29, 2005, at 12:06:29
I think actually quite few people have 'chronic' or 'nearly chronic' affective disorders. I am one. When you take a medicine for a chronic mood/anxiety disturbance as opposed to a more episodic disturbance the bodies 'normal' adaptation mechanisms may be more problematic so that a bit of tolerance might not bother someone so much who gets depressed twice a year so much as someone who is chronically depressed. The brain is likely more adaptive to the presence of artificial chemicals than other organs and is often refered to as plasticity. What our brain thinks is normal, what is its natural state and what it tries to get back to in the presence of artificial chemicals may be a pathological mood state. I have never seen any antidepressant that was approved for chronic depression, and few 'long-term' studies on antidepressants for dysthymia either (more than a year). Despite the unfortunate neuroadaptive mechanisms of our brains which I'm sure serve great purpose for some reasons (just not chronic mood disorder response to meds!) I would have a hard time calling antidepressants addictive. I would agree and have experienced firsthand damage caused to the brain from long-term exposure to ssri antidepressants. At least that would be the most obvious explanation given the symptoms and their relief (not taking the SSRI!) This after years of efficacy.
Benzos and stimulants are surely addictive however generally speaking anyways, and a great many people continue to take them despite not really needing them anymore either out of compulsion (stims) or to avoid painful withdrawal that mimicks psychiatric disorder (benzos).
Is it possible that something like exists for antidepressants? Maybe in soft bipolars who may get more than just simple relief from taking them, or in drug addicts who are so far into addiction as to compulsively take anything even if all they have is an incorrect assumption it is altering their mood.
I think there are way more questions than answers about all of these things, and while we can all agree to disagree about this that and the other, nobody really knows...
poster:Mr.Scott
thread:504713
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050527/msgs/504927.html