Posted by Jost on June 11, 2006, at 1:21:45
In reply to Re: Euphoria inducing Med Combinations, posted by linkadge on June 10, 2006, at 19:03:31
> I was on a combination of celexa and ritalin at one point. Sure it was great. Now I'm off meds, and I have no ability to experience pleasure.
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> Linkadge
Linkadge,If you experience no pleasure, and your life had that on the celexa and ritalin, are you sure you've making the best choice here?
I checked on Medline, through a University library database, and found only one article in a scientific journal that raised a serious question about chromosome damage with ritalin.
The study was this one:
[ El-Zein RA. Abdel-Rahman SZ. Hay MJ. Lopez MS. Bondy ML. Morris DL. Legator MS.Cytogenetic effects in children treated with methylphenidate.[see comment]. [Clinical Trial. Journal Article] Cancer Letters. 230(2):284-91, 2005 Dec 18.]
There was also an exchange of letters on the subject, in which some questions were raised about the report.
One important fact is that the study or report used only 12 test subjects, who were tested pre- and post-administration of 3 months of ritalin. This is an incredibly small sample, obviously.
They all showed some chromosomal damage--and of course this should be studied. But as the letter in response stated, there isn't any necessary link between chromosomal damage and cancer (for example). Moreover, there have been studies of outcomes in people, mostly children, receiving ritalin over longer time frames, with no greater mortality.
The letter-writers emphasized that the El-Zein report raised serious questions that needed to be investigated. They also raised some technical and methodological problems with how the study was done.
But still, your life is now; and the study was by no means definitive-- To live without pleasure is very difficult-- and esp. without clear and convincing proof of danger. It's worth at least checking further into the science. There are population studies and some mouse studies, and while the evidence isn't absolutely reassuring, it's by no means so alarming that you would necessarily sacrifice your quality of life for it.
I can try to copy the articles and letters, if you don't have access to them online.
Let me know if you're interested.
Jost
poster:Jost
thread:655310
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060610/msgs/655430.html