Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 581390

Shown: posts 11 to 35 of 45. Go back in thread:

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Tepiaca

Posted by Phillipa on November 23, 2005, at 18:17:36

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Phillipa, posted by Tepiaca on November 23, 2005, at 13:53:44

Tep, I've been on medications since my early 20's when I had my first panic attack. Valium worked for lot of years. Ever since my throid became hypothyroid I've been on some sort of antidepressant. But they either have intolerable side effects or don't do anything for me. Fondly, Phillipa

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » alexandra_k

Posted by Tepiaca on November 23, 2005, at 21:52:12

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Tepiaca, posted by alexandra_k on November 23, 2005, at 15:31:56


>
> Nope. I don't know a single person. The people I know with TD have been taking heavy dosages of the older style AP's (like chlorpromazine) over... 20 years or something like that.
>
20 years? then IŽll have it when IŽll be 45

the people you are women? I read women have more probabilities to develop this sindrome.


> The people I know who have muscle twitches don't have TD. They take a little bit of cogentin and that stops that for them. They get muscle twitches and jaw clamping. But the cogentin sorts that out for them.
>

sorry... what is cogentin? . So I can have jaw clamping and that does not mean I have TD


> Christopher Frith in "The Cognitive Neuro-Psychology of Schizophrenia" considers that TD symptoms... Might not be caused by AP's. He thinks... That TD symptoms... Might be the result of schizophrenia being a degenerative brain thing, and he considers that it might be the case that without the AP's... People would have the same symptoms anyway. He says that people were recorded as having TD type symptoms... Well before the development of AP's. I don't know whether he is correct or not, but it is something to think about.
>

Very interesting.
so just schizophrenics could have TD? that what hes is trying to tell us?

>
> > > Can you talk to your doc about your fear?
>
> > I have been telling to my doctor since I was 15 that I am afraid of people.
>
> Okay. Personally... Personally... I think one would be better off taking a low dose of an AP for anxiety than one would be in taking a more typical 'anti-anxiety' medication like a benzodiazapine. Because... Of the very real risk of psychological / physical dependence.
>

what is the problem with becoming dependent with a benzo? . I only would have to take it all my life rigth? but nothing wrong would happen,or I am wrong


> The best treatment for social anxiety (that I am aware of) is therapy. To talk through some of your fears and getting you to work on exposing yourself very gradually in very small steps to situations that you are frightened of. Have you had any therapy for that?
>

I was in therapy for two years when everything started. But nothing helped me as much as meds


> I hope you find some relief for those.
>
>

Thank you very much

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Phillipa

Posted by Tepiaca on November 23, 2005, at 21:57:22

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Tepiaca, posted by Phillipa on November 23, 2005, at 18:17:36

So phillipa , after all your life on meds, do you think is worth to live like this?

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Tepiaca

Posted by Phillipa on November 23, 2005, at 23:22:03

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Phillipa, posted by Tepiaca on November 23, 2005, at 21:57:22

Tep, there is always hope. I am planning on sticking around. Love Phillipa

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD

Posted by Declan on November 24, 2005, at 13:52:21

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Tepiaca, posted by Phillipa on November 23, 2005, at 23:22:03

Hey Tepi, lots of times life's just not worth living so we need faith and hope, or trust in somethingorother. Life can be really awful but there are so many lovely things we should be trying to preserve, as I know you are. And that's why we're all here together.
Declan

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Tepiaca

Posted by alexandra_k on November 24, 2005, at 21:23:29

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » alexandra_k, posted by Tepiaca on November 23, 2005, at 21:52:12

> 20 years? then IŽll have it when IŽll be 45

Thats not what I said. I said that they developed it after about 20 years OF TAKING A VERY HIGH DOSAGE OF AN OLDER STYLE AP.

Best I can figure you have been taking a relatively low dose.
Best I can figure you have been taking a newer style AP, not an older style AP.
So to the best of my knowledge...
I would be suprised if you did develop TD in another 10 years or even in another 20 years.
But I should also say that I haven't studied TD and don't know very much about it...

> the people you are women? I read women have more probabilities to develop this sindrome.

I know a few ladies, but mostly men. People I met who lived in supported accomodation. Part of the de-institutionalisation effort. I don't know about whether women are more likely to develop it than men or not.

> > The people I know who have muscle twitches don't have TD. They take a little bit of cogentin and that stops that for them. They get muscle twitches and jaw clamping. But the cogentin sorts that out for them.

> sorry... what is cogentin?

Not too sure. Some medication that counters side-effects. I had an injection of dypixol once and my jaw started to lock up and my tongue started to swell. Took a small dose of cogentin once or maybe twice a day and it went away. No problem. Have seen cogentin do the same thing with twitching, jaw locking, shaking etc.

> So I can have jaw clamping and that does not mean I have TD

You can have jaw clamping for all kinds of reasons.

To the best of my knowledge... TD is medication resistant (by definition I suppose). That means... That cogentin wouldn't help alleviate those symptoms. There isn't anything we can do about TD. Thats why its not good to develop it. But people get TD symptoms which ARE treatable (by cogentin for example) and when people stop taking those meds or switch to another med or whatever then the symptoms go away. Not so with TD.

I really don't think... That you would be likely to have TD.
And I really don't think... That on a low dose of a new AP you would be very likely to get it.

> so just schizophrenics could have TD? that what hes is trying to tell us?

No. He is just trying to tell us that the prevalance rates of TD is something that you hear about sometimes... But how many of the people who develop TD symptoms would have developed those same symptoms without AP's??? Because if this is the case for half the prevalance of TD then that would mean that TD is only half as common as we thought. And we thought... The chance of getting it on a low dosage of a new AP wasn't very high in the first place...

> what is the problem with becoming dependent with a benzo? . I only would have to take it all my life rigth? but nothing wrong would happen,or I am wrong

The problem with dependence is a little something else that happens along with dependance: tolerance. Tolerance means your system gets used to the dosage of the drug and adjusts to that drug. So you find yourself needing more of the drug to have the same effect. And sometimes... More and more and more... And sometimes... You end up craving the drug and going through horrible withdrawals (which means terrible anxiety far worse than you probably experience now) if you don't get the drug.

Not everybody finds this...
But a fair few do...
Personally...
I would think the risk of developing TD would be lower than the risk of developing dependence / tolerance / addiction.

> I was in therapy for two years when everything started. But nothing helped me as much as meds

Okay.
Well...
Good luck with finding the right one then :-)

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » alexandra_k

Posted by Chairman_MAO on November 25, 2005, at 13:02:06

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Tepiaca, posted by alexandra_k on November 23, 2005, at 15:31:56

The notion that TD is somehow a result of schizophrenia is madness in my opinion; in the 1950s or early 60s (I forget which) some investigators announced they'd found the biological basis of schizoprenia. There was a lot to do about this announcement. There was a "spot" found on a specific area of the brain post-mortem in schizophrenics that was not there in controls. Excitement faded when it was found that this abberation--the "spot"--" was caused by the administration of chlorpromazine and had nothing to do with schizophrenia.

How can this person say such things in light of what I have just described? I would like to see references to these cases of TD in people who've never taken an antipsychotic. I am open to new ideas, but am very--and understandably--extremely skeptical here, considering that we do not understand the biological basis for any mental illness. Sure, there are tons of potentially meaningful correlates (that is, Tom Cruise is not Tom Szasz!), but we have no concept of what an actual "biological model" of mental illness would even look like.

 

TD in untreated schizophrenics

Posted by med_empowered on November 25, 2005, at 17:36:04

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » alexandra_k, posted by Chairman_MAO on November 25, 2005, at 13:02:06

I'm really skeptical about this, too. There were apparently mentions of it here and there in the past, but there are problems with that..first of all, TD-like movements are common after a bout of encephalitis lethargica (which, interestingly enough, causes a brain pathology quite similar to the effects of full-dose conventional antipsychotics). Also, lots of people with advanced syphillis and nutritional problems were diagnosed with "schizophrenia" In addition, the people I read pushing this theory the most tend to be the most adamantly pro-neuroletpics...people like E. Fuller Torrey, who advocates allowing more involuntary drugging and outpatient commitment laws. These people have a vested interest in making neuroleptics seem more benign--after all, what psychiatrist wants to go on record saying in public "I 100% support forcing people to take neurotoxic compounds that can cause intellectual impairment, weight gain, akathisia, emotional blunting, EPS, and tardive dyskinesia." The more palatable they make medication seem, the easier it is for them to sell their "shoot 'em up with haldol" argument. The worst part about Torrey at least is when he argues that the ill-effects of the old school neuroleptics are, in fact, being confused with schizophrenia itself. Come on. I've taken the *new* neuroleptics, and I felt like a zombie. I'd really appreciate it if Torrey and other like-minded "mental health professionals" would avoid p*ssing on my leg and telling me its raining. I'd also like if they'd stop abusing and misusing data and statistics to back up their pre-formed conceptions and beliefs. Such behavior is dogmatic, not scientific.

 

Re: thanks for the thoughts.

Posted by alexandra_k on November 25, 2005, at 19:20:45

In reply to TD in untreated schizophrenics, posted by med_empowered on November 25, 2005, at 17:36:04

i will check the book (i have it - so i'll find the bit and quote it later today or tomorrow).

I'm not sure about whether to believe him or not, but I'm fairly sure he will have referenced that thought so we can have a little look at his sources.

A bit about Frith...

He is a psychologist, not a psychiatrist.
The book is (as I was saying...)
"The Cognitive Neuro-Psychology of Schizophrenia"
What that means... He does consider the abnormalities in structure / neurotransmission that have been found upon autopsy.
He does consider how much the abnormality may be due to medication vs the degenerative nature of the illness.
He does acknowledge that the brain abnormalities are a matter of 'tendancies' across population samples rather than being a litmus test for whether individuals have been appropriately diagnosed or not.
He does acknowledge that the brain abnormalities tend to be a matter of 'degree' rather than a huge difference in kind.
He is most interested to develop cognitive models of positive and negative symptoms.
Cognitive models of what cognitive-neurological factors might be responsible for delusions of alien control, thought withdrawal, passivity phenomena, negative symptoms, speech / communication problems etc.

He doesn't have a drug line to push either way...
(In fact you would expect him to be sceptical being a psychologist rather than a psychiatrist)

I'll chase those up...

Thanks for the interest...

:-)

 

Re: thanks for the thoughts.

Posted by alexandra_k on November 25, 2005, at 20:57:00

In reply to Re: thanks for the thoughts., posted by alexandra_k on November 25, 2005, at 19:20:45

Okay. So some of my thoughts were a little off (in the above post).

Here is what Frith has to say:

'My purpose in this chapter is to outline the evidence for believing that schizophrenia results from a brain disorder. A recent and detailed account of some of this evidence may be found in Kerwin (1992)...

Nevertheless, it was believed that brain abnormalities would soon be found. This has proved to be more difficult than expected. Neuropathologists searched diligently and abnormalities were frequently reported, but they were never replicated. Indeed, schizophrenia eventually came to be known as "the graveyard of neuropathology" (Plum, 1972). I have known neuropathologists to remark facetiously that it is easy to recognise the brains from schizophrenic patients because they are the ones which look normal... (p.15)

It is not suprising, in such a climate, many people came to believe that there was no brain abnormality associated with schizophrenia...

There were two major reasons for the dramatic switch of opinion in recent years towards the belief that schizophrenia is essentially a disease of the brain. The first was the chance discovery of antipsychotic drugs and the subsequent demonstration of their association with the neurotransmitter, dopamine. The second was the development of quantitative rather than qualitative studies of brain structure... (p. 16)

There are two distinct types of effects of treatment with antipsychotics on the movement system. Many patients treated with these drugs show signs similar to those observed in patients with Parkinson's disease: tremor, stiffness, and an abnormal gait. These "Parkinsonian" side-effects appear soon after drug treatment commences and disappear when treatment is discontinued. They are a direct consequence of the effects of the drugs on the dopamine system (Marsden, Tarsy, & Baldessarini, 1975). We know that Parkinson's disease is a consequence of the loss of dopamine-containing nerve terminals in the striatum (Ehringer & Hornykiewicz, 1960). A similar, but temporary, lack of dopamine is produced by antipsychotic drugs. The Parkinsonian side-effects of these drugs are very common and many schizophrenic patients are given additional drugs (usually anticholinergics such as procylindine) in the belief that these drugs will combat these side effects.

In addition to these Parkinsonian side-effects there is another kind of movement disorder associated with anti-psychotic drug treatment known as "tardive dyskinesia" (Jeste & Wyall, 1982). The most striking signs of the syndrome are strange involountary movements of the mouth, tongue, and jaw (orofacial dyskinesia, buccal dyskinesia). These signs are widely believed to be the irreversible consequence of long-term treatment with antipsychotics. They are believed to continue and, perhaps, even to get worse when treatment with antipsychotics is discontinued. There is evidence, however, that these movement disorders were observed in chronic schizophrenic patients before antipsychotic treatment was available, and they can also be observed in patients today who have never been treated with antipsychotics (Owens, Johnstone, & Frith, 1982) (p.20).

Regarding structural changes (brain abnormalities). He does not talk about it being 'degenerative' in fact he argues that it is not, so sorry for misrepresenting him there. He says

'In the 1970's there was a technological breakthrough, which is continuing to revolutionise the study of the brain in man. Computerised axial tomography (CAT) permitted a detailed image of the brain to be obtained from a living subject. In particular it was possible to measure the size of the ventricles (the fluid-filled spaces in the middle of the brain).

Simple measurement of the cross-sectional area of the lateral ventricles revealed them to be significantly enlarged in schizophrenic patients (Johnstone et al., 1956). Furthermore, for the first time in neuropathological studies of schizophrenia, this result has been replicated repeatedly (Gattaz, Kohlmeyer, & Gasser, 1991). Of course, the difference is quantitative, not qualitative. It is not the case that all schizophrenic patients have abnormally large ventricles. Rather it is the case that the mean ventricle size of a group of schizophrenic patients is larger than that of a control group matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. At the most, perhaps 25% of chronic schizophrenics have abnormally large ventricles. Inevitably this quantitative difference was missed by the classical neuropathologists, who were seeking qualitative differences. From their point of view the discovery of enlarged ventricles in schizophrenia is not very satisfactory. The enlargement is certainly not unique to schizophrenia, it is also observed in a more exaggerated form in all kinds of organic dementia. Furthermore, the enlargement is not found in all schizophrenics. What, then, does it tell us about schizophrenia?

We might first consider whether enlarged ventricles are associated with a particular kind of schizophrenia in terms of signs and symptoms. (p.20)

We would expect them to be associated with a more "organic" picture. To some extent this is true. Enlarged ventricles are associated with involvountary movement disorders (Owens et al., 1985), a lack of response to drug treatment (Weinberger et al., 1980), and negative signs, rather than positive symptoms (Andreasen et al., 1982)...

There is evidence that the enlargement is more marked in the part of the ventricular system that lies within the temporal lobe (the temporal horn) particularly on the left side of the brain (Crow et al., 1989). Consistent with these observations, some studies have found that the hippocampus and the adjacent area of cortex, the parahippo-campal gyrus, are reduced in size in schizophrenia (Bogerts et al., 1985; Brown et al., 1986). Both of these structures are part of the temporal lobe. Here again the differences are quantitative rather than qualitative. The differences may well represent a general reduction in the size of temporal lobe structures of all patients relative to the distribution in the normal population. The overlap between patients and normal subjects is such, however, that the size of the brain structures cannot qualify as "markers" for schizophrenia. (p.23)

... Repeated scans or scans of schizophrenic patients who have been ill for different lengths of time have not provided any evidence that the ventricles become progressively larger (Gattaz et al., 1991). There are a few instances where patients happened to have received scans well before the onset of schizophrenia. These cases have been found to have had large ventricles even at that early time, well before the onset of symptoms (O'Callaghan et al., 1998; Weinberger, 1998). These results suggest that schizophrenia is not a neurodegenerative disease and that brain abnormalities, including enlarged ventricles, precede the onset of the illness' (p.24).


Hmm.

Nature / Nurture...
Some people have more of a biological componant than others...
And by the sounds of it...
Those are the people who are more likely to develop TD regardless of whether they take AP's or not...

Still...

Maybe thats not quite right?

The full reference is:

Owens, D.G.C., Johnstone, E.C., & Frith, C.D (1982) Spontaneous involountary disorders of movement. *Archives of General Psychiatry, 39* 452-461.

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Tepiaca

Posted by alexandra_k on November 25, 2005, at 22:11:46

In reply to Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD, posted by Tepiaca on November 22, 2005, at 21:04:17


> I still have muscles twitches.

I wonder if they might have something to do with your anxiety?

Or if they might be caused by some other reason.

I don't know.

Could you check with a GP about some of the causes of muscle twitches?

How often do you have them?

I'm just thinking...
That if you are very worried about them then that might make them worse too...

I don't know.

 

Re: TD in untreated schizophrenics » med_empowered

Posted by ed_uk on November 26, 2005, at 14:02:10

In reply to TD in untreated schizophrenics, posted by med_empowered on November 25, 2005, at 17:36:04

>I'd really appreciate it if Torrey and other like-minded "mental health professionals" would avoid p*ssing on my leg and telling me its raining.

LOL, that really made me laugh :D

Ed

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » alexandra_k

Posted by Tepiaca on November 26, 2005, at 15:20:11

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Tepiaca, posted by alexandra_k on November 25, 2005, at 22:11:46

> I wonder if they might have something to do with your anxiety?


Maybe , but they started when I begin taking APs


>

>
> How often do you have them?
>

Sometimes they just last 1 or 2 minutes but other times like in these days they last 2 or 3 hours.
In this moment my rigth eye is twitching , I also have some very little moves in my tongue. They dont bother me, but I am worried that these are the first signs of TD.

> I'm just thinking...
> That if you are very worried about them then that might make them worse too...
>
> I don't know.

Yes maybe If y try to stop thinking in them ,I would be better


Thank you alexandra

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD

Posted by zeugma on November 26, 2005, at 15:39:49

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » alexandra_k, posted by Tepiaca on November 26, 2005, at 15:20:11

I have read that TD is actually more prevalent in people with affective disorders who take AP's.

Clozapine is the only AP definitely not associated with TD risk.

While movement disorders of all kinds occur without AP use, including syndromes that resemble TD, this merely means that your chances of getting TD are greatly heightened by AP use (excluding clozapine and possibly a few others, most likely Seroquel and Abilify).

The reason AP's are in vogue so much these days is because a lot of them are still on patent. And by the time their true long term safety profiles are known, they will be off patent, which is convenient for the makers of such drugs.
-z

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » zeugma

Posted by ed_uk on November 26, 2005, at 16:07:18

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD, posted by zeugma on November 26, 2005, at 15:39:49

Hi Tepi

>The reason AP's are in vogue so much these days is because a lot of them are still on patent. And by the time their true long term safety profiles are known, they will be off patent, which is convenient for the makers of such drugs.

So true, especially in the US. Things are a bit different here, doctors are strongly encouraged to prescribe the cheapest generic drugs unless there is no alternative, it's all about avoiding wastage of National Health Service resources. Lexapro, for example, is much less popular in the UK than generic fluoxetine (Prozac), which is cheaper by a factor of TEN - and generally similarly effective. The side effects are also broadly comparable.

Kind regards

Ed

 

LOL, above post to Z not TEPI :-) (nm)

Posted by ed_uk on November 26, 2005, at 16:08:11

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » zeugma, posted by ed_uk on November 26, 2005, at 16:07:18

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » zeugma

Posted by ed_uk on November 26, 2005, at 16:32:28

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD, posted by zeugma on November 26, 2005, at 15:39:49

Prescribing escitalopram (Cipralex, Lexapro) instead of fluoxetine (as a first line treatment for depressive illness) would be a massive waste of UK taxpayers money! In the UK, fluoxetine 20mg costs the NHS about Ł1.50 ($2.57) for a box of 30 caps (one month supply), escitalopram 10mg costs about Ł15.00 ($25.74) for a box of 28 tabs (one month supply).

Ed

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » ed_uk

Posted by zeugma on November 26, 2005, at 17:40:08

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » zeugma, posted by ed_uk on November 26, 2005, at 16:07:18

Lexapro, for example, is much less popular in the UK than generic fluoxetine (Prozac), which is cheaper by a factor of TEN - and generally similarly effective. The side effects are also broadly comparable.>>

Hi Ed


In the U.S., the way it would work for the typical patient with symptoms of depression is that they would be given Lexapro samples for free. Then if the decision was made that the pills were needed a prescription would be written for Lexapro. Insidious, isn't it?

By the way, most studies that show that SSRI's have fewer side effects than TCA's use studies that compare them against imipramine or amitriptyline. If the studies were made against the secondary amine TCA's, the results would be about equal. Lofepramine invalidates the argument that even a well-tolerated TCA is cardiotoxic, but for that reason will never be an option here. Instead we can pay through the nose for Strattera which IMO is not in the same league as any of the major TCA's as an AD, but has as its great selling point the fact that it is not 'cardiotoxic.' It may not be, but it's certainly on patent, and doctors' offices are crammed with samples.

-z

-z

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD

Posted by zeugma on November 26, 2005, at 17:51:23

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » ed_uk, posted by zeugma on November 26, 2005, at 17:40:08

I do need to add in fairness that Strattera is more effective for ADD than nortriptyline, though maybe not desipramine or lofepramine. I would be interested in a study that compared Strattera to either of these drugs, but Lilly probably has little incentive to do so. And the pharmaceutical industry is tied to the patent laws, not to optimizing treatment either financially or medically. This also slows the acquisition of knowledge about these disorders, but industry is not science.

-z

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD

Posted by alexandra_k on November 26, 2005, at 20:23:17

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD, posted by zeugma on November 26, 2005, at 17:51:23

I have been reading...

"Hitlers Scientists"

Interesting...

How much are scientists morally responsible for the likely consequences of their inventions?

(working on atomic weapons, chemical warfare, etc etc)

one might worry a bit about working for a drug company too...

(for example)

grr

 

Redirect: moral responsibility

Posted by Dr. Bob on November 26, 2005, at 22:16:16

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD, posted by alexandra_k on November 26, 2005, at 20:23:17

> How much are scientists morally responsible for the likely consequences of their inventions?

Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to redirect follow-ups regarding moral responsibility to Psycho-Babble Social. Here's a link:

http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20051120/msgs/582547.html

Thanks,

Bob

 

aw » Dr. Bob

Posted by alexandra_k on November 27, 2005, at 0:52:38

In reply to Redirect: moral responsibility, posted by Dr. Bob on November 26, 2005, at 22:16:16

no moral responsibility on the meds board...

;-)

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » zeugma

Posted by ed_uk on November 27, 2005, at 11:32:17

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » ed_uk, posted by zeugma on November 26, 2005, at 17:40:08

Hi Zeugie :-)

>In the U.S., the way it would work for the typical patient with symptoms of depression is that they would be given Lexapro samples for free. Then if the decision was made that the pills were needed a prescription would be written for Lexapro. Insidious, isn't it?

LOL, they get free Lexapro to start with then have to pay LOTS of money to continue it! Free samples are certainly a very effective way of getting doctors to prescribe new drugs. Would be cheaper for the patient if they started on generic fluoxetine and received NO 'free' samples :-)

>By the way, most studies that show that SSRI's have fewer side effects than TCA's use studies that compare them against imipramine or amitriptyline.

IMO, TCA side effects tend to be more obvious eg. urinary retention. SSRI side effects like apathy and loss of libido tend to be more insidious.

>lofepramine

At 'standard' doses, Gamanil works out as being about 10 times cheaper than Strattera!

RE antidepressants, lofepramine and nortriptyline are currently a lot more expensive than generic fluoxetine, which is now the cheapest AD in the UK!

Kind regards

Ed

 

Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » Tepiaca

Posted by ace on November 28, 2005, at 8:25:46

In reply to Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD, posted by Tepiaca on November 22, 2005, at 21:04:17

>
> Hello, I called today to my first doctor in my life. He is the one that knows my problem better
> One thing I dont like about him is that he prescribes APs like candies. I understand that
> I had my first push with Zyprexa, but I dont want to take AP forever. They are dangerous.
> I still have muscles twitches. Im 25 . If I continue taking this drugs , I will develope for sure TD in my mid thirties. Im afraid !
>
> I dont know If I should take Risperdal 1mg. I only want this fear to dissapear. It seems nothing works on me. 10 years taking meds!!!
> I am sinking again. Why Should I live more?
> Im only suffering
>
>


I have known peopleon OLD antipsychotics for 30 years with no TD!!!!!!

Don't worry!!!.....remember,and this is factual, TD is usually reversible.

Maybe this excess worry is a manifestation of OCD or a Generalized anxiety disorder???

Stay Cool and trust this universe!!!
Ace

 

TD in untreated schizophrenia » Chairman_MAO

Posted by Larry Hoover on November 29, 2005, at 12:00:18

In reply to Re: Experiences on Risperdal... Im afraid of TD » alexandra_k, posted by Chairman_MAO on November 25, 2005, at 13:02:06

> The notion that TD is somehow a result of schizophrenia is madness in my opinion;

> I would like to see references to these cases of TD in people who've never taken an antipsychotic.

I'm sorry to simply leap into this discussion, but I'd like to provide you with some links that show dyskinesia and parkinsonism associated with increasing age in untreated schizophrenia.

The main researcher in this realm to look at is McCreadie. Some of his work is free full-text, if you follow the Pubmed links I've included. He's published a lot more than I reference here. Many many Pubmed references.

By no means am I intending to suggest that dyskinesia is not attributable to neuroleptic medication. Those meds bring about abrupt and severe dyskinetic syndromes. My thinking is that perhaps those with the pre-existing diathesis are rapidly induced. I really don't know.

Maybe we can treat the disease, and by so doing, reduce dyskinetic morbidity? I think that's possible, and maybe the atypicals are capable of accomplishing it, a little bit? Surely not by design, but that's still a good thing.

Lar

Here are the Pubmed links/abstracts:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15725424&query_hl=6

J Psychiatr Res. 2005 May;39(3):261-6.

Extrapyramidal symptoms in unmedicated schizophrenia.

McCreadie RG, Srinivasan TN, Padmavati R, Thara R.

Crichton Royal Hospital, Dumfries, DG1 4XB, Scotland, UK.

Studies of spontaneous extrapyramidal symptoms, dyskinesia and parkinsonism, in unmedicated schizophrenia are of importance in understanding their underlying pathology and relation to the psychosis. This is a study of extrapyramidal symptoms using Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale for dyskinesia and Simpson-Angus Scale for parkinsonism in 143 schizophrenia patients who never received antipsychotic medication. Psychopathology was measured using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Dyskinesia was present in 35% of patients and parkinsonism in 15%. The two disorders coexisted in 11 subjects. Orofacial dyskinesia, rigidity and tremor were common symptoms noted. There was no significant change in the rates and total scores of dyskinesia and parkinsonism with gender, age, duration of illness or age at onset of psychosis. Dyskinesia was unrelated to psychopathology. Parkinsonism score correlated positively with the motor symptom cluster of psychopathology. Dyskinesia and parkinsonism scores correlated positively with each other and parkinsonism score discriminated presence of dyskinesia. The associations between the spontaneous abnormal movements and other aspects of schizophrenia differed from those described in treated patients. Dyskinesia and parkinsonism are an integral part of the schizophrenia disease process whose relationship with other factors could be influenced by antipsychotic drug treatment.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12151284&query_hl=6

Br J Psychiatry. 2002 Aug;181:135-7.

Spontaneous dyskinesia and parkinsonism in never-medicated, chronically ill patients with schizophrenia: 18-month follow-up.

McCreadie RG, Padmavati R, Thara R, Srinivasan TN.

Crichton Royal Hospital, Dumfries, UK. rgmccreadie_crh@compuserve.com

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous dyskinesia and parkinsonism have been reported in never-medicated patients with schizophrenia but there has been no previous study of the natural history of these conditions. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of spontaneous dyskinesia and parkinsonism in a group of never-medicated, chronically ill patients with schizophrenia on two occasions separated by an 18-month interval. METHOD: Dyskinesia was assessed by the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale using Schooler and Kane criteria for its presence; parkinsonism by the Simpson and Angus scale; and mental state by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for schizophrenia. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were examined on two occasions. Nine (24%) had dyskinesia on both occasions, 12 (33%) on one occasion and 16 (43%) on neither occasion. Twenty-one (57%) had dyskinesia on at least one occasion. Thirteen patients (35%) had parkinsonism on at least one occasion. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous dyskinesia and parkinsonism fluctuate over time. The former was found on at least one occasion in the majority of patients. It is an integral part of the schizophrenic disease process.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10739325&query_hl=6

J Clin Psychiatry. 2000;61 Suppl 4:10-4.

Prevalence of spontaneous dyskinesia in schizophrenia.

Fenton WS.

Chestnut Lodge Hospital, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. WSFMD@AOL.COM

Spontaneous abnormal involuntary movements phenomenologically identical to neuroleptic-induced tardive dyskinesia have been described in schizophrenia for over a century. Because at present nearly all patients with schizophrenia are exposed to neuroleptic medications, information about the prevalence of spontaneous dyskinesia is obtained from accounts from the preneuroleptic era, evaluations of first-episode patients before neuroleptic treatment, and the identification and assessment of drug-naive patients in developing countries. In this report, data from 14 studies of neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia are used to generate age-adjusted estimates of the prevalence of spontaneous dyskinesia. While the precision of this estimate is limited by the difficulty of obtaining large, untreated samples, available data suggest a spontaneous dyskinesia rate of approximately 4% in first-episode schizophrenic patients, 12% for patients ill several years but below age 30 years, 25% for those aged between 30 and 50 years, and 40% for those aged 60 years or older. Relative to the incidence and accrued prevalence of spontaneous dyskinesia expected during the natural history of untreated schizophrenia, the cumulative impact of treatment with new neuroleptic agents has yet to be determined.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=8837914&query_hl=22

Br J Psychiatry. 1996 Feb;168(2):221-6.

Abnormal movements in never-medicated Indian patients with schizophrenia.

McCreadie RG, Thara R, Kamath S, Padmavathy R, Latha S, Mathrubootham N, Menon MS.

Clinical Research, Crichton Royal Hospital, Dumfries.

BACKGROUND: Historical records suggest dyskinesia was observed in severely ill institutionalised patients with schizophrenia in the pre-neuroleptic era. More recent work has not found dyskinesia in never-medicated younger and middle aged patients. The present study complements this recent work and avoids the confounders of severity of illness and institutionalism by examining elderly patients in a wide variety of community settings. METHOD: Movement disorders were examined in 308 elderly individuals in Madras, India, using the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale, the Simpson and Angus Parkinsonism Scale and the Barnes Akathisia Scale. Patients' mental state was assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. RESULTS: Dyskinesia was found in 15% of normal subjects (n = 101, mean age 63 years), 15% of first degree blood relatives of younger schizophrenic patients (n = 103, mean age 63 years), 38% of never medicated patients (n = 21, mean age 65 years) and 41% of medicated patients (n = 83, mean age 57 years). The respective prevalences for Parkinsonism were 6%, 11%, 24% and 36%; and for akathisia 9%, 5%, 21% and 23%. Dyskinesia was associated with negative schizophrenic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Dyskinesia in elderly schizophrenic patients is an integral part of the illness and not associated with antipsychotic medication.


Go forward in thread:


Show another thread

URL of post in thread:


Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ


[dr. bob] Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD, bob@dr-bob.org

Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.