Posted by Mark H. on March 20, 2000, at 18:52:34
In reply to Ephedrine, Rebox., and Stim.'s - oh my!, posted by michael on March 17, 2000, at 23:19:40
> > I've also read that ephedrine has more of an adrenalin-like effect..
Hi Michael, That has certainly been my experience with it, including causing my face to break out, my back muscles to go into severe spasms, and a temporary increase in aggression and sexuality followed by irritability and tiredness. I used to take it occasionally for asthma and during hay-fever season as a way to take a break from antihistamines and still be able to work without my nose running down my face. But I found it unpleasant and jarring.
Prescribing stimulants is highly controversial. For those of us old enough to know those old enough to remember such things, stimulants were given out relativey freely during and after WWII. At the time, it generally made sense to give stimulants to long-range pilots, for instance, and to truck drivers who needed to stay awake at the wheel. An older friend told me that in 1952, his doctor even put him on a diet of "bananas and bennies" for several weeks in order to lose weight.
Of course, yesterday's panacea sometimes becomes today's pariah, and although our understanding of stimulants hasn't changed that much in the last 50 years, no doctor today would risk offering benzadrine for weight loss or giving a trucker or college student prescription stimulants in order to stay alert all night. While medical arguments can be cited for or against such decisions, the more likely reason is that public attitudes towards such things have changed.
It is unlikely that a physician will prescribe you a stimulant if you are reasonably functional without. If you're curious, look up a few of the stimulants you've read about, and review the criteria that physicians are expected to use in assessing your need for these Class II controlled substances (highest potential for abuse -- Class I cannot be prescribed at all).
I think most of us who take psychiatric medications have trained ourselves to be even more conservative than our doctors in order to avoid the taint of being labelled "drug-seeking" or worse. I've seen that tendency backfire on occasion, resulting in hospitalizations that were avoidable (a person doesn't want to develop a "drug dependency" and so doesn't take adequate medication to control the problem -- basically, a compliance issue) or simply unnecessary suffering.
As always, discuss it with your doctor. But my layman's advice is this: if you don't need it, don't use it. Exercise, fresh air, a good diet, plenty of sleep ... enjoy them while you can, and let them make a difference while they can. Later, you may have no choice. And not so much for you -- because I know you are responsible -- I would hate to see people make it any harder for those of us who really need these medications to get them.
I hope I've avoided any sort of judgment about the issue either way in what I've written above. If not, kindly adjust for (and forgive) my biases.
poster:Mark H.
thread:27416
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000312/msgs/27687.html