Posted by Chairman_MAO on March 2, 2006, at 15:45:56
In reply to Re: Yes » FredPotter, posted by linkadge on March 1, 2006, at 15:31:54
I agree with you re: placebo effect/poop out.
Reminds me of how studies on buspirone found that those who had previously used a benzodiazepine for anxiety did not respond to Buspar. The investigators did all sorts of stupid theorizing about this, but it is obvious that what that shows is that once someone knows what a real anxiolytic drug is like, they do not readily respond to placebos.
I see no reason why it should be otherwise for SSRIs vs. MAOIs/stimulants/opioids/etc. The notion that you have x y and z psychoneurlogical abnormality simply because you respond to a drug with an effect on a particular neurotransmitter subsystem is question-begging of the highest order.
The rich and privileged use the drugs of abuse as antidepressants, especially opioids. It is just that the physicians actually acknowledge their emotional pain as PAIN, their fatigue as fatigue, and so forth. Psychiatry is usually a very simple language game. What else does "I am anxious" mean within the context of the psychiatrist's office than "I want an anxiolytic". "I cannot sleep" == " I want a sleeping pill." The best psychiatrists are honest about this and use their medical knowledge to help their patients choose the most safe and effective drugs that suit their needs. Anyone that tells me that antipsychotics should be tried for anxiety (and psychotic states can be conceived of as the result of extraordinarly severe anxiety/neuroses) before opioids (or benzos, but opioids are often easier to discontinue) is compromising their own freedom and dignity by believing as such.
poster:Chairman_MAO
thread:613775
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060227/msgs/615028.html