Posted by hyperfocus on February 16, 2013, at 23:52:34
In reply to Re: need help with new friend » hyperfocus, posted by SLS on February 16, 2013, at 22:24:21
> > > > I think you could tell her with certainty that there is no med treatment for adult ADD
> > >
> > > That's a pretty strong statement. From where does your certitude come?
> > >
> > If current ADD meds are assumed to treat the condition utilizing the same mechanisms that SSRIs and SNRIs and APs et.al are assumed to treat mental illness, then I stand by my statement.
>
> I have assumed no such thing. I don't think the authors of the study I cited have assumed any such thing. I think it is you who have assumed that others are assuming. When tested clinically, these drugs are observed empirically to have therapeutic effects. This seems to be a consistent finding. As to how these drugs work is still a matter of investigation. Perhaps reregulation of noradrenergic circuitry in the right prefrontal cortex? I don't know. I haven't kept up with the research in this area. I am curious, though, why atomoxetine can make for such a good drug for adult ADHD and such a poor drug for depression. There might be a clue in there somewhere.
>
> * For a minority of people with depression, atomoxetine is a miracle drug. The heterogeneity in clinical outcomes when using psychotropic medications is fascinating, but confounding, and urgently needs to be understood.
>
>
> - ScottThe assumption I'm questioning is that meds that regulate neurotransmitter levels can treat complex disorders of learning and thinking. People with ADD can see improvements in their symptoms when they take their meds. When the meds are stopped, the symptoms return. A majority of people with anxiety see significant theraputic response to benzos. If somebody asked me if benzos treated anxiety I would still say no.
>When tested clinically, these drugs are observed empirically to have therapeutic effects.
Just as in the case of benzos, does short-term therapeutic response to meds with potentially severe side-effects translate to viable treatment? The poster mentions her own experience with benzo treatment for anxiety.The ability of psychotropic meds to affect one's cognition and emotions I'm not disputing. There is no simple demonstrated connection between this fact and successful sustained treatment of disorders like ADD. This is what I was trying to communicate, tersely, in my statement. The major problem I have with studies like the one you quoted is that similar ones exist on SSRIs. Do SSRIs treat depression?
C-PTSD: social phobia, major depression, dissociation. 20 yrs duration.
Asperger's Syndrome.
Currently: 150mg amitriptyline single dose at night. 75mg Lyrica occasionally.
Significantly improving.
poster:hyperfocus
thread:1036332
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130205/msgs/1038211.html