Pharmacology Revision

[Saifullah]

No benzodiazepines (diazepam being a part of it) are not anti-depressants. They are sedatives/anxiolytics/hypnotics...They cause sedation. So are used for people who cant' sleep, anticonvulsant (stop seizures like in epilepsy). And used as anxiolytic drugs. They stop anxiety....that is separate to depression.

[eyeliner]

what about antipsychotic drugs?

[Saifullah]

Antipsychotic drugs are those which decrease levels of dopamine and serotonin. Most popular drugs are clozapine, chlorpromazine, haloperidol...

[eyeliner]

^ good i am kinda testing you.

i think that drugs are not imperative, i think that they just have a placebo effect

[Saifullah]

Some drugs have placebo effect. But in schizophrenia i dont think it has placebo effect because those people do get violent and dangerous due to hallucinations and grandeur, so the drugs are meant to calm them down a bit

[eyeliner]

^ in schizophrenia prehaps, but sometimes even drugs are not sufficient thats illustrated by the use of ECT, and i think counselling plays a huge role, because drugs only cures the symptoms and not the underlying cause, plus there are high chances of relapses.

ive heard that in epilepsy, placebo effect does work, i guess this may change on the severity of the epilepsy.

so for classifying illnesses such as schizophrenia (mental health related illnesses) what do you refer to for classification for e.g. the DSM is used in the US, while in europe the ICD is used.

[Saifullah]

Placebo works for many illnesses and even not using drugs can also work for illnesses...

Drugs are not always needed.

ECT is not in common usage

[eyeliner]

saif........you didnt say what you used for classification of such illnesses

[Dreamer]

ECT works.... I do it!

[Dreamer]

Clozapine is by the best drug though u gotta be careful with it as its use is very strictly controlled..... Gota monitor WCC and neutrophils

[Saifullah]

ECT as first line treatment??

And eyeliner i haven't gone into the classification of schizophrenia yet, as in which type is to be used. We just have studied it wid general classification and wat are the signs..

Chlorpromazine is also a good drug from schizophrenia, it doesn't require monitoring whereas you mentioned clozapine requires monitoring through blood tests, which cannot be done in places like Pakistan due to costs and it is more efficient to prescribe chlorpromazine (largactil)

[Dreamer]

no... its always a last resort... but we do it 2 times a week...
I dread 2 think what might happen if some1 took Clozaril without blood tests at rehular interval....

[Dreamer]

My favourite drug? hmmmm i love Magnesium sulphate (saved my ass plenty of times looool)
I also Like another benzodiazapine Chlorodiazepoxide.... very helpful with the drunks

[Dreamer]

and lets not forget the opiate family!

[Sheenka]

r u studying medical too?^