RESEARCHERS have come out with the exciting news that Prozac can help stroke patients.
But as Prozac is an antidepressant and stroke is a depressive thing, it might not have been too much of a surprise to hear that happy pills might help.
Except it's not that simple. Sure, depressed stroke victims perk up with Prozac.
But this research showed that the drug helped ALL stroke patients, depressed or not.
So Prozac seems to have some other effect which eases the paralysis and speeds up recovery.
But this is nothing new to the average medic. Antidepressants can help with so many medical problems that perhaps we should be thinking about putting them in tap water.
Here are some examples.
IRRITATED NERVES: You may have a trapped nerve, like sciatica - cue electric-shock type pains down your leg. Or you might have inflamed nerve ends, especially if you're diabetic - which explains those burning, tingly feet. Low doses of certain antidepressants can numb that pain, often much more effectively than standard painkillers.
IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: This is common, and causes spasm of your bowel and frequent trips to the loo. It's typically worse when stressed. Antidepressants can ease the cramp and tame the trots - maybe by relaxing you, your bowel, or both.
MIGRAINE AND TENSION HEADACHES: Fed up popping pills for your throbbing head? Regular painkillers can actually make matters worse.
Whereas a low dose of antidepressant can melt that headache away - perhaps by relaxing your tense scalp muscles.
PREMENSTRUAL TENSION: You've tried all the usual remedies. So guess what your GP might prescribe if your symptoms are severe? That's right: Prozac or similar. It seems to help in the worst cases.
MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS: Another one for the ladies. Since hormone replacement therapy has fallen out of fashion, the search has been on for alternatives. And - you guessed it - in some women, Prozac-type antidepressants have been shown to zap flushes and sweats.
FIBROMYALGIA: This is a persistent aching of muscles all over your body - which isn't helped much by standard painkillers. Step forward low-dose antidepressants - they do the trick in many sufferers.
I could go on. I haven't even mentioned shingles pain, bedwetting in kids, OCD, irritable bladder, panic attacks and so on. They're all eased, in some cases, by antidepressants.
But you get the drift - antidepressants have loads of uses besides treating straightforward depression.
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It's worth knowing this - you'd be lucky to go through life never suffering any of these problems. So chances are you'll be prescribed an antidepressant at some time or other.
And if you go home and read all about depression in the patient leaflet, there could be a problem. At best, you'll wonder if you've been given the right drug for your migraine, IBS, PMT or whatever.
At worst, you'll decide your doctor's saying "It's all in you mind" (he isn't) and that he's prescribed you pills which are addictive (they aren't).
Which is a shame. Because the drugs do work. We're just not always sure why or how.
And that's an excellent reason to cheer up when you're prescribed antidepressants. Even if that's not the intention.
I hate The Sun, I wish they'd reference their research once in a while. Ok, so the research was published in The Lancet, and there's also a BBC article about it. It sounds promising, but the initial research was only carried out on 118 participants so I guess we can't take too much from it right now.
Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;
If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,
Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,
I must have you!"
Thomas Parke D’Invilliers
Prozac is already in the tap water in measurable quantities (small admittedly) water tends to be reprocessed a lot because fresh water is a scarce resource. The stuff out the tap isn't fresh and often contains a lot of other ingredients such as artificial female hormones, medications, nitrates, etc.
Not saying that it's dangerous though.
Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money.
They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with.
Some men just want to watch the world burn.
Prozac is already in the tap water in measurable quantities (small admittedly) water tends to be reprocessed a lot because fresh water is a scarce resource. The stuff out the tap isn't fresh and often contains a lot of other ingredients such as artificial female hormones, medications, nitrates, etc.
Not saying that it's dangerous though.
Citations please??????
I refuse to drink tap water anyway....but i'm interested to see where you have got this information from....the only reason i don't drink it is cos i live in a hard water area and i don't like it lol.
"Has anyone seen my contact lens? It may be stuckto a tree or a rock or something. Oh boy, I am so grounded" Family Guy
if everyone cared and nobody cried, if everyone loved and nobody lied, if everyone shared and swallowed their pride, we'd see the day that nobody died
I refuse to drink tap water anyway....but i'm interested to see where you have got this information from....the only reason i don't drink it is cos i live in a hard water area and i don't like it lol.
It's actually a major problem for spawning fish and amphibians, artificial female hormones in the water causing them to become asexual or hermaphrodites. But that's another tangent altogether!
Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money.
They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with.
Some men just want to watch the world burn.
you should see the spikes when you put tap water through a Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Its crazy.
Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;
If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,
Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,
I must have you!"
Thomas Parke D’Invilliers
- different people need different anti-depressants. Some can become more ill on certain anti-depressants.
- anti-depressants can interact with other medications people are on.
- if you're on one anti-depressant, and you take the other in the water too, this could be very dangerous.
But, my mum had a stroke in 2006. She was very depressed for some time afterwards. Mostly due to being in hospital and wanting to be at home. She might have benefitted from anti-depressants. But she's already on a low dose of one for neuralgia, and she's on so much other medication.
- different people need different anti-depressants. Some can become more ill on certain anti-depressants.
- anti-depressants can interact with other medications people are on.
- if you're on one anti-depressant, and you take the other in the water too, this could be very dangerous.
Also, SSRI's are actually bad for some medical conditions and can trigger other medical conditions such as IBD's which I have.
It's actually a major problem for spawning fish and amphibians, artificial female hormones in the water causing them to become asexual or hermaphrodites. But that's another tangent altogether!
I'll google it in a bit.... but one thing i'd like to point out is that the first article states it is being found in "rivers and groundwater" and makes no mention as to whether the processing that happens to our water filters these out.
Also the second one is talking about america....doesn't affect me :P
very interesting stuff though!
"Has anyone seen my contact lens? It may be stuckto a tree or a rock or something. Oh boy, I am so grounded" Family Guy
if everyone cared and nobody cried, if everyone loved and nobody lied, if everyone shared and swallowed their pride, we'd see the day that nobody died
