The medications that change who we are - Psychology

[Newest Reality]

They’ve been linked to road rage, pathological gambling, and complicated acts of fraud. Some make us less neurotic, and others may even shape our social relationships. It turns out many ordinary medications don’t just affect our bodies – they affect our brains. Why? And should there be warnings on packets?

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If these claims are true, the implications are profound. The list of potential culprits includes some of the most widely consumed drugs on the planet, meaning that even if the effects are small at an individual level, they could be shaping the personalities of millions of people.

Research into these effects couldn’t come at a better time. The world is in the midst of a crisis of over-medication, with the US alone buying up 49,000 tonnes of paracetamol every year – equivalent to about 298 paracetamol tablets per person – and the average American consuming $1,200 worth of prescription medications over the same period. And as the global population ages, our drug-lust is set to spiral even further out of control; in the UK, one in 10 people over the age of 65 already takes eight medications every week.

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Since then, more direct evidence has emerged. Several studies have supported a potential link between irritability and statins, including a randomised controlled trial – the gold-standard of scientific research – that Golomb led, involving more than 1,000 people. It found that the drug increased aggression in post-menopausal women though, oddly, not in men.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200108-the-medications-that-change-who-we-are

[Marie Marie]

1. Fascinating.

Makes you wonder about many other "common" drugs we take.

[FirstLight]

2. Fascinating

I take an SSRI, and recently had a lapse between prescriptions being filled... by the 5th day I was aggressive and easliy triggered to tears... I have been on them for so long, I forgot how awful it was being that out of control emotionally...

I also have a chronic inflammation illness and have times when I take Tylenol a lot. I will have to see how that effects me as well...

really interesting stuff!

[MFM008]

4. I went off my SSRI medication once

to jump start weight loss.............
That move turned me an anxiety ridden cripple that couldn't leave my
parents house for 6 weeks until the medication kicked in again.

[mahina]

8. Just want to say thank you for sharing your story.

So much wrapped up in the topic and it’s so personal but we really do learn so much from each other when we share so I’m very grateful.

[MFM008]

12. thanks

My point being anyone, please don't just go off medications
because you read somewhere medication is bad.....
(anyone) ive been on this medication since 1999, i don't like medication but I need it.

[mahina]

9. Thank you for sharing your story too.

So often people just don’t and we learn so much from each other.

[FirstLight]

11. thanks, I agree!

DU is a wonderful gift and family to me!

[nolabear]

13. Never stop an SSRI or tricyclic suddenly. You have to titrate down.

You can think of it as holding something underwater and either gently raising it to the surface or letting go and having it zoom up above and bounce back down.

The brain seeks homeostasis and though I believe antidepressants truly help those who need them, they do need to be dealt with carefully.

[Baked Potato]

3. Interesting... it will take a generation to find out how bad it is.

All the “biological” medications too, aren’t tested enough, IMO.

[Newest Reality]

5. I think we have had a rather poor paradigm...

Things are far more complex and interdependent than the old models may have suggested and this understanding may require a finer and more subtle appreciation and respect for that as our technologies continue to progress.

We can see that the planet is an eco-SYSTEM and that the patterns and connections influence and effect each other. Since that has been largely ignored until recently, (due the impending peril of doing so) we are starting to see the obvious and cumulative results of the older view of actual, separate objects, so to speak. It is clear that both the amount of pollution, (chemicals, garbage, gasses, et.c) and the CO2 we release is coming back to haunt us with a vengeance. If we make it through that, the future will have to rely on a more watercourse way, (the Tao) of understanding the dependence of things on each other and how they arise together, or our species will most certainly reach the final curtain.

For humans, it is rather easy for us to conceptualize ourselves as actually being separate, (almost hermetically-sealed) individual entities, and not only has that been exacerbated by capitalism/media/advertising/myths, but it seems to be supported by our ability to move around. What I mean is a tree is obviously dependent on the ground, rain, sky, Sun, fungi, etc., since it is rooted in place. We know that removing some or all of those elements would mean the death of the tree. Our species gets to play a little game with that and thus emerges the rugged individual, self-made men, etc., none of which is actually true when you consider the context, (or field) of the contents, (subject).

This suggests that future medical science, etc., might just be starting to embrace that kind of perspective in regards to medical technology and one promising and new view is the micro-biome where the roughly three bounds of symbiotic bacteria in and on our bodies demonstrates a remarkable and complex interdependence of many variables that pertain to disease and health. One example of that is, rather than hitting the entire body with a powerful antibiotic, (which is similar often to exterminating mice with hand grenades) careful adjustments of related bacteria in the micro-biome could deliver a more gentle, targeted and effective cure.

That's an example of how, someday, we might look back at some aspects of current technology, medicine, pharmacology, etc., as somewhat clunky and outdated. A new paradigm will help foster that in since it seems we are seeing many indicators that the old one is losing its relevance in many ways.

[DBoon]

6. "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde"

Fiction can foretell reality

[Codeine]

7. I'd be dead if it weren't for SSRI drugs.

I hated the side effects and the way they made me feel, but I had uncontrollable suicidal ideation and panic-inducing anxiety throughout my thirties. I don’t take them now and I don’t miss those side effects, but I’m glad they were there when I needed them.

[Newest Reality]

10. I understand...

As the article points out, it was not meant to be medical advice and that people will still continue to use certain drugs for the potential benefits.

However, it is helpful for people to know the potential effects and be more sensitive to them which could lead to changing the treatment, dosage, etc., if necessary.

I am glad that they worked for you and that you were able to move on. Excellent!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

14. Interesting article

Basically, we should look out for new negative behaviors that seemed to start after taking a new medication.

In the case of the antidepressants, those are intended to cause some personality changes, but hopefully positive ones. Most people take them to reduce their level of neuroticism because that is what is causing them problems.

[Newest Reality]

15. Good assessment.

Yes, it still comes down to taking a proactive role in your treatment and being informed as well as paying attention to the effects medication has on your body and mind. That is important and it can help your doctor treat you since the dose can be changed or an alternative might be available.

You could even check with people close to you since sometimes, we may not notice changes in personality since they can be kind of transparent to us.

Also, it is always a good idea to actually read the contraindications and even talk to your pharmacist about what you taking because they often know more about the drugs, side effects and the effects of combination than doctors do. Sometimes, people find that taxing x with y is contraindicated, so if you are taking several medications some might have negative effects when combined with others.

Caveat emptor, as they say.