Saturday, July 12, 2008

Annals of Mental Illness

As if we didn't have enough trouble already, what w/ the Second Great Republican Depression just around the corner, & so much bile from 50+ yrs. of, as James Brown put it, "Living in America" built up in our mind & body, now we see that our chance for ulcers (& we're surprised that we don't have several already) is increased considerably by the medical/psychiatric power structure's attempt to make us a conformist producer/consumer. (Imagine were we a paranoid schizophrenic rather than a mere melancholic agoraphobe w/ schizoid personality "disorder." What's left of the mind boggles.)
Antidepressants raise ulcer risk Taking an antidepressant may increase the odds of developing an ulcer, although the overall risk remains small, according to a report published Tuesday in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study of 1,321 people with gastrointestinal bleeding found that such drugs as Eli Lilly's Prozac, Forest Laboratories' Celexa and Lexapro, GlaxoSmithKline's Paxil, Pfizer's Zoloft, and Wyeth's Effexor could trigger gastrointestinal bleeding in one of every 2,000 patients. The risk increased to 1 in 250 patients when aspirin or pain drugs also were taken, according to the report. The medicines interfere with platelets, a critical part of the body's normal clotting process, researchers said. Drugs that suppress the production of acid in the stomach -- Prevacid, Prilosec, Nexium and Protonix -- may avert bleeding for those most vulnerable and should be considered, researchers said.
Other possible/potential side-effects of our regimen: Drug #1 (Taken daily.): Delayed ejaculation in males; Decreased sexual desire; Unusual, painful & prolonged erection; Nausea; Difficulty falling asleep; Diarrhea; Dry mouth. And watch out for: The emergence of anxiety, panic attack, confusion, irritability, worsening of depression, and suicidal ideas. This is supposed to help? Drug #2 (For insomnia & anxiety, doesn't do anything for anxiety, but makes one take a nap two or three hrs. after using.): Drowsiness; Dizziness; Visual disturbances; Unusual tiredness or weakness; Loss of bladder control; Constipation; Vomiting; Diarrhea; Nausea. What a drug! Can cause constipation or diarrhea. That's some full-spectrum action. And now you know why we're so cranky & irritable. Up yours, jerks!!

6 comments:

Larry Harmon said...

Note that all the antidepressants mentioned here are SSRIs. You've touched a sore nerve with me, as the psychiatric-military-industrial complex has induced me to take those fucking drugs in the past and I've hated them. Also, they are, compared with older antidepressants, significantly less effective against endogenous depression, which is is what you and I have. So psychiatrists, their minds laundered by Big Pharma, insist on prescribing drugs that are relatively ineffective for patients like us. I'm sticking with Wellbutrin from now on. And don't get me started on atypical antipsychotics, which, like SSRIs, are also serotonin antagonists, and less effective than older drugs (but enormously profitable, as their use has spread at the behest of pharmacutical companies beyond treatment of psychosis to treating bipolar disorder and depression. Everyone can benefit from Seroquel!).
P.

Larry Harmon said...

So, Bouff, have you actually been diagnosed with Schizoid Personality Disorder? Wow, I'm impressed!
P.

Larry Harmon said...

So, Bouff, if you have been diagnosed with Schizoid Personality Disorder, what medical authority did the diagnosing? Just curious......
P.

M. Bouffant said...

The Schizoid Editor Replies:
No, mere self-diagnosis. We actually haven't brought it up w/ a recognized/licensed authority. And we still have a vague interest in a sexual experiences w/ another person (Drug #1 hasn't totally removed the libido) while recognizing the likelihood of another person being interested is minuscule. We don't meet everything else in the criteria (Don't show too much emotional coldness or flattened affectivity, but can be very detached, & have no first-degree relatives to be close friends or confidants, though they would be the last people we'd confide in if any were left.) & forget how many one should meet to "qualify." And we still enjoy eating & terrifying people over the internet here. And reading.

You get right down to it, SPD isn't too terribly different from depression, which leads to: What's "endogenous" depression? Sounds like a skin disease. Is it like an endomorph? Never mind, we'll look it up ourselves.

Larry Harmon said...

"Endogenous" means "produced from within". As opposed to being depressed because your wife divorced you, your loved ones died, and your house was foreclosed upon. Endogenous depression springs from deeper, long-term causes than reactive depression. SSRIs work pretty well against reactive depression.
P.

M. Bouffant said...

From The Ever More Enraged Editor:

We could swear we responded to this; we must've neglected to post it. Any mental problems the forces of societal repression allege us to have are caused by the sheer horror of spending 50+ yrs. in this sad society & world, living (if you can call it that) among the awful people who have ruined our planet w/ their ignorance, fear, stupidity & greed.

I. e., it's not our fucking fault. We didn't ask to be born to less than millionaires in a society driven mad. Maybe the drug is working & that's why we're not looking to have a spree killing 'til around Xmas time. (Fucking elves.)