Posted by Matt on January 4, 1999, at 1:40:23
I know that this is the sort of thing we don't know until more time passes (since the atypical antipsychotics haven't been out that long), but what sorts of risks of TD does one run being on a small dose of Risperdal (<3mg) long-term? Will taking vitamin E while one is taking the drug reduce the chances of getting it?
The drug looks to be quite useful in treating speech difficulties (based on the areas of the brain it targets, Zyprexia should be helpful, too (though perhaps not as much Seroquel)), and I wonder whether it is worth the risk to use this medicine for this purpose long-term.
Since recently it has been shown that stuttering and other such speech difficulties are directly related to inactivity in the basil ganglia--the striatum in particular--I suppose that any drug that would boost dopaminigic activity in this region would be helpful. Are there other drugs that do this besides some of the anti-psychotics?
Anecdotally, drugs that reduce the amount of dopamine in the synapse seem to help with stuttering in particular. I suspect that this is partially why SSRIs have shown some promise. Is there any difference between the SSRIs in their ability to downregulate dopamine? I take it this effect increases as the dosage increases?
Anyway, I guess there are a number of questions I have for those with more knowledge of psychotropic drugs than I have. It seems to me that with the new atypical antipsychotics we'll have to face questions about long-term use for treatment of disorders other than schizophrenia, and this presents a bunch of interesting questions--or so it seems to me. I'd appreciate input on any of these questions/issues.
Best,
Matt
poster:Matt
thread:2028
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990601/msgs/2028.html