Posted by viridis on February 1, 2003, at 19:27:08
In reply to Adderall - what is the action of amphetamines?, posted by btnd on February 1, 2003, at 14:27:02
I don't know the specifics on amphetamines, but as StJames pointed out, just about everything is "neurotoxic" at high enough doses. Alcohol is, but no one worries about people who have a glass of wine with dinner. Nutmeg, dill, and various other herbs and spices can cause delirium and brain damage at high doses, yet obviously we don't worry about them. And, part of the action of a psychiatric med should be to change brain chemistry and functioning -- that's what we take them for. I'd have to check, but I think that "recreational" doses of amphetamines are way above what most people take for ADD etc.
As for the issue of animal models that Utopizen brought up -- you have to start somewhere, and although caution is certainly warranted in extrapolating results from animals to humans, this is a way to detect potentially unexpected dangers before the drugs are used on humans. And (sad as it may seem) chimps are about the best model there is -- they're the closest living relatives of humans and are extremely similar at the molecular and physiological levels.
BTW, I'm an animal lover with many rescued pets, but I have to acknowledge the value of animals in medical research, although I think the utmost care should be taken to minimize their use and suffering.
poster:viridis
thread:138755
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030130/msgs/138809.html