Posted by Anthony Quest on June 17, 2004, at 2:19:48
In reply to HELP-Don't know where to go from here, posted by scatterbrained on June 17, 2004, at 1:41:45
Scatterbrained-
I don't know how much help anyone can give without knowing more and it's hard to know more online without writing a book. However, I can say the following with some confidence.
How would you describe your thought-disorder, "pseudo-dementia". Have you explored non-psychological causes for it? E.G. Have you had an MRI of your brain? Have you had a sleep study? Have you been to an infectious disease doctor? What about a neurologist?
There are quite a few non-psychological diseases that can lead to difficulty remembering, thinking clearly ranging from chronic fatigue syndrome to early onset Alzheimers to low testosterone or other hormones. You should rule out these other conditions if you haven't already.
Assuming you have done that, SSRIs do not cause TD as far as I know (I could be wrong). Unless your MD wants to put you on an old school anti-psychotic like Thorazine or Halidol your risk of TD developing suddenly and irreversibly is very low.
I know there is a risk with some of the newer atypical neuroleptics but it is very low. Seroquel is one that is widely utilized. Zyprexa is another. I think if you had any signs of TD, you could simply stop taking it and it would perhaps reverse hopefully.
Anyhow, why not ask your doctor about the following. If he thinks you have a psychosis - try a short trial of an anti-psychotic (one of the newer ones). If it helps your condition you will know then that the cause is psychosis most likely. If it doesn't help then you'll know that it's not the cause and you have to figure out what it is.
Best luck.
poster:Anthony Quest
thread:357454
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040614/msgs/357462.html