Posted by linkadge on September 26, 2006, at 10:53:42
In reply to Re: Am I already addicted to Effexor after 3 month, posted by SLS on September 26, 2006, at 9:18:29
>Addiction is now narrowly defined >as "uncontrolled, compulsive use"; if there is >no harm being suffered by, or damage done to, >the patient or another party, then clinically it >may be considered compulsive, but to the >definition of some it is not categorized >as "addiction".
So, if effexor is not classified as addictive, then "uncontrolled", must really be the key to the term addictive, since clearly using the medication is compulsory once you start, you literally need to continue taking in order to avoid painful withdrawl.
So, if we very narrowly define addictive as simply "uncontrolled use" for the sake of the maintainance of any form of inegrity in the medical comunity, then all of a sudden, nicotine is not addictive, nor is heroin, benzodiazapines, marajuanna etc, so long as they are used in a controlled manner.
>In practice, the two kinds of addiction are not >always easy to distinguish. Addictions often >have both physical and psychological components."
It was a lot easier to tell if something was addictive before effexor came on the market.
>Physical dependency occurs when a drug has been >used habitually and the body has become >accustomed to its effects. The person must then >continue to use the drug in order to feel
>normalThats sounds like effexor to me.
>or its absence will trigger the symptoms of >withdrawal.
Bingo.
>Psychological dependency occurs when a drug has >been used habitually and the mind has become >emotionally reliant on its effects, either to >elicit pleasure or relieve pain, and does not >feel capable of functioning without it.Effexor relieves emotional, and physical pain. Once you start, you are reliant on its presence to maintain a normal mood. Most effexor users do not feel capable of funtioning without it.
>Its absence produces intense cravings, which are >often brought on or magnified by stress. A >dependent person may have either aspects of >dependency, but often has both."Cravings are also hard to define. When on effexor, I would crave the drug if I didn't get it. If I missed a dose, thats all I thought about was how to get home and obtain the effexor. I craved the sence of well being it created, the warmth. Who knows what I may have done to obtain the drug if it were illegal. Robbed a bank ?
But lets break it down into just some of the descriptive words used in the definition.habit-forming: Yes, taking it you form a habit.
withdrawal: Yes,
compulsive use: Yes, taking the drug becomes
manditory.
Lets review the definition of physiological dependance as you defined it once again:>Psychological dependency occurs when a drug has >been used habitually and the mind has become >emotionally reliant on its effects, either to >elicit pleasure or relieve pain, and does not >feel capable of functioning without it.
How can you say that you've never encountered such a case on pbabble. Thats what I hear all the time. "I can't function without my effexor." "I am reliant on my effexor". Effexor fits the category even further in that it posesses pain killing properties. I've heard many posters compain of rebound pain, oftentimes pain that never existed prior to use. Just recently a babbler discribed a similar phenomina with cymbalta.
My withdrawl from nicotine and cannabis was a cakewalk compared to effexor withdrawl.We can freely describe the benzos as addictive, (even though they don't fith the category, simply because they're old school drugs.) In another 10 years, it will be officially accepted.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:689186
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060919/msgs/689363.html