Posted by SLS on July 22, 2012, at 15:07:18
In reply to does it matter?, posted by Christ_empowered on July 21, 2012, at 15:39:36
> I have a relative who takes lamictal+low-dose adderall xr. The diagnosis is adhd, but its really effective for depression--the kind of intense depression that makes you stupid.
That is an intriguing combination. I believe that both drugs serve to increase limbic dopaminergic activity, albeit in completely different ways. I'll have to tell my doctor about that.
> I think instead of asking "do I have ADHD" (or any other diagnosis...), it'd be best to ask "do I have problems that would substantially benefit from this drug/these drugs?"
For now, sometimes things have to occur in reverse. You guess first, treat second, and diagnose last. People are working on establishing reliable biomarkers for diagnostics, but that might be just a few years away from becoming part of mainstream medical practice. There is also PET and fSPECT scans, but they are still too expensive to consider as step one of a diagnostic algorithm. I remember being incensed when the folks at Columbia wanted to diagnose me based upon my drug responses. I thought they knew enough to produce a definitive diagnosis before beginning treatment. They even used the dexamethasone suppression test and the tyramine conjugation test on me. I tested positive on both. The rest is a long story, but suffice it say, their limitations motivated me to take my first trip to the medical library.
They did the best they could.
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1021854
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120718/msgs/1021947.html