Posted by Oddzilla on July 6, 2000, at 10:20:08
In reply to Re: Question, posted by stjames on July 6, 2000, at 2:16:04
> >
> > Spontaneous movement disorders may develop in patients who have severe negative symptoms and cognitive dysfunction, even when antipsychotic drugs are not used.
> >
> >
> > Are the same drugs that are causing the TD also causing the negative symptoms (in people who are taking them? Are people with more pronounced negative symptoms more likely to get TD than people with fewer negative symptoms to begin with? What a price to pay.
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Hi James-I think I took my quote out of context and didn't make myself clear. I was talking about movement disorders that appeared spontaneously after years of (untreated) negative type schizophrenia. I was wondering if this was the same as TD and if the drugs were speeding up the natural course of the disease rather than actually causing it. I also thought it was interesting that the new atypical antipsychotics which have a lower (2% vs 5%) incidence of TD relative to the phenothiazines are at least somewhat useful in treating negative symptoms while the older drugs are not useful at all (for negative symptoms). I really don't understand enough to even frame a question.Anyway thanks for posting the link to the Merck manual.
I absolutely agree with you about the lack of social support for schizophrenics and others in the community.
Best wishes O.
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> James here....
>
> B4 the Phenothiazines were invented in the 50's (?) you saw these movement and other disorders.
> Things like "waxy flexability" the ability to stay in one posture, often uncomfortable, for long periods of time. Repeatative movements and repeating the same word(s) over and over all day long.
>
> In a sad irony, the meds that made the insane sane, allowed much greater level of functioning, and emptyed the psyco wards also created a large portion of our homeless persons. Persons w/o a support structure (friends and family) tend to fall thru the cracks and stop taking their meds.
> The gov. says it can't be there 365 days a year
> to make sure 1/2 of 1% of the total population takes their meds and track them down if they don't. Scitzophrenia occurs in the general population at the rate of 1%. I would guess half of these are not identified or undermedicated.
>
> james
poster:Oddzilla
thread:38901
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000630/msgs/39556.html