Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 289616

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Question for Larry Hoover

Posted by sarita0001 on December 14, 2003, at 10:32:13

Hi Larry,

Thought you might have input on this one. I've read that some people experience medication side effects after they get off the drug. Why is that? I think that is true in my case because lithium made my skin dry and getting off it became oily and i got acne, which is a side effect of lithium when you're on it. Or it could be that a person's body gets so used to something then when it's gone it has to adjust. Don't know.

Thanks Larry.
Sara

Re: Question for Larry Hoover » sarita0001

Posted by Larry Hoover on December 14, 2003, at 19:38:39

In reply to Question for Larry Hoover, posted by sarita0001 on December 14, 2003, at 10:32:13

> Hi Larry,
>
> Thought you might have input on this one. I've read that some people experience medication side effects after they get off the drug. Why is that? I think that is true in my case because lithium made my skin dry and getting off it became oily and i got acne, which is a side effect of lithium when you're on it. Or it could be that a person's body gets so used to something then when it's gone it has to adjust. Don't know.
>
> Thanks Larry.
> Sara

Well, I'll happily give you my opinion, but I have no idea if there's any evidence to back it up or not.

When you go on a drug, it changes the balance of how your body works. That may cause side effects. Those side effects may disappear as your body rebalances in the presence of the drug. Withdrawing the drug changes the balance again, and in what is probably a similar magnitude of change as the initial disturbance caused by going on the drug. Perhaps not exactly opposite to going on the drug, but pretty close to it.

There may also be longer-lasting changes, due to changes in gene expression. So, you may see effects months after the drug has literally left your system, for multiple reasons.

Lar

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