John Kruse’s Post

What is reasonable to conclude about the mental and physical health of Biden and Trump, based on the recent debate? How do prior events put that 90 minutes in perspective? And why is it appropriate for medical professionals to discuss their observations and evaluations? https://lnkd.in/eEN7d-Mq

A big pharmaceutical company is nearing approval of centanafadine, a drug with a novel mode of action: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine reuptake inhibition. Published studies show efficacy for ADHD; its use in depression is also being investigated. While this agent may not quite triple the benefits compared to SSRIs, the likelihood of side effects appears surprisingly low. https://lnkd.in/e2Rw--HY

Congressman, and doctor, Ronny Jackson has been making accusations that Joe Biden might take performance enhancing drugs for this week's debate. But the claims seem largely to distract us from the direct physiologic evidence that Donald Trump used stimulants several times on occasions when he needed to appear "more presidential". To learn more about that evidence, and what to look for in Thursday's debate, read on..... https://lnkd.in/eJu3zYz3

The notion that a hit of dopamine reflects the joy we feel when we obtain a reward pervades our society. It contains a kernel of truth. But it overlooks that in addiction, dopamine also drives the yearning, burning obsessive devotion to finding that next hit. By focusing so much on pleasure, we distort our understanding of addiction....And it turns out that enkephalin and anandamide have more to do with joy than dopamine does..... https://lnkd.in/e5-dFQga

Restless legs syndrome can seriously impact sleep and daily functioning. The dopamine activators most commonly used to treat the condition can cause unusual obsessive-compulsive symptoms like pathological gambling, hypersexuality, and eating disorders. But more fundamentally, these medications may actually contribute to further progression of restless legs syndrome. https://lnkd.in/e-nQRRTR

It seems as if everybody is talking about gaslighting. But sometimes they're talking about actions that are just clueless, inattentive, or insensitive. It's important to identify gaslighting when it's there, but equally important to avoid misidentifying it when its not really there. https://lnkd.in/e-RqRb4t

A number of recent studies have highlighted rising rates of ADHD in children and adults. The media often dismisses the increase in new cases as a product of misdiagnoses by lazy clinicians, or the corrupting influences of Big Pharma. But the available evidence indicates that rates of ADHD are increasing, and that this is likely attributable to ways in which we are changing our world, in ways that are making all of us more distracted, irritable, and impulsively reactive. https://lnkd.in/etDebESS

Why is the doctor prescribing the antipsychotic Seroquel to your mother for depression? Why is the psychiatrist suggesting you take the antidepressant Trazodone to help with sleep, when you're not depressed? The names we use for psychiatric drugs are often confusing and inaccurate, which is why some neuroscientists suggest that instead we just refer to these drugs by their neurochemical actions...... https://lnkd.in/d2yNS-XJ

A common concern about generic drugs is that they will contain contaminants, or have ingredients that cause bad reactions. These problems can occur, but appear to be rare. More often, people have bad responses to generics relative to brand-name drugs because of how much, and how quickly the medication enters the body.