Drugs that cause psychiatric symptoms
Article Abstract:
Many currently used drugs cause mental disturbances, such as depression and schizophrenia-like disorders. These adverse effects may be related to the dose of the drug or may be idiosyncratic, and represent a peculiar reaction characteristic of an individual. Drug-associated mental disturbances may disappear or develop when a medication drug is discontinued. For example, discontinuing alcohol or sedatives may result in psychoses, and with long-acting drugs, such as diazepam, the reactions may be delayed. Some psychiatric symptoms may result from both the drug and disease, and the clinical situation determines the required changes in the dose of the medication. For example, disseminated lupus erythematosus, a chronic inflammatory disease of the connective tissue affecting the skin, joints, and other organs and tissues, may cause psychiatric symptoms related to disease effects in the brain or the use of corticosteroids to treat the disease. Many drugs can cause porphyria, a disease resulting from disturbances in the metabolism of porphyrins, nitrogen-containing organic compounds that form the basis of respiratory pigments such as hemoglobin. Porphyria is characterized by several disorders including neurological disturbances. The single drugs that cause psychiatric symptoms are listed. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0025-732X
Year: 1989
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Drugs and vaccines against biological weapons
Article Abstract:
Effective treatments exist for most of the organisms that might be used as biological weapons. These organisms include the ones that cause plague, anthrax, tularemia, brucellosis and smallpox. Plague can be treated with streptomycin, tetracycline, doxycycline, or chloramphenicol. A vaccine against plague exists. Steptomycin can also be used to treat tularemia, and doxycycline, streptomycin or gentamicin can be used to treat brucellosis. There are no vaccines against these organisms. Smallpox might be difficult to treat, but there is an effective vaccine.
Publication Name: Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0025-732X
Year: 1999
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