Thread: The Memory Pill

Originally Posted by FatCatMC

Apparently there is a pill that can ease the pain of bad memories.

http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/21/memory_drug

Would you take it?

I already take medicine for that. It's called marijuana.

Hell no. What's the point in living if you start to erase parts of it?

I can't see myself using that, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Originally Posted by FatCatMC

Apparently there is a pill that can ease the pain of bad memories.

http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/21/memory_drug

Would you take it?

I already take medicine for that. It's called marijuana.

Umm.. yeah, i would..


on second thoughts maybe not...


hang on....what are we talking about again??


Now where did i put that blunt....

Originally Posted by DOMS

Hell no. What's the point in living if you start to erase parts of it?

Yeah, totally. Rape victims should just be strong enough to deal with the memory of being ass-raped in a back alley somewhere. I am sure kids that were molested repeatedly for years will be just fine when they grow up, they aren’t weird or anything.


I think the key word in that article is traumatic.

Think Manchurian Candidate . It would be in line with BushCo policy to use this on people they viewed as a threat to "national" security.

I look forward to the pill that repairs the memory instead of deleting stuff. Something that would increase the quailty of short term memory retention would get my money in a heart beat ... "pphhhhhuuuuccck what was that girl's name again?"

Originally Posted by BoneCrusher

Think Manchurian Candidate . It would be in line with BushCo policy to use this on people they viewed as a threat to "national" security.

I look forward to the pill that repairs the memory instead of deleting stuff. Something that would increase the quailty of short term memory retention would get my money in a heart beat ... "pphhhhhuuuuccck what was that girl's name again?"

That's what I thought of immediately... that movie is nuts. If you were to summarize the plot in 2 paragraphs to someone, it comes off to be the stupidest idea ever.

Originally Posted by KelJu

Yeah, totally. Rape victims should just be strong enough to deal with the memory of being ass-raped in a back alley somewhere. I am sure kids that were molested repeatedly for years will be just fine when they grow up, they aren’t weird or anything.


I think the key word in that article is traumatic.

That's where it may start, but not where it'll end.

But I'm glad to see that you're so quick to applaud this.

Originally Posted by DOMS

That's where it may start, but not where it'll end.

But I'm glad to see that you're so quick to applaud this.

DOMs, I respect you man. Mentally, you are tough as nails, and extremely intelligent to boot. Hell, I envy you, but you lack perspective when trying to understand people who may not be as strong as you. There are people who are fucked up, because fucked up things happened to them that made them fucked up. If a person could remove the traumatic memories which plague their lives everyday, how is that not a good thing?

There is so little we know and/or understand about the human mind. Is supressing these memories actually healthy and helpful? Hard to say.

It remindes me of a conversation i had with an MD about Prozac. The general concensus was:

There are times in some people's lives when they require the assistance of prescription medications to help them cope with the overwhelming stressors in their lives. However, there is also the inherant risk that abuse can and will run wild in these circles. It becomes easier to simply "pop a pill" than to responsibly address your life's problems.

Simply put: Your life sucks and you can't handle it so you take drugs to cope. Now, your life STILL sucks. You STILL cannot handle it. You just no longer care that your life sucks and you can't handle it.

Which is healthier?

Originally Posted by Witmaster

There is so little we know and/or understand about the human mind. Is supressing these memories actually healthy and helpful? Hard to say.

It remindes me of a conversation i had with an MD about Prozac. The general concensus was:

There are times in some people's lives when they require the assistance of prescription medications to help them cope with the overwhelming stressors in their lives. However, there is also the inherant risk that abuse can and will run wild in these circles. It becomes easier to simply "pop a pill" than to responsibly address your life's problems.

Simply put: Your life sucks and you can't handle it so you take drugs to cope. Now, your life STILL sucks. You STILL cannot handle it. You just no longer care that your life sucks and you can't handle it.

Which is healthier?

Really? That is so insightful. You must know a lot about mental illness.

Originally Posted by KelJu

Really? That is so insightful. You must know a lot about mental illness.

That's your retort?


Wow........ you're deep when you get intellectual


I never claimed to "know a lot" about mental illness. I've got a bi-polar family member that has certainly caused us to learn a lot about mental disorders and the various aproaches to treatments.

I can say with all certainty that anytime you can take drugs out of the equation in a person's mental health you've done a good thing.

Originally Posted by KelJu

DOMs, I respect you man. Mentally, you are tough as nails, and extremely intelligent to boot. Hell, I envy you, but you lack perspective when trying to understand people who may not be as strong as you. There are people who are fucked up, because fucked up things happened to them that made them fucked up. If a person could remove the traumatic memories which plague their lives everyday, how is that not a good thing?

Thanks for the kind words.

It's true, when it comes to dealing with illness or traumatic events, I don't give anyone slack. I can sympathize and empathize really well...unless it's someone dealing poorly with hard times. I've gone through shit..and I mean some bad shit (I've mentioned some of it on IM), through the years. I never gave in and I never relied on drugs (prescription or otherwise). I also didn't cry in my milk about it. I definitely have issues dealing with others reactions to hard times or events.

I've also come to believe that how deal with the worst things in our lives accounts for a lot of who were are. So it's an horrific idea (to me) that anyone would want to snips those bits out of their lives.

Originally Posted by DOMS

Thanks for the kind words.

It's true, when it comes to dealing with illness or traumatic events, I don't give anyone slack. I can sympathize and empathize really well...unless it's someone dealing poorly with hard times. I've gone through shit..and I mean some bad shit (I've mentioned some of it on IM), through the years. I never gave in and I never relied on drugs (prescription or otherwise). I also didn't cry in my milk about it. I definitely have issues dealing with others reactions to hard times or events.

I've also come to believe that how deal with the worst things in our lives accounts for a lot of who were are. So it's an horrific idea (to me) that anyone would want to snips those bits out of their lives.

Is it considered suicide if you take a bottle and forget your whole life?

Originally Posted by Witmaster

That's your retort?


Wow........ you're deep when you get intellectual


I never claimed to "know a lot" about mental illness. I've got a bi-polar family member that has certainly caused us to learn a lot about mental disorders and the various aproaches to treatments.

I can say with all certainty that anytime you can take drugs out of the equation in a person's mental health you've done a good thing.

Sorry Wit. I have just heard what you said so many times and it makes my pissed-off-o-meter redline every time I hear it. I think your MD friend is a moron if he thinks someone abuses Prozac, because they don't want to deal with their problems. There just is no “dealing” with some things without medication. That logic is as ignorant as telling a diabetic they should by a man and deal with their problem without medication. Sure, they could try it, and they would be dead in a month. You said you have a bi-polar family member, so perhaps you are aware of the side effects. My dick was limp for 8 months. I couldn't form emotional connections to people. It turned my into a zombie but it never stopped the thoughts rushing 90 mph though my head. I decided to try and beat it on my own so I stopped all medication. I went maniac for 3 days, I didn't eat or sleep for 3 days and the thoughts turned to voices. I started having audible hallucinations. I was hearing people talking in my apartment that weren't there, and I would hear my cell phone ringing, but that was still after removing the battery 4 hours before.

My friend made me go to the emergency room. They had to give me antipsychotic just to bring me back down to a point where I could sleep. Through all of this I missed one day of work. I called in sick with an excuse of a stomach virus, because I knew if I went to work they would have thought I was on crack.

Without drugs, I am a mess, I become barely functional. I get hit with the 1, 2 combination. First I can’t sleep. Then the panic and anxiety sets in, and I’m not talking about the “this test is going to be hard” anxiety or the “will she say yes anxiety” I’m talking about the balled up into the fetal position on the floor preying for death type of anxiety.

I haven’t sleep in over 30 hours now. I tossed and turned for about 4 hours last night before giving up and playing Elder Scrolls until 11:00 this morning. I have more energy now than I did 3 days ago. I am thinking, typing, and talking faster than I usually do. I have to avoid people as much as possible right now, because no matter how hard I try, I can’t talk correctly when I am like this. So now I have to decide whether I am going to go back on my heavy duty medication, the Lamictal, which I fucking hate more than anything in the world. I am flying high and the only way to get back on the ground is to crash. I need to be alert and focused for the next two weeks for finals, but if I wait that long it will just make things worse when I finally do go back on the Lamictal.

This is the type of shit I was thinking about for four fucking hours last night. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

So do you see why I blow a fuse when I her someone talk about how I should just deal with life rather than take medication? What is there to deal with? I have only given up once, and it almost cost me my life. I am rolling with the punches as best I can. As an adult I have always pulled my own weight, stayed productive, provided for my needs, stayed out of trouble, and invested into my future. This is the best I can do right now.

Originally Posted by KelJu

Sorry Wit. I have just heard what you said so many times and it makes my pissed-off-o-meter redline every time I hear it. I think your MD friend is a moron if he thinks someone abuses Prozac, because they don't want to deal with their problems. There just is no “dealing” with some things without medication. That logic is as ignorant as telling a diabetic they should by a man and deal with their problem without medication. Sure, they could try it, and they would be dead in a month. You said you have a bi-polar family member, so perhaps you are aware of the side effects. My dick was limp for 8 months. I couldn't form emotional connections to people. It turned my into a zombie but it never stopped the thoughts rushing 90 mph though my head. I decided to try and beat it on my own so I stopped all medication. I went maniac for 3 days, I didn't eat or sleep for 3 days and the thoughts turned to voices. I started having audible hallucinations. I was hearing people talking in my apartment that weren't there, and I would hear my cell phone ringing, but that was still after removing the battery 4 hours before.

My friend made me go to the emergency room. They had to give me antipsychotic just to bring me back down to a point where I could sleep. Through all of this I missed one day of work. I called in sick with an excuse of a stomach virus, because I knew if I went to work they would have thought I was on crack.

Without drugs, I am a mess, I become barely functional. I get hit with the 1, 2 combination. First I can’t sleep. Then the panic and anxiety sets in, and I’m not talking about the “this test is going to be hard” anxiety or the “will she say yes anxiety” I’m talking about the balled up into the fetal position on the floor preying for death type of anxiety.

I haven’t sleep in over 30 hours now. I tossed and turned for about 4 hours last night before giving up and playing Elder Scrolls until 11:00 this morning. I have more energy now than I did 3 days ago. I am thinking, typing, and talking faster than I usually do. I have to avoid people as much as possible right now, because no matter how hard I try, I can’t talk correctly when I am like this. So now I have to decide whether I am going to go back on my heavy duty medication, the Lamictal, which I fucking hate more than anything in the world. I am flying high and the only way to get back on the ground is to crash. I need to be alert and focused for the next two weeks for finals, but if I wait that long it will just make things worse when I finally do go back on the Lamictal.

This is the type of shit I was thinking about for four fucking hours last night. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

So do you see why I blow a fuse when I her someone talk about how I should just deal with life rather than take medication? What is there to deal with? I have only given up once, and it almost cost me my life. I am rolling with the punches as best I can. As an adult I have always pulled my own weight, stayed productive, provided for my needs, stayed out of trouble, and invested into my future. This is the best I can do right now.

OK, I think you've read a tad more into my post than I had anticipated.

I said:

There are times in some people's lives when they require the assistance of prescription medications to help them cope with the overwhelming stressors in their lives. However, there is also the inherant risk that abuse can and will run wild in these circles. It becomes easier to simply "pop a pill" than to responsibly address your life's problems.

No where am I saying (or even implying) that ALL PEOPLE who take medications to cope with mental illness are abusing the drugs. Your condition obviously merits the need for professional treatment. I am not refering to you as any sort of "abuser"

I am sorry for the unfortunate symptoms you suffer from your mental condition. It takes great courage to "air your laundry" in an open forum. But consider this.... wouldn't it be great if you could resume a normal life free from fear and anxiety WITHOUT the need for chemical intervention? Wouldn't it be awesome to never have to worry about having meds nearby to lead a normal life?

We (society and medical science) have much to learn about mental health. We've barely scratched the surface of mental disorders and, unfortunately, most of the medications out there only treat symptoms, not the causes.

That's all I'm saying here.

Oh, and my MD friend is not an idiot. He's speaking from experience. He's a doctor in a very affluent part of California. People come to him all the time wanting scripts for prozac, Paxil, and various other mental pharmacy items. Abuse does exist. It's sad, but it happens.

Originally Posted by Witmaster

OK, I think you've read a tad more into my post than I had anticipated.

I said:

No where am I saying (or even implying) that ALL PEOPLE who take medications to cope with mental illness are abusing the drugs. Your condition obviously merits the need for professional treatment. I am not refering to you as any sort of "abuser"

I am sorry for the unfortunate symptoms you suffer from your mental condition. It takes great courage to "air your laundry" in an open forum. But consider this.... wouldn't it be great if you could resume a normal life free from fear and anxiety WITHOUT the need for chemical intervention? Wouldn't it be awesome to never have to worry about having meds nearby to lead a normal life?

We (society and medical science) have much to learn about mental health. We've barely scratched the surface of mental disorders and, unfortunately, most of the medications out there only treat symptoms, not the causes.

That's all I'm saying here.

Oh, and my MD friend is not an idiot. He's speaking from experience. He's a doctor in a very affluent part of California. People come to him all the time wanting scripts for prozac, Paxil, and various other mental pharmacy items. Abuse does exist. It's sad, but it happens.

I don't believe that. It takes a month for Prozac to become completely effective in your system. It usually takes two weeks before you can even feel any effects. It takes another month for it to leave your system after stopping. I think you are confused about the medications being abused. No one abuses SSRIs. Hell, I have never talked to anyone that didn't hate them.

Originally Posted by KelJu

I don't believe that. It takes a month for Prozac to become completely effective in your system. It usually takes two weeks before you can even feel any effects. It takes another month for it to leave your system after stopping. I think you are confused about the medications being abused. No one abuses SSRIs. Hell, I have never talked to anyone that didn't hate them.

I think it's more likely to see abuse on the part of the prescribing of it than the use of it.

Originally Posted by BoneCrusher

Think Manchurian Candidate . It would be in line with BushCo policy to use this on people they viewed as a threat to "national" security.

I look forward to the pill that repairs the memory instead of deleting stuff. Something that would increase the quailty of short term memory retention would get my money in a heart beat ... "pphhhhhuuuuccck what was that girl's name again?"

Originally Posted by KelJu

I don't believe that. It takes a month for Prozac to become completely effective in your system. It usually takes two weeks before you can even feel any effects. It takes another month for it to leave your system after stopping. I think you are confused about the medications being abused. No one abuses SSRIs. Hell, I have never talked to anyone that didn't hate them.

Believe what you like. Here's a exerpt from a rather long and informative article on SSRIs.

Abuse of SSRIs
Despite the moderate value of SSRIs in the treatment of drug addiction, there is increasing evidence that these drugs, like other antidepressants, may themselves be abused. In view of the two-edged, stimulant and suppressant, actions of 5-HT on reward systems, this observation is perhaps not as paradoxical as it may at first seem. (source)

Is there a pill that can ease the pain and memory of your bad thread posts?

Originally Posted by Witmaster

Believe what you like. Here's a exerpt from a rather long and informative article on SSRIs.

Abuse of SSRIs
Despite the moderate value of SSRIs in the treatment of drug addiction, there is increasing evidence that these drugs, like other antidepressants, may themselves be abused. In view of the two-edged, stimulant and suppressant, actions of 5-HT on reward systems, this observation is perhaps not as paradoxical as it may at first seem. (source)

I just read that entire article, and I read the part about Abuse of SSRIs twice. The article never showed any evidence at all. The paragraph opens with what you quoted me, and then it immediately goes off on a tangent about MAOIs and methadone abuse. Then it goes into talking about MDMA (ecstasy) users using Prozac to roll harder. I knew this 6 years ago. Actually I was telling the exact same thing to DOMs during our little illegal drug argument. The article never actually goes back to the point of SSRI abuse of and in itself, but instead talks about how illegal drug users use fluxatine (Prozac) to protect serotonin axons from being burned up while they roll.

Originally Posted by benzo.org.uk article

Abuse of SSRIs is not confined to Ecstasy users. The Alcohol and Drugs Unit in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (personal communication) confirms the not uncommon use of fluoxetine and paroxetine among young people, usually in combination with amphetamines. Users anecdotally say that these drugs (usually 1-3 tablets) enhance and prolong the amphetamine 'high' and that fluoxetine is better than paroxetine for this purpose. Some users also take amitriptyline, using it mainly as a hypnotic. In this connection, it is interesting to note that fluoxetine has been shown to potentiate the stimulant effects of cocaine in rats, suggesting that it could amplify the subjective effects of cocaine in humans. (102)

These observations suggest that misuse of SSRIs may be a hazard for abusers of Ecstasy, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), amphetamine and cocaine. To date there appear to have been no reports of SSRI misuse in opiate abusers. It is difficult to calculate the risks, but Zawertailo et al (103) compared the abuse liability of sertraline, alprazolam and d-amphetamine in 20 volunteers who were experienced but non-dependent users of CNS depressants and concluded that sertraline had a very low abuse potential compared with the other two drugs. Yet it may be salutary to remember that benzodiazepines were once thought to have a low dependence potential but illicit use of these drugs make them (especially oral and intravenous temazepam) the single most abused category of drug in Scotland. (104)

You missed the point of the article. They aren't saying that people are abusing SSRIs for the pure effects of the SSRIs. They are using SSRIs as catalyst for other drugs. SSRIs make coming down from an intense night of club drugging (Ecstasy, LSD, Shrooms, DXM, and Meth) a lot less painful than it would be otherwise.

Prozac has been proven in animals to damn near completely protect the brain from nerve axon damage during a high dose of amphetamines.

Anyway, check some other sources for a better explanation if you are really interested, because the article you cited jumped around too much and didn't cover each subject very well. I did my psychology term paper on the topic we are discussing right now, so figuring out what the article was talking about was probably a lot easier for me.

Originally Posted by The Monkey Man

Is there a pill that can ease the pain and memory of your bad thread posts?

Yea. Cyanide. Take two just to be sure

Originally Posted by Witmaster

Yea. Cyanide. Take two just to be sure

I wasn't speaking to you Mr. Melon

Originally Posted by KelJu

I just read that entire article, and I read the part about Abuse of SSRIs twice. The article never showed any evidence at all. The paragraph opens with what you quoted me, and then it immediately goes off on a tangent about MAOIs and methadone abuse. Then it goes into talking about MDMA (ecstasy) users using Prozac to roll harder. I knew this 6 years ago. Actually I was telling the exact same thing to DOMs during our little illegal drug argument. The article never actually goes back to the point of SSRI abuse of and in itself, but instead talks about how illegal drug users use fluxatine (Prozac) to protect serotonin axons from being burned up while they roll.




You missed the point of the article. They aren't saying that people are abusing SSRIs for the pure effects of the SSRIs. They are using SSRIs as catalyst for other drugs. SSRIs make coming down from an intense night of club drugging (Ecstasy, LSD, Shrooms, DXM, and Meth) a lot less painful than it would be otherwise.

Prozac has been proven in animals to damn near completely protect the brain from nerve axon damage during a high dose of amphetamines.

Anyway, check some other sources for a better explanation if you are really interested, because the article you cited jumped around too much and didn't cover each subject very well. I did my psychology term paper on the topic we are discussing right now, so figuring out what the article was talking about was probably a lot easier for me.

I've no doubt that you've done far more research and know far more clinical details about SSRI's and the like. I simply disagree with your blanket assessment that nobody abuses these drugs.

One last example.... Parents who prescribe drugs to hyperactive children. Sure, there are arguements for and against such prescriptions but I personally believe that any parent who chooses to dope their kid up rather than deal with the inconvenience of normal adolesence is a clear example of SSRI abuse.

Originally Posted by The Monkey Man

I wasn't speaking to you Mr. Melon

Whoops. I'll take a couple myself then



My bad

KelJu, I totally agree that there are many people for whom prescription medication for mental illness and such is totally viable. However, I also believe that this society is way overmedicated. I know a lot of people who abuse prescription drugs; I'm talking everything from pain-killers to muscle relaxants to, yes, anti-depressants. Beyond that, I know for a fact there are a lot of people taking medications they don't need. Take Paxil for example. It's to treat social anxiety disorder. I can see its use for someone who has panic attacks in social situations, but I know people who are merely shy that take it. They don't need medication; they need to learn better social skills.

You have to remember prescription drugs are big business. I'm talking billions and billions. Don't you find it funny that there are countless commercials for prescription drugs? I understand some of them, but when I see blood pressure medication advertised on TV, I know something is wrong. "Ask my doctor?" I'm not going to suggest that I take a specific medication for lowering serum cholesterol levels in my blood because I remember the name from a fucking commercial. My doctor is going to decide for me. He is the professional. Just because I saw some old fuck galloping through a field on a sunny day in the commercial doesn't mean it's a good idea for me.

Again, to clarify, there are certainly uses for medications surrounding mental illness and the like. This drug even sounds like it might be helpful for some, but I still think questioning the potential for abuse is a good idea.