== Guess which drug is illegal? = By Mark Morford

[madokie]

One deadens nerves, barely works, has foul side effects. The other helps you feel God

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/01/18/notes011808.DTL&nl=fix

Over here we have a new drug. It has one particularly unfortunate side effect: It makes you fat. Or rather, fatter, given how most patients who take it are already quite overweight to begin with.

But that's not all. Other nasty side effects include dizziness, confusion, sleepiness, severe edema (swelling and oozing), among others. What fun. But hey, at least it works, right?

Well, no, not really. It apparently works only about half the time, if that, and even then it doesn't work very well and it certainly doesn't actually cure anything or treat any of the potential causes of your illness or address any of the deeper biological/psychological issues at hand and, in fact, only "works" (they guess, but don't actually know) by essentially numbing the central nervous system and therefore merely blocking out what your body is trying to tell you. Sort of like saying the light hurts your eyes and then taking a pill to make you go blind. There now, all better.

This new drug is called Lyrica. It's from Pfizer, and it was just approved by the FDA to treat an awful, inscrutable condition known as fibromyalgia, an is-it-or-isn't-it illness distinguished by all-over bodily pain the causes of which no one can figure and which few are really sure is even a real disease, per se, given that there's no biological test to diagnose it and no way to accurately validate its existence and given that it has all sorts of seemingly unrelated, scattershot symptoms, like irritable bowel (another suspect ailment) and ringing in the ears and, well, just about everything else. ...

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. while pot also helps the symptoms, but remains

illegal.

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. Insane, isn't it?

:crazy:

[madokie]

4. and after all these years I have never tried this drug

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA

[zabet]

7. I remember when that

hit the local drug scene
around about 1980. It was
referred to as 'MadDog' and
'The Love Drug' back then.
My advice, do not try it.
It kills brain cells.

[sazemisery]

2. Another way to numb the masses.

[blondeatlast]

5. Lyrica also treats diabetic neuropathy (like mine) and it's a wonder.

I usually like Morford, but those who suffer from fibromyalgia (like ny SIL) and neuropathy are glad it's here.

I know--big Pharma is evil and all--but sometimes it gets the stuff right, like this time.

If you think Lyrica should be off the market, will you take my symptoms of numbness, pain, heaviness in my legs, feet and hands, too? I welcome you to them. :mad:

[Wiley50]

6. I used MDMA for a short while in the mid '80's

and, while it's power as an empathogen was truly miraculous

the side effects I experienced were common with the amphetamine (that it is)

including mini seizures that felt like electrical short circuits in my brain.

even days or weeks afterward.

It's psychedelic speed, but it's still speed

edit: spellcheck

[mdmc]

8. kick

[OhioChick]

9. I Tried This for Fibro.

Within that past month or two. The side effects were worse than dealing with the Fibro. itself. So damn dizzy that I could't get out of bed by myself or even stand. Terrible drug.

Back to exercise for me.....it works much better for my Fibro. than any drug I've tried.