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Post by andy12345 on Aug 3, 2009 21:42:54 GMT
QUOTE Methylphenidate was patented in 1954 by the CIBA pharmaceutical company (now Novartis) as a potential cure for Mohr's disease.[citation needed] Beginning in the 1960s, it was used to treat children with ADHD or ADD, known at the time as hyperactivity or minimal brain dysfunction (MBD). Today methylphenidate is the most commonly prescribed medication to treat ADHD around the world. END
So, a drug that is over 55 years old is still one of the most used treatments for ADHD but was originally designed for mohrs disease (tried to get a solid link but they all seemed to be exactly the same read.) Anyway, why is this old drug currently the main solution?
I doubt that it can be and I wonder if anyone other country other than the USA is going to produce something that works more precisely.
Does anyone else see how strange that a 55 year old drug is the main offering?
That said, the fact is that it has saved many lives and I cannot emphasize that enough.
Any chemistry experts on here that can explain?
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Post by redneck on Aug 5, 2009 12:09:43 GMT
It is also used to treat narcolepsy in adults. Red
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Post by pinkbeauty on Aug 5, 2009 14:14:15 GMT
We learned all about this at our Support Group on Monday (but I'm afraid I'm not good at retaining this information too much). Its to do with the dopamine and we don't produce enough and methalphenidate reuses what we do produce and forces our brain to reasorb it, whereas amphetamine produces lots more? Or something like that. I think I'm on the right tracks, maybe someone who was at the Bristol Support Group on Monday can say whether I've remembered this correctly or not.
PB
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Post by pinkbeauty on Aug 5, 2009 14:14:58 GMT
It is also used to treat narcolepsy in adults. Red Dexedrine is also used to treat narcolepsy. (Well I suppose it would being speed!) PB
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Post by andy12345 on Aug 5, 2009 14:36:50 GMT
Yes, I know what it does, but I am a bit surprised that after 50 years there is nothing better and more specific in action.
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Post by twix on Aug 5, 2009 15:41:44 GMT
Time for a gratuitous blast from the past complete with feel good factor and comedy fashion The relevant comment is at 0:50
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Post by andy12345 on Aug 5, 2009 15:45:04 GMT
If it ain't broke don't fix it. Nice one, twix and boy, oh boy, do I agree with that as an apathetic person. However..are you suggesting that there should be no attempt at developing anything newer or more specific with less chance of side effects? That it should just be left at that? I don't think you were.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2009 0:26:32 GMT
Twix - do you have a whole repertoire of Will Smith quotes - one for every occasion??
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2009 16:13:17 GMT
LOVE IT TWIX!!!.... so funny andy, i think what it is, is that most medical discoveries are actually accidental, so if scientists happen upon a family of drugs that have an effect, they tend to try and refine those. it's the same with antibiotics, they made the big discovery of Penicillin, in 1928 and what we take today is mostly just slight variations on that. new things are found from time to time, such as atomoxetine, and with the recent advances in combined PET/CT and fMRI scanning, the action of new drugs will be more clearly seen and understood in future. www.azom.com/news.asp?newsID=12484also, as awareness of ADHD grows around the world, the market for drugs will become much larger, which should prompt pharmaceutical companies to cough-up for research into better meds. i'd be suprised if people were still taking methylphenidate in 20 years time! -matt
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Post by andy12345 on Aug 11, 2009 17:12:04 GMT
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Post by twix on Aug 11, 2009 17:49:52 GMT
I wish I did! I do like quotes and lyrics
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2009 18:38:28 GMT
Were you just listening to that at the time of reading and noticed him saying it, or is Will Smith one of your heroes Just curious btw. Im struggling to believe that anybody listens to Will Smith unless forced lol
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Post by twix on Aug 11, 2009 18:57:46 GMT
That particular song reminds me of a particular summer No its not my usual music or something I had listened to for years. As a kid I did watch the Fresh Prince of Bel Air but I can't say Will Smith is a hero. I have a really good memory for daft details that are unimportant and I just thought of the line and the song popped into my head. Too many pub quizzes maybe. Anyway, another song I heard this morning reminded me of something else, I am off to resurrect an old thread LOL. *twix pootles off down memory lane*
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2009 20:07:07 GMT
Ahh many a happy hour spent watching the Fresh Prince of Bel Air as a child...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2009 11:38:57 GMT
love it! ;D
-matt
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