Researchers at Rochester Medical Center have seen good results in Provigil (brand name for modafinil) improving the negative side effects of chemotherapy that impact cognitive function. Chemo-brain is a term used to describe the foggy, fuzzy thinking and poor memory experienced by some patients after they have undergone chemotherapy. The research group based their findings […]
Mother’s Depression May Produce Child’s ADHD
A study out of the University of Manitoba conducted by Ann Guevremont MEd. and Marni Bromwell PhD. concluded that depression in a woman occurring at anytime between one year before and nine years after birth is a risk factor for the child later developing ADHD. They also found the chances of the child developing ADHD […]
Multiple Medications Common in Bipolar Disorder
At the International Conference on Bipolar Disorder, Dr. Rasmus Licht of Denmark reported on a study of 155 adult patients with bipolar disorder. The patients were treated with lithium and lamotragine (lamictal). They found lamictal tended to be more effective in patients whose index episode was depression and lithium was better for patients whose index […]
Not All Mood Swings are Bipolar Disorder
I sometimes hear people ask “one minute I feel down, the next minute I’m really happy, am I manic depressive?” Bipolar disorder or manic depression is a mood disorder whereby a person has discreet episodes of depression or mania. The index episode is a term used to define the first episode. If a person’s index […]
Hoodia Can Feel Good or Bad
Hoodia is a cactus-type plant from Africa that has many uses, however the native populations of South Africa have used it for indigestion or infection. The plant Hoodia gordonii has been recognized as an appetite suppressant since the late 1970’s in Africa, but in the US there have been no definitive studies establishing it as […]
Electric Shocks When Stopping Medication
Medication discontinuation syndrome can happen when a person stops their medication abruptly. In general, medication should be tapered off slowly with medical supervision. But since we don’t know precisely how slow is slow enough for each individual, sometimes tapering off the medication can still result in some withdrawal symptoms. Usual withdrawal symptoms are things like […]