Symptoms of claustrophobia include a rapid heart rate, sweating, hyperventilation, sensation of difficulty breathing, light headedness, dizziness, nausea, and a feeling of doom.
Most individuals with claustrophobia are always on the lookout for exits in a closed room, avoid elevators and subways, are scared flying in plane or taking a taxi.
The diagnosis of claustrophobia is based on the history and does not involve any type of radiological study.
Over the years, several treatments have been developed to treat this disorder. The treatments gradually desensitize the individual to close spaces and allows for changes in behavior.
Psychotherapy is targeted to help overcome the fear and helps manage the situation. Most people are taught how to relax using breathing exercise and be calm when in a claustrophobic environment. Cognitive behaviour therapy is also used to help individuals control the negative thoughts of fear.
A few individuals may also benefit from the use of anti depressants and anti anxiety agents. These drugs do not cure claustrophobia but help diminish the symptoms.
Of all the mental disorders, claustrophobia can be effectively treated and significantly improve the quality of life.
Showing posts with label anti depressant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anti depressant. Show all posts
Friday, February 5, 2010
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Emsam; An Anti depressant which is applied as a patch
Emsam was released a few years ago as transdermal patch for the treatment of depression. Emsam is Selegeline. Selegeline is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and has been around for more than a decade. It was observed that many parkinsonian patients who were treated with selegeline had improved mood and spirits. Further work revealed that selegeline did improve mood in patients with depression.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors have been used to treat depression for more than half a century and are some of the oldest drugs in the pharmacopeia. While the drugs are effective, the major problem with MAOI is that people have severe dietary restrictions otherwise complications can occur. However, with Emsam, the drug is delivered via the skin and the same type of dietary restrictions are not needed (esp at the low dose).
Emsam is slow absorbed through the skin and enters the brain where it works in depressed patients. The biggest advantage of Emsam is that because it does not go via the stomach and avoids the liver, it has a very low risk of inducing problems which were previously seen with older MAOI. The risk of high blood pressure with this formulation is less than 1 percent.
Emsam is usually applied as patch on the skin. When the 6 mg patch is applied every 24 hours there are no dietary restrictions. The drug is slowly absorbed through the skin continuously for 24 hours and this keeps level of Emsam fairly constant thought out the day.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors have been used to treat depression for more than half a century and are some of the oldest drugs in the pharmacopeia. While the drugs are effective, the major problem with MAOI is that people have severe dietary restrictions otherwise complications can occur. However, with Emsam, the drug is delivered via the skin and the same type of dietary restrictions are not needed (esp at the low dose).
Emsam is slow absorbed through the skin and enters the brain where it works in depressed patients. The biggest advantage of Emsam is that because it does not go via the stomach and avoids the liver, it has a very low risk of inducing problems which were previously seen with older MAOI. The risk of high blood pressure with this formulation is less than 1 percent.
Emsam is usually applied as patch on the skin. When the 6 mg patch is applied every 24 hours there are no dietary restrictions. The drug is slowly absorbed through the skin continuously for 24 hours and this keeps level of Emsam fairly constant thought out the day.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Pristiq- a newer antidepressant
Recently the FDA approved a new anti depressant called Pristiq. Known as desvenlafaxine, it has been in use for about 10 months. It works like the other anti depressant medications and brings back the balance of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. Pristiq is quite long acting and is taken once a day. Just like the earlier generation of anti depressants, it also has a few side effects that include:
Nausea
Lightheaded
Excess sweating
Constipation
Generalized tiredness
Diminished appetite
Anxiety, apprehension
Decrease libido in men
While Pristiq does not cure depression, it remains an option for individuals who do not respond to the older anti depressants. The other advantage of Pristiq is that it has been shown to be an excellent drug for treatment of melancholia that occurs during menopause.
From recent clinical trials, it has been shown that about 70% of individual with major depression do respond to Pristiq. Further, the trials also showed that remission rates for Pristiq were much lower than the older anti depressants. Whether the drug works for chronic depression has not been fully evaluated.
Nausea
Lightheaded
Excess sweating
Constipation
Generalized tiredness
Diminished appetite
Anxiety, apprehension
Decrease libido in men
While Pristiq does not cure depression, it remains an option for individuals who do not respond to the older anti depressants. The other advantage of Pristiq is that it has been shown to be an excellent drug for treatment of melancholia that occurs during menopause.
From recent clinical trials, it has been shown that about 70% of individual with major depression do respond to Pristiq. Further, the trials also showed that remission rates for Pristiq were much lower than the older anti depressants. Whether the drug works for chronic depression has not been fully evaluated.
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