Side Effects of Organic Treatments in Psychiatry

Unfortunately most organic treatments in psychiatry, including ECT (1), have bad side effects. Orthomolecular treatments, on the other hand, have good side effects. They tend to strengthen the heart, the immune system, etc. Orthomolecular treatments tend to have preventive effects against cancer.

Drugs have a variety of bad side effects including weight gain (2). But do they work? According to Ref. 9, they don't seem to work on rats.

Are Patients Told about the Side Effects?

According to Ref. 10, they aren't.

"The benefit-biased information presentation might be motivated by the wish to persuade patients to accept the proposed therapy." R. Mendel et al (10)

Orthomolecular Treatments

Although the government databases (Pubmed, Pubmed Central) have little on orthomolecular medicine, I have found citations in the Gale databases including Science Resource Center. One example if Ref. 11. Dohan (12) proposed a gluten-free diet to treat schizophrenia. This diet has no side effects, but it is more expensive than the average diet. Dohan's theory was that schizophrenia is a brain allergy. The schizophrenic supposedly is allergic to the amino acid glutamine, which is found in wheat gluten and milk.

Dohan's theory was based on celiac disease, which he felt was a clue to schizophrenia.

Other diets have also been tried (16). There is a theory that the schizophrenic is allergic to carbohydrates. This is an orthomolecular theory, and there is some evidence for this.

Other Treatments

Ref. 17 details an unusual treatment that appears to have no side effects. The Gale database Health Reference Center has a great deal of information on treatment side effects (18, 19).

The niacin treatment has the side effect of lowering blood cholesterol. This treatment is favored by Hoffer. My own previous articles on Associated Content have detailed Hoffer's theories (20-23). Certain vitamins, including carotenoids, have a variety of beneficial effects including the prevention of cataracts, the prevention of macular degeneration, strengthening of the heart, prevention of cancer, etc. Many of these benefits are explained at www.orthomolecular.org, an outstanding website.

Conclusions

The great writer Ernest Hemmingway, after winning the Nobel prize, had shock treatments for depression. He suffered memory loss and then killed himself. The shocks are applied to the temporal area, which houses the hippocampus. The hippocampus, shaped like a seahorse, houses memory. Many years ago shocks were given so strong that the patient suffered convulsions. These convulsions caused deaths, broken bones, etc. Now they have learned from this and give weaker voltages.

The side effects of psychiatric drugs are a horror story. They can best be found by searching "books" at Gale's Health Reference Center. The maker of the individual drug usually has a website that also lists the side effects, but Gale has no motive to hide anything.

On the other hand, the side effects of vitamins, particularly vitamin C, are beneficial. Fat-soluble vitamins are not as safe because the body can store them. If you take a large dose of niacin, you can get an uncomfortable niacin flush. Although you won't like this, it is not harmful. You will feel it in your face.

References

1. Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy following electroconvulsive therapy.

Chandra PA, Golduber G, Chuprun D, Chandra AB.

J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown). 2009 Apr;10(4):333-5.

2. Predictors and correlates for weight changes in patients co-treated with olanzapine and weight mitigating agents; a post-hoc analysis.

Stauffer VL, Lipkovich I, Hoffmann VP, Heinloth AN, McGregor HS, Kinon BJ.

BMC Psychiatry. 2009 Mar 28;9:12.

3. Barnett AH, Mackin P, Chaudhry I, Farooqi A, Gadsby R, Heald A, Hill J, Millar H, Peveler R, Rees A, Singh V, Taylor D, Vora J, Jones PB. Minimising metabolic and cardiovascular risk in schizophrenia: diabetes, obesity and dyslipidaemia. J Psychopharmacol. 2007;21:357-373. doi: 10.1177/0269881107075509.

4. Allison DB, Mentore JL, Heo M, Chandler LP, Cappelleri JC, Infante MC, Weiden PJ. Antipsychotic-induced weight gain: a comprehensive research synthesis. Am J Psychiatry. 1999;156:1686-1696.

5. Eli Lilly and Company. Zyprexa (Olanzapine) [package insert] Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN; 2007.

6. Baptista T, Elfakih Y, Uzcategui E, Sandia I, Talamo E, raujo de BE, Beaulieu S. Pharmacological management of atypical antipsychotic-induced weight gain. CNS Drugs. 2008;22:477-495. doi: 10.2165/00023210-200822060-00003.

7. Bahk WM, Lee KU, Chae JH, Pae CU, Jun T, Kim KS. Open label study of the effect of amantadine on weight gain induced by olanzapine. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2004;58:163-167. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2003.01211.x.

8. Successful treatment of tardive lingual dystonia with botulinum toxin: case report and review of the literature.

Hennings JM, Krause E, Bötzel K, Wetter TC.

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Jul 1;32(5):1167-71. Epub 2007 Sep 18. Review.

9. Amitai, Nurith, and Athina Markou. "Increased impulsivity and disrupted attention induced by repeated phencyclidine are not attenuated by chronic quetiapine treatment." Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 93.3 (Sept 2009): 248(10). Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. Newton Free Library. 6 July 2009
.

Gale Document Number:A203032554

10. Mendel, R., J. Hamann, E. Traut-Mattausch, E. Jonas, S. Heres, D. Frey, and W. Kissling. "How psychiatrists inform themselves and their patients about risks and benefits of antipsychotic treatment.(Report)." Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 120.2 (August 2009): 112(8). Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. Newton Free Library. 6 July 2009
.

Gale Document Number:A202852877

11. "Schizophrenia, gluten, and low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diets: a case report and review of the literature.(Research)(Report)." Nutrition & Metabolism, Feb 26, 2009 v6 i10 p10. Science Resource Center. Gale. 06 July 2009 http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SciRC?ste=1&docNum=A195034279

12. Dohan FC: Cereals and schizophrenia data and hypothesis.Acta Psych Scand 1966, 42(2): 125-152.

13. Dohan FC, Harper EH, Clark MH, Rodrigue RB, Zigas V: Is schizophrenia rare if grain is rare?.Biol Psychiatry 1984, 19(3): 385-399.

14. Kalaydjian AE, Eaton W, Cascella N, Fasano A: The gluten connection: the association between schizophrenia and celiac disease.Acta Psychiatr Scand 2006, 113: 82-90.

15. Vlissides DN, Venulet A, Jenner FA: A double-blind gluten-free/gluten-load controlled trial in a secure ward population.Br J Psych 1986, 148: 447-452.

16. Pacheco A, Easterling WS, Pryer MW: A pilot study of the ketogenic diet in schizophrenia.Am J Psychiatry 1965, 121: 1110-1111.

17. "Efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation training in reducing anxiety in patients with acute schizophrenia." Journal of Clinical Nursing 18 (August 2009): 2187(10). Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. Newton Free Library. 7 July 2009.

18. "HALOPERIDOL (Oral route) - hal-oh-PER-i-dol.(Drug overview)." Detailed Drug Information for the Consumer (May 1, 2009): NA. Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. Newton Free Library. 7 July 2009.

19. Holt, Richard I.G., and Robert C. Peveler. "Obesity, serious mental illness and antipsychotic drugs.(Report)." Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 11.7 (July 2009): 665(15). Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. Newton Free Library. 7 July 2009.

20. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1885884/top_nutrition_doctors_the_giants_of.html
21. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1878963/integrative_medicine_and_psychiatry.html
22. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1875519/let_them_eat_risperidone.html
23. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1872117/microscopy_studies_in_mental_health.html