I love genuine questions and people putting in the effort to love and understand each other better. If you come at me just wanting to argue I’m going to troll you back. FAFO.

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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 12th, 2023

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  • My first comment was going to be that “symptomatically treating” is a thing as in, it doesn’t directly shrink, damage, or otherwise affect the tumor in any way, it just reduces the amount that the tumor affects the person’s mood and cognition. Kinda like cold medicine doesn’t actually do anything to the viruses, it just unclogs your sinuses and stops your nose from itching and running which makes you more comfortable and helps you rest better which can kind of indirectly help the rest of your immune system handle things.

    But more directly in response to this comment, there is good odds they’ll create a specific formulation that’s officially approved for the treatment of brain tumors. A great example of a medication that this currently applies to is Zyban, which is one of two Brands of the generic drug bupropion, the another common one being Wellbutrin. Zyban is specifically approved for the treatment of nicotine addiction, while wellbutrin is only prescribed “off label” for that specific purpose which means the doctor is giving it out of their own judgement (because they’re literally the exact same chemical: bupropion).

    Now, there are some ways that different brands might actually be better or worse for certain things for instance the specific dosage could be different in a way that would be harder to achieve otherwise; it’s easier to tell a patient to take 1 tablet daily or twice a day than having to explain to them how to cut the tablet then take 1.5, or to measure out a syrup. More importantly though, the same drug can be given in forms that effect how quickly they’re released into the body, think advil quick release vs motrin, which are both ibuprofen. With psychiatric drugs like bupropion (which is also given for depression and ADHD) you more often see extended release, so that the effects are more long-lasting throughout the day.

    All that said, while I couldn’t find a side-by-side dose comparison, that’s the lesser difference considering effective dosage is going to be a more variable efficacy factor between individual patients. Both come in extended release formulations meaning Zyban has no real reason to be around twice as expensive as Wellbutrin.


  • Apytele@sh.itjust.workstoScience Memes@mander.xyzPumpkin spice!!
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    2 days ago

    Tbh the flavor of those things is a big problem, they’re hard to choke down and a glucose tolerance test requires drinking it on an empty stomach, and if you puke you have to stop and come back another day after fasting again. Looks like that’s the orange flavor which is better than the grape but imo they’re all nasty in the end. A more palatable mixture might be nice.





  • In my crash course to new psych techs about addiction I list off all the common legal addictions which goes something like this:

    • Caffeine
    • Nicotine
    • Alcohol
    • Gambling
    • Pornography
    • Social Media
    • Binge Eating
    • Non-suicidal self-injury
    • And depending on the location, Marijuana

    I tell them that mine is caffeine and my partner’s is nicotine, then we talk about motivational interviewing and then I move on to dementia.



  • If it’s new shortness of breath or chest pain , particularly the crushing variety that feels like something is sitting on you, do not pass go, do not collect money, straight to the ER. Same goes for sudden severe lower back or abdominal pain or sudden heavy bleeding out of your orifices (more than a super maxi-pad full every two hours if you’ve got that genital configuration). There’s a few other little things like a continuous erection more than 4 hours. Also you should learn the signs of a stroke (Google “stroke FAST”). If you’re not sure, look up the local ERs number (not 911) and ask for the “triage nurse” and ask them.

    If it’s been going on / steadily getting worse for over a month it can (probably) wait one more week if that’s all it will take to see your primary care physician or see a specialist.

    If it’s sudden but you know exactly what you did like if you pulled a muscle or sprained a joint at work or cut or burned your arm while cooking (I specify arm, if you cut or burn your hand, face, or foot, measure how big it is and call that triage nurse, and if it’s your genitals just go to the ER) or if you forgot to pee after sex or did it with somebody sketchy and now it hurts to pee, go to the urgent care. Or if your petri dish of a preschooler brought home something and you’re not sure if it’s strep but you almost definitely need a note for work. Or if you have an old cut but now it’s looking puffy and oozing weird liquids (but it’s still localized to that one little area, you don’t have a fever or anything). If you can look at it and already have a general laymans idea of what they’re gonna do to it, go to the urgent care.