It’s also used for neuropathic pain, such as diabetic neuropathy.
Thats good, I’m surprised facial nerves play such a strong role in migraines. I thought migraines were mostly about blood flow and dilating blood vessels, but that could just be a subset of migraines.
Botox is also helpful for depression. Both causing it and treating it, depending on how it is used. If you get it in your frown lines it can make you less depressed, if you get it on your crows feet it can make you more depressed.
Topamax is an anti-seizure med, but it can really help some migraine sufferers. Not me, I tried it, I am allergic.
Interesting though, it also suppressed appetite, I had to remind myself it was time to eat.
And before that, it was used for muscle spasticity.
It has a formulation called Qsymia that has been marketed for appetite suppression. I had already retired when it came out, but I’ve never heard from anyone who said they had dispensed it.
Prozac was tested as a weight loss drug too, because some people do experience some weight loss when they start it. Of course they do; it’s notorious for causing nausea. Effexor is even worse.
Mirapex (pramipexole) and Requip (ropinirole) are Parkinson’s drugs that are also used for restless legs syndrome. It hasn’t become mainstream yet, but some depression researchers are also using them for treatment-resistant depression.
Mirtazapine is an antidepressant that is sometimes used to STIMULATE appetite in people who are chronically ill or really old and losing weight without meaning to.
Doxycycline is an antibiotic that also has anti-inflammatory properties and is used in some conditions like rosacea because of these properties.
Nitrogen Mustards ended up finding use as chemotherapy drugs, after chemical weapon development.
Cyproheptadine is an antihistamine that is also used as an appetite stimulant. In addition, intravenous mirtazapine is being used experimentally by some OBs to treat hyperemesis gravidarum when standard remedies fail. By all accounts, it’s a near-miracle drug.
Ciclosporin was originally used to prevent the rejection of organ transplants, but is now also prescribed for dry eyes.
Mustargen ointment has been used for psoriasis and mycosis fungoides, when less drastic treatments fail. :eek:
Ketamine was used for veterinary anesthetic induction and is now being used to treat severe depression.
Similarly, scopolamine (also once used in an anesthetic capacity) is used in a patch form to treat nausea but is now being used to treat major depressive disorder. It is also has a sordid history of use by criminals to drug victims.
I was doing a patent search the other day and a patent for using follicular gonadotropin quite randomly found its way into my keyword search. Follicular gonadotropin is used in fertility treatments, but the patent was for its use in treating streptococcus pneumoniae, cancer, auto-immune diseases, heart diseases and more. EP2185172A2 - Use of follicular gonadotropin releasing peptide as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of streptococcus pneumoniae infection - Google Patents
The patent holder is Mondobiotech, a Swiss drug-discovery company.
Given the fact that constipation is a regular (no pun intended) side effect of most opiates, this isn’t too shocking.
Reserpine was also initially used as a sedative, and then it was used as one of the first antihypertensives. Nowadays, it’s most commonly used for thyroid storm.
Prazosin, an anti-hypertensive that block alpha-1 receptors, is used off label to help with PTSD nightmares.
Did you see that PBS program about medical marijuana? There’s where I found out about that myself.
Prazosin is also used for benign prostatic hypertrophy. Cialis is too, as anyone who watches network TV knows.
Dextromethorphan is an opiate derivative too. Heroin was used as a cough remedy at one time, and codeine still is. So is hydrocodone (Vicodin) for that matter.
Side note: is Imodium likely to cause a fail on a pre-employment drug test? My husband tends to have a touchy digestive system, and is looking for work in a field where such testing is very likely.
Dextromethorphan is dissociative at very high doses and is sometimes used recreationally for this effect. This is sometimes called “Robotripping”. As far as I can tell, robotripping is legal in most or all areas of the US if you are in a private location (so as not to commit Drunk in Public) and not responsible for anyone’s safety (not taking care of kids, not driving a car, etc., so as not to commit Child Neglect or DUI) It is probably illegal for a pharmacist or drug manufacturer to recommend using it in this way, though.
I was surprised that this one took so long to get into the thread.
Very unlikely.
You’d be more likely to fail a drug test from eating a poppy seed muffin (I originally typed “poopy”) than from this, and that smacks of urban legend anyway.