Bald Wonder

I think that sites like http://www.medindia.net/patients/calculators/ht_wt_mw.asp[/url'] use the same caculation I am talking about. Give me until Monday and I will post what it says on the worksheet I did a couple of months ago.

That website uses the formula for calculating IDEAL body weight (which is most likely what you calculated several months ago). There is no way to accurately calculate a person's weight knowing only their height. There must be at least another known variable, e.g. body mass index, percent body fat, etc.

The carnival guys become pretty accurate because they use the most obvious variable -- they are looking at you!

I'm 5'8". My ideal weight is 145-155 lbs. However, that is not my TRUE weight due to a combination of other factors - abdominal adiposity, muscle density, etc.

Hey, check out this website:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/

Especially this section:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/index.htm

There are also a number of links on that site you can follow for more information.

The problem is not occupation of the GABA receptors. The problem is that long term benzo use causes downregulation of GABA receptors and decreased GABA activity in the brain. It will take some time for your body synthesize new receptors and more GABA once the benzos are gone. Like I mentioned in the other thread, I only took Klonopin for 1 year (although I was taking a fairly high dose = 1mg TID) and it took over a year for me to completely normalize.

The main thing is to not try and taper yourself. Follow the advice of a knowledgable physician.

Hey, check out this website:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/

Especially this section:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/index.htm

There are also a number of links on that site you can follow for more information.

The problem is not occupation of the GABA receptors. The problem is that long term benzo use causes downregulation of GABA receptors and decreased GABA activity in the brain. It will take some time for your body synthesize new receptors and more GABA once the benzos are gone. Like I mentioned in the other thread, I only took Klonopin for 1 year (although I was taking a fairly high dose = 1mg TID) and it took over a year for me to completely normalize.

The main thing is to not try and taper yourself. Follow the advice of a knowledgable physician.

Namaste. Kya hal hai?

Namaste. Kya hal hai?

Then some people might ask should that professional be a physician who is devotedto preserving life, or do we create a new profession where there might not be a conflict?

Another great point! The primary argument of the AMA and other groups is that PAS violates the Hippocratic principle of 'Do no harm.' Although I believe that a physician's responsibility to alleviate pain and suffering should be primary. Besides, many would argue that we are already violating this principle by providing abortions.

Any of the other medical professions not bound by the Hippocratic oath could actually perform the assisted suicide.

I guess it should be pointed out that PAS and euthanasia are two different things. In euthansia the physician is the direct agent; in PAS the patient is the direct agent. So in PAS, the physician simply gives the patient the injection but does not administer it. PAS is legal in Oregon, not euthanasia.

Whether most people are aware of it or not, euthanasia happens all of the time in the hospital. If a patient is near death and suffering, the physician can give a large dose of morphine on the premise that they are alleviating suffering. They do this knowing the patient will die. However, it is not illegal based on their motivational premise.

I've done this personally. Have I violated Double Effect and Natural Law? Am I a murderer?

Not all cases, I guess I should have been more clear. I am only talking about those dealing with 'end-of-life' issues, e.g. terminally ill.

However, you do bring up a very good point. Legalizing PAS would definitely create a slippery slope.

Yes. To explain why I'll draw a quick analogy:

If abortion were still illegal we would have many women using coat hangers to perform their own abortions (like they still do in many places). This is why we have physician-assisted abortion in the US.

Humans are free to choose when and if they want to end their life. Due to lack of knowledge, a large percentage who attempt suicide are unsuccessful and botch the job. Not only do they now continue to live, but they do so with whatever additional deformity has resulted from their failed attempt.

Human beings are always going to choose to commit suicide. Why should we continue to deny them access to assistance from knowledgable professionals in performing this task?

Since it is already legal and we have many addicts, I think we should start with 10 year olds and tell them if they start smoking, they will not be able to have health insurance. Hit them in the pocket.

C'mon!!! What 10 year old do you know that actually understands what health insurance is, much less gives a fat baby's a$$ if you tell them they won't be able to get it?

Smoking, like everything else in life, is a choice made based on risk vs. benefit. In this day and age, most people know the risks associated with smoking. Every person that smokes continues to do so because they are willing to accept the risks to receive the pleasure derived from smoking.

It's just like speeding. I know speeding is illegal. I know the risks - injury to myself, injury to others. I know there is a chance I will receive a ticket. However, there are times when I am willing to accept those risks in order to get somewhere on time, so I make a conscious decision to speed. If any of the aforementioned consequences occur as a result of my speeding, I must take full responsibility for my decision.

Same with eating fast food, drinking, drugs, risky sex ... fill in the blank with whatever your favorite vice may be.

no no Im saying that a blood restriction coud result from a injury, becuase of its location directly next to the subclavian artery.

Nerves, especially large bundles like the brachial plexus, are richly supplied by blood from a number of tiny vessels. Usually the only pathology significant enough to result in an obstruction of blood flow resulting in damage to the brachial plexus would be major traumatic injuries, like a stab wound or blunt force trauma. Damage to the blood vessels subsequent to surgery would be high on the differential.

My grandad has now been diagnosed with brachial plexus injury, after a C5 & C6 fusion and cage. He is just looking for the explanation that the hospital wont give him. They say it was caused by the neck brace he was given in hospital to keep his neck up from where they made the incision at the front of the neck, the neck brace supposedly put too much pressure on the top of the brachial plexus nerves causing very slowly healing paralysis of the right arm.

Although their explanation is feasible, it is MUCH more likely that the injury was caused during the actual surgery. He should regain normal function after a period of healing. Of course, there is always a risk that permanent damage did occur. Compression injury from a neck brace would most certainly heal in time.

Also would being a diabitic/smoker make the blood supply even worse?

I don`t supose anyone knows if Tramadol (Zydol) 50mg x 2 has any effect on anaesthetics at all?

I wouldn't think you would get the same effect with Tramadol since it acts on opioid receptors. You might develop decreased sensitivity to other opiates if you take it chronically, but since you only use it infrequently PRN I wouldn't suspect any problems.

Thanks all, VERY helpful stuff. Yeah, .5 but only PRN. Think I'll throw it in the trash after a little tapering.

True, 0.5mg PRN is an extremely low dose...unless your PRN is every 15 minutes! I would definitely agree with YT in having your taper medically supervised since you have been using it for so long. You don't want to play around with status epilepticus. From what I've seen it's not too pleasant!!

Greetings fellow ologists!

I am an Internal Medicine Resident Physician currently serving the homeless population in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. I am intensely passionate about all things scientific, philosophic, and metaphysical.

Having perused SFN for several days now, I am pleased to discover such a wealth of knowledge, inquisitiveness, and conviviality!

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Is there a receptor effect or something of that sort from Klonopin and similar med usage that negates the effects of pain meds and anesthetics? If so' date=' is it a permament dynamic or will it go away with stopping Klonopin, and if so, how long will this reversal take to occur.

 

Thanks![/quote']

 

Absolutely! Long-term administration of benzodiazepines produces tolerance. Benzos (i.e. Klonopin) bind to benzo-GABA receptors in the brain. GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and increased GABA results in sedation, anxiolysis, hypnosis, and anticonvulsant action. Incidentally, most opiates and anesthetics also exert their effects by some type of involvement with the GABA receptor. Long-term exposure to benzos causes downregulation of the benzodiazepine-GABA receptor complex (less receptors are available), hence an increased dose of anesthesia is required in patients who take benzos on a long-term basis. This has been well-documented in the medical literature.

 

After the cessation of long-term use of benzodiazepines, the receptor is upregulated. I'm not sure how long the process would take to normalize, but I know that patients do have an increased susceptibility to benzodiazepines and other sedative drugs almost immediately after benzos are discontinued.

 

Klonopin should be a "last resort" choice as an anxiolytic because it is highly addictive and results in dependence. It is only supposed to be used as a short-term treatment (4-6 weeks) for anxiety.

 

On a personal note, I was prescribed Klonopin for a little over a year for anxiety and became extremely dependent on this drug. When they tried to taper me off, they did so too quickly, which resulted in profound rebound anxiety. I had frequent panic attacks, tremendous anxiety, and even became suicidal. It was a miracle that I didn't have a seizure. My physician placed me on a much slower taper (6 months) and, although it was still unpleasant, my symptoms eventually dissipated. (it took over a year!)

 

Benzos are nasty, nasty drugs! Klonopin is the WORST because it has such a long half-life.

 

What dose are you taking, 0.5 mg/day?

Yep, this chart is a phony:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/stateiq.asp

Nevertheless, it has resulted in an interesting discussion.

So the principle involved is simply Newton's first law? The earth's inertial centrifugal force equals the sun's centripetal force of gravity, and therefore the net force is zero. Since the external forces acting on the earth are neglible, it continues along it's current path. Is that correct? The bowling ball/trampoline analogy is misleading...

Question. Using the bowling ball on a trampoline analogy, what force keeps the earth from spiraling into the sun? If you actually place a bowling ball on a trampoline and roll a tennis ball across the surface, the tennis ball's orbit becomes progressively smaller until it collides with the bowling ball. Is it centrifugal force?

In a study the two major classes of bias are:

1. Selection bias

2. Observation/information (misclassification) bias

If the purpose of this study was to determine causes for AIDS in a random population (including homosexuals, blood transfusion recipients, IV Drug abusers, etc.) then this is definitely a case of selection bias.

He could also be referring to recall bias, which is the most common type of observation bias in this type of survey.