Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Medications that change who we are

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

211–220 of 289 posts

Re: Medications that change who we are

#211

Post by 1996 »

cc81 wrote: post #172
hrt_throw wrote: post #16

I am very curious about how transgender HRT affects personality. In a sense, HRT is supposed to change who one is, but the personality changes people undergo on it seem underappreciated and not really understood or studied clinically. At least I have not been able to find a published study specifically about about how HRT changes personality. I think not all of it can be attributed to decreased gender dysphoria or pe…

It could be but I used to look at studies about roid rage and found back then that there was not that much support for increased aggression, at least not when using testosterone and in moderate dosages for bodybuilding (which are very large dosages compared to replacement therapy). On the other hand I'm pretty sure when we are talking really strong AAS such trendbolone there is so much anecdotal evidence that people…

Are you blaming Trump on the trans? That's a funny new perspective!

But joke aside, why would hormones only work in one way?

And why couldn't you say the same about, say acetaminophen? Without a RCT your guess is as good as mine!

Re: Medications that change who we are

#212

Post by droithomme »

detaro wrote: post #191
droithomme wrote: post #190

> with the US alone buying up 49,000 tonnes of paracetamol every year – equivalent to about 298 paracetamol tablets per person Commonly sold as the brand Tylenol. How is it possible that the average across the US population is nearly one per day, the entire year? Max dose is 3900mg per day. Tylenol is not recommended for children with fevers as it can have bad side effects (Reye's Syndrome). More popular than aspirin…

Wonder at what rate that stuff gets bought and not used, either by institutions or consumers, but it's probably only a small part.

Hey that's actually a really good point. First aid kits, hospitals, etc. Could half of it simply be trashed?

Re: Medications that change who we are

#213

Post by dr_dshiv »

dpark wrote: post #203
allovernow wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When we know so little, is it really ethical for a psychiatrist to prescribe these drugs to make people slightly more like the opposite gender, rather than teaching them to accept who they are and deal with the disorder like any other incurable condition?

What “other incurable conditions” do doctors not even attempt to treat and simply tell patients to “accept who they are and deal with it”?

Well, helping people cope and find acceptance could be a form of treatment. I am a little scared by the number of my friends who have gone on the medical transgender journey.

Re: Medications that change who we are

#214

Post by copperx »

aszantu wrote: post #8

Probably all that's going through the stomach has one effect or another... Ever watched kids behaviour before and after sugary and non-sugary meals?

> Ever watched kids behaviour before and after sugary and non-sugary meals?

Yes, and I've never noticed a difference. I believe that "sugar rushes" are imaginary.

Re: Medications that change who we are

#215

Post by danbolt »

hrt_throw wrote: post #16

I am very curious about how transgender HRT affects personality. In a sense, HRT is supposed to change who one is, but the personality changes people undergo on it seem underappreciated and not really understood or studied clinically. At least I have not been able to find a published study specifically about about how HRT changes personality. I think not all of it can be attributed to decreased gender dysphoria or pe…

I think it’d be hard to isolate factors to test your hypothesis. You’re likely not wrong to some extent given that HRT changes the body (almost always for the betterment of voluntary trans individuals), but there’s so much activity going on in the song and dance of society it’d be hard to isolate.

Re: Medications that change who we are

#216

Post by copperx »

kshacker wrote: post #108
Mistletoe wrote: post #79

I had never heard of this link between statins and aggression and Tylenol and lack of empathy before. Interesting. Maybe this is why Boomers act so strange now. “Former flower children lost their empathy and caring for the world and the next generation when their doctors put them all on statins and they started gobbling Tylenol” would be quite an interesting story. Both my parents are on statins, it seems every perso…

I take statins and my best self-analysis is that it gives me nightmares. I can't count the number of times I have woken up with bad dreams. However, I think it is my brain trying to regulate heart by causing it to beat harder. When I exercise, I usually do not have these nightmares, or maybe I am too tired to notice them.

I got prescribed Rosuvastatin and got extremely vivid nightmares to the point of waking up unrested. I thought I was the only one because I could find much online. The dreams and nightmares are so intense I have stopped the statin.

Thank you for recommending me exercixe. That might be the answer.

Re: Medications that change who we are

#217

Post by sizzle »

dpark wrote: post #207
dpark wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s rarely performed on adults because the risks are so high. Even in children it’s a last resort reserved only for the most severe and morphine seizure cases.

What the heck autocorrect? Morphine -> Nonresponsive

I was about to look up morphine induced seizures as it sounded intriguing haha

Re: Medications that change who we are

#218

Post by sizzle »

doitLP wrote: post #92
xiphias2 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if the brain is not apart from the rest of the body, there is a special thing between the two: the blood-brain barrier, which is actually quite hard to cross with medications, and poses a real challange in curing brain diseases.

Sure but the list of drugs that cross that barrier is long. Everything from antibiotics to statins. And even if they didn’t, the body is a tightly interconnected system. Taking an antidepressant to “selectively affect serotonin” in the brain? Whoops, turns out your gut has at least as many serotonin receptors as the brain. Taking a statin to reduce cholesterol (which it does very well but with an NNT > 200 for heart…

Very interesting claims, please share the citations.

Re: Medications that change who we are

#219

Post by copperx »

droithomme wrote: post #190

> with the US alone buying up 49,000 tonnes of paracetamol every year – equivalent to about 298 paracetamol tablets per person Commonly sold as the brand Tylenol. How is it possible that the average across the US population is nearly one per day, the entire year? Max dose is 3900mg per day. Tylenol is not recommended for children with fevers as it can have bad side effects (Reye's Syndrome). More popular than aspirin…

Reye's Syndrome is for Aspirin, not Tylenol.

Re: Medications that change who we are

#220

Post by JimboOmega »

allovernow wrote: post #200
JimboOmega wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a huge family of "Neurosteroids"[1], which impact various receptors in the brain in lots of super complicated ways that aren't entirely understood. They are synthesized in all kinds of ways naturally, and when it comes to "what they do" in terms of personality... "probably something" is the best we can do. There is massive complexity in all these things, all kinds of feedback mechanisms, genes and enzymes inv…

When we know so little, is it really ethical for a psychiatrist to prescribe these drugs to make people slightly more like the opposite gender, rather than teaching them to accept who they are and deal with the disorder like any other incurable condition?

I didn't mean to make this about transgender medicine. The evidence is pretty strong that hormone treatment improves wellbeing for transgender patients[1], and of course, they can always stop it if it doesn't. The fact that very few do is a good indicator of satisfaction overall. There is a very strong bias towards safety in the practice of transgender medicine.

I can also personally attest that transgender medicine has vastly improved my life. The changes in appearance reduce awkward interactions (I presented female almost always even before transitioning). The mental changes have all been positive and left me feeling much more in control of myself and my life.

There is a lot more science to be done and things to be discovered especially when it comes to brain impacts. Transgender medicine is a new field where there is much to be discovered. It's still a super important thing I'm glad exists.

In any case, I was using it as an example where these brain interactions become super visible and complicated, not trying to debate it directly.

[1] (simply the first thing I found googling) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11136-006-0002-3

Post reply on HN