Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pharmacology

Drugs are bad, mmmkay?

inoculatedcities — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:29:27 -0800

Recommend an excellent, comprehensive book on the history of antibiotics? After burning through Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson's Napoleon's Buttons and Michael Pollard's The Botany of Desire I've decided to seek out books with a similar, historical approach to other interesting molecules.

In particular, I'd love to read a comprehensive history of antibiotics (especially a technical one that's not aimed at lay audiences/bestseller lists like the admittedly still quite good books I mentioned above). I know Thomas Hager's The Demon Under the Microscope is a popular book that chronicles the discovery and history of sulfonamides, but I'm looking for something that covers the whole spectrum of modern antibiotics. Any recommendations would be most appreciated.

Chantix and it's side affects

Megafly — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 15:29:57 -0800

Chantix....Have you stopped smoking with it or had any experiences with it? My Doc wants me to start on it and I will. I just want to get some Idea of how it will actually affect me and the side effects lists are useless because they don't give me any idea of how common each side effects is.

What do I do when a medication changes everything?

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 06:43:54 -0800

If you're taking medication that alters your personality, do you let people know? What kind of pitfalls or issues do you face with this kind of thing? Just started taking a medication that makes me a little hyper, and apparently very cheerful. I can't help but think that coworkers and friends are going to wonder if I started taking speed, or if I'm going crazy. Should I let them know? Or would that be weird?

I'm also finding it a little bizarre to be acting in ways that I have never acted. Although in a way I feel like this is the way life should have really been all along, I'm sure that people who go through chemically-induced personality changes have to grapple with some identity issues. Is there any good writing on this? How have you dealt with it, or have you been able to just enjoy the ride?

Paxil Withdrawal

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 20:02:28 -0800

Psychotropicdrugfilter:
I'm probably getting off Paxil after seven (!) years and I wonder:
(1) Anyone gone through the withdrawal syndromes and have any advice or heads up on what to expect? I'm terrified.
(2) I have had no "sexual" problems on Paxil. What anti-depressants should I stay away from if I really really want my libido intact?
I'm male and 29.