For those of you who are hair pullers:
J Affect Disord. 1999 Dec;56(2-3):219-26.
The potential role of haloperidol in the treatment of trichotillomania.
Van Ameringen M, Mancini C, Oakman JM, Farvolden P.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. vanamer@fhs.mcmaster.ca
BACKGROUND: Trichotillomania is categorized as an impulse control disorder in DSM-IV and is considered by some to be closely related to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
We review the clinical phenomenology and pharmacological response of trichotillomania, and suggest that it may be more related to Tourette Syndrome than to OCD. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) are typically employed in the treatment of OCD, while neuroleptic medications such as haloperidol are typically used in the treatment of Tourette Syndrome. Evidence for the efficacy of treatment of trichotillomania with drugs typically used for OCD is equivocal.
METHOD: Nine patients with trichotillomania were treated with haloperidol. Six patients unresponsive to SSRI medication had haloperidol added to their treatment. Three patients received only haloperidol. Response to treatment was assessed using descriptions of hair pulling, quantity of hair pulled, and severity of depilation at hair pulling sites.
RESULTS: Eight of nine patients responded to haloperidol treatment, with seven experiencing complete or near complete cessation of hair pulling.
LIMITATIONS: Inferences from the results of this study are limited by the lack of a control group, the small sample size, and the use of unstandardized ratings as measures of symptom severity.
CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the addition of haloperidol to SSRIs or haloperidol alone may be effective in the treatment of trichotillomania. Results also encourage speculation about the relation between OCD, Tourette Syndrome, and trichotillomania.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query...t=Abstract
Interesting, but the side effects of Haldol can be as bad as SSI's. But, I will bring this to the attention of my pharmacist wife and see what she thinks. The drug interactions with SSI's are a pain when Amber has a cold and you can't give her any relief meds for coughing or stuffy nose.
Thanks for posting that, karms! Definitely something to consider!
Peace
I am on SSRIs and it really helps for my mood swings and anxiety attacks. It really helps me. But i cant say iv helps for my trich. And im not in the mood for taking more medication
Actually, I did bounce the idea off my wife and her reply was as follows;
"SSRI's for trichotillomania is like using a fly swatter, Haldol (an anti-spychotic) would be like using a sledge hammer."
Of course she also adds that, some people may be helped by haldol, but, her phrase speaks for itself. In other words if the trich is SO severe that a person afflicted is really distressed, it might be worth a try.
I'm with you on no more meds! Amber's trich is reasonable at this stage and she's open to different ways of getting it under control without meds.
Peace
I do not have trichotillomania, but I do often scratch my scalp and skin until I have bleeding scores. My husband has been buying different dandruff shampoos and treatments for me. I realize now that some of the problem is that I have stopped some types of stims and the scratching has become my main stim.
To stop scratching, I try not the dry out my skin or scalp too much. Putting my hair in braids or a bun helps me to stop touching and scratching so much. Now I need a safer stim.
Not been pulling my hair for 2 months now. I use kerastase shampoo and cond. It softens the texture of my hair and thus reduces stimulation in the finger tips.
I'll try it, if I can find it! Thanks for the suggestion!
Peace
I tend to be a nail-biter. It started when I was little and I saw my older NT cousin do it whenever she was anxious. I couldn't believe anybody would gnaw bits off themselves, so tried it. Bad move! I've done it ever since. The only way I can have decent nails is to give myself a manicure with acrylic tips and brush-on powder. I can bite them, but I'd break my teeth, so avoid doing it.
Alison
Thanks again! We're definitely going to try it!
Peace
Quick update on the search for Kerastase, no luck! On the plus side the salons that I went to at a local mall knew of it, but, apparently the company that makes it wants some sort of exclusivity deal with any salon that wants to carry it. In other words they want to be THE MAIN product available. So we keep looking.
As for their website, my wife went into it and found that their US site is under construction and when it's up and running then we should be able to find it. But, I'll speak with the lady who cuts our hair and see what she can do.
On the plus side, Amber had her braces removed and is now free to indulge in the chewy candies she so loves. We get the retainer today, but at least with that, she'll be able to remove it for eating and cleaning. Sorry for the off topic.
Peace
Haloperidol, yes, in our family that's known as "the drug that fried granny's brain". Did you know that some elderly people (those who probably have a somewhat autistic brain structure), can lose the power of speech permanently? Then, of course, a misdiagnosis of Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia is almost inevitable, with institutionalization to follow, where the patient might be given some experimental mind-numbing drugs, and then it's "Say goodbye to granny kids, she wont be coming back."
Haloperidol is supposed to be prescribed for psychosis. The side effects sound horrific. I definitely would not take it for scratching my head.
Drug companies are always looking for ways to increase their profits: new users. So they will try to push it for other applications. Some doctors will prescribe medications for applications they are not meant for or approved for. Scary!
Why would someone give Granny Haloperidol? Some with no history or psychosis might start hallicunating due to some drug reaction or dehydration but it would be very irresponsible to prescribe them an antipsychotic. Is this happening commonly among the elderly?
For awhile in the states, yes. It was the geriatric drug of choice by doctors for elderly patients with even a hint of dementia. Now it seems to be neurontin(an anticonvulsant), which my wife tells me is not supposed to be used for dementia or pschotic behavior. During my last job in a nursing home, fully 3/4 of the patients were on neurontin to reduce "psychotic behavior" from "dementia".
You want to turn someone into a "drool monkey", slip them some haldol. I'd dearly love to put it in the food of our dimbulb president and his cronies. :twisted:
Peace
Sure enough, some drugs are primarily supposed to be prescribed to control "psychosis". That's why there is a whole category of drugs known as "anti-psychotics". The big problem is that the definition of what is meant by the word "psychosis" has gone from a very specific meaning to meaning just about any form of misbehaviour that a carer or spouse or family member might object to. It's now a word that gossiping housewives use casually, while it used to be a word only used by psychiatrists and "therapists". The latest use of the word "psychotic" is to describe the extremely aggressive and agitated behaviour of people who have used the latest extremely potent illegal stimulant drugs. Even within the psychiatric professional literature the word has a number of quite different meanings, so it's become a useless and dangerous word. It is dangerous because a person can say that another person is psychotic in reference to a fit of temper or or something relatively trivial, while that word can be read to mean "dangerous, violent behaviour by a seriously deluded person". That's how grannys get prescribed these dreadful drugs, and no one bothers to sue the doctors because the resulting disability can be easily dismissed as dementia or old age, and no one misses any work days because of it.
I think anti-psychotics are also prescribed for Tourette's syndrome. I read that many people with Tourettes choose to remain drug free, as the side effects of the meds can be worse than the tics for some, and Tourettes can remit without treatment anyway. One of our kids has done quite a few things that I'm sure are tics, but after reading about the treatment and the usual course of Tourette's I decided that there was no point in seeing a neurologist about the tics, as they don't cause any suffering to our child, and I hate the idea of giving kids any kind of medication that isn't absolutely necessary.
I was medicated for Tourette's back in the late 60's/early 70's, though it wasn't called Tourettes then. It was "nervousness" as a result of the stress of "giftedness." Bah! Something called Atarax. I googled it once, and for the life of me couldn't figure out why they would have given me that for tics. :?:
I started "forgetting" to take my medicine from about age 10 onward, and at some point I suppose my mom just gave up the battle, because I don't remember taking it much after that. The tics (though not the giftedness, fortunately! :lol: ) diminished remarkably by the time I was about 14, or through puberty.
Well, actually, they're still there, just in a different, less obtrusive form. The vocal tics went silent, though I still "hear" them in my head and "feel" them in my throat. The facial tics went "inside" (I tap my molars together). So now nobody knows but me. :wink: