^
|
I think you'll find that in this forum (as well as others) the topic you decide to address often spins off other equally interesting and/or important ones. The topic of neurotoxicity is very important, and as strongly as we may disagree on it, it is none the less important that we all get to hear both "Sides of the story".
I am not going to continue arguing back and forth about the PCP issue any longer. I will, however leave you all a link to Erowid's PCP vault that I feel validates my comments on PCP's potential to possibly cause/bring out psychotic events (As well as present the opinions of other nay-sayers). I also had some great references on the Lyceaum, but unfortunately that great resource is with us no longer. The Erowid site is as follows:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/pcp/pcp_info1.shtml
To quote some of this passage: "Perhaps the hallmark of PCP
intoxication is the recurring delusion of superhuman strength and
invulnerability resulting from the analgesic and dissociative properties of
the drug. Intoxicated patients have been known to snap hancuffs and, unarmed,
attack, large groups of people or police officers. This loss of fear has
led patients to try to stop a train by standing in front of it, to grossly
mutilate themselves and others, to climb into a polar bear's cave to take
a picture, and to jump from windows or cliffs."
I respect your right to disagree with this this reference, but understand that I DO NOT sit around posting random urban legends in this forum. Those of you who know me better know that I am quite adamant about providing references and keeping an open mind when approaching any topic related to health. Do I think PCP is going to turn you into Freddy Krueger if you try it? Not Necessarily. Do I think there is evidence to support that it can result in negative experiences? Most certainly. It comes down to what you CHOOSE to believe. You can choose to look at these reports and maybe be a bit more hesitant when approaching PCP, or you can choose to say: "Blah, it's all lies propagated by the anti-drug movement". I will always weight BOTH sides, and more often lean more towards the conservative - that's just me.
As far as the argument for and against ketamine's possible neurotoxicity, it is evident that this topic is not going to be decided in this thread. Minds greater than ours are still going back and forth on the topic. Ironically, Peyote... you and I are both quoting Dr. Jansen. What is even more ironic is that Dr. Jansen himself continues to "walk the fence" on the topic of k neurotoxicity. He does however, present both sides of the topic.
Certainly we should agree that this drug, as well as virtually every other has its positive attributes AND its dark side. I LOVE ketamine. Hell, it's my favorite drug! This is part of the reason why I don't feel comfortable dismissing the topic of it's potential neurotoxicity. To quote one of my colleagues, and a very prominent Neurogist here in Boston:
"Medicine is such an imperfect science... it seems virtually impossible to prove, with humans, any one specific idea or theory conclusively... research can only hope to shed better light on what is we wish to see."
It is difficult to conclusively prove anything in medicine, let alone something as dificult to quantify and intangible as cognitive function. Again, I respect your right to take a stand where you deem fit - we probably are more in agreement that you might think. Similarly, I also request that the other side of the story not be downplayed or refered to as "Rediculous". It is our health, and specifically our brains that are in the balance here... I believe it is only in our best interests to maintain a conservative, yet open minded attitude.
------------------
"I dislike the drug you are using, but I would defend with my life your right to use it."
- Paraphrase on Voltaire
"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man."
- Dr. Johnson
"We do not sense imagination enough to sense what we are missing."
-Jean Toomer
