Posts by Erik Messamore, MD, PhD
It’s time to pay people to self-quarantine
It’s a devastating fact: More than a million Americans could die from the novel coronavirus. But we can prevent this catastrophe through simple measures like sleeve sneezing, washing our hands and staying home when we’re sick. Problem is, nearly everyone goes to work when they’re sick. We need to fix that. Consider this scenario, which…
Read MoreInterview with TV New Zealand about Cannabis Risks
Here is an interview with TV New Zealand’s Anna Burns-Francis about cannabis risks. My view is that cannabis should be as legal as cigarettes, and its risks as widely-publicized. Also… the people that will profit from legalization should not be the ones who determine which risks get publicized. Transcript: Anna: New Zealand researchers recently…
Read MoreLab Tests for Psychosis or Schizophrenia
The difference between psychosis and schizophrenia Psychosis and schizophrenia are sometimes used interchangeably in ordinary language. And even though both terms are linguistic antiques (and need to be changed), “psychosis” and “schizophrenia” are medical terms with specific meanings. So let’s clarify them before talking about lab tests. Psychosis is a neurological symptom. It involves unusual…
Read MoreHow To Start A Career In Science
Now more than ever, the world needs scientists. We need science, and the technology that flows from it, to address pressing challenges in climate, energy, health, and human harmony. So I’m delighted every single time a student asks me how to get started in a career in the sciences. Jennifer, for example, asks: Dear…
Read MoreDe-Mystifying Psychosis And De-Stigmatizing Its Medicines
About 1 of every 11 people will experience psychosis at some point in their lives. Every other medical condition seems fair game for public discussion, yet we hardly ever discuss psychosis out in the open. That’s why I call psychosis the most common illness we never talk about. In an effort to de-mystify psychosis and…
Read MoreCan Antidepressant Medications Cause Psychosis?
A subscriber to my YouTube channel 15-Minute Pharmacology recently asked if a common type of antidepressant medication can cause psychosis: “Can SSRI’s bring on a psychotic episode? My good friend has become acutely unwell and completely psychotic after being put on SSRIs twice.” The SSRI Medications Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor or SSRI medications are…
Read MoreThis One Fix Could Prevent 50,000 Suicide Deaths
A Suicide Prevention Proposal Today is Suicide Prevention Awareness Day. As a psychiatric physician—and simply as someone who cares about other people—I join millions of other voices hoping to move our society closer to one that can better prevent suicide. Preventing suicide is easier said than done. It’s not an easy task for a front-line…
Read MoreCan antidepressant medications cause antipsychotic side effects?
Is such a thing even possible? A question came up recently: A psychiatrist had prescribed Zoloft (sertraline) to a patient with depression. Soon after starting the medicine, the patient developed muscle spasms, which fit the neurological definition of dystonia. Translating to English, “dystonia” means abnormal muscle tone. Most people recognize dystonia as a possible side…
Read MoreCannabis Probably Does Cause Schizophrenia
Psychosis is one of the oldest and best-documented risks of cannabis use. Associations between cannabis use and psychosis appeared in the medical literature soon after cannabis was introduced into Western medical practice in the 1850s. Physicians of the 19thcentury accurately identified marijuana’s therapeutic value. Medical textbooks and journals of that era described benefits in the…
Read MorePaucity of studies showing an ability of CBD to reduce biomarkers of inflammation in man
Below is a complete list of titles from a search of the medical literature for studies looking at the ability of cannabidiol (CBD) to reduce biomarkers of inflammation in humans. CBD has a reputation for being the more important anti-inflammatory cannabinoid. And it is being recommended by many for the treatment of inflammatory illness. The…
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