Anodyne
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Posts posted by Anodyne
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Hiya, I'm currently researching kratom for a uni project, and to me the recent scheduling is a pretty important topic when considering kratom in Oz. So, I need some general info about the TGA, in short:
*Who are they? (i.e. are they [ex-]medical professionals, politicians, volunteers? what?)
*What do they do? (what aspects of drug control/regulation do they deal with? Can anyone veto them?, do they need to justify themselves to anyone but each other?, who do they answer to?, etc.)
*How do they do it? (who is involved in scheduling, what procedures must be followed, who must be consulted/advised, etc.)
*How do they change decisions? (if someone wanted to ask them to reconsider a scheduling category for a drug, is there a formal procedure?, must the appeal be made to the TGA Committee or is there someone else who can do it?,)
and most importantly - has anyone tried to appeal a scheduling before, and what happened? I seem to remember someone saying that you might as well save a stamp and just chuck the letter in the bin yourself - can anyone give me some advice here?
And for anyone who sent letters to the TGA regarding kratom (pre-S9-scheduling), do you still have copies that you could PM to me? I'm very interested in what info they had at the time, because in the minutes/summary of their decision, they only refer to an unnamed clinical trial, and 2 or 3 other papers, despite the fact that there have been several dozen papers written about M.speciosa, quite a lot of them more recent than those they refer to (one was from 1935!, and they used this as a current reference!). They also refer to some letters that they got, although very briefly, and only to dismiss them. I'd like to read this info for myself if anyone's still got it.
I'm also after the 1986 Raffauf paper they refer to, which apparently discusses the (discontinued) clinical trial - if anyone has this, or knows anything about it, like which company was doing the research, I'd be very interested to find out.
[ 20. September 2005, 11:46: Message edited by: Anodyne ]
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i myself suffer from bipolar, but weed works for me, i become manic without it and its not withdrawls.
Good for you. On a related note, weird, isn't it, how when there's a correlation between pot & schizophrenia, the conclusion is "pot causes schizophrenia", But when there's a correlation (even higher than the pot link) between ciggies & schizophrenia, the conclusion is "well, the schizophrenics must be self-medicating".
As for that shrink, she shouldn't be allowed to practice if that's the advice she's giving to people. I know Nine are all about sleaze & sensation, but telling thousands of parents that their teenagers would be better off smoking heroin/crack is just fucking irresponsible.
The only intelligent, well-informed person on the whole show was that guy in the head-shop, who they let speak for all of about 15 seconds.
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Personally I think this is a pretty good idea actually.
Yeah let's just put neurotoxins in ALL injectable meds. No wait, why stop there, let's just ban all opiates, cut off the needle-exchange programs, and decapitate all the filthy junkies we can get our hands on.
So naja-naja, you think that it's OK for people to take opiates to "escape the world", but not if they've got a tolerance? Did I read that right? And I think you've misunderstood the point: an ORAL dose doesn't release the capsaicin until it's in the stomach, so no burn. But if you break up the tablet before then by chewing it or crushing it for snorting/injection, (or if you have trouble swallowing tablets, and it starts to dissolve before you can get it down) then the capsaicin is released.
I think this is fucking obscene. I've already posted a reply to this thread over at poppies.org, but it's worth saying it again: capsaicin is a neurotoxin. When used as "pepper spray", it can cause permanent nerve damage & temporary (but potentially severe) bronchoconstriction. So I object to Woolf's claim that "it does not harm you". I know some people eat a lot of chillies, but think about the people who are likely to be taking opiates outside a hospital (another point you seem to have missed naja-naja - this idea is for oral medications only - hospitals must have injectable opiates for emergencies, and these can't have capsaicin in them), arthritis patients, say, or just the elderly in general - who have a high rate of stomach ulcers; are you going to tell me that "50 jalapeno peppers" into a compromised stomach-lining or perforated intestine is going to be painless? Why should these patients have to suffer just because of a bunch of Puritans?
And even if people are taking their medications in a manner other than that recommended by the manufacturer (eg, snorting), do they really deserve to get pepper-sprayed in their veins? Many patients take their medicines by these methods not because they are "addicts", but simply because most doctors are reluctant to prescribe an amount that gives the patient adequate relief, for fear of producing dependency, or fear of persecution/prosecution by government authorities.
I really hope this stays in the realm of "really stupid misguided inventions" - I hope the FDA, TGA, etc are bright enough to realise that putting an unnecessary & possibly dangerous additive into people's medications, just because they disapprove of the route of administration some people choose to take that medicine by, is a really dumb idea - right up there with paraquat on marijuana crops.
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"Everything is poison,
Nothing is poison"
- Paracelsus
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Disgusting. There was something Bishop said last night on TV, I didn't get it exactly, but it was something that compared allowing headscarves in schools to "supporting the idea of slavery"
I think the whole thing smells bad - even Howard added a disclaimer to his support, saying that it was only OK when it didn't conflict with the school's dress policy. I don't think any school should be allowed to have a dress policy that forces women to show more skin than they believe is modest. Most schools have dress policies that generally lean in the skin-covering direction - while uniform was not compulsory at my highschool, ppl were not supposed to expose shoulders or midriffs, or wear see-through clothing (although damn those white school blouses can be pretty flimsy ). That said, we did have a "no hats inside" rule too, although I assume that Muslims would've been allowed an exemption, as I never got hassled for wearing headscarves or bandanas. Then again, this was a pretty lax school, but I can't believe there's principals out there who would support a ban - to me it's like saying "Ok, from now on skirts longer than 6 inches are banned". I'm sure there's a bit in most school dress codes about not wearing any "immodest clothing" - if a Muslim girl feels that it is immodest to expose her head, then she shouldn't be required to.
I wonder where the "no hats inside" thing comes from? I assume it's the bit in the New Testament Corinthians 11, that basically says that because men were made in the image of God, they shouldn't wear a hat while praying, because it covers up God's fine handiwork, whereas women, who were made of man, should cover their heads, because they are lesser beings and it'd be an insult to God to pray with their inferior heads showing. But I don't know how this was extended from churches/praying to a range of public buildings (schools, RSL's, etc).
And as for the crap about ID photos - places which do these photos are given guidelines about what is acceptable for such photos, & headscarves are OK. I don't know what happens with the nose/mouth covering type of head-dress, but I'm sure there's guidelines for that too - maybe they can have their photo taken & ID confirmed in a private room - just like anyone can refuse to remove clothing in a public place if they're being searched.
[ 01. September 2005, 06:27: Message edited by: Anodyne ]
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I know I'm dredging up a very old thread with very little info - but I was speaking to my pharmacology supervisor last week & he mentioned in a discussion about the kava scare that it wasn't just the wrong part of the plant being harvested, it was also thought that using acetone to pull out the goodies was extracting more nasties than the traditional water extraction.
Sorry I don't have more detail than that - but I know that folks have used acetone to make their own extracts, and just wondered if it'd be worth reviewing the details - I've just been looking for a paper about it but have drawn a blank so far.
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Haven't played it, but I did hear that the US & UK didn't have the same [over]reaction to the sex-scene. One country just handed out a patch which concerned parents could apply, killing the scene somehow(?), and the other just upped the classification rating (MA15+, 18+, etc).
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I'm in my last year of pharmacology, and have to pick any herbal med to write a paper about. It's to be along the lines of a summary paper, written by me, the underling, for an imaginary head-of-R&D-at-Pfizer-type boss. So a shortish summary about what it is, how it works (if known/relevant), how safe it is, and it is effective for any or all of it's claimed uses? It could also discuss how an extract or even single active compare to the whole plant, how fresh compares to dried/extracted, etc, etc. It's fairly open - we just have to pick something interesting and sum up some aspect of it's current/proposed therapeutic use in 2000 words or less. And obviously it has to be a med for which there's already a fair amount of literature, because the department is pretty fussy about what they'll accept as references (pretty much published scientific papers only).
I've just met with my supervisor and mentioned kava & St. John's Wort to him, but he basically said "oh god, not another paper on SJW". He was a bit more enthusiastic about the kava because he's just applied for a grant to study it further, but that sort of makes it worse - if it's a field he's already interested in & working on, it could be really hard to write something he'd be happy with.
Anyways, I just need some people to throw some ideas out. I've been given a week to come up with something before I just get assigned a herb. I'd be interested in studying marijuana properly, but that could be a bit overwhelming, both in sheer volume, but also trying trying to wade through the various biases that go with it.
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Wtf are weapons doin' at raves ???? They don't belong there ..
I have been at a peaceful outdoor rave where someone pulled a 6-inch blade out
...to shave some hash off a block.
The same blade was used later in a less innocuous way - for cutting pills in half.
Blades do have legitimate uses - I think the vast majority of "weapons" found at any rave would be entirely functional. Especially if they were searching vehicles to find them - yes they'd find knives, and forks, and spoons, tire-irons, crowbars, chisels...
People carry around all sorts of crap, especially in their cars. If they were taking possession of weapons as intent to do harm, then what does carrying around an assault rifle count for?
This whole thing is just sickening. I couldn't get the video to work, but I've seen it before - 120kg riot cops dragging 12-yr-old girls around by their hair at the anti-Iraq-war rallies, tearing off Muslim girls headscarfs & pepper-spraying the guys, breaking the wrists of highschool students half their size, for no reason.
And every year the gov't brings in extra "police powers" - more ways to make sure that cops are above the law. The laws brought in over the last few years, and the ones currently proposed, allow cops the right to do, what 5 years ago would've been called "illegal search, assault, and kidnapping". How many stabbings do you think the knife search laws prevented? You could probably count them on one hand - but they sure brought in a lot of petty possession charges.
This is a fucking disgrace - I'm so sick of the governments that give the cops these powers, the cops who misuse them, and the courts who let them get away with it.
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what about taking them after alcohol? Does this also reduce the effects?
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anyone on SSRI's should not be taking MDMA anyway! That's about as silly as puking after dinner.
Not necessarily. Antidepressants can be good for stopping the huge mood-swings which lead to depression (& elation
). However taking a break for a weekend to take an E can remind you of all the things that are worth living for - which no prescription anti-depressant will do. I won't recommend this to anyone, as I'm not a doctor, but from what I've read, as long as you start taking the SSRI again immediately after the roll you'll be OK.
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A minor point, but worth clearing up - the reason that transgenics is possible is not because organisms share any particular DNA sequences, but because they share the mechanisms for transcription and translation of DNA.
That's actually what I meant, though I realise I didn't say it too clearly.
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however you would see the flaw if you used that logic to start taking paragraphs from one and juxtaposing into another. The way the book would read would be quite unpredictable
A book made that way would be, but an organism made by random swapping would also be prone to self-destructing! Hence the idea of studying gene function before playing with them - so you can have some idea what they do; in your analogy, reading the book before swapping words.
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Prophet, you are correct that GM plants are produced by "unnatural" methods. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that they are bad - the intent might be, but I'm talking about the technology itself, not Monsanto's world-domination plans. A lot of people seem to argue against Monsanto, rather than GM. Yes, Monsanto are fucked up, but they'd be fucked even without GM produce.
With genetic/genomic study, we can have a lot more understanding of the functions of certain genes, and can decide which should be expressed - whether they confer pest-resistance, increased nutritional value, greater size, shorter growing season, cold tolerance, etc. These are all traits which have been bred for "naturally". So Hagakure was right, we are just speeding up the process - the methods might be "unnatural", but the end product could be just the same.
And BTW, you are talking about transgenics - not all genetic modifications involve tranfer of genes between species, but even in those that do - remember that a huge portion of DNA is common to all living things - this is why you can cross species and even kingdom barriers and still produce functional organisms - many of the genes are just the same (it's just that it's easier to find out what they do in small, fast-growing critters like bacteria).
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GM used responsibly will be able to fix some big problems that we have today. we can limit toxic pesticides, fix malnutrition in third world countries aswell as simple things like making foods better for you.
Yup, so hands up who thinks that it will be used well. Anyone? The thing is, we have enough food to feed everyone, what we're lacking is equal distribution.
I do think that using food plants to produce medicines is a ridiculous, unnecessary, and very risky ideas. Why the hell do it? There's no reason. You could do it using non-food plants just as well, without the risk of contaminating the food-supply. This is one aspect of GM that I can't support.
And as for the starting topic - I'm a vegetarian, but not because it kills animals. I just dislike the industry - forests cut down to grow grain & legumes for us to eat, OK, that's not so great. But forest cut down to grow 4-10 times as grain/legumes as we need, just because we want the protein to pass through an animal first, is just silly. I can't immediately see any major problems with the cultured meat (aside from the taste & texture), but I wonder about the costs, both to the buyer, and to the environment. How do they grow it, how do they feed it?
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onz, just to clear something up - there is no "P450 enzyme" the cytochrome-P450 enzymes are a large class of enzymes, divided into families & subfamilies: CYP1A1, CYP3A4, CYP2D6, etc. Fluoxetine inhibits several of these enzymes - the important one in DXM metabolism is probably CYP3A4. This same enzyme is also involved in the metabolism of ~70% of all therapeutic drugs, so the interactions are a bit more widespread than just cough medicine. However, as there are few interaction warnings on Prozac packets, the CYP3A4-inhibition probably isn't significant for most drugs - people show variation in enzyme-expression just because of genetics, and still manage to find safe doses for their drugs - the same can probably be done when on SSRIs.
I don't know why you're suggesting no opium with prozac. Fluoxetine does inhibit CYP2D6, which is responsible for the bio-acivation of codeine, so your panadeine may not work, but I think the main metabolic CYP-enzyme for opiates is CYP3A4, which I've already discussed - if you're worried that the drugs effects/toxicity might be increased, take less.
And as for the E + SSRI combination, it seems that if the person is taking SSRIs constantly, the effects of E will be reduced - don't know what happens with the body-load, but the neurotoxicity is decreased. Stopping the SSRI 24+ hours before E seems to work OK - just remember to start taking them again as soon as the E wears off. There are studies to suggest that this might be a good idea anyway (regardless of whether or not you take SSRIs for depression) - rats given fluoxetine just after an E experience showed decreased neurotoxcity. Keeping your body temperature within a normal range (E exaggerates any temperature changes, usually increasing core temp.), taking antioxidant vitamins (C & E) afterwards, and making sure you eat & sleep enough can also reduce the toxicity of E.
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i had a oral operation to remove 2 teeth,i had 4 panadine fortes relaxed in the office for 2 hours,then got on my bike and rode home.had a PRESCRIBED rohypnol and it was all good.
yeah, this was being discussed at EBA a little while ago - one reason they give you benzoes (like rohypnol) is because they cause a kind of amnesia - you don't remember how nasty the pain was, aren't traumatised by it, and will actually go back to the dentist again.
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search here &/or at EA for "codeine cold water" and you should find some relief.
I'd second the clove oil & anti-inflammatory suggestions (even just 1 or 2 aspirin would help) - and also suggest that if you wanted a good local anaeasthetic, you can buy lignocaine cream from the chemist - it's called Xylocaine, and is the same stuff dentists usually use. You probably want the 5% if you can get it - it's pricey, ~$30/15g, but you only need a tiny bit, and is useful to have around for itchy bites & so forth. Be careful not to use too much in your mouth (as you absorb drugs well through your mouth the nasty effects of ligno can be increased - like rapid heartbeat and anxiety), and be careful when eating not to chew you tongue or lips.
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I DO take anti-biotics daily(minocyclin) as well as an omega-3 and evening primrose suppliment.
Minocycline increases CYP3A4 activity - this is the enzyme which is involved in the metabolism of ~70% of all therapeutic drugs - which is why they give the warning on the packet that it may reduce the effectiveness of the pill - as with minocycline & other antibiotics it is broken down faster. I don;t know what the actives in the not-hash are, or how they might be metabolised, but this may be your problem.
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Herpes virus and crabs arent stopped by the sheath
True, but both of those can also be spread by non-sexual physical contact - crabs can be passed on via towels, sheets, etc., and you can catch herpes even by "kissing your grandma hello" sort of contact - any time that any body fluids come into contact with a mucous membrane.
And sorry dotboy, I didn't really understand what you meant by this:
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No, i don't believe you can love someone. I believe this is lust......John can't love sally, sally can't love john, but rather, they are in love, together.
:confused:
So unrequited love isn't really love?
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A friend once found a turtle-shell just like that one (3rd pic down, hanging from the beam above and just to the right of the broom) when we were tripping along a beach. It was so cool - I wanted to use it as a breastplate and make an oufit with other bones & shells & feathers, etc, but he ended up keeping it
I did find some cool sea-urchin skeletons & other shells though - my dreams for the rest of the day were full of spirals... :D
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the water pipe was found to retain 90% of the phenol and 50% of the particulate matter and benzo-a-pyrene of the original tobacco smoke.
That's a pretty impressive reduction - good news for those who smoke tobacco thru bongs.
And re: the laxative effect of tobacco - other stimulants do this as well - caffeine, amphetamine, many phenethylamines...
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I don't know if you're aware of the effects of day-length on growth and flowering in poppies, either way, I'll stick this reference in, just in case anyone's interested - if you don't want to wade through the technical stuff, just read the discussion.
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But we all know bongs are worse for your lungs than joints.
Do we? I'd always assumed that the water removed quite a few nasties which'd otherwise end up in the mucosal lining of your lungs. I mean, just look at bong water - would you want the lining of your lungs to look like that?
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i heard that there has never been any confirmed death because of the smoking of MJ.bob marley??
In the version I heard, the CIA poisoned his boots to give him cancer.
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Relenza and tamiflu ae both struggling to keep a market hold
Not sure that competition is their biggest problem - these products only ever had a limited usefulness anyway. Trials showed only a small decrease in down-time with the flu - forget the exact numbers, but it was something like ppl are normally sick for a week and relenza knocked 1.5 days off, on average. So probably not worth the cost for most ppl. Also tried to market it as a preventative, but I don't know how many doc's would be keen on prescribing for that, given the number of antibiotics we've fucked up by over-prescribing.
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Thanks for the responses all - keep 'em coming (oh, maybe I shouldn't say that in here... )
Tort, I know STD's are a problem, but condoms work OK for preventing them too.
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Most people theoretically agree with monogamy but practice falls short of the reality. What people think is a very very different field to what it is they actually do
I think this is a big problem - people tend to just grow up with the "default settings" on their sexuality - one partner, of the opposite sex. And then they find themselves attracted to more than one person, or someone of the same sex, and either run with it and risk losing their partner (and sometimes even friends & family), or resist it and are unhappy.
I grew up in a "broken" family, where my parents were sticking together "for the sake of the children" (although everyone, including said children were a lot happier when they finally just moved apart - unfortunately I'd already left home by then), so I guess I could see pretty early on that monogamy just for the hell of it wasn't always such a good idea. This isn't to say that there can't be happy 1-on-1 relationships - I've been living in one for the greater part of 5 years, but I think that if you're being "faithful" to your partner for any reason other than that you're so wrapped up in them that you aren't attracted to anyone else, then it's going to end up being painful for someone.
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i believe there to be to many rewards to be reaped from a healthy monogamous relationship, to fuk it up by cheating and taking away that crucial element-TRUST
What about a healthy open relationship? If you've already made it clear to your partner that you love them, & want them to do whatever makes them happy (including seeing other ppl), then where is the breach of trust? And sorry, I know it's just a commonplace word, but I really hate it - "cheating" - whenever I hear it I think "this is a relationship, not a game, and if you think it is, no wonder your partner's sleeping around" (not an attack against anyone here, just a pet hate).
I don't think I'd ever want to stop someone I loved from doing something they wanted to (unless they were endangering themselves), and I have quite a bit of trouble trying to see things from any other point of view. I think I'm probably far less jealous than most folks, which helps, but also it would just hurt me to deny a bit of fun & happiness to someone I loved. Even if it all ended with me being left alone, I'd prefer to see my partner happy than have 'em all to myself - I might be selfish about some things, but not a loved one's life!
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good porn i reckon is heaps better than cheating!!!!!satisfys the subconcious urges completely i reckon
Unless the urge is for companionship, rather than just sex.
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What do people think about non-sexual but physical intimacy with people other than ones monogamous partner?
Interesting point, creach - for the monogamous types, what would you consider to be "breaking the rules"? Sex without intimacy? Intimacy without sex? Flirting? What about if your partner develops a homosexual relationship (for those in hetero relationship, or vice-versa for those in homosexual relationships) - would this be as bad? Or worse? Why?
Anyways, gotta go, but would be interested to hear more thoughts on the topic.
Northern N.S.W. Camping Trip, who's interested?
in Chill Space
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I'll be up visiting family around Coffs Harbour around then, and I'd love to go camping. Unfortunately I don't drive, so I'm at the mercy of the public transport system &/or friendly drivers on the highway.
If anyone is going to be heading through Coffs to this gathering with a spare couple of seats, would there be any chance of a lift? Or is there a train stop anywhere around this area that we could hitch from?
Eels too! Never seen much else though - a few mosquito fish, a few turtles - this is around Nambucca/Bellingen though, maybe there's some better eats further north. If not, I make a sweet dahl
I'm looking forward to putting some faces to the names.