Millions of Americans are diagnosed with severe mental illnesses. With that being said that is a large amount of our population that will have to go on medication. Being medicated always comes with its own risks, but with severe mental illness patients a risk can be weight gain. Already our country suffers greatly with obesity and it is not helping to have citizens that can’t help weight gain while taking certain medications. As a result it would be useful to have a medication that can eliminate this factor. Overall helping to reduce obesity in America.
3) A. It is very likely that severe mental illness have high rates of being restricted later in life of death due to their medication. This is not only because of the weight gain but because they are more likely to suffer from substance abuse. The medicine is blocking certain neuron transmitters which then the craving for certain substances will try to make up for. Sadly the substances can include alcohol, nicotine, and foods with high fats and sugars.
B. It is not said that every medication to help severe mental illness have the same weight gain rate. Depending on the medication, weight gain can be greater or minor compared to other types of medicine. As well as it being dose dependent. But no
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Naltrexone was blocking serotonin and dopamine. As a result the feeling and idea of eating more unhealthy food, even smoking or drinking was the clients way of making up the dopamine to make them feel better. As a result they were over eating, drinking too much or smoking more than one should. The naltrexone are successful because of endogenous opioids. They suppress the feelings for such cravings. Something that was first tested on rats but then shown to be true for humans alike. It helps fill in the holes of the dopamine so the client does not feel like they need to always stimulate the dopamine