This is interesting and I hope they will look into the risk factors of certain medications that can cause FND symptoms

[210272]

academic.oup.com/.../10.109...

[Westie_1]

Hi210272 I tried the link it did not work ?

[210272 in reply to Westie_1]

Yes - It worked when I first linked to it but doesn't now

[Westie_1 in reply to 210272]

never mind although I can imagine it would have made for a good read. Probably took it down due to the medications. It would have been interesting to see if any of our meds do contribute to FND symptoms. Thank you anyway 210272 x

[Crypto127]

I couldn't open the link but found this interesting response in the BMJ on medication, especially antidepressants and diazepam, and FND. Given the historic requirement of a preceding psychiatric disorder for a diagnosis of FND, it's highly likely that the majority of people diagnosed have been on these medications for some time. I wonder about the effect of anti-epileptic drugs given for seizures and also, off label, as mood stabilizers. There is much soul searching the medical profession still has to do in relation to how it has treated (and continues to treat) people with 'unexplainable' neurological symptoms. Didn't it ever occur to the medical profession to first ask why people on mental health disorder medication were presenting with these neurological symptoms and to look to possible neuro toxicity of the medication rather than leaping straight to these people are converting trauma! One day our treatment will be seen as a national shame.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3745

[210272 in reply to Crypto127]

Hi Crypto 127 I can still only access the link to Stone's article, not the Patient Voice rapid response, which is frustrating. As far as I can tell they have removed the requirement of a preceding traumatic life event or psych disorder from the dx criteria because they know people can develop the symptoms of FND without them. However they've now gone further and don't try to exclude other neurological conditions which could explain the symptoms which seems to work against the UN resolution for people with rare conditions and could be in breach of human rights. The people who wrote the rapid response about medications causing FND Symptoms have struggled to get their voices heard partly because when they contact the powers that be about it (eg Stone) they don't get responses very often and when they do they are often abrupt.

What we do know, from Prof O'Leary is that FND education is 'terribly reckless, so practise is reckless'