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Erebus172 t1_j8w4vlh wrote

The whole point of this article is to say that the anticonvulsant drug lamotrigine (Lamictal) may be a "miracle cure" for autism. There are several problems with this. For one, epilepsy is the most common comorbidity with autism occurring in around 33% of the autistic population. Many of those afflicted with both are already on Lamictal and see no change in their autistic symptoms. Second, as stated in the article, several studies have been done with Lamictal in the past for children with autism and other neurological conditions and showed no effects other than the original (anticonvulsant).

>The drug was ineffective in a small 2001 trial of 28 autistic children, but it may help people with certain genetic conditions.

IMO the manufacturer is just trying to find more people to sell their drug to.

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halflifeconsequences t1_j8yssyx wrote

I will never cease to be amazed by Spectrum News' commitment to pumping out badly-described, sensationalist crap like this.

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Uturuncu t1_j8yswjq wrote

Anecdotally as an adult with autism and not epilepsy, I was prescribed lamotrigine for mood stabilization in conjuction with antidepressants. My mood was more even(antidepressants chopped the bottoms off the lows, but everything was still a neurlogical roller coaster; lamotrigine addition turned it into a kiddy coaster with smaller valleys and shorter peaks instead of a thrill seeker's death trap) so it worked for that... But it did nothing at all for autism symptoms, no.

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MamaMiaPizzaFina t1_j97ku4n wrote

That is likely because your covid vaccines upgraded your autism and lamotrigine brought it back down to normal

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Niobium_Sage t1_j8y5ys1 wrote

I wouldn’t trust this drug in the slightest, I think you’re dead on with this being attempt to market lamotrigine to a wider consumer base. The drug suramin has shown some promise, but has seen very little attention sadly.

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lueVelvet t1_j8w9bxc wrote

Any company/person trying to push any “cure” for Autism is super sus in my book.

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Niobium_Sage t1_j8y5ouz wrote

I don’t think a cure is even feasible since the condition pertains to the brain. A treatment is a lot more sensical.

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BrotherBeefSteak t1_j8yk3e7 wrote

Maybe for heavily autistic people treatment would be good. I feel like therapy would be better tho for a lot of autistic people.

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katarh t1_j8zfgga wrote

Agreed. Most people with ASD need support systems and accommodations, not medications.

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