Walter's self-medication

[mygoodeye]

something just didnt add up to me when i heard his list. here they are:
Dextrometorphan
Temazepam
and Fluoxetine - brand name Prozac.

according to Peter, all hallucinogenics. I picked up on the last two because I took Temazepam at one point to get to sleep ( it's a sedative). It's not classed as a hallucinagenic, and according to this site occasionally produces hallucinations as a SIDE-EFFECT OF WITHDRAWAL, not as an effect of taking it:

If you use Benzodiazepines regularly you can become dependant - withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, sleeplessness, panic attacks, loss of appetite, nausea, tremors and sometimes even hallucinations

secondly, My brother was on Fluoxetine for bi-polar disorder. It does not produce hallucinations, however it does combat depression and anxiety. It is entriely reasonable Walter is suffering from both. Fluoxetine acts on serotnin production, something which people suffering from depression are deficient in. LSD, Walter's personal fave, also acts on serotonin. so there could be a link there.

The first drug on the list is a hallucinagenic...a dissociative one producing effects similar to Ketamine

can produce distortions of the visual field, feelings of dissociation, perceived bodily distortion, and excitement

its not really of the same trippy quality as LSD. Why would Walter need to take this?

How is he getting hold of these drugs? Dextrometrophan is available over the counter in cough/hayfever medicene (in small amounts) but the other two are prescription only. Is he able to brew up his own?

What is he medicating for or against? In the first episode he was seen getting angry and flipping out, i guess Temazepam would calm that down, but he'd have to be careful not to send himself to sleep. Is his brain permenantly chemically altered from experimenting on himself, and does he need this concoction just to function (half) normally? Why is Peter ignorant of the effects of these drugs? or do the writers really not have a clue?

thoughts please!

[ta2dmarine]

He's not taking them separately but in a concoction, which is basically an anti-psychotic. He's showing a lot of the signs of classic thought disorders or psychosis. Whether this is from withdraw or trying to counteract whatever drug soup they had him on in the looney-bin, who knows? Yet.

Look at the way Peter reacts towards Walter when he gets flustered or eccentric and starts changing the subject or using his hands to think or goes off on separate tangents-- Peter knows he's a borderline psychotic, so he puts up with it, even if he berates him or becomes agitated.

As far as him concocting these drugs, I haven't really given it a second thought as he managed to whip up some homemade LSD within a few hours during the first episode. I'm assuming the FBI lab assistant can pretty much get clearance for whatever she needs for him.

[mygoodeye]

I'm assuming the FBI lab assistant can pretty much get clearance for whatever she needs for him.

she's a pusher

I'm not sure that concoction would work as an antipsychotic ... although I agree he is suffering from some sort of psychosis. If that was what he wants to keep under control why not brew up an antipsychotic in the first place?

something just isnt right here

[Rocky]

If he was on any of those medications during his time as Saint Claire's, he is probably taking these medications to prevent any consequences that might come from stopping his medication. After being medicated for so long, he is probably very dependent of anything taken during his time at Saint Claire's.

[D-Roc]

Perhaps St. Claire's gave him a batch of medication (to take home with him) upon his depature, to keep him going for a few days?

I hadn't really given it much thought before this thread, but it's interesting to consider what impact drugs are having on his behaviour.

[Wondermind]

If he was on any of those medications during his time as Saint Claire's, he is probably taking these medications to prevent any consequences that might come from stopping his medication. After being medicated for so long, he is probably very dependent of anything taken during his time at Saint Claire's.

Great point!

Also, don’t overlook the balance ratio. He may be combining all of these drugs but the compounds chemical ratio varies. I am sure he is not using the “equal parts/ml” approach but is carefully using just enough %/ingredient to do the trick.

And as far as the writers go,…. well let’s just say that I am sure there is a lot of creative liberty going on.

D-Roc: I see you changed your avatar. Interesting!

[mygoodeye]

whoops! i rewatched the scene again cos i know he mentioned something about St Claires, and Peter says theyre all psychotics, not hallucinagenics - sorry, my bad!! so forget what i said about Peter/writers being wrong, it was I!

anyway i did some more homework earlier, with a medical dictionary i found at work. i think Walter suffers from mania, possibly bi-polar. would explain his scatty behaviour, elation, fractured thought processes and swings into anger/violence. the most common drug used to treat mania is lithium.

also, i dont think what he's giving himself is meant to mimic what he was taking at St Claires, as he says this :

"I have been in a mental institute for several years, it's put me right out of balance"

. So I think he's trying to rectify whatever state they had him in (drugged or not). Peter mentions he is currently not on any medication either. stands to reason he wouldve been on some sort of antipsychotic medication in the institute - something to 'balance' him out, but if the stuff he's taking now is also meant to balance him out, that wouldnt make any sense with what he said. so...argh, who knows with that guy. guess i'll just have to wait and find out. but whatever he's taking has got to help with his thinking.

[sevntl]

Some of those concoctions may have been created by him during his lab days with bell and now they are on the market under new names, PROZAC, VALIUMS, ETC.

[dhar174]

I think his statement of putting him back in "balance" should be taken in context of his opinion. You must remember he's an eccentric genius. To him, the state of mind drugs put him in is "normal", and assists his genius. In fact, I can relate with his concoction.... Ive been known to keep myself on a very similiar recipe, though lately it has changed form on and off. But he's keeping his mind "out there" and also likely trying to keep his mood up. He'd better be careful with mixing the DXM and fluoxetine tho, he's risking serotonin syndrome!