抗うつ剤 SSRIやSNRIによる攻撃性や他害行為について
A middle-aged woman was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome at a university hospital after experiencing dry eyes and a lack of tear production. She sought Kampo (Japanese herbal) treatment due to severe systemic dryness, including reduced saliva and dry mouth, as well as dry eyes. Her symptoms included thirst, morning stiffness (in the fingers), knee pain, facial flushing, spasms of the right upper eyelid, spontaneous sweating, constipation, and excessive phlegm. The diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome was confirmed via salivary gland scintigraphy, salivary flow rate testing, and tear production testing. Additional test findings showed positive results for rheumatoid factor and antinuclear antibodies. Based on a traditional medicine diagnosis of dryness and heat in the Lungs combined with nervous system hyperexcitability, a decoction containing 22 corresponding crude drugs was prescribed. After one month, her thirst, hand stiffness, constipation, and phlegm production improved; after three months, the eyelid spasms resolved. Treatment concluded after four months, as the symptoms of dryness had completely disappeared. Sjögren's syndrome is a type of collagen disease characterized not only by dryness (such as dry eyes and dry mouth) but also by joint pain, skin symptoms, and abnormalities in various organs, including chronic thyroiditis (Hashimoto's disease) and chronic gastritis. Conventional treatment for dryness symptoms like dry eyes is limited to symptomatic relief, such as the use of artificial tears, while internal organ involvement is treated with therapies like corticosteroids. In traditional medicine, effective treatment methods have been devised by analyzing each patient's specific pathological condition; in most cases, symptom relief is observed within a few months.
