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Re: Zoning out...solutions-- dopamine enhancers???

Posted by andrewb on August 20, 1999, at 2:51:27

In reply to Re: Zoning out...solutions-- dopamine enhancers???, posted by dj on August 19, 1999, at 18:28:50

> Doesn't Effexor work on dopamine as well as seratonin? My reaction to a few days of that was not pleasurable, though I forget all the reasons why...Is Manerix a dopamine booster? And how do you know where to draw the line between memory boosting and cavving..??? So many questions, & so many possible answers....
>
> And will any of these help with my physical tension which can be pretty intense at times, particularly when I've been feeling like I'm just spinning my wheels...which is more and more???
>
DJ,
You do have a lot of good questions. I can talk a little from my limited personal experience and from what I’ve read.
First of all, your fatigue, lack of concentration, ‘foggy-headedness’ and low motivation combined with anxiety sounds like what I used to have. Serzone, an SSRI I took, only made my fatigue and concentration worse. Exercise is what used to set me off, it would put me into a whole body funk that would stay for days at a time. Sometimes it would get so bad that I couldn’t remember my own phone number. Poor concentration, low energy and low motivation are common symptoms of depression. It is my impression from what I’ve read that people often find SSRI’s to be ineffective for this kind of depression. It seems reasonable therefore for you to explore other options.
I’ve personally had good luck with amisulpride, a medicine that works on the D2-D3 receptors of the dopaminergic system. (The D2-D3 receptors have been found to be involved with both depression and anxiety.) My mind is much more ‘present’ now, my anxiety is lessened and I have positive energy. But this is just one person’s experience and I’ve only been taking amisulpride for a month. But studies indicate it to be effective with depression and anxiety. Look back over previous posting I’ve made for more information on this medicine.
Another medicine, which can be effective for combined depression and anxiety is Mirapex (pramipexole). It is similar in action to amisulpride. See the posting below for more info. on this relatively new medicine which has yet to be studied fully for its antidepressant potential.
Tianeptine also can help with anxious depression. It works through the body’s cortisol axis, which is involved in stress response. Tianeptine didn’t help me but I know that others who visit this site have tried or are using this med. and may offer to tell you of their own experiences with the medicine.
You ask about Effexor in your post. Effexor at some dosage is supposed to effect dopamine, at least that is what I’ve read in the postings further up the page. I just don’t know whether you having taken Effexor would be able to give you a clue as to how you would react to other med.s that effect the dopamine pathways.
From what I’ve read, it seems the dopaminergic system is complicated and how drugs interact with this system is also complicated. Do realize that there are a lot of med.s that effect the dopaminergic system and only a few of those can help with depression and anxiety. Dopaminergic drugs have various different modes of action, different target dopamine receptors, and different degrees of selectivity, among other variables.
Concerning memory enhancement, even though I referred in my previous post to a study that concluded dopamine levels influence short term memory, don’t expect such an effect from a dopaminergic antidepressant. Amisulpride won’t improve your memory directly but it may improve your mental vigilance and decrease your anxiety and in this manner help you function better mentally.
Best of luck treating your anxiety and depression. One last tip, make sure you are working with a capable and experienced psychiatrist, ideally a psychopharmacologist, who is comfortable and hopefully familar with helping those who haven’t been helped by SSRI’s and other traditional ADs.



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poster:andrewb thread:10331
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990829/msgs/10412.html