Posted by MB on June 16, 2003, at 18:59:58
In reply to Lexapro and sheer terror!, posted by flight on June 14, 2003, at 16:07:27
I always thought it was so strange that doctors prescribe SSRIs for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I know that there are serotonin receptors in the stomach and in the intestines, but it seems to me that stimulating these would make IBS worse! I'm only going on my own personal experiences which are that SSRIs are very hard on my stomach and intestines. I'm on Lexapro right now with occasional stomach/intestinal cramps, and with irregular "bowel patterns." In fact, I thought that the Lexapro was *giving* me Irritable Bowel Syndrome, so I looked up the treatments for IBS (hoping to find some way to alleviate it). Lo and behold, the treatment of choice is an SSRI. I couldn't believe my eyes. Wouldn't it make more sense to block the serotonin receptors in the stomach and intestine to treat this disorder? I'm confused. I'm reading a paper that describes the serotonin receptors in the gut (mainly 5HT-4), and it says that stimulation of these causes contraction. It says antagonists of these 5HT-4 receptors might be helpful for IBS. If this is the case, why use a drug that increases serotonergic tone throughout the entire body (as SSRIs do) to treat IBS? Can someone explain?
By the way, the paper can be found at:
http://www.biotrend.com/pdf/serot.pdf
MB
poster:MB
thread:109458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030614/msgs/234419.html