Posted by DSCH on October 5, 2003, at 0:09:23
In reply to Zoloft- adjust dose to stop carb cravings??, posted by KRM123 on October 4, 2003, at 23:25:20
From what I have read, carbohydrate craving is partly due to your brain asking for more serotonin. This is because the insulin released into the blood in response to the increase in blood sugar has the effect of skewing the competetion of amino acids crossing the blood brain barrier in favor of tryptophan, resulting in higher serotonin levels. When the serotonin level reaches the "comfort zone", the craving ceases.
Ref: Food & Mood: The Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best, 2nd Ed., by "Elizabeth Somer", Chapter Two
Some ideas (YMMV!):
1) increase the dosage of Zoloft?
2) count your carb intake, give yourself a quota (for example "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution"), and then spread it out over the course of the day, preferably in the form of highly complex carbohydrates that don't cause blood sugar spikes
3) eat foods containing tryptophan along with the complex carbs and likewise spread it out over the day
poster:DSCH
thread:265638
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031004/msgs/265645.html