Posted by Chairman_MAO on February 21, 2004, at 22:25:21
In reply to interesting, posted by maliapia on February 19, 2004, at 14:20:59
Actually, the drug companies have more to do with indoctrinating you and others into thinking that serotonin levels are the sole mediator of positive mood. It is far from it; if you want to know what a drastic systemwide increase in serotonin is like, just look at the "side effects" (effects, really, just depends on dosage) of the diet drug fenfluramine, a serotonin releaser:
Central nervous system: Dizziness; confusion; incoordination; headache; elevated mood; depression; anxiety, nervousness, or tension; insomnia; weakness or fatigue; increased or decreased libido; agitation, dysarthria.
Gastrointestinal: Constipation; abdominal pain; nausea.
Autonomic: Sweating; chills; blurred vision.
Genitourinary: Dysuria; urinary frequency.
Cardiovascular: Palpitation; hypotension; hypertension; fainting; pulmonary hypertension.
Miscellaneous: Eye irritation; myalgia; fever; chest pain; bad taste.
A lot of people experience quite a few of these to varying degrees when first starting SSRIs.
And as far as carbs are concerned, my understanding is that eating carbs causes a release of insulin. This changes the permeability of the blood-brain barrier causing it to allow more l-tryptophan (a serotonin precursor) into the brain in proportion to precursors for some other neurotransmitters. This causes somewhat the same feeling of fullness and saiety that fenfluramine induces, albeit much weaker. When the body processes all the sugar, there's no more insulin. Thus, there is a subsequent "crash"--and craving for more carbohydrates.
If one stays away from all but a minimal amount of carbs, the body and brain adapt to this and there is no "roller coaster" to ride concerning sugar. The result is actually a BETTER mood than if you'd been consuming sugars, causing spikes in blood sugar and consequently serotonin.
This picture is more complex than I've painted it, but I hope it's enough to illustrate my point.
poster:Chairman_MAO
thread:315708
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040218/msgs/316375.html