Posted by yxibow on March 5, 2006, at 4:14:33
In reply to Re: NASA's , SSRI, SNRI, etc. » yxibow, posted by Larry Hoover on March 4, 2006, at 19:20:21
> > > Serotonin can't be messured by a blood test. At least the serotonin in your brain. You can test for some TCA's but no blocd test of SSRI ,SNRI. If there were they would know how much and which drug to give you. Correct me if I'm wrong. Fondly, Phillipa
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> > There is a test for serotonin serum levels. You may be right that it doesn't allow for blood-brain level testing, although of course more than 90% of the serotonin receptors are -not- in your brain, they are in your gut.
> >
> > http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003562.htm
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> There has never been any evidence that correlates serum serotonin levels, or urine serotonin metabolite levels for that matter, with affective states or mood disorders. The blood test you linked to is part of the screening panel for carcinoid syndrome, the results of a fairly rare cancer which secretes hormones. In effect, that person would develop the various symptoms of serotonin syndrome, plus some others occurring because of regulatory changes over time.
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> You can test for anything in blood or urine. But there is no meaning you can attribute between blood/serum neurotransmitter levels, and any psychiatric condition (excluding rare bizarre stuff). If there was any utility to such testing, it would be routine. Doctors love simple blood work, and determining treatment from a graph or chart. _If only_ psych treatment was so simple and robustly founded.
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> Lar
Oh -- I thought I made it clear that the test was not for corellation with neurotransmitter levels -- at least not those in the brain. Its used for testing carcinoid syndrome. You're right -- if only we could. But the 21st century holds promise if we avoid the reality distortion field of this current presidential administration, of genetic tailoring of a lot of things. We could go so far by 2050 considering the progress we have made just in the past 2 decades. But it may be countries like China and India, and possibly Great Britain that will overtake us unless we allow stem cell research and other such things. But that's just my political spin.
poster:yxibow
thread:613775
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060304/msgs/616105.html