Posted by linkadge on May 28, 2008, at 21:41:33
In reply to Re: C*A*F*F*E*I*N*E..as an antidepressant?, posted by SLS on May 28, 2008, at 16:22:19
>However, your answer begs the question why you >are not using caffeine as monotherapy.
Just because caffine monotherapy does is insufficant for certain mood disorders does not mean that it cannot posess a notable AD effect in some individuals.
Like was mentioned previously, coffee drinkers have consistantly lower rates of depression, parkinson's disease, and alzheimers which are often highly comorbid with depression.
It is quite possible that the neuroprotective effect conferred by caffine or other consituents of coffee in these neurological disorders has some sort of protective effect against the development of depression.
I'm sure that we are well aware by now (unfortunately) that many mood disorder folks are not just walking around with low serotonin. Chronically depressed people have brain structure abnormalities, everything from structural atrophy to cellular pathologies. These features likely reduce the effectiveness of antidepressants and make the condition chronic and more refractive.
Caffiene for instance can protect dopaminergic cells from a variety of neurotoxins. If coffee drinkers can preserve their dopaminergic system into old age, this may have a favorable impact on mood disorders, especially on those whose depression is complicated by a parkinsonian interlace.
And again, seeing as we know so little about the true neurobiological origins of mood disorders, I would be hesitate to say what is and is not an antidepressant for any one individual.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:831456
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080528/msgs/831797.html