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Re: C*A*F*F*E*I*N*E..as an antidepressant?

Posted by Molybdenum on May 28, 2008, at 22:26:21

In reply to Re: C*A*F*F*E*I*N*E..as an antidepressant?, posted by linkadge on May 28, 2008, at 21:49:18

Caffeine certainly used to give me a little extra boost to get through the day, just like it does for millions of others. I think it's fair to have some distinction between ADs and stimulants though.

From the Wiki god: "An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication or other substance...used for alleviating depression or dysthymia... Most antidepressants have a delayed onset of action and are usually taken over the course of weeks, months, or years. They are generally considered distinct from stimulants, and drugs used for an immediate euphoric effect only are not generally considered antidepressants."

That definition sounds fair, don't you think?

I like the distinction between ADs & stims on the grounds of the sustainability of the effect. ADs typically work for years - some people never get poop-out. The stims are all "instant effect" machines in my experience. By design, they MUST stop working after 12 hrs or so otherwise they interfere with sleep.

Modafinil helps my mood a little and I think that feeling "a little brighter" every day on account of this might be a helpful addition to the traditional ADs in my "treatment spectrum". But I'd still class it as a stim, not an AD in itself, if for no other reason than to make discussions on this forum clear. Imagine the mess that would ensue if we used the term AD to refer both groups. Get my point?

I don't think we need to consider whether each group of drugs actually produces long term chemical or physiological brain changes to help us differentiate between the two groups. There's enough points of distinction in the Wiki definition to leave this aspect alone.

So I agree with your points about caffeine having a genuine "depression alleviating" effect, but I think we should not call it an AD as such. I say leave it as a "stimulant".

Thanks for reading.... ;)

- M.


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URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080528/msgs/831803.html