Posted by bleauberry on May 6, 2008, at 18:44:48
In reply to How does NE affect anxiety?, posted by johnj on May 5, 2008, at 9:48:49
I cannot explain how NE can help anxiety. I think it is the particular mechanism of what NE is doing, not NE itself, that determines whether it is pro-anxiety or anti-anxiety.
Anything that stimulates the release of more NE, or interrupts the feedback loops, will probably cause more anxiety. Anything that slows down the release of more NE, or allows the feedback loops to do their job, will probably be anti-anxiety. Many meds that do interrupt feedback loops or stimulate NE happen to have other mechanisms as well that counteract that, such as strong antihistamine or other sedative actions. But I have felt the strange experience of being sedated and lethargic, but with butterflies in the stomach at the same time. NE going crazy, with other effects muting it but not covering it up completely.Of all the anti-anxiety meds...klonopin, xanax, zyprexa, seroquel, lexapro, paxil, zoloft, remeron...these actually weren't that good for me and in some cases made it worse. The ones that were real good were Milnacipran and Nortriptyline, both fairly strong NE reuptake inhibitors. My hypothetical take is that with the shored up NE, feedback loops kicked in and slowed down the release of more NE. They sensed enough NE was already there and to slow down making more, with the resulting calm. While the brain, its links to cortisol and hormones, and psychiatry are way too complicated to understand or explain, that is just my simple take on it.
poster:bleauberry
thread:827297
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/neuro/20080418/msgs/827588.html