Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 136193

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Great article about hormones and mood disorders

Posted by Jumpy on January 16, 2003, at 22:22:16

Hey Everyone,

Here is a fascinating article by Dr. Phelps about the metabolic syndrome (diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholestrol, obesity) and a possible relationship to mood disorders. Also a potential treatment: Glucophage!

http://www.psycheducation.org/hormones/Insulin/metabolicmood.htm

Jumpy

PS anyone take glucophage and find relief?

 

Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders

Posted by Noa on January 17, 2003, at 6:07:05

In reply to Great article about hormones and mood disorders, posted by Jumpy on January 16, 2003, at 22:22:16

Interesting article.

I take glucophage xr for insulin resistance. When I went to the endo for my thyroid problem, he subsequently worked me up for a number of endocrine disorders that I was at risk for, had signs of etc. Thankfully, the more serious genetic disorders turned out negative (they might have required surgery, etc.), but my glucose tolerance test was indicative of insulin resistance. This means I am at risk for diabetes, but do not have diabetes now. My blood sugar is normal most of the time, but after eating, it goes up too high and then comes down low.

Apparently insulin resistance is very common in this country--I read one article estimating about 20% of adults. Insulin resistance can be dangerous in that it is sometimes the precursor to diabetes type II, but also because of the risks to the cirulatory system.

The glucophage helps to regulate this. But I did not see any antidepressant effects from the glucophage, which I began taking about a year after my hypothyroidism was addressed, which made me feel much much better, moodwise and otherwise. But no noticeable AD effects from the glucophage.

What I have seen with glucophage is that as long as I exercise regularly, I lose weight--I think of this as the "normal" process--exercise, lose weight, as opposed to how my metabolism became from being on effexor for years. I have struggled with weight issues for a long time, but it was only after being on antidepressants that I started gaining weight drastically in the waist area, which is supposedly where the fat cells store a lot of hormones, which somehow makes the body's cells unresponsive to insulin. Then what happens is that pancreas puts out more and more insulin. Too much insulin in your system can cause all kinds of havoc, apparently, including blood vessel damage. If this continues for a long time, apparently the insulin production can be depleted, ie, diabetes type II.

So, anyway, if I don't exercise, but I eat healthfully, I stay about the same weight. If I don't exercise, and eat too much sugar, etc. and just eat too much, I do gain weight (this is what has happened recently). But if I eat healthfully (normally, not necessarily dieting) and exercise regularly, it seems the glucophage helps my body and I lose weight--not real fast, but reliably. I imagine this effect would start leveling off after a while, as I have a lot of excess weight to lose). I do need to get back to the gym!

In some women, apparently glucophage can also lead to better regulation of hormones, as in PCOS. I have signs of PCOS, but the tests were inconclusive. I have not really noticed that the glucophage changed my hormonal issues. My gyno told me that she sometimes refers to an endo for PCOS and they are treated with glucophage. The gyno put me on alesse (birth control pills) to regulate the hormones. She said she had also read a study saying that birth control pills (low estrogen) can help women with insulin resistance and depression.

 

Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders » Noa

Posted by Larry Hoover on January 17, 2003, at 11:41:31

In reply to Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders, posted by Noa on January 17, 2003, at 6:07:05

> Interesting article.
>
> I take glucophage xr for insulin resistance. When I went to the endo for my thyroid problem, he subsequently worked me up for a number of endocrine disorders that I was at risk for, had signs of etc. Thankfully, the more serious genetic disorders turned out negative (they might have required surgery, etc.), but my glucose tolerance test was indicative of insulin resistance. This means I am at risk for diabetes, but do not have diabetes now. My blood sugar is normal most of the time, but after eating, it goes up too high and then comes down low.

One of the possible causes of insulin resistance is omega-3 fatty acid deficiency. The treatment for that is fish oil. Ya, I know, people get sick of hearing about fish oil all the time. However, recent studies (using rats) have shown that insulin resistance is mediated by receptors on skeletal muscle cells and fat-storage tissues called adipocytes. Now, one of the problems with studies in people is that it seems to matter how far advanced the insulin resistance has gone. People with frank type 2 diabetes can have major problems with fish oil because blood sugar can go up or down. If caught early enough, it seems that fish oil will restore insulin-regulated glucose uptake into muscle tissue. There's a family trait that predisposes to type 2 diabetes (both of my bloodlines), and my brother has been able to go off presciption drugs by using fish oil. You may need medical supervision if you're already symptomatic, but if you're testing your own glucose levels, you already know how to adjust your drugs according to your true need.

Here are a few abstracts:

Endocr Regul 2002 Dec;36(4):143-9

Comparison of the extrapancreatic action of gamma-linolenic acid and n-3 PUFAs in the high fat diet-induced insulin resistance.

Simoncikova P, Wein S, Gasperikova D, Ukropec J, Certik M, Klimes I, Sebokova E.

Department of Biochemical Technology, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovakia.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of dietary borage oil (rich in the gamma-linolenic acid [GLA]) on insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism was compared with that of fish oil (rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFAs]) in high fat (HF) diet-induced insulin resistance (IR) of rats. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were fed ad libitum for 3 weeks a standard laboratory chow (Controls) or high fat diet consisting of 70-cal % fat. In addition, a group of rats was fed high fat (HF) diet where a part of saturated fat was replaced with fish oil as a source of n-3 PUFAs (HF+FO), or borage oil as a source of GLA (HF+GLA). In vivo insulin action was assessed by the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp. Glucose, insulin, free fatty acids (FFA), triglycerides (Tg) and glycerol levels in blood and tissue depots were also measured. RESULTS: Increased levels of Tg, FFA and glycerol in circulation after HF diet were accompanied by their raised accumulation in insulin sensitive tissues. FO feeding lowered the concentration of all lipids in serum and prevented their accumulation in both tissues. On the other hand GLA supplementation into the high fat diet did not suppress increased levels of Tg, FFA and glycerol in circulation and tissue depots as well. FO feeding significantly reduced HF diet-induced in vivo IR, while GLA supplementation did not improve the in vivo insulin sensitivity in HF diet induced insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Substitution of FO into the high fat diet led to an improvement of in vivo insulin action; 2. this insulin sensitizing effect of FO was accompanied by a decrease of circulating Tg, FFA and glycerol levels in the postprandial state and by a lower lipid content in liver and skeletal muscle. 3. on the opposite, GLA treatment failed to improve in vivo insulin action; and 4. was associated with an adverse effect on lipid levels both in circulation and tissue depots.

Horm Metab Res 2002 Jul;34(7):360-6

Regulation of glucose transport and transporter 4 (GLUT-4) in muscle and adipocytes of sucrose-fed rats: effects of N-3 poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids.

Peyron-Caso E, Fluteau-Nadler S, Kabir M, Guerre-Millo M, Quignard-Boulange A, Slama G, Rizkalla SW.

Department of Diabetes-INSERM U341, Hotel-Dieu Hospital, Paris, France.

The goal of this study was to compare the short-term effects of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated (fish oil) and monounsaturated (olive oil) fatty acids on glucose transport, plasma glucose and lipid controls in a dietary insulin resistance model using sucrose-fed rats. The underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms were also determined in the muscle and adipose tissue. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (5 weeks old) were randomized for diets containing 57.5 % (w/w) sucrose and 14 % lipids as either fish oil (SF), olive oil (SO) or a mixture of standard oils (SC) for 3 weeks. A fourth control group (C) was fed a diet containing 57.5 % starch and 14 % standard oils. After three weeks on the diet, body weight was comparable in the four groups. The sucrose-fed rats were hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic in response to glucose load. The presence of fish oil in the sucrose diet prevented sucrose-induced hyperinsulinemia and hypertriglyceridemia, but had no effect on plasma glucose levels. Insulin-stimulated glucose transport in adipocytes increased after feeding with fish oil (p < 0.005). These modifications were associated with increased Glut-4 protein (p < 0.05) and mRNA levels in adipocytes. In the muscle, no effect was found on Glut-4 protein levels. Olive oil, however, could not bring about any improvement in plasma insulin, plasma lipids or Glut-4 protein levels. We therefore conclude that the presence of fish oil, in contrast to olive oil, prevents insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia in rats on a sucrose diet, and restores Glut-4 protein quantity in adipocytes but not in muscle at basal levels. Dietary regulation of Glut-4 proteins appears to be tissue specific and might depend on insulin stimulation and/or duration of dietary interventions.

Ann Nutr Metab 2002;46(3-4):114-20

Effect of dietary fish oil on insulin sensitivity and metabolic fate of glucose in the skeletal muscle of normal rats.

D'Alessandro ME, Lombardo YB, Chicco A.

Department of Biochemistry, University of Litoral, Ciudad Universitaria Paraje, El Pozo, Santa Fe, Argentina.

The aim of this work was to study the effect of the administration of cod liver oil on the non-oxidative and oxidative fate of glucose metabolism in the skeletal muscle of normal rats. To achieve this goal, the gastrocnemius was examined regarding glucose oxidation, glycogen synthase activity and glycogen storage both at baseline and during euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamping. The results show that dietary fish oil decreases plasma insulin levels without alteration in glucose homeostasis (at baseline). In addition, the observed enhancement in whole body glucose utilization during clamping suggests an increased peripheral insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, under insulin-stimulated glucose disposal, an enhancement in the glycolytic pathway (increased levels of muscle glucose-6-phosphate and plasma lactate) rather than changes in the oxidation (pyruvate dehydrogenase complex) and storage components of glucose metabolism was observed in the skeletal muscle of rats fed dietary fish oil. These results coupled with the hypolipidemic effects of fish oil may have implications for the prevention and/or management of some pathological states manifested by insulin resistance with or without dyslipidemia.

Regards,
Lar

 

Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders » Noa

Posted by Kari on January 17, 2003, at 13:58:10

In reply to Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders, posted by Noa on January 17, 2003, at 6:07:05

Hi Noa,

Hope you don't mind if I ask which symptoms you had which concerned your endo. There seems to be some genetic endocrine problem in my family and my siblings and I have been suffering from strange undiagnosed problems for years.

Thanks,
Kari.

 

Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders

Posted by Noa on January 17, 2003, at 23:14:16

In reply to Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders » Noa, posted by Larry Hoover on January 17, 2003, at 11:41:31

Wow, thanks! I am already taking fish oil (just over two weeks) and it is nice to hear yet another benefit it could have.

The idea that I might be omega-3 deficient really makes intuitive sense to me. I don't know if you read my post about my being a vegetarian for about 30 years, but adding fish back into my diet about 12 years ago, because of intense cravings for it. At least intuitively, it now seems to me very logical that I craved fish. After using the fish oil a week, my mood has improved a lot.

I don't have to test my glucose regularly--it is pretty normal most of the time, and the glucophage regulates the blood sugar spikes after eating. I guess because Glucophage doesn't cause hypoglycemia, there is no need to check for that either.

However, because of the information you gave me, I think I will check in with my endo about this, in case it does effect the glucophage.

Thanks.

 

Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders » Kari

Posted by Noa on January 17, 2003, at 23:29:25

In reply to Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders » Noa, posted by Kari on January 17, 2003, at 13:58:10

If I'm remembering correctly--he looked for PCOS, and Cushing Syndrome, and Non-classic Adrenal Hyperplasia (NCAH). At least one of them required a 30 hour urine sample. otherwise, it was via blood tests. I was negative for Cushing and NCAH, and inconclusive for PCOS.

 

Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders » Noa

Posted by Kari on January 18, 2003, at 13:53:03

In reply to Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders » Kari, posted by Noa on January 17, 2003, at 23:29:25

Noa,

Thanks for your response. Glad to hear most of it was ruled out. I have similar problems in my family.

Take care,
Kari.

 

Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders » Kari

Posted by Noa on January 18, 2003, at 21:09:51

In reply to Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders » Noa, posted by Kari on January 18, 2003, at 13:53:03

Good luck with that.

 

Thanks, Noa (nm)

Posted by Kari on January 19, 2003, at 11:09:51

In reply to Re: Great article about hormones and mood disorders » Kari, posted by Noa on January 18, 2003, at 21:09:51


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