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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lostforwards on October 31, 2004, at 10:58:25
Earlier I asked what's more important in depression: dopamine or serotonin? Now I'm going to rephrase what I'm asking. Do neurotrasmitter levels and receptor densities have an impact on a persons personality? And if that's true, then wouldn't taking one type of antidepressant over another have different impacts on the person who takes it's personality and whether they actually become who they were before..or someone else.
I'm suspicious because of various things I've read about people being transformed into different people taking SSRIs. Everybody's heard of the book listening to prozac right?
On top of that, the things I've read about people who are sex addicts or obsesive compulsive makes me wonder what feeding the world SSRIs preferentially as antidepressants might have on us all.
I know that dopamine neurons are found primarily in the frontal lobes. I also read stuff about amotivational syndrome being associated with SSRIs in different places and I've become more curious.
now.. I find this:
http://www.lycaeum.org/drugs/SSRI/balance.html
...while there's no citation of any sort, and I'm not sure of the validity of the information.."..According to this hypothesis, typical SSRIs would INCREASE this ratio and thus, preferentially, stimulate those 5-HT receptors which decrease dopamine neurotransmission while atypical SSRIs would, preferentially, stimulate 5-HT2A receptors and so stimulate dopamine neurotransmission..."
Does that mean people who take SSRIs lower activity in their frontal lobes? Is that where amotivational syndrome comes frome?
Posted by linkadge on October 31, 2004, at 11:43:41
In reply to Cosmetic psychopharmacology giving a damn, posted by lostforwards on October 31, 2004, at 10:58:25
If you take a pure ssri, then it can tend to cause prefrontal hypofunction. Simtulation of the 5-ht2a/c recetptors decreases prefrontal dopaminergic action.
However some of the SSRIs are better in this regard than others. Prozac, blocks the 5-ht2c receptor to a certain degree and actually enhances prefrontal dopamine ouput. If this is taken in combination with zyprexa, a 5-ht2a/c blocker, then there is even more prefrontal dopamine output.
As far as cosmetic pharmacology goes, I don't think we're quite there yet. I find that for the first two months of trying any new drug, it can make subtle changes in my personality. I quicky adapt to these changes and either feel like myself or am still depressed.There are genes that code for serotonin reputake capacity, and in peoples with a bad serotonin/dopamine gene, is where you will find the medications make the most difference.
When a drug makes a person feel "better than well" I would be very cautious. Personally I would think that this is a subtype of bipolar disorder emerging.
The term, "better than well" really makes no sence, cause "well" is really subjective.
But I have tried about 15 different antidepressants and find that after sustained usage, my mood converges to a state of "well"
Linkadge
This is the end of the thread.
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