Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 1095859

Shown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?

Posted by Farshad on November 13, 2017, at 14:12:25

On wikipedia it says zyprexa is an antagonist on many serotonin receptors. what does this mean? Also is it true that zyprexa increases progesterone?

 

Re: Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?

Posted by Christ_empowered on November 13, 2017, at 14:18:56

In reply to Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?, posted by Farshad on November 13, 2017, at 14:12:25

hi. I'm -not- an expert, but I'll share my (very rudimentary) understanding of this.

OK. The antagonism @ serotonin receptors helps agitation, anxiety, and may explain why Zyprexa is easier to tolerate than higher doses of, say, Haldol.

the antagonism @ serotonin receptors may also explain why Zyprexa (and other "atypical" tranquilizers) can boost antidepressants, and help mood on its own, too. risperidone also acts as an antagonist at a number of serotonin receptors, and it has greater tolerability (up to about 6mgs, I think) than Haldol, plus a beneficial impact on mood, agitation, anxiety, etc. that often isn't seen with "conventional" tranquilizers.

its worth noting that buspirone has some overlap with "atypical" tranquilizers, and it has also been used to boost under-performing antidepressants, sometimes with good results.

 

Re: Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?

Posted by farshad on November 13, 2017, at 16:04:04

In reply to Re: Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?, posted by Christ_empowered on November 13, 2017, at 14:18:56

> hi. I'm -not- an expert, but I'll share my (very rudimentary) understanding of this.
>
> OK. The antagonism @ serotonin receptors helps agitation, anxiety, and may explain why Zyprexa is easier to tolerate than higher doses of, say, Haldol.
>
> the antagonism @ serotonin receptors may also explain why Zyprexa (and other "atypical" tranquilizers) can boost antidepressants, and help mood on its own, too. risperidone also acts as an antagonist at a number of serotonin receptors, and it has greater tolerability (up to about 6mgs, I think) than Haldol, plus a beneficial impact on mood, agitation, anxiety, etc. that often isn't seen with "conventional" tranquilizers.
>
> its worth noting that buspirone has some overlap with "atypical" tranquilizers, and it has also been used to boost under-performing antidepressants, sometimes with good results.

but what does antagonism mean? Like block? If it blocks the serotonin receptors mentioned on wikipedia does that mean it will reduce serotonin levels in the brain?

 

Re: Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?

Posted by Christ_empowered on November 13, 2017, at 16:14:00

In reply to Re: Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?, posted by farshad on November 13, 2017, at 16:04:04

hi. my -very- basic understanding of this is that blocking a receptor just means that the drug prevents the serotonin from acting on that receptor. All known antipsychotics/tranquilizers block D2 receptors, for instance. The dopamine still courses thru the brain (clearly, I'm --not-- an expert, LOL), but the drug prevents the dopamine from acting (as much...) on the receptor, which causes a change in mental state and (often..) behavior.

The brain adapts to psych drugs, over time. That's why in long term antipsychotic/tranquilizer treatment, you see "upregulation" of D2 receptors. The drug blocks the D2 receptors, and the brain responds by changing structure in response to the (artificial, drug-induced) D2 blockade. Problem there is...that might actually -create- more long-term disability, vulnerability to psychosis, etc.

ok. Hopefully, SLS, linkadge, or...somebody...will respond w/ some more detailed information.

 

Re: Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?

Posted by farshad on November 13, 2017, at 16:19:53

In reply to Re: Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?, posted by Christ_empowered on November 13, 2017, at 16:14:00

> hi. my -very- basic understanding of this is that blocking a receptor just means that the drug prevents the serotonin from acting on that receptor. All known antipsychotics/tranquilizers block D2 receptors, for instance. The dopamine still courses thru the brain (clearly, I'm --not-- an expert, LOL), but the drug prevents the dopamine from acting (as much...) on the receptor, which causes a change in mental state and (often..) behavior.
>
> The brain adapts to psych drugs, over time. That's why in long term antipsychotic/tranquilizer treatment, you see "upregulation" of D2 receptors. The drug blocks the D2 receptors, and the brain responds by changing structure in response to the (artificial, drug-induced) D2 blockade. Problem there is...that might actually -create- more long-term disability, vulnerability to psychosis, etc.
>
> ok. Hopefully, SLS, linkadge, or...somebody...will respond w/ some more detailed information.

So if you have high serotonin levels Zyprexa would be a good choice.

 

Re: Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?

Posted by Christ_empowered on November 13, 2017, at 17:00:13

In reply to Re: Does Zyprexa reduce serotonin?, posted by farshad on November 13, 2017, at 16:19:53

as far as I know, there are no blood tests or brain scans for "high serotonin levels," etc. in psychiatry. Drugs are prescribed based on the labels/diagnosis the psychiatrist concludes best suits the patient's problems. Its not exactly scientific, honestly.

if you read the older psych literature, the prescribing habits were more drug-centered. the idea was to match the drug(s) to the problems, no matter the diagnosis.

my personal advice would be to minimize one's psych drug intake, when and if possible, and also to be selective about what psych drugs one consumes. I take abilify daily, and that's not ideal, but it helps me function w/o as many problems as other tranquilizers cause.

personally, id avoid tranquilizers -if- I could. I recommend that -most- people avoid the tranquilizers/antipsychotics, unless psychosis, mania, agitation, etc. are a problem. then, one might see more benefits than drawbacks.


This is the end of the thread.


Show another thread

URL of post in thread:


Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ


[dr. bob] Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD, bob@dr-bob.org

Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.