Posted by Phillip Marx on December 23, 1999, at 2:52:17
In reply to Re: melatonin, ummm, posted by Adam on December 19, 1999, at 22:49:06
http://www.vh.org/Providers/Lectures/EmergencyMed/Psychiatry/MedEmergSerotonin.html
I'm seeing a lot of medications listed by posters that affect serotonin. Not just SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) and such. The indicated site above will give you diagnostic indications as well as medications to PRE-lookup in your PDR (Physicians' Desk Reference) so that you can be pre-warned about medicines and inter-reactions before you are in a emergency befuddled state. If you think you are going to be susceptible, make a copy from that site and carry it with you so that whatever doctor you might be babbling to has half a chance of knowing what you are babbling about and give your theory a fair respect and hearing before deciding if it is or if it is something else.
Phillip Marx
PhilMarx@net999.com> I don't know what the hell just happened above. Please forget about
> all but the last message. Dr. Bob, could you please erase the others?
> It looks kind of silly :).
>
> > OK, stretching memory banks to the max here...
> >
> > I don't think Le Chantelier's principle is applicable here because of the nature, if
> > any, if an "equilibrium" between 5-HT and melatonin production. If you consider the
> > rate limiting step (N-acetylation of 5-HT by seratonin acetyltransferase), the enzyme
> > is essential, and the reaction only goes in one direction. The enzyme can become saturated,
> > but it won't start making 5-HT out of N-acetyl-5-HT, so a chemical "equilibrium" does not
> > exit per se. However, your intuition could lead one to considering an equilibrium based on
> > more complex feedback loops. Seratonin syndrome would thus depend on at least a
> > couple of things: There is a periodicity of serotonin production (probably timed with
> > the synthesis of melatonin), that administration of exogenous melotonin leads to
> > negative feedback on the melatonin synthesis pathway, and the rusultant surplus of
> > serotonin is large enough to be harmful.
> >
> > Not a bad theory, I guess.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > > Despite the inkling there could be risks, and your apparent confirmation of this, I can't think of a
> > > > concrete reason, mechanistically, why this should happen. Do you have any theories. Does melatonin
> > > > have sympathomimetic properties? Is it recycled into 5-HT? Is it a 5-HT receptor agonist?
> > >
> > > I dunno if this applies, but what about le Chatelier's principle?
poster:Phillip Marx
thread:16735
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991212/msgs/17372.html