Posted by SLS on March 2, 2001, at 22:29:18
In reply to The case for pindolol as an antidepressant , posted by SalArmy4me on March 2, 2001, at 8:58:33
Dear SalArmy4me,
Thanks again for the reminder.
> This treatment for depression is nothing new, actually. Pindolol is a beta-blocker, the only one of its class known to speed up the action of antidepressants.
Although pindolol does block NE beta receptors, it also does other things. The one thing that is perhaps most focused on currently is the ability of pindolol to block the serotonin 5-HT1a autoreceptor. Antagonizing this receptor has the effect on increasing serotonin activity. I guess the idea is that the different pro-serotonergic effects of pindolol and the SSRIs act together to produce more pronounced changes in serotonergic neurotransmission.
I will eventually get a better impression of the utility of pindolol clinically, as my doctor is an assistant professor at NYU.
> I promote pindolol because it once made the most dramatic difference in my life.
God bless.
> I took 10 mg per day in two divided doses.
> Drawbacks:
> 1) It MUST be taken in brand form--not generic.
> 2) It can cause stomach-upset. This can be remedied with famotidine, cimetidine, or protonix.
> 3) It takes as long as antidepressants to work, and
> 4) it cannot be used in the place of a regular antidepressant/anticonvulsant.
> But these drawbacks never convinced me to stop using it.
One of the more interesting strategies that AndrewB found is to combine pindolol and buspirone together with antidepressants. The rationale of the investigators was that antagonizing somato-dendritic 5-HT1a autoreceptors (pindolol) and agonizing postsynaptic 5-HT1a receptors (buspirone) would produce a synergy. The results of the study demonstrated that each drug enhanced antidepressant response to SSRIs, but the combination of the two was significantly more effective than either alone.
Wishing you continued health...
Sincerely,
Scott
poster:SLS
thread:55327
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010302/msgs/55403.html