Posted by Larry Hoover on November 24, 2002, at 12:00:12
In reply to Natural Alternatives for Mood Stabilizers, posted by McPac on November 23, 2002, at 22:44:20
> Exactly what, physiologically speaking, do mood stabilizers like lithium, lamictal, etc. do in the body to decrease anger/temper/irritability?
> More importantly, what combination of supplements could be taken to do this same thing, thereby having the same effect?
> It seems that if we could figure out answers like this, then there'd be a lot fewer of us needing to take these drugs!It's hard to make generalizations about mood stabilizers, but it's tempting to try and find some common ground in their physiological effects. Recent work has been focussing on inositol metabolism, and in particular, the sodium/myo-inositol transporter (SMIT).
I don't think anybody quite knows what to make of this common effect, but the following study suggests that mood stabilization might occur through transporter modulation. In other words, normalization of the function.
Brain Res 2000 Feb 7;855(1):158-61
Chronic treatment of human astrocytoma cells with lithium, carbamazepine or valproic acid decreases inositol uptake at high inositol concentrations but increases it at low inositol concentrations.Wolfson M, Bersudsky Y, Zinger E, Simkin M, Belmaker RH, Hertz L.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Stanley Center for Bipolar Disorders, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel.
Inositol uptake was measured at concentrations of 25, 40 and 50 microM in human astrocytoma cell cultures treated for 1-3 weeks with pharmacologically relevant concentrations of LiCl, valproic acid or carbamazepine as well as in control cultures that had not been treated with any drug. After at least 2 weeks of treatment, each of these 3 conventional anti-bipolar drugs increased the uptake significantly at 25 microM inositol, had no effect at 40 microM, and decreased it at 50 microM inositol. Reduction of the drug concentrations by 50% abolished the stimulation of uptake at 25 microM inositol by lithium and valproic acid and reduced that by carbamazepine. These findings may contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms of action for anti-bipolar medication, and explain the controversy in the literature whether or not brain inositol is reduced after chronic administration of lithium.
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:128997
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021122/msgs/129041.html