Posted by jemma on April 17, 2003, at 10:44:56
In reply to Re: selegiline no effects, is this strange?, posted by michael on April 17, 2003, at 3:03:42
> > Maybe you were taking too much selegiline? Above 10 mg, it stops being selective for dopamine. I've been finding that seratonin pretty much cancels out dopamine benefits, but that could be just me. Also, I really recommend trying low-dose selegiline with modafinil for ADD. It's really worked for me.
> >
> > - jemma
>
> Fwiw - it's not selective for dopamine... If I recall correctly, at doses 10mg (and below) it selectivly/preferentially inhibits the enzyme mao-b (as opposed to mao-a), which (I think) is what breaks down dopamine in the brain...
>
> At higher doses, it still does that - its just that it also begins to inhibit mao-a (another enzyme which also affects neurotransmitters, as well as the gut - hence the food restrictions, etc.).
>
> I may not have that exactly right - in fact, I'm sure that's not exactly right, but I think its a little closer... (just in case that matters, or anyone cares).
Yes, you're right, but the effect is the same - I was using shorthand. At 10 mg or less, selegiline inhibits MAO-B, which causes an increase in dopamine and phenylalamine. At higher doses, it becomes an MAO-A inhibitor as well, which causes an increase in seratonin and also inhibits the breakdown of taurine, giving rise to food restrictions. My point was that, for me, the increase in seratonin nullifies the increase in dopamine, so a dose of 5 or 10 mg is more effective both for depression and ADD.- jemma
poster:jemma
thread:219373
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030417/msgs/220047.html