Posted by Caleb462 on May 28, 2003, at 22:38:54
In reply to Re: Mg potentiates benzos? Cool! » Larry Hoover, posted by johnj on May 28, 2003, at 11:02:20
> Do you have an opinion on why poop out happens and possible remedies? I don't mean to put you on the spot, but you appear to know more than my doctors who want to give me med after med. Do you believe the possible dopamine depletion thinking that is out there?
>I'll weigh in on the "dopamine depletion" issue. "Depletion" is definitely the WRONG word. This would imply that SSRIs cause the actual amount of dopamine in the brain to decrease, which they don't. What they do, however, is inhibit dopamine release.
This is because of a certain serotonin receptor, called 5-HT2c. 5-HT2c exists in the brain to control the flow of dopamine. 5-HT2c receptors are located on dopamine-containing neurons, and when these receptors are activated by serotonin, the neuron will be inhibited from releasing dopamine. When one takes SSRIs, a greater than normal activation of 5-HT2c receptors occurs, and thus a greater than normal inhibition of dopamine release. Problems such as sexual dysfunction, apathy, etc. stem from this.
poster:Caleb462
thread:229017
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030525/msgs/229857.html