Posted by pianolady on August 11, 2003, at 1:41:44
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin neurotoxicity?, posted by stjames on August 7, 2003, at 17:00:11
To consider whether Wellbutrin/Zyban is a neurotoxin, the definition of neurotoxin must be clearly outlined. According to my psychopharmacology textbook, "Drugs and Human Behavior", 4th Ed., David M. Grilly, a neurotoxin is "a substance that causes the destruction of neural tissue". While no one can be completely certain of the long-term effects (20, 30, 50, 70, etc. years from now) of drugs being used today; it is reasonable to accept that Wellbutrin will not kill brain cells. A more accurate explanation might be that over time the neurotransmitters in the brain may become accustomed to over or under producing particular neurotransmitters because of the illness we suffer from or because of the extended use of medications to treat psychiatric illnesses. Over extended time, these NT (neurotransmitters) may change to the point that the pre- and post-synaptic NTs are affected for increasingly significant lengths of time.
The long and short of it is this: It's unlikely that Wellbutrin will "kill" brain cells, but our brain chemistry may be altered with long-term usage. (Unknown whether this is good, bad, or of no consequence).
poster:pianolady
thread:248841
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030807/msgs/249958.html