Posted by Eddie Sylvano on October 8, 2003, at 9:17:53
In reply to Re: maybe, posted by zeugma on October 3, 2003, at 20:28:07
> Also the TCA's have analgesic properties that the SSRI's don't, so maybe they affect the opiate system somehow.
-------------That some ADs exhibit clear analgesic properties has always interested me. Along with the idea that glucocorticoids play a role in stress, and stress plays a role in depression, I'd wondered if plain old aspirin, which inhibits the production of prostaglandins (another stress related compaound) has any antidepressant qualities. Depression is correlated highly with heart disease, though the nature of the connection hasn't been elucidated. It seems possible, though, that stress hormones are at play in both. Indeed, PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) occurs in correlation with the release of prostaglandins (and many other hormones, admittedly). Researchers seem to equate the relief in mood brought about by analgesics in those cases as related to pain relief, but it could be one and the same.
The only study I could find on the impact was this:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8730644&dopt=AbstractThe idea that stress (or events predisposing one to high stress responses) underlies depression seems pretty plausible to me, which would make stress hormones a chief suspect.
poster:Eddie Sylvano
thread:265309
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031004/msgs/266689.html