Posted by scott-d-o on January 19, 2004, at 1:48:52
In reply to Dopamine depression, posted by jms600 on January 18, 2004, at 15:54:44
> Hi,
>
> I know that excess dopamine is related to psychotic states, but does anyone know if excess dopamine has any connection with depression? I took Seroxat 30mg around 8 months ago, but had mixed results from it. However when I added 2mg Stelazine (Tripluoperazine) my depression lifted and I felt great.
>
> I'm now on Efexor 150mg and am considering adding Stelazine to see if it will have the same effects as before.Why not, if it works for you? In my opinion, an imbalance of any monoamine can cause depressive symptoms. However, neuropharmacology is really much more complicated then saying, "I have excess dopamine, so I need an antipsychotic." For example, patients that show positive symptoms of schizophrenia (hallucinations, etc) usually have excess stimulation of postsynaptic DA receptors, where as patients that show negative symptoms (social imhibition, apathy, etc.) respond better at lower doses of antipsychotics which tend to antagonize mostly presynaptic DA receptors. Both patients may have an excess of dopamine, but it is really how the dopaminergic system functions as a whole that matters. Okay, I'm sure I've confused the hell out of you now. ;-) The point is, what you are trying to do is achieve a balanace, and soliciting the advice of random people on an internet message board is not a good way to go about things. In other words, don't even listen to me, either do the research yourself or seek the advice of a pdoc you can trust.
In spite of this fact, *in my opinion*, augmenting w/ an antipsychotic should work well with Effexor, however, I would start out at the lowest dose possible (1 mg in the case of Stelazine) and stick with the lowest dose that is effective to minimize the risk of tardive dyskinsia.
poster:scott-d-o
thread:302374
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040118/msgs/302580.html