Posted by RedHeadRed on June 2, 2004, at 11:46:37
For any of you that are interested in the bio-psychiatry of SSRIs, and their effects on the human body.. I have found a great article, the information is well supported with creditable medical publications.
The author of the article explored the connection between SSRIs and the pineal gland, but also reviews some of the basics of the bio-psychiatry of SSRIs before proposing his hypotheses.
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The Serotonergic System, the Pineal Gland & Side-Effects of Serotonin Acting Anti-Depressantshttp://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/pinealstory.htm
_________________________________________This article is very thorough, and a bit of an intensive read.. but it is highly educational.
Highlights:
- Medication classified "Re-Uptake Inhibitors" act on these transporter proteins and thereby inhibit the re-uptake of neurotransmitters back into the synapse of the firing neuron. SSRI-AntiDepressants or Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors, belong to this class of medication. Each group of neurons fire specific neurotransmitter-molecules. The neurotransmitter Serotonin, also known as 5-Hydroxy-Tryptamine (5-HT) is such a molecule.
- Next to be a muscle- and vasoconstrictor, serotonin plays an important role in sleep, appetite, memory, sexual behaviour, respiratory activity, aggression, motor output, sensory and neuroendocrine function, but most important, perception!
- What actually happens when you increase serotonergic neuronal activity or elevate your serotonin levels is this: the stress hormones "Cortisol" & "Adrenaline" (Epinephrine) in the brain and body are triggered by increased serotonergic activity or elevated serotonin levels. It is a natural reaction from the body to combat the excessive serotonin levels. These released hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, are secreted from the "Adrenal Glands."
- If a patient continues to ingest a particular SSRI-antidepressant over a prolonged period of time, eventually the bodies Adrenal Glands may lose their efficiency and "Adrenal Exhaustion Syndrome" will be the end result. Adrenal Exhaustion causes levels of adrenaline initially to fall and levels of cortisol to rise. Many (former) SSRI-AntiDepressant users reported fatigue as a long term side-effect or were diagnosed with "Chronigue Fatigue Syndrome."
- Nicholas Giarmin, a professor of pharmacology and Daniel Freedman, a professor of psychiatry, confirmed that the human brain manufactures serotonin at various sites in the brain. For example, in the Thalamus, they discovered 61 nanograms of serotonin per gram of tissue; in the Hippocampus, 56 ng.; in the Central Gray Section of the Midbrain, they found 482 ng. But in the Pineal Gland, they found 3140 ng. of serotonin per gram of tissue. The Pineal Gland was unmistakably the richest site of serotonin in the brain! This discovery implicates the Pineal Gland as an important site of serotonergic activity.
- A malfunctioning Pineal Gland and disturbances in serotonin and melatonin secretion could also lead to excessively secreted hormones of the Endocrine System.
- An under-active serotonergic system will be a result of (1)the damaged axon terminals at the firing part of the serotonergic neuron and/or (2)the eliminated receptors at the dendrites of the receiving part of the serotonergic neuron. When discontinuing an SSRI-AntiDepressant, serotonergic activity dramatically decreases because the neurons aren't able to communicate properly with each other anymore. As a result of this decreased serotonergic activity, side-effects occur, which are falsely defined as "withdrawal side-effects."
- Whether or not the function of the Pineal Gland gets affected by SSRI-AntiDepressants, either owing to a metabolic deficiency, or damaged serotonergic nerve terminals and receptors, or as a result of a hyperactive serotonergic system, needs to be established. A malfunctioning Pineal Gland could lead to disturbances in the natural circadian rhythm of melatonin secretion, as well as disturbances in glucose metabolism in the brain and an overall decrease of brain and blood levels of glucose. Hence, the natural defence to epileptic activity in the brain will fall off, as well as the natural defence to a hyperactive Endocrine System.
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Sometimes, it just amazes me how complex the human body is...
poster:RedHeadRed
thread:353022
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040602/msgs/353022.html