Posted by Sad Panda on August 20, 2004, at 9:58:45
In reply to Re: Losing faith in my meds-Sad panda, posted by woolav on August 20, 2004, at 8:15:59
> Hello, what exactly is a 5-HT2A antagonism????
>
>
> Thanks
> Sandy
>Hi Sandy,
5-HT is serotonin. Serotonin receptors are numbered 1 to 7 depending on how they function, ie, 5-HT1, 5-HT2, 5-HT3, etc. Most of these then have subgroups. 5-HT2 has 3: 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B & 5-HT2C. What SRI's do is increase the level of serotonin at all receptors, this is called agonism. Stimulation of some of these recptors causes mood improvement & a reduction in anxiety, but scientists don't really know which ones. It is well known that the 5-HT2A group controls a lot of bodily functions & agonism of these receptors covers 90% of the side effects caused by SRI's. To get rid of some of these side effects you add a drug which blocks some of the serotonin from reaching these receptors. This is called blockade or antagonism, so adding a 5-HT2A antagonist blocks some of the recptors from getting serotonin.
Cheers,
Panda.
poster:Sad Panda
thread:379695
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040817/msgs/379865.html