Posted by Michael Bell on January 31, 2005, at 4:59:05
In reply to Are any of these new GABA meds effective?, posted by 3 Beer Effect on January 27, 2005, at 21:17:24
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None of the meds you mentioned are direct GABA agonists. Not Klonopin, not Gabitril, etc. The mechanism of action of Lyrica, like Neurontin, is still not 100% clear. Picamilon *theoretically* should raise GABA levels in the brain, but its effectiveness at crossing the blood-brain barrier is not proven (although it did provide me with some relief).The only meds out there that truly and directly affect GABA are
1) the GABA transanimase inhibitors (such as Sabril, which is a dangerous drug b/c it causes permanent field of vision loss, and Nardil)and
2) GABA receptor agonists - there is none yet on the market, but Ocinaplon is the closest. It is in phase III trials and is *supposedly* extremely effective for anxiety without the negative effect of benzos.
Sorry, the options are rather limited, but that's where we stand today. Good luck.
It has been a few years since i've been a regular poster on here so I've lost track of all these new GABA meds.
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> I am always looking for a 3 Beer Effect type medication & sadly, have never found anything better than the 1.5 Beer Effect of Prozac or Zoloft 100 mg.
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> The Benzos were a big dissapointment to me. They seem to have severe disadvantages of tolerance, dumbness "they are supposed to impair thinking & memory by about 10%), mild depression, & the rebound anxiety when you stop taking them is ridiculous. I had never had a panic attack until I stopped taking Klonopin a few years ago. Not only that but they don't have any of the positive effects of alcohol, namely the extreme self confidence that alcohol gives you. The only meds that seem to replicate this confidence are Prozac, Zoloft, and Dextrostat/Dexedrine.
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> No one prescribes the barbituates or Miltown anymore, but I have a feeling that they would be closer to a 3 beer effect because of their greater similarity to alcohol. Chloral Hydrate looks good on paper, but it supposedly knocks you out rather than curing anxiety.
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> But there are all these new GABA meds out there. Gabitril intrigues me because isn't it almost like an MAOI of GABA?
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> What about Pregabalin? Does it cross the blood brain barrier easier than neurontin? Neurontin is weird cause you have to take like 90 million mgs 10 x per day for it to do anything.
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> What about this stuff on the internet called Picamilone? It says that it is GABA bonded to Niacin & that IT CROSSES THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER! Wouldn't that make it like GHB? (definitely a 3 Beer Effect drug!) Somehow that seems to good to be true (& with most herbals producing little to no results I imagine it is).
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> What other GABAergic meds are in the pipeline? Because GABA is an inhibitory transmitter, does that mean all GABAergic drugs are "dumb drugs'?
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> Cheers 3 Beer Effect
poster:Michael Bell
thread:448915
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050128/msgs/450466.html