Posted by Elroy on May 4, 2005, at 18:58:16
Ran across this quote on a web site:
QUOTE: The most effective way to correct a neurotransmitter deficiency is to perform a simple urine test to measure the neurotransmitter levels. END QUOTE
http://www.theelementsofhealth.com/pages.html?section=resources&page=nttherapy
The article has some other interesting things to say:
QUOTE: Neurotransmitters (NTs) are essential chemical messengers that regulate brain, muscle, nerve and organ function. The most common neurotransmitters are serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Low levels of these important chemicals is extremely common in the general public and is due to innumerable lifestyle, environmental, and dietary factors. This article is intended to help the reader determine whether they may be deficient in neurotransmitters and how evaluation and treatment of this disorder can help.
(Actually I would personally believe this to be not quite that accurate... Dopamine, Acetylcholine, GABA and Serotonin are probably the most important brain neurotransmitters with dopamine, being the "precursor" for norepinephrine and epinephrine - elroy)
People with neurotransmitter deficiency disorder can suffer from one or more of the following conditions: obesity, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, insomnia, attention deficit, learning disorders, panic attacks, migraines, pms, menopausal symptoms, digestive complaints and many more.
Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor, Celexa, Wellbutrin, etc. are currently some of the most commonly prescribed drugs. They work by artificially increasing the amount of serotonin in the synapse of the nerve which allows a temporary improvement in the chemical messaging system.
The problem with this approach is that these drugs DO NOT increase serotonin levels and in fact deplete reserves of the NT. This occurs because the SSRI class drugs cause an increase in an enzyme called MAO It is common for people to experience only temporary improvement due to this effect.
The most effective way to correct a neurotransmitter deficiency is to perform a simple urine test to measure the neurotransmitter levels. The treatment for optimizing the neurotransmitter levels is to provide the basic amino acid precursors or building blocks so the body can replenish the inadequate neurotransmitter levels. END QUOTE
I asked my psych doc and she was like clueless. She "seemed" to indicate that she wasn't aware that there was such a test that could be run to determine NT levels (other than running an expensive BEAM scan)?
It seems to make sense to me that one would check something like this. Why would a psych doc prescribe an SSRI for serotinin deficiency if the patient high normal or even high levels of serotonin but was deficient in dopamine or some other NT??? Is it because this particular SSRI or that particular SSNRI happens to be the flavor of the month?
Anyone familiar with this test and what it is "technically" called? I believe that it is a 24-hour urine test like that run for cortisol to show your daily total.
I'd like to have one run and ascertain my levels. I have anxiety problems almost exclusively (along with a number of other cortisol and possibly candida related {HYSICAL problems) and have been fighting off taking a SSRI or SSNRI....
A recent blood test that I took (to check for a pheo tumor) showed that - at that moment - I had minor low dopamine levels, low normal epinephrine and below normal norepinephrine. Unfortunately that was all the NTs that particular test showed, and a blood test only reveals what's circulating at that given moment, so isn't as accurate as a 24-hr urine test for showing totals....
Thanks.
poster:Elroy
thread:493827
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050504/msgs/493827.html