Posted by linkadge on July 6, 2006, at 18:47:10
In reply to Re: AD's and Future Use of Antiparkinson Drugs, posted by Klavot on July 6, 2006, at 16:20:21
You are right, zoloft is a weak dopamine reuptake inhibitor. Of all the SSRI's, zoloft may posess the most dopaminergic activity due to this.
It is all about the ratio though. Serotonin and dopamine work on kind of a yin-yang system to controll motivation and satisfaction. Too much serotonin and you could become apathetic and amotivational, since serotonin acts to supress certain dopaminergic circutry. Too much dopamine, and you just 'want' all the time, but are unable to find any satisfaction.
Sertraline is not completely exempt from certain occurances of parkonsonian symtpoms and such happenings.
http://psy.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/42/2/163-a
But I think it is necssary to look at some of these occurances from a different angle. Reduction of dopamine does not in itself cause parkinson's. Parkinson's is actually due to descruction of dopaminergic neurons. If an SSRI or lithium acutally induces parkinsons, then it is somehow contributing to destruction of dopaminergic neurons.
My theory was that the SSRI's have been show to significantly reduce melatonin concentration. Melatonin seems to have significant neuroprotective and antiaging properties. Melatonin is responsable for maintining GDNF, a growth factor which is both protective of and trophic to the dopaminergic system. If long term use of an SSRI acutally leads to parkinsons, it may be an indirect conseqence of long term reduction in melatonin concentration.
Thats just my theory.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:662854
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060701/msgs/664618.html