Posted by psychobot5000 on August 16, 2007, at 15:20:37
In reply to Re: Beta-carbolines and benzos, posted by linkadge on August 16, 2007, at 14:03:11
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> One could perhaps compare a cup of coffee with a caffenated drink with equivilant caffiene content. I do get anxiety from coffee, but not from caffiene tablets (which often contain more caffiene than a cup of coffee)
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I think that's a more useful comparison, because tea also contains chemicals that directly reduce anxiety (theanine, for example), and thus is not a neutral caffeine source.>
> I read a study saying that regular coffee drinkers had something like %50 reduction in MAO-A and B. The propensity of a MAOI to produce hypertensive crisis depends on many factors, but you are right that you might expect serotonin syndrome.
I believe I've read that the beta-carbolines in tobacco smoke inhibited MAO (transiently) at around 40% for MAO-A, and 30% for MAO-B--I don't know what dose it was, but I think the central nervous system was where they were measuring. Those numbers suggst to me that the hypertensive or serotonin-syndrome risks when added to MAOis might be lower simply because the inhibition isn't very powerful. Docs tend to recommend a moderate intake of coffee anyway, cuz of the caffeine and such.Also, re: coffee as an antidote for alcohol--people have been using it that way for a long time, certainly, but I think the beta-carboline research is interesting because health teachers and drug warriors and the like have been insisting, for decades, that coffee doesn't help you sober up in any way.
I wonder if, by drinking coffee with alcohol, you might get the mood improvement alcohol can offer, without some of the slowness of mind and judgement. That might be useful, if not done too often or heavily, to some depressives. You'd still probably have to be careful about driving, but it could still help.
Psychbot5000
poster:psychobot5000
thread:776629
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070815/msgs/776655.html