Posted by bulldog2 on October 22, 2009, at 19:00:45
In reply to Re: Is Becoming Med Free a Reality?, posted by bleauberry on October 22, 2009, at 16:17:03
> You ask a very good question. I cannot put into words my distrust of reuptake inhibitors, but it is somewhere in the vein of what you said about it not being a natural function. For example, once serotonin is used, some of it gets recycled, some of it breaks down into a metabolite that is also important for mood, and some of it goes to melatonin. We upset several balances when blocking the reuptake pump.
>
> I think my general frown on reuptake inhibitors was born when we started seeing the strange phenomenon of post-ssri syndrome after longterm usage. Of course, it took over a decade before these things started to pop up. It is not a bonafide syndrome by medical standards and has not been researched. But we see it. I can't help but think...again, without explanation or reason...that longterm disruption of the reuptake pump screws up a bunch of other stuff that rely on that flow.
>
> If more serotonin, NE, or DA is needed at the synapse, that is easily accomplished with 5htp, dlpa, or tyrosine.
>
> I do not have the same frown about MAOIs. That's because I know from my own genetic testing and other patients of my doctor that some people have unusually high MAO activity and others have unusually low MAO activity. A longshot hypothesis, but maybe one of the factors determining who is a Type A personality and who is a depressive personality. Manipulating the slowness or fastness of MAO enzymes is not much different than what our own natural genes do. Which makes that whole mechanism a completely different ballgame than reuptake inhibitors, which are not natural functions at all.
>
> But that is just one person's view of an entirely complex topic that is badly lacking in research.
>
> > I also have a related question to this entire Topic.
> >
> > It is my understanding that many of the AD's work by inhibiting the re-uptake of certain select
> > chemicals produced in our Brain. I will use this example, since this is a medication I was on for many years..Zoloft
> >
> > Definitions of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor on the Web:
> >
> > an antidepressant drug that acts by blocking the reuptake of serotonin so that more serotonin is available to act on receptors in the brain
> > ===========================================================
> >
> > My question is this.....if our brain naturally gets rid of the serotonin, and we interfere with that by causing it's uptake to be slowed...how can this be healthy ?????
> > Is there not a good REASON that our bodies are designed to dispel this and other mood altering chemicals? Is this not upsetting the natural balance that was intended to exist in our brains?
> >
> > Im sure this question has been poised before, but I have always wondered about it, so I thought I would ask.
> >
> > Thanks
> > BF
>
>Amino acids need to go through a conversion process to become neurotransmiters. Certain enzymes are needed for that process. The body often becomes tolerant to the excess amino acids after only a couple weeks so that does not work.
You say you do not trust reuptake inhibitors. The old tcas were also reuptake inhibitors so that process is not new with but with the ssris the selectivity of serotonin is.
You mention ST John Wort as a natural alternative. SJW works primarily as a reuptake inhibitor of serotonin. Though it is much weaker than pharmaceuticals.
One has to be careful with herbs. They are also drugs and can be harmful.
I do agree with you on the maois. It would seem that inhibiting mao and making fresh neurotransmitters is a healthier process than inhibiting the reuptake of a specicific neurotransmitters.
> > My question is this.....if our brain naturally gets rid of the serotonin, and we interfere with that by causing it's uptake to be slowed...how can this be healthy ?????
> > Is there not a good REASON that our bodies are designed to dispel this and other mood altering chemicals? Is this not upsetting the natural balance that was intended to exist in our brains?
> >If the natural balance were working correctly than one would not be depressed and there would not be a need for an antidepressant.One could also make the argument that if taking an ssri makes me feel better than is it not correcting an imbalance?
Just some food for thought.
poster:bulldog2
thread:921662
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091021/msgs/922021.html