Posted by Mitch on August 16, 2001, at 10:09:43
In reply to And as if THAT question were not hard enough, posted by grapebubblegum on August 16, 2001, at 9:11:44
> Can anyone comment on the common usage and usefulness of caffeine as a self-administered treatment for depression? I've been told that many people don't realize they are self-medicating, because caffeine has some antidepressant qualities, even if it is probably not the best there is in the pharmaceutical world.
Coffee for the most part is simply a mild psychostimulant. I drink a couple of strong cups in the morning with my Neurontin and nortripytline dose and I can be fairly attentive in an hour or two. I am on my 2nd cup of Java right now!
> How could a stimulant that would purportedly make one more anxious or jittery be helpful to a PA-prone person, and how could withdrawal (not rapid, but even gradual) of that substance make a predisposed person prone to a relapse into long-dormant panic symptoms?
Well, others here are better at the neurotransmitters et al, but my theory on that is TCA antidepressants which are commonly used for panic disorder and agoraphobia tend to increase the amount of norephinephrine to help alleviate depression. I suspect plain old caffeine indirectly is doing something similar. My guess is that people who are getting panicky on *stopping* the caffeine are people that are having panic as a result of a major depressive disorder rather than a primary anxiety disorder.
Mitch
poster:Mitch
thread:75270
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010814/msgs/75272.html