Posted by Racer on September 8, 2008, at 11:48:47
In reply to Inhibit Reuptake of Ser-Yes, Nor-Yes, but Dop-No?, posted by Fivefires on September 1, 2008, at 7:01:14
> Can someone tell me ... don't we need some inhibiting of the reuptake of Dopamine too? Why doesn't venlafaxine care about Dopamine?
Effexor does affect dopamine at higher doses. Also, dopamine is different from the other catecholamines -- it's a precursor to norepinephrine, as well as being a neurotransmitter in its own right.
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> Am I correct dopamine's job is to 'relax me' and serotonin's job is to 'make me feel happy'?It's not that simple. All of these neurotransmitters have various effects in various regions of the brain. Dopamine, for example, is integral to voluntary movement, which is governed by one particular region of the brain. And behavior also affects happiness and content a great deal. We're not simply reacting to chemicals in our central nervous system -- we also have free will, and many of our choices will affect our moods.
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> And hey, just read a post over in Medications about serzone and/or Nefazodone.
> No one has ever mentioned serzone or Nefazodone to me. (I'm pouting.) So, there's another one I've not tried.Serzone is a special case. About a decade ago, it was put into a kind of limbo -- last I heard, it was still available, but with very, very strong recommendations to use it only in those patients who were already doing well on it and hadn't responded to alternative medications. Serzone came with a high risk of very serious liver damage, and probably won't be offered to you by any doctor out there. You can ask your doctor about it, but be prepared to be told that it's not on the table.
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> How do you get mono? I've never had it.Actually, you only know that you haven't been diagnosed with it. Mono is one of those diseases that can take a varied course -- some people experience a few days of flu-like symptoms with no sequelae; others end up laid out for six months. Mostly, people have it as children, when it will just look like a bad cold or flu. Unless testing is done, it's not going to be called mono.
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>I think we'll be discussing augmenting Effexor-XR or going to the old Effexor and augmenting it, at appt in a little over a week.I don't understand why you'd go from the XR to the immediate release?
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> Don't understand why Effexor didn't do something to block the reuptake of dopamine? What about uptake? There has to be uptake to be reuptake doesn't there?No -- release and reuptake. The molecule is released by one cell and then transported back to that cell for reuse or recycling of its elements.
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> When will there be an AD that blocks reuptake of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine; the whole shabang?!While they're not called reuptake inhibitors, MAOIs act as inhibitors of all three catecholamines. They inhibit the production of monoamine oxydase, which is an enzyme that breaks down the three catecholamines. That means all three of them hang around in the synapse longer.
None of these effects are straightforward. Many of these medications seem to rely on downstream effects -- it's theorized by some that SSRIs work by their indirect effects on dopamine As the serotonin hangs around longer knocking on receptor doors, those serotonin receptors start to ignore it. That increases the rational effects of dopamine, as those receptors remain unaffected. Neurochemistry of mood is not well understood.
And I wonder if you've tried Seroquel or Risperdal? They can be very helpful for many people with anxiety disorders, among other disorders. If you haven't tried them, they'd be a good option, I think.
poster:Racer
thread:849657
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/neuro/20080706/msgs/850971.html