Lamictal neurotransmitter
someone's vss theory on vss facebook group.. give a read..want to know what you think ratzor24
2024.05.21 14:42 Shadow_Dancer87 someone's vss theory on vss facebook group.. give a read..want to know what you think ratzor24
I spend a lot of time researching how our nervous system works and what may contribute to the development of Visual Snow and other symptoms. Remember that there is a lot of vital information that I do not know, and may greatly benefit our understanding of this condition. Visual snow is described as an "epileptic" firing in the visual system in the brain. (tinnitus behaves very similarly but it is occurring in the auditory nerves) NMDA glutamate receptors, which are overexpressed after excitotoxic injury may well be the trigger of an increased spontaneous firing in the nerves. In turn, the brain would decode this increased firing as "visual snow". The idea is that remaining nerve endings have been damaged enough to overexpress NMDA Glutamate receptors, thus increasing their spontaneous firing.
There are various factors that contribute to the development of this condition. Everybody first had an initial trigger, and this varies from person to person. Common causes include stress, trauma, recreational and prescription drugs, Lyme, mold, heavy metals, and other toxic exposures. But what they all result in is brain injury and neuronal damage. The severity varies from person to person. The consequences of such injury doesn't just cause break in communication between healthy neurons, but a cascade of events that can lead to further neuronal degeneration and cell death. That is where visual snow comes in. Think of a broken radio or a TV where it isn't able to receive and process incoming signals so the outcome is a lot of visual/auditory noise. Our brains behave in a similar manner when there is an interference with proper neuron function and communication. Another good example is a type of neuropathic pain called "paresthesia" where you experience tingling and pricking sensations in various parts of your body. When nerves are damaged, they can't communicate properly and that miscommunication causes symptoms such as pain, tingling or numbness.
Medical researchers searching for new medications for visual snow often look to the connection between the nerve cells in the brain and the various agents that act as neurotransmitters, such as the central nervous system's primary excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. Visual snow can be caused when damaged brain cells emit an excess of glutamate. Many treatments use ingredients that work as glutamate antagonists, or inhibitors. Communication between nerve cells in the brain is accomplished through the use of neurotransmitters. There are many compounds that act as neurotransmitters including acetylcholine, serotonin, GABA, glutamate, aspartate, epinephrine, norpinephrine and dopamine. These chemicals attach to nerve cells at specific receptors that allow for only one type of neurotransmitter to attach. Some of the neurotransmitters are excitatory; leading to increased electrical transmission between nerve cells. Others are inhibitory and reduce electrical activity. The most common excitatory neurotransmitters are glutamate and aspartate while the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter is GABA. It is necessary for excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters to be in balance for proper brain function to occur. Communication over synapses between neurons are controlled by glutamate. When brain cells are damaged, excessive glutamate is released. Glutamate is well known to have neurotoxic properties when excessively released or incompletely recycled. This is known as excitotoxicity and leads to neuronal death. Excess glutamate opens the sodium channel in the neuron and causes it to fire. Sodium continues to flow into the neuron causing it to continue firing. This continuous firing of the neuron results in a rapid buildup of free radicals and inflammatory compounds. These compounds attack the mitochondria, the energy producing elements in the core of the neuron cell. The mitochondria become depleted and the neuron withers and dies.
Excitotoxicity has been involved in a number of acute and/or degenerative forms of neuropathology such as epilepsy, autism, ALS, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, migraines, restless leg syndrome, tourettes, pandas, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's, seizures, insomnia, hyperactivity, OCD, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders (doctors use two basic ways to correct this imbalance). The first is to activate GABA receptors that will inhibit the continuous firing caused by glutamate. The second way to correct the imbalance is use antogonists to glutamate and its receptor N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA). These are termed glutamate or NMDA antagonists. By binding with these receptors, the antagonist medication reduces glutamate-induced continuous firing of the neuron. This explains why some drugs like clonazepam and lamictal are able to help relieve symptoms in some patients. They help reduce excitatory action in the brain temporarily., (anxiety, depression, brain fog, depersonalization, visual disturbances (including visual snow, palinopsia, blue field entoptic phenomenon, photophobia, photopsia headaches, tinnitus) are all common symptoms associated with increased excitatory activity in the brain. Excessive glutamate is the primary villain in visual snow. I strongly believe there are some genetic components that play a huge role in the development of Visual Snow and makes some individuals more susceptible to developing it. Normally, glutamate concentration is tightly controlled in the brain by various mechanisms at the synapse. There are at least 30 proteins that are membrane-bound receptor or transporter proteins at, or near, the glutamate synapse that control or modulate neuronal excitability. But in Visual Snow sufferers, my hypothesis is that we carry a faulty gene that results in dysregulation of the proteins that control and regulate glutamate excitability. They are unknown as more research will be needed.
We live in a society where we are stressed emotionally, financially, physically and exposed to a range of toxins in our environment. Combining underlying genetic susceptibility with these other factors creates all the ingredients for a perfect storm. Stress + Infectious Agents (if any) + Toxins + Genetic Susceptibility = Health Condition.
Included below is a list of things that can lead to excitotoxicity. The list includes trauma, drugs, environmental, chemicals and miscellaneous causes of brain cell damage. (Keep in mind everybody's bodies behave and react differently to various substances). -Severe Stress (Most people that are stressed out don’t realize that once the fight-or-flight response gets activated it can release things like cortisol and epinephrine into the body. Although these boost alertness, in major concentrations, the elevated levels of cortisol over an extended period of time can damage brain functioning and kill brain cells). -Free Radicals – Free radicals are highly-reactive forms of oxygen that can kill brain cells and cause brain damage. If the free radicals in your brain run rampant, your neurons will be damaged at a quicker rate than they can be repaired. This leads to brain cell death as well as cognitive decline if not corrected. (Common causes are unhealthy diet, lifestyle and toxic exposure) -Head Trauma (like concussion or contusion) MRI can detect damaged brain tissue BUT not damaged neurons. -Dehydration (severe) -Cerebal Hypoxia -Lyme disease -Narcolepsy -Sleep Apnea -Stroke -Drugs (recreational or prescription) -Amphetamine abuse -Methamphetamines -Antipsychotics -Benzodiazepine abuse -Cocaine -Esctasy -LSD -Cannabis -Tobacco -Inhalants -Nitrous Oxide -PCP -Steroids -Air Pollution -Carbon Monoxide -Heavy Metal Exposure (such as lead, copper and mercury). -Mold Exposure -Welding fumes -Formaldehyde -Solvents -Pesticides -Anesthesia -Aspartame -MSG (Monosodium Glutamate is found in most processed foods and is hidden under many various names) -Chemotherapy -Radiation -Other toxic exposures
Inside the Glutamate StormBy: Vivian Teichberg, and Luba Vikhanski "The amino acid glutamate is the major signaling chemical in nature. All invertebrates (worms, insects, and the like) use glutamate for conveying messages from nerve to muscle. In mammals, glutamate is mainly present in the central nervous system, brain, and spinal cord, where it plays the role of a neuronal messenger, or neurotransmitter. In fact, almost all brain cells use glutamate to exchange messages. Moreover, glutamate can serve as a source of energy for the brain cells when their regular energy supplier, glucose, is lacking. However, when its levels rise too high in the spaces between cells—known as extracellular spaces—glutamate turns its coat to become a toxin that kills neurons. As befits a potentially hazardous substance, glutamate is kept safely sealed within the brain cells. A healthy neuron releases glutamate only when it needs to convey a message, then immediately sucks the messenger back inside. Glutamate concentration inside the cells is 10,000 times greater than outside them. If we follow the dam analogy, that would be equivalent to holding 10,000 cubic feet of glutamate behind the dam and letting only a trickle of one cubic foot flow freely outside. A clever pumping mechanism makes sure this trickle never gets out of hand: When a neuron senses the presence of too much glutamate in the vicinity—the extracellular space—it switches on special pumps on its membrane and siphons the maverick glutamate back in. This protective pumping process works beautifully as long as glutamate levels stay within the normal range. But the levels can rise sharply if a damaged cell spills out its glutamate. In such a case, the pumps on the cellular membranes can no longer cope with the situation, and glutamate reveals its destructive powers. It doesn’t kill the neuron directly. Rather, it overly excites the cell, causing it to open its pores excessively and let in large quantities of substances that are normally allowed to enter only in limited amounts. One of these substances is sodium, which leads to cell swelling because its entry is accompanied by an inrush of water, needed to dilute the surplus sodium. The swelling squeezes the neighboring blood vessels, preventing normal blood flow and interrupting the supply of oxygen and glucose, which ultimately leads to cell death. Cell swelling, however, is reversible; the cells will shrink back once glutamate is removed from brain fluids. More dangerous than sodium is calcium, which is harmless under normal conditions but not when it rushes inside through excessively opened pores. An overload of calcium destroys the neuron’s vital structures and eventually kills it. Regardless of what killed it, the dead cell spills out its glutamate, all the vast quantities of it that were supposed to be held back by the dam. The spill overly excites more cells, and these die in turn, spilling yet more glutamate. The destructive process repeats itself over and over, engulfing brain areas until the protective pumping mechanism finally manages to stop the spread of glutamate.
"Recent research has confirmed that hypermetabolism has been primarily found in the right lingual gyrus and left cerebellar anterior lobe of the brain in individuals suffering from visual snow. The definition of hypermetabolism is described as "the physiological state of increased rate of metabolic activity and is characterized by an abnormal increase in metabolic rate." Hypermetabolism typically occurs after significant injury to the body. It serves as one of the body's strongest defence against illness and injury. This means that the brain is trying to compensate for the injured areas in the brain by increasing metabolism to meet it's high energy demands. It is trying to function to the best of it's ability under the circumstances. Normally the body can heal itself and regenerate under the right circumstances. But it is extremely difficult for the central nervous system - which includes the spinal cord and brain to be able to do so, due to it's inhibitory environment which prevents new neurons from forming. That is where stem cells come in. Stem cells are an exciting new discovery, because they can become literally any cell in the body including neurons. This is an amazing scientific breakthrough and has the potential to treat a whole host of conditions. Scientists are currently doing research and conducting trials.
Excitotoxicity can trigger your "fight or flight" response, as this is the body's primary response to illness, injury or infection. If the brain and the body remain in the sympathetic fight or flight state for too long and too often, it is degenerative; it breaks us down. If this cycle continues, then eventually the system burns out. It is this cycle that results in autonomic nervous system dysfunction. The results are disastrous, digestion is shut down, metabolism, immune function and the detoxification system is impaired, blood pressure and heart rate are increased, circulation is impaired, sleep is disrupted, memory and cognitive function may be impaired, neurotransmitters are drained, our sense of smell, taste and sound are amplified, high levels of norepinephrine are released in the brain and the adrenal glands release a variety of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.
I believe that in order to find a treatment or cure for VS and it's accompanying symptoms, we need to address the underlying cause, reduce the excess excitatory activity in the brain, repair the damaged neurons, regain proper communication between neurons, rebalance the autonomic nervous system and prevent further cellular damage. We also need to figure out what genes, if any come into play. There is still a lot we don't know about the brain because it is such an remarkably complex organ.
FAQs., Won't lowering the levels of glutamate solve the problem? Well, not necessarily. That is just one piece of the puzzle. You have to remember that Visual Snow is a multifactorial and complex condition in which it stems from a number of different causes and influences. Based on my knowledge and the information I have gathered, I can conclude that the overstimulation of glutamate plays a huge role in VS and some other symptoms we experience. But there is still so much we don't know. That's why more research will be needed.
Why is my condition worsening over time? That is a very good question. It is because the physiology, biology and chemistry of your brain and nervous system has been altered and has become dysfunctional since the initial trigger set off a domino of effects that leads to further degradation in the body. This puts a huge strain on your body and is constantly activating your stress response system. This will wreak havoc on your entire body. The stress response system was designed to deal with brief emergencies that threaten survival. It isn't supposed to last very long because the body cannot sustain itself for very long in this state. When you remain in "fight or flight" sympathetic state for too long, it becomes degenerative and breaks our bodies down. This affects every system in the body. When you are constantly under stress, the stress response system never turns off resulting in an ongoing destructive cycle. Stress can also exacerbate all your symptoms and makes you susceptible to developing other chronic health conditions.
How is the gut related to VS?Having increased intestinal permeability is very common in this modern world because we are constantly being bombarded by toxins and stress. Our bodies weren't designed to handle such a huge burden. So we end up getting sick and become susceptible to kinds of diseases. Common causes include: -Poor diet (from excessive consumption of foods such as grains, legumes, sugars, alcohol) -Chronic stress -Toxin overload -Gut dysbiosis (It means you have a lack of beneficial bacteria in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. They are overpowered and outnumbered by pathogens such as pathogenic bacteria, yeast, viruses, parasites). -Overuse of antibiotics., When you have increased intestinal permeability, the epithelium on the villi of the small intestine becomes inflamed and irritated, which allows metabolic, microbial and environmental toxins and undigested food particles to flood into the blood stream. This event compromises the liver, the lymphatic system, and the immune response including the endocrine system. It is often the primary cause of the following common conditions: asthma, food allergies, chronic sinusitis, eczema, urticaria, migraine, irritable bowel, fungal disorders, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory joint disorders including rheumatoid arthritis are just a few of the diseases that can originate from having poor gut health. This sets the stage for chronic systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired detoxification, gastrointestinal dysfunction and immune system dysregulation. Some toxins have the ability to damage and destroy neurons, myelin sheaths, synapses and even DNA. An overload of toxins that the immune system is not able to get rid of disrupts normal brain function. This eventually initiates an autoimmune response where the immune system attacks the brain and nerve cells as it tries it’s best to eliminate the toxins. The mitochondria are the energy producing section of your cells. When they are damaged by the toxic overload in the brain cells and are not able to produce energy to fuel the cell, the cell dies. In order to stop this vicious cycle, the underlying biological mechanisms of VS needs to be understood. That is the first step that needs to be taken. Any other stressors also needs to be addressed in order to reduce the overall stress load.
It is important to know that VS is just a symptom of underlying physiological stress in the brain. Symptoms are your body's way of communicating with you, letting you know something is wrong in the body.I've come across some research indicating that microglial activation and elevated nitric oxide is involved in some neurological conditions. Basically the microglial cells are our brain's immune cells and when something triggers an inflammatory response, they activate and release harmful neurotoxic compounds (such as nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines) which results in neuronal injury/death. Microglial activation can also result in a loss of synaptic connections in different regions of the brain. It's basically an autoimmune response in the brain. The neuroinflammatory process appears to be an ongoing and chronic cycle of central nervous system dysfunction. This can deplete glutathione levels in the body. Glutathione is the body’s most important antioxidant which is capable of preventing oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species such as free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides, and heavy metals. This only further exaggerates the problem, which only leads to a cascade of increased inflammation.Nitric oxide plays a vital role in this process. Elevated nitric oxide levels reduces and impair natural killer cells which leads to a vulnerable immune system that is susceptible to a variety of systemic infections. -Phobe Zhang
RedNoise_ edited the entire thing to be more readable so thank you.
submitted by Shadow_Dancer87 to visualsnow [link] [comments]
There are various factors that contribute to the development of this condition. Everybody first had an initial trigger, and this varies from person to person. Common causes include stress, trauma, recreational and prescription drugs, Lyme, mold, heavy metals, and other toxic exposures. But what they all result in is brain injury and neuronal damage. The severity varies from person to person. The consequences of such injury doesn't just cause break in communication between healthy neurons, but a cascade of events that can lead to further neuronal degeneration and cell death. That is where visual snow comes in. Think of a broken radio or a TV where it isn't able to receive and process incoming signals so the outcome is a lot of visual/auditory noise. Our brains behave in a similar manner when there is an interference with proper neuron function and communication. Another good example is a type of neuropathic pain called "paresthesia" where you experience tingling and pricking sensations in various parts of your body. When nerves are damaged, they can't communicate properly and that miscommunication causes symptoms such as pain, tingling or numbness.
Medical researchers searching for new medications for visual snow often look to the connection between the nerve cells in the brain and the various agents that act as neurotransmitters, such as the central nervous system's primary excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. Visual snow can be caused when damaged brain cells emit an excess of glutamate. Many treatments use ingredients that work as glutamate antagonists, or inhibitors. Communication between nerve cells in the brain is accomplished through the use of neurotransmitters. There are many compounds that act as neurotransmitters including acetylcholine, serotonin, GABA, glutamate, aspartate, epinephrine, norpinephrine and dopamine. These chemicals attach to nerve cells at specific receptors that allow for only one type of neurotransmitter to attach. Some of the neurotransmitters are excitatory; leading to increased electrical transmission between nerve cells. Others are inhibitory and reduce electrical activity. The most common excitatory neurotransmitters are glutamate and aspartate while the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter is GABA. It is necessary for excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters to be in balance for proper brain function to occur. Communication over synapses between neurons are controlled by glutamate. When brain cells are damaged, excessive glutamate is released. Glutamate is well known to have neurotoxic properties when excessively released or incompletely recycled. This is known as excitotoxicity and leads to neuronal death. Excess glutamate opens the sodium channel in the neuron and causes it to fire. Sodium continues to flow into the neuron causing it to continue firing. This continuous firing of the neuron results in a rapid buildup of free radicals and inflammatory compounds. These compounds attack the mitochondria, the energy producing elements in the core of the neuron cell. The mitochondria become depleted and the neuron withers and dies.
Excitotoxicity has been involved in a number of acute and/or degenerative forms of neuropathology such as epilepsy, autism, ALS, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, migraines, restless leg syndrome, tourettes, pandas, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's, seizures, insomnia, hyperactivity, OCD, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders (doctors use two basic ways to correct this imbalance). The first is to activate GABA receptors that will inhibit the continuous firing caused by glutamate. The second way to correct the imbalance is use antogonists to glutamate and its receptor N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA). These are termed glutamate or NMDA antagonists. By binding with these receptors, the antagonist medication reduces glutamate-induced continuous firing of the neuron. This explains why some drugs like clonazepam and lamictal are able to help relieve symptoms in some patients. They help reduce excitatory action in the brain temporarily., (anxiety, depression, brain fog, depersonalization, visual disturbances (including visual snow, palinopsia, blue field entoptic phenomenon, photophobia, photopsia headaches, tinnitus) are all common symptoms associated with increased excitatory activity in the brain. Excessive glutamate is the primary villain in visual snow. I strongly believe there are some genetic components that play a huge role in the development of Visual Snow and makes some individuals more susceptible to developing it. Normally, glutamate concentration is tightly controlled in the brain by various mechanisms at the synapse. There are at least 30 proteins that are membrane-bound receptor or transporter proteins at, or near, the glutamate synapse that control or modulate neuronal excitability. But in Visual Snow sufferers, my hypothesis is that we carry a faulty gene that results in dysregulation of the proteins that control and regulate glutamate excitability. They are unknown as more research will be needed.
We live in a society where we are stressed emotionally, financially, physically and exposed to a range of toxins in our environment. Combining underlying genetic susceptibility with these other factors creates all the ingredients for a perfect storm. Stress + Infectious Agents (if any) + Toxins + Genetic Susceptibility = Health Condition.
Included below is a list of things that can lead to excitotoxicity. The list includes trauma, drugs, environmental, chemicals and miscellaneous causes of brain cell damage. (Keep in mind everybody's bodies behave and react differently to various substances). -Severe Stress (Most people that are stressed out don’t realize that once the fight-or-flight response gets activated it can release things like cortisol and epinephrine into the body. Although these boost alertness, in major concentrations, the elevated levels of cortisol over an extended period of time can damage brain functioning and kill brain cells). -Free Radicals – Free radicals are highly-reactive forms of oxygen that can kill brain cells and cause brain damage. If the free radicals in your brain run rampant, your neurons will be damaged at a quicker rate than they can be repaired. This leads to brain cell death as well as cognitive decline if not corrected. (Common causes are unhealthy diet, lifestyle and toxic exposure) -Head Trauma (like concussion or contusion) MRI can detect damaged brain tissue BUT not damaged neurons. -Dehydration (severe) -Cerebal Hypoxia -Lyme disease -Narcolepsy -Sleep Apnea -Stroke -Drugs (recreational or prescription) -Amphetamine abuse -Methamphetamines -Antipsychotics -Benzodiazepine abuse -Cocaine -Esctasy -LSD -Cannabis -Tobacco -Inhalants -Nitrous Oxide -PCP -Steroids -Air Pollution -Carbon Monoxide -Heavy Metal Exposure (such as lead, copper and mercury). -Mold Exposure -Welding fumes -Formaldehyde -Solvents -Pesticides -Anesthesia -Aspartame -MSG (Monosodium Glutamate is found in most processed foods and is hidden under many various names) -Chemotherapy -Radiation -Other toxic exposures
Inside the Glutamate StormBy: Vivian Teichberg, and Luba Vikhanski "The amino acid glutamate is the major signaling chemical in nature. All invertebrates (worms, insects, and the like) use glutamate for conveying messages from nerve to muscle. In mammals, glutamate is mainly present in the central nervous system, brain, and spinal cord, where it plays the role of a neuronal messenger, or neurotransmitter. In fact, almost all brain cells use glutamate to exchange messages. Moreover, glutamate can serve as a source of energy for the brain cells when their regular energy supplier, glucose, is lacking. However, when its levels rise too high in the spaces between cells—known as extracellular spaces—glutamate turns its coat to become a toxin that kills neurons. As befits a potentially hazardous substance, glutamate is kept safely sealed within the brain cells. A healthy neuron releases glutamate only when it needs to convey a message, then immediately sucks the messenger back inside. Glutamate concentration inside the cells is 10,000 times greater than outside them. If we follow the dam analogy, that would be equivalent to holding 10,000 cubic feet of glutamate behind the dam and letting only a trickle of one cubic foot flow freely outside. A clever pumping mechanism makes sure this trickle never gets out of hand: When a neuron senses the presence of too much glutamate in the vicinity—the extracellular space—it switches on special pumps on its membrane and siphons the maverick glutamate back in. This protective pumping process works beautifully as long as glutamate levels stay within the normal range. But the levels can rise sharply if a damaged cell spills out its glutamate. In such a case, the pumps on the cellular membranes can no longer cope with the situation, and glutamate reveals its destructive powers. It doesn’t kill the neuron directly. Rather, it overly excites the cell, causing it to open its pores excessively and let in large quantities of substances that are normally allowed to enter only in limited amounts. One of these substances is sodium, which leads to cell swelling because its entry is accompanied by an inrush of water, needed to dilute the surplus sodium. The swelling squeezes the neighboring blood vessels, preventing normal blood flow and interrupting the supply of oxygen and glucose, which ultimately leads to cell death. Cell swelling, however, is reversible; the cells will shrink back once glutamate is removed from brain fluids. More dangerous than sodium is calcium, which is harmless under normal conditions but not when it rushes inside through excessively opened pores. An overload of calcium destroys the neuron’s vital structures and eventually kills it. Regardless of what killed it, the dead cell spills out its glutamate, all the vast quantities of it that were supposed to be held back by the dam. The spill overly excites more cells, and these die in turn, spilling yet more glutamate. The destructive process repeats itself over and over, engulfing brain areas until the protective pumping mechanism finally manages to stop the spread of glutamate.
"Recent research has confirmed that hypermetabolism has been primarily found in the right lingual gyrus and left cerebellar anterior lobe of the brain in individuals suffering from visual snow. The definition of hypermetabolism is described as "the physiological state of increased rate of metabolic activity and is characterized by an abnormal increase in metabolic rate." Hypermetabolism typically occurs after significant injury to the body. It serves as one of the body's strongest defence against illness and injury. This means that the brain is trying to compensate for the injured areas in the brain by increasing metabolism to meet it's high energy demands. It is trying to function to the best of it's ability under the circumstances. Normally the body can heal itself and regenerate under the right circumstances. But it is extremely difficult for the central nervous system - which includes the spinal cord and brain to be able to do so, due to it's inhibitory environment which prevents new neurons from forming. That is where stem cells come in. Stem cells are an exciting new discovery, because they can become literally any cell in the body including neurons. This is an amazing scientific breakthrough and has the potential to treat a whole host of conditions. Scientists are currently doing research and conducting trials.
Excitotoxicity can trigger your "fight or flight" response, as this is the body's primary response to illness, injury or infection. If the brain and the body remain in the sympathetic fight or flight state for too long and too often, it is degenerative; it breaks us down. If this cycle continues, then eventually the system burns out. It is this cycle that results in autonomic nervous system dysfunction. The results are disastrous, digestion is shut down, metabolism, immune function and the detoxification system is impaired, blood pressure and heart rate are increased, circulation is impaired, sleep is disrupted, memory and cognitive function may be impaired, neurotransmitters are drained, our sense of smell, taste and sound are amplified, high levels of norepinephrine are released in the brain and the adrenal glands release a variety of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.
I believe that in order to find a treatment or cure for VS and it's accompanying symptoms, we need to address the underlying cause, reduce the excess excitatory activity in the brain, repair the damaged neurons, regain proper communication between neurons, rebalance the autonomic nervous system and prevent further cellular damage. We also need to figure out what genes, if any come into play. There is still a lot we don't know about the brain because it is such an remarkably complex organ.
FAQs., Won't lowering the levels of glutamate solve the problem? Well, not necessarily. That is just one piece of the puzzle. You have to remember that Visual Snow is a multifactorial and complex condition in which it stems from a number of different causes and influences. Based on my knowledge and the information I have gathered, I can conclude that the overstimulation of glutamate plays a huge role in VS and some other symptoms we experience. But there is still so much we don't know. That's why more research will be needed.
Why is my condition worsening over time? That is a very good question. It is because the physiology, biology and chemistry of your brain and nervous system has been altered and has become dysfunctional since the initial trigger set off a domino of effects that leads to further degradation in the body. This puts a huge strain on your body and is constantly activating your stress response system. This will wreak havoc on your entire body. The stress response system was designed to deal with brief emergencies that threaten survival. It isn't supposed to last very long because the body cannot sustain itself for very long in this state. When you remain in "fight or flight" sympathetic state for too long, it becomes degenerative and breaks our bodies down. This affects every system in the body. When you are constantly under stress, the stress response system never turns off resulting in an ongoing destructive cycle. Stress can also exacerbate all your symptoms and makes you susceptible to developing other chronic health conditions.
How is the gut related to VS?Having increased intestinal permeability is very common in this modern world because we are constantly being bombarded by toxins and stress. Our bodies weren't designed to handle such a huge burden. So we end up getting sick and become susceptible to kinds of diseases. Common causes include: -Poor diet (from excessive consumption of foods such as grains, legumes, sugars, alcohol) -Chronic stress -Toxin overload -Gut dysbiosis (It means you have a lack of beneficial bacteria in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. They are overpowered and outnumbered by pathogens such as pathogenic bacteria, yeast, viruses, parasites). -Overuse of antibiotics., When you have increased intestinal permeability, the epithelium on the villi of the small intestine becomes inflamed and irritated, which allows metabolic, microbial and environmental toxins and undigested food particles to flood into the blood stream. This event compromises the liver, the lymphatic system, and the immune response including the endocrine system. It is often the primary cause of the following common conditions: asthma, food allergies, chronic sinusitis, eczema, urticaria, migraine, irritable bowel, fungal disorders, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory joint disorders including rheumatoid arthritis are just a few of the diseases that can originate from having poor gut health. This sets the stage for chronic systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired detoxification, gastrointestinal dysfunction and immune system dysregulation. Some toxins have the ability to damage and destroy neurons, myelin sheaths, synapses and even DNA. An overload of toxins that the immune system is not able to get rid of disrupts normal brain function. This eventually initiates an autoimmune response where the immune system attacks the brain and nerve cells as it tries it’s best to eliminate the toxins. The mitochondria are the energy producing section of your cells. When they are damaged by the toxic overload in the brain cells and are not able to produce energy to fuel the cell, the cell dies. In order to stop this vicious cycle, the underlying biological mechanisms of VS needs to be understood. That is the first step that needs to be taken. Any other stressors also needs to be addressed in order to reduce the overall stress load.
It is important to know that VS is just a symptom of underlying physiological stress in the brain. Symptoms are your body's way of communicating with you, letting you know something is wrong in the body.I've come across some research indicating that microglial activation and elevated nitric oxide is involved in some neurological conditions. Basically the microglial cells are our brain's immune cells and when something triggers an inflammatory response, they activate and release harmful neurotoxic compounds (such as nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines) which results in neuronal injury/death. Microglial activation can also result in a loss of synaptic connections in different regions of the brain. It's basically an autoimmune response in the brain. The neuroinflammatory process appears to be an ongoing and chronic cycle of central nervous system dysfunction. This can deplete glutathione levels in the body. Glutathione is the body’s most important antioxidant which is capable of preventing oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species such as free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides, and heavy metals. This only further exaggerates the problem, which only leads to a cascade of increased inflammation.Nitric oxide plays a vital role in this process. Elevated nitric oxide levels reduces and impair natural killer cells which leads to a vulnerable immune system that is susceptible to a variety of systemic infections. -Phobe Zhang
RedNoise_ edited the entire thing to be more readable so thank you.
2024.05.15 20:58 FlappyLarynx Options other than dopamine boosting
TL:DR - I'm on 75mg Nardil and added 1mg pramipexole. Motivation is up, but I still haven't between the anhedonia problem. I want to swing at other things than dopamine. What role does norepinephrine play in mood? Should I tackle opioid receptors or nmda, or something else? I'm open to all suggestions.
The long version... Ok. So you may remember me asking about whether I should try pramipexole or not. After a lot of advice saying no, I tried two different antipsychotics at low dose (good lord they spiked my anxiety). I also lack access to decent quality bromantane. Memantine is my only other option on this front, but in order to keep things cheap. I went with pramipexole.
So far it's mostly plain sailing. My mood has dropped pretty badly, which I expected. My sleep is wonky and my patience is a little short. On the other hand, my motivation is real good. Which is very welcome. However, there's still no shift in my anhedonia, which does undermine the motivational aspect.
I'm still unsure on the dopamine front, but the fact it helps my motivation suggests something positive.
Basically, what other neurotransmitters can I swing at? I've tried lamictal and gabapentin before. I've considered Straterra since it binds to kappa opioid receptors? What role does norepinephrine play in mood? I was considering it because I don't want to focus on dopamine anymore. I'm not certain it's my issue.
Thanks for the help and suggestions friends.
submitted by FlappyLarynx to MAOIs [link] [comments]
The long version... Ok. So you may remember me asking about whether I should try pramipexole or not. After a lot of advice saying no, I tried two different antipsychotics at low dose (good lord they spiked my anxiety). I also lack access to decent quality bromantane. Memantine is my only other option on this front, but in order to keep things cheap. I went with pramipexole.
So far it's mostly plain sailing. My mood has dropped pretty badly, which I expected. My sleep is wonky and my patience is a little short. On the other hand, my motivation is real good. Which is very welcome. However, there's still no shift in my anhedonia, which does undermine the motivational aspect.
I'm still unsure on the dopamine front, but the fact it helps my motivation suggests something positive.
Basically, what other neurotransmitters can I swing at? I've tried lamictal and gabapentin before. I've considered Straterra since it binds to kappa opioid receptors? What role does norepinephrine play in mood? I was considering it because I don't want to focus on dopamine anymore. I'm not certain it's my issue.
Thanks for the help and suggestions friends.
2024.03.10 04:27 throwaway3456794 Anyone tried Betaine?
Just wondering if anyone has trialed it since it seems to have a lot of benefits including affecting the brain gut microbiota and anhedonia. It seems to also play a role in neurotransmitters as well.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32379622/
I am currently trialing lamictal and it is helping a bit with anhedonia and social situations but im still increasing dosage and it tends to bring some lows when i change the dose. I would probably trial Betaine next before Wellbutrin if I dont recover a lot of my sexuality with the lamictal.
Hopefully someone has tried it and benefitted from it.
submitted by throwaway3456794 to PSSD [link] [comments]
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32379622/
I am currently trialing lamictal and it is helping a bit with anhedonia and social situations but im still increasing dosage and it tends to bring some lows when i change the dose. I would probably trial Betaine next before Wellbutrin if I dont recover a lot of my sexuality with the lamictal.
Hopefully someone has tried it and benefitted from it.
2024.03.09 03:49 geauxdbl Brain fog, memory loss, dissociation, aphasia after taking Lamictal
 | Friends, submitted by geauxdbl to MTHFR [link] [comments] Due to some bad luck, poor timing, and incredibly unfortunate genes, I'm concerned that I may have just fried my brain and I'm hoping you can provide some insight into how to get me out of my current hot mess of a situation. The genes: reduced BH4, high glutamate, low GABA, MTHFR, reduced MAOA and MAOB, intermediate COMT. I suspect I have ADHD and mild ASD. I started taking Lamictal for anxiety/depression/PTSD at the beginning of the year. It was very energizing and stimulating at first, but 2 weeks ago I ate a bunch of bread while traveling and taking an antibiotic for an unrelated infection. I very quickly noticed pronounced fatigue, memory loss and aphasia, and was advised to quit cold turkey. Lamictal, unfortunately, interferes in a number of processes and my neurotransmitters are all running around lost now. This feeling sucks. It's like a hangover that won't go away, but with memory loss and a feeling that all my mental sharpness is gone. Brain doesn't work at all unless I fill it with sugar. I'm hoping there's a dietary fix here, or the diabeetus is going to get me first. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Labs follow. https://preview.redd.it/ybyquvsf28nc1.jpg?width=2550&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fe8cf2b3c56044b1928d40f5fbfd6302b1789f0 https://preview.redd.it/991buvsf28nc1.jpg?width=2550&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4120bcf18dba63bf5fe3a77057697b06ba54feee https://preview.redd.it/rbrtl1tf28nc1.jpg?width=2550&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=15e9fa647678594c1fc4a9d61b31ed50180934d1 https://preview.redd.it/llb5klyg28nc1.png?width=1922&format=png&auto=webp&s=8d04af9ddcb8fcf0c17ee766ea17b0c0ef007dca https://preview.redd.it/guldo1tf28nc1.png?width=1916&format=png&auto=webp&s=33250b521a802a3642a3eae428fb9646c2404ace https://preview.redd.it/n20lnwgye8nc1.png?width=1914&format=png&auto=webp&s=4ff0af0c84c1e0ad631211d60f64b3e70a8ccad5 Ran out of space to upload images, here's a Link to the full Nutrahacker imputed genome report |
2024.01.24 23:31 andrewtc55 Bipolar 2 Success Story w/GeneSight Testing
Hey all, I know that a lot of you have questions and post mostly about issues and how to deal with more generally negative topics but I wanted to share an "it gets better" experience for those losing hope.
After years of about a month to a month and a half of upswing then 3-4 days of depression on a consistent cycle then a switch to the exact opposite of a month of depression for only 3-4 days of doing a month's worth of work in that time, I decided that I had a problem.
I was devastated with my bipolar 2 diagnosis and a series of 3-4 medications didn't help. Lamictal 100mg was harsh, seroquel (lowest dose split in half!) made me a zombie, and I don't recall the rest but each was worse than the last. I couldn't go unmedicated but the medicine only worked because you can't be depressed if you're asleep 😂😭.
When I moved back home state after college, I got a new doctor that saved my life. She listed to my concerns and side effects then recommended the GeneSight test. Best ~$330 that I've ever spent (they have grants for low-income, so it can be free to less on a sliding scale!). The test looks at various genetic factors to needing more/less of medications for them to be effective or not have side effects, how your system metabolizes medicine so it works at all, and it also tests a genetic mutation that a lot of people with European ancestry apparently have where we can't turn folate into its usable form. That makes us not able to make serotonin/some other neurotransmitter? no matter who much folate we eat.
I was prescribed Rexulti based on the test, and I was told to take L-Methylfolate 15mg. I started at 1mg then capped at 2mg. I can proudly say that I've been stable with no episodes either way nor side effects for over two years. I finished college, worked a few odd jobs, and am now in my dream grad school in France! Unfortunately the national healthcare here doesn't cover Rexulti, but Abilify is extremely similar and I don't have any side effects thus far on my 5mg starting regiment.
Don't give up. Rexulti/Abilify may not be for you, but GeneSight might be a worthy investment if you're having medication issues. I hope this helps someone.
submitted by andrewtc55 to bipolar2 [link] [comments]
After years of about a month to a month and a half of upswing then 3-4 days of depression on a consistent cycle then a switch to the exact opposite of a month of depression for only 3-4 days of doing a month's worth of work in that time, I decided that I had a problem.
I was devastated with my bipolar 2 diagnosis and a series of 3-4 medications didn't help. Lamictal 100mg was harsh, seroquel (lowest dose split in half!) made me a zombie, and I don't recall the rest but each was worse than the last. I couldn't go unmedicated but the medicine only worked because you can't be depressed if you're asleep 😂😭.
When I moved back home state after college, I got a new doctor that saved my life. She listed to my concerns and side effects then recommended the GeneSight test. Best ~$330 that I've ever spent (they have grants for low-income, so it can be free to less on a sliding scale!). The test looks at various genetic factors to needing more/less of medications for them to be effective or not have side effects, how your system metabolizes medicine so it works at all, and it also tests a genetic mutation that a lot of people with European ancestry apparently have where we can't turn folate into its usable form. That makes us not able to make serotonin/some other neurotransmitter? no matter who much folate we eat.
I was prescribed Rexulti based on the test, and I was told to take L-Methylfolate 15mg. I started at 1mg then capped at 2mg. I can proudly say that I've been stable with no episodes either way nor side effects for over two years. I finished college, worked a few odd jobs, and am now in my dream grad school in France! Unfortunately the national healthcare here doesn't cover Rexulti, but Abilify is extremely similar and I don't have any side effects thus far on my 5mg starting regiment.
Don't give up. Rexulti/Abilify may not be for you, but GeneSight might be a worthy investment if you're having medication issues. I hope this helps someone.
2023.11.14 18:49 hanfook Reversing Chronic Stress Induced Anhedonia
From polls that I've seen in the past, it seems like chronic stress may be the most common cause of anhedonia, possibly second to SSRIs, antipsychotics, and general drug-induced forms. I think there is in general an excessive focus on dopaminergic dysfunction, which in my opinion is more of a consequence of underlying issues, though it is responsible for the most debilitating symptoms of anhedonia.
Excitatory/inhibitory imbalance, specifically, imbalance of glutamate and gaba seems to be the other key factor in anhedonia.
As a disclaimer, this is not medical advice. However, evidence suggests that targeting and rectifying the excitatory/inhibitory balance is crucial for treating anhedonia. There are many different drugs that have been suggested to potentially achieve this. The problem is that the reduction of glutamate will increase anhedonia. I don't know the exact mechanisms behind this. Whether it is due to the downregulation of receptors or due to the concomitant dopaminergic deficits is unclear. But I am at least trying to come up with a comprehensive list of things that have the potential to correct these deficits. As a warning, these drugs have the potential to worsen anhedonia.
Maybe? - Riluzole (glutamate release inhibitor) - "The cellular, metabolic and behavioral alterations induced by CUS [chronic unpredictable stress] were reversed and/or blocked by chronic treatment with the glutamate-modulating drug riluzole. The beneficial effects of riluzole on CUS-induced anhedonia and helplessness demonstrate the antidepressant action of riluzole in rodents. Riluzole treatment also reversed CUS-induced reductions in glial metabolism and GFAP mRNA expression. " https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18825147/
...
Other factors and approaches:
submitted by hanfook to anhedonia [link] [comments]
Excitatory/inhibitory imbalance, specifically, imbalance of glutamate and gaba seems to be the other key factor in anhedonia.
- "Inflammation-induced alterations in dopamine and glutamate converge to affect corticostriatal reward and motor circuitry and drive symptoms of anhedonia and psychomotor retardation." https://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/content/73/3/1084/tab-figures-data
- "Blockade of Astrocytic Glutamate Uptake in the Prefrontal Cortex Induces Anhedonia" "These results suggest that depressive-like outcomes correlate with increases in glutamate and astrocyte dysregulation that may lead to increases in glutamate- changes that, therefore, probably contribute to an anhedonic phenotype. We have shown that decreasing astrocytic glutamate uptake in the PFC can induce some of the symptoms observed in depressed patients, including anhedonia and irregular EEG patterns."
- "More specifically, we show that anhedonia in MDD is associated with disrupted communication between the pVMPFC and reward- and emotion-related regions during the processing of positively valenced stimuli. Our results also indicate that in adults with MDD, anhedonia reflects a lack of engagement between the pVMPFC and reward-related functional circuits when contextually appropriate, rather than a constant deficit in connectivity." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5070048/
- "These results suggest that NMDA activation is crucial for stress-induced dendritic atrophy in mPFC. Furthermore, NMDA receptor blockade uncovers a new pattern of stress-induced dendritic changes, suggesting that other neurohormonal changes in concert with NMDA receptor activation underlie the net dendritic retraction seen after chronic stress."https://academic.oup.com/cercoarticle/21/10/2366/329996?login=false
- "Moreover, a very recent report has shown reduced GABA level in ventromedial PFC (107) of depressed subjects. Additionally, reduced level of GABA has been reported in PFC of chronic stress model of depression in rodents (112, 118). Hence, lower GABA level is often considered as one of the most promising endophenotypes of MDD (156)." https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.637863/full
- "Mounting evidence suggests that acute and chronic stress, especially the stress-induced release of glucocorticoids, induces changes in glutamate neurotransmission in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, thereby influencing some aspects of cognitive processing." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3645314/
- "In addition, an emerging literature shows that chronic stress also causes extensive alteration of GABAergic inhibitory circuits in the PFC, leading to the hypothesis that inhibitory neurotransmitter deficits contribute to changes in PFC neuronal excitability and cognitive impairments. Here we review evidence in rodents and human, which point to the mechanisms underlying stress-induced alterations of GABA transmission in the PFC, and its relevance to circuit dysfunction in mood and stress related disorders. These findings suggest that alterations of GABA interneurons and inhibitory neurotransmission play a causal role in the development of stress-related neurobiological illness, and could identify a new line of GABA related therapeutic targets." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5086803/
As a disclaimer, this is not medical advice. However, evidence suggests that targeting and rectifying the excitatory/inhibitory balance is crucial for treating anhedonia. There are many different drugs that have been suggested to potentially achieve this. The problem is that the reduction of glutamate will increase anhedonia. I don't know the exact mechanisms behind this. Whether it is due to the downregulation of receptors or due to the concomitant dopaminergic deficits is unclear. But I am at least trying to come up with a comprehensive list of things that have the potential to correct these deficits. As a warning, these drugs have the potential to worsen anhedonia.
- Ketamine - Ketamine rapidly reverses stress-induced impairments in GABAergic transmission in the prefrontal cortex in male rodents - I have some doubts about this, but it in theory it is supposed to rectify this imbalance.
- Agmatine - "Inhibition of NMDA receptors by agmatine is followed by GABA/glutamate balance in benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome"
- Lamictal - "This study demonstrates a clear pro-motivational effect of repeated lamotrigine administration, accompanied by a restored dopaminergic response in the NAcS, possibly consequent to the modulation of VTA dopaminergic neurons firing rate." "Repeated lamotrigine administration prevented and relieved the stress-induced hyporeactivity to negative aversive stimuli (that is, escape deficit) and reinstated the physiological response to natural rewarding stimuli (sucrose) in a stress-induced depressive-like phenotype in rats. The pro-motivational effect of repeated lamotrigine administration that we observed in stress-exposed “anhedonic” rats is a novel finding since only the consummatory component of reduced responses to pleasurable stimuli has been previously investigated in animal models [18]."https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6190531/
- Lithium Orotate - "Chronic stress exposure impaired the NAcS dopaminergic response to VS, acquisition of VAB and sucrose SA, in terms of FR1 and FR5 schedules of reinforcement and breaking point score. Repeated lithium treatment restored these parameters to control group values, even when treatment began in rats already showing an anhedonia-like condition. Since the breaking point defines the reinforcement efficacy of a hedonic stimulus, the present data suggest that lithium treatment is endowed with anti-anhedonic activity in rats." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23363811/
- Zuranolone - "Owing to the probable hypothesized pathophysiology of MDD being an outcome of abnormalities in the amino acid neurotransmitter system, including glutamate (the primary excitatory neurotransmitter) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), SAGE-217 (Zuranolone) is being evaluated as a possible therapeutic treatment for MDD. Zuranolone is a synthetic, neuroactive steroid (NAS) and positive allosteric modulator (PMA) of GABAA receptors, regulating both synaptic and extra-synaptic release of GABA. It is administered as a once-daily oral dose for 2 weeks due to its low-moderate clearance." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36848317/
- L-Theanine - "The brain volume of SAMP10—a stress-sensitive mouse—decreased by stress loading. However, theanine—the main amino acid in tea leaves—suppressed brain atrophy. Theanine was suggested to prevent stress-induced brain atrophy by modifying early stress responses such as Npas4 and Lcn2."
- Probiotics? - "Both pure and mixed Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were effective in ameliorating glutamate excitotoxicity as an autistic feature developed in the PPA-induced rodent model. Their therapeutic effects mostly involved the correction of oxidative stress, restoration of depleted GABA, and up-regulation of GABA receptor gene expression. Pure Bifidobacterium was the most effective, followed by the mixture of probiotics and finally lactobacillus. In conclusion, Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli can be used independently or in combination as psychobiotics to ameliorate oxidative stress and glutamate excitotoxicity as two confirmed etiological mechanisms through the gut–brain axis." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9416367/
- Memantine - "Memantine treatment reversed anhedonia and the increase of adrenal gland weight, normalized corticosterone levels and increased BDNF protein levels in the prefrontal cortex in stressed rats. Finally, these findings further support the hypothesis that NMDA receptor antagonists such as memantine could be helpful in the pharmacological treatment of depression. " https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22327556/
Maybe? - Riluzole (glutamate release inhibitor) - "The cellular, metabolic and behavioral alterations induced by CUS [chronic unpredictable stress] were reversed and/or blocked by chronic treatment with the glutamate-modulating drug riluzole. The beneficial effects of riluzole on CUS-induced anhedonia and helplessness demonstrate the antidepressant action of riluzole in rodents. Riluzole treatment also reversed CUS-induced reductions in glial metabolism and GFAP mRNA expression. " https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18825147/
...
Other factors and approaches:
- Treating underlying inflammation or infections
- Meditation
- Taurine
- Zinc and B6
2023.10.03 17:45 Sinker12344 Fight or Flight leading to isolation and avoidance - safety seeking when incidents happen. Propranolol?
Hey.
So I have two big problems. When incidents happen that cause my heightened PTSD stress response I immediately run home for safety and avoidsnce. The other - terrible morning depression.
I have become obsessed with neurotransmitters .. any progress I've made medication wise has been of my own making. Lamictal for glutamate .. gabapentin etc etc.
I've postulated that my cptsd caused damage to my gaba system and thus my fight flight and stress response is abnormal. Anyone used propranolol for this.. oddly enough I posted before that it helped but it was a long time ago and I cant figure out why i forgot abour it.
If so anyone found out it helps in the morning. I believe in the morning that when cortisol is heightened I simply don't have the gabapentin response for counter it. I am wondering if taking it early am or late at night might help
submitted by Sinker12344 to CPTSD [link] [comments]
So I have two big problems. When incidents happen that cause my heightened PTSD stress response I immediately run home for safety and avoidsnce. The other - terrible morning depression.
I have become obsessed with neurotransmitters .. any progress I've made medication wise has been of my own making. Lamictal for glutamate .. gabapentin etc etc.
I've postulated that my cptsd caused damage to my gaba system and thus my fight flight and stress response is abnormal. Anyone used propranolol for this.. oddly enough I posted before that it helped but it was a long time ago and I cant figure out why i forgot abour it.
If so anyone found out it helps in the morning. I believe in the morning that when cortisol is heightened I simply don't have the gabapentin response for counter it. I am wondering if taking it early am or late at night might help
2023.08.22 01:51 snaggeltooth Do medication overdoses cause long term effects on our synapses?
Forgive me if my wording is incorrect.
I am wondering if overdoses on medication used to treat depression and treatment resistant depression can cause brain synapses and neurotransmitters to have long term problems. I have overdosed twice, the first time on a lot of zoloft, lexapro, lamictal, and gabapentin, and the second time on a lot of latuda, lamictal, and propranoprol. Both lead to hospitalization and multiple days in the ICU with seratonin syndrome and heavy monitoring, and then a psych hold. No one has ever explained to me if there are any long term effects of medication overdoses. After an overdose, does the brain act as it did before overdose, creating the same amount of neurotransmitters, or is there a permanent change in how the brain operates chemically after a medication overdose?
submitted by snaggeltooth to AskPsychiatry [link] [comments]
I am wondering if overdoses on medication used to treat depression and treatment resistant depression can cause brain synapses and neurotransmitters to have long term problems. I have overdosed twice, the first time on a lot of zoloft, lexapro, lamictal, and gabapentin, and the second time on a lot of latuda, lamictal, and propranoprol. Both lead to hospitalization and multiple days in the ICU with seratonin syndrome and heavy monitoring, and then a psych hold. No one has ever explained to me if there are any long term effects of medication overdoses. After an overdose, does the brain act as it did before overdose, creating the same amount of neurotransmitters, or is there a permanent change in how the brain operates chemically after a medication overdose?
2023.08.21 23:44 snaggeltooth Diminished effects of ketamine after lamictal overdose?
I was reading a study about how a patient was administered ketamine as a sedative after a lamictal overdose with little to no effects. Something about the blocking of the glutamate neurotransmitter.
I am wondering, if this could have any correlation to why my IV infusions are never very psychedelic. I am 125 lbs and usually have IV infusions of 120mg, which to my understanding is a high dose. However, I never have very profound infusions. I feel myself dissociate, and it feels like my body and the room around me is changing in dimension (shape/size), but I never have these intense, psychedelic, spiritual, or relieving experiences. I am currently going through a mini-series of 3 in a week to soften my symptoms, but other than a slight relief in my depressive symptoms, I have never had any profound relief from depression or CPTSD. I overdosed on multiple bottles of lamictal 4 and a half years ago, resulting in seratonin syndrome and a hospitalization. I am wondering if my glutamate transmitters have been somehow screwed with?
I also don’t usually use the eye mask, because when I try to use it I only see darkness and that makes me uncomfortable. I am thinking of trying it again for my next infusion, but along with this, any suggestions for how I can maximize healing and processing on a deeper level than just symptomatically for my next infusion?
submitted by snaggeltooth to TherapeuticKetamine [link] [comments]
I am wondering, if this could have any correlation to why my IV infusions are never very psychedelic. I am 125 lbs and usually have IV infusions of 120mg, which to my understanding is a high dose. However, I never have very profound infusions. I feel myself dissociate, and it feels like my body and the room around me is changing in dimension (shape/size), but I never have these intense, psychedelic, spiritual, or relieving experiences. I am currently going through a mini-series of 3 in a week to soften my symptoms, but other than a slight relief in my depressive symptoms, I have never had any profound relief from depression or CPTSD. I overdosed on multiple bottles of lamictal 4 and a half years ago, resulting in seratonin syndrome and a hospitalization. I am wondering if my glutamate transmitters have been somehow screwed with?
I also don’t usually use the eye mask, because when I try to use it I only see darkness and that makes me uncomfortable. I am thinking of trying it again for my next infusion, but along with this, any suggestions for how I can maximize healing and processing on a deeper level than just symptomatically for my next infusion?
2023.08.11 23:38 Capable-Farm2622 Anti-depressants and TSH
My functional doctor is trying to figure out why I need so much cytomel to stop low thyroid symptoms (including weight gain, constipation, etc). The amount I need supresses my TSH which of course is not a great thing long term
My saliva test for cortisol came back fine, so now he has me getting my neurotransmitters testes (ZRT lab)
I take anti-depressants (and Lamictal). Has anyone else had some kind of impact by neurotransmitters? (with our without anti-depressants)
Thanks!
submitted by Capable-Farm2622 to Hashimotos [link] [comments]
My saliva test for cortisol came back fine, so now he has me getting my neurotransmitters testes (ZRT lab)
I take anti-depressants (and Lamictal). Has anyone else had some kind of impact by neurotransmitters? (with our without anti-depressants)
Thanks!
2023.04.20 06:52 2korean AP abuse, trauma and your brain
I made a similar post a while back that was quite lengthy but didn't delve into antidepressants/medications.
Basic premise: prolonged AP/emotional/physical abuse doesn't just make you feel bad, it actually changes the composition of your brain, as well as creating deficiencies/instability in your neurotransmitter levels.
The big 4 neurotransmitters are Serotonin, Norepinephrine, Dopamine, and Gaba.
The problem?
You don't know what the hell is wrong with your brain and where your deficiencies are or where they are the most deficient.
The point: if you're in therapy and it works, by all means keep doing it. If you're on medication and it's not working, there's a reason for that.
Do your research and don't let your shrink throw darts in the hope they'll stick. The only one who suffers is you. I'm talking about the people who've been on Zoloft for 7 years and are more or less in the same emotionally fucked place, the people who were prescribed Cymbalta and ended up in a polypharmacy nightmare and are now on a daily regime of Cymbalta, Adderall, Klonopin, and Abilify, and the people who bought the hype surrounding California Rocket Fuel, found it to be of little benefit and are living hellish days withdrawing from the three medications that comprise the aforementioned.
Hope this helps someone, anyone.
Notes: There is a suggestion I made in the comments. In no way am I saying its a cure-all nor that over the counter options are more efficacious than prescription medications.
What I am saying is that it worked well for me once upon a time, albeit not perfectly, I'm considering it again, and it's helped a lot of people change their lives.
Biological elements can vary quite a bit, and some people will find that the addition of B6, "the right form" of B12, Methylfolate and sublingual D3 can be gamechangers.
Regarding this statement: "IMO, it's one LUCKY MFer who emerges from prolonged AP abuse without having any need to reconcile deficiencies/damage within the brain."
Anecdotal addendum: I once told a sibling there was no way anyone was coming out of our childhood completely intact (emotionally, biologically) and this sibling (who disagrees with me on everything under the sun) paused, contemplated, nodded and wholeheartedly agreed...that we and those with similar experiences have to fix the damage or our lives would remain in a fractured state...basically half-living and half-suffering.
submitted by 2korean to AsianParentStories [link] [comments]
Basic premise: prolonged AP/emotional/physical abuse doesn't just make you feel bad, it actually changes the composition of your brain, as well as creating deficiencies/instability in your neurotransmitter levels.
The big 4 neurotransmitters are Serotonin, Norepinephrine, Dopamine, and Gaba.
- There are countless others but these 4 dictate the majority of our emotions (along with the amygdala but that's another story.)
- If I was a betting woman, I'd say that many people on this subreddit are on an antidepressant or prescribed medication of some kind.
- Psychiatrists (in the US) tend to prescribe antidepressants in more or less the same manner, and tend not to foray outside that "realm."
- Millions of prescriptions are written in the US for the following:
- SSRIs such as Prozac, focusing on Serotonin
- SNRIs such as Cymbalta, focusing on Serotonin and Norepinephrine
- Atypical antidepressants such as Wellbutrin, focusing (to a weak extent) on dopamine
- Stimulants such as Adderall focusing on dopamine and to an extent Norepinephrine.
- In the case of Adderall, it's an unsustainable means of treating depression on its own. Adderall boosts dopamine levels very high while lowering your overall dopamine levels over time. Simplified explanation: extreme jump descends to a lower baseline than before. Ritalin, on the other hand doesn't work in that manner, but like Adderall, is not a sustainable solution overall.
- Benzos such as Valium, focusing on GABA.
- Doctors will squabble back and forth about the prescribing of benzos for anxiety, the duration, the problems, and the benefits. Either way, attending to GABA yields very little options. They are options out there though, and I'm not discounting benzos all together. I'm just saying that benzos are not "the way out."
The problem?
You don't know what the hell is wrong with your brain and where your deficiencies are or where they are the most deficient.
- And...this may sound contentious but IMO, it's one LUCKY MFer who emerges from prolonged AP abuse without having any need to reconcile deficiencies/damage within the brain.
- You might not have any idea that highly suicidal people often have a significant deficiency in Serotonin.
- You might think you have ADHD when you might actually have anxiety from hell and your Norepinephrine levels are fucked.
- You may think you're doomed to be a lazy fuck with no motivation when in actuality, your dopamine levels are depleted.
- An SSRI such as Prozac that focuses exclusively on Serotonin isn't going to do jack shit if you have Norepinephrine issues (the fight or flight neurotransmitter)
- Similarly, a benzo will calm you down for a while due to its effect on GABA but won't attend to any of the other problems within your neurotransmitters.
- Ergo, most antidepressants/antidepressant polypharmacy are a waste of time, money, and energy. It's like throwing a dart at a dart board and hoping it sticks.
- More often than not, it doesn't stick, and doctors start stacking the medications (eg. Cymbalta + Wellbutrin + Valium) and perhaps throwing in things like beta blockers, Lyrica, Lithium, or even Lamictal.
- Beyond that, they may go in a different direction and add an antipsychotic to the mix because they are "beneficial for depression as well." I disagree with that but whatever.
- Note: antipsychotics are used for good reason but IMO have no place in treating depression/anxiety/PTSD.
The point: if you're in therapy and it works, by all means keep doing it. If you're on medication and it's not working, there's a reason for that.
Do your research and don't let your shrink throw darts in the hope they'll stick. The only one who suffers is you. I'm talking about the people who've been on Zoloft for 7 years and are more or less in the same emotionally fucked place, the people who were prescribed Cymbalta and ended up in a polypharmacy nightmare and are now on a daily regime of Cymbalta, Adderall, Klonopin, and Abilify, and the people who bought the hype surrounding California Rocket Fuel, found it to be of little benefit and are living hellish days withdrawing from the three medications that comprise the aforementioned.
Hope this helps someone, anyone.
Notes: There is a suggestion I made in the comments. In no way am I saying its a cure-all nor that over the counter options are more efficacious than prescription medications.
What I am saying is that it worked well for me once upon a time, albeit not perfectly, I'm considering it again, and it's helped a lot of people change their lives.
Biological elements can vary quite a bit, and some people will find that the addition of B6, "the right form" of B12, Methylfolate and sublingual D3 can be gamechangers.
Regarding this statement: "IMO, it's one LUCKY MFer who emerges from prolonged AP abuse without having any need to reconcile deficiencies/damage within the brain."
Anecdotal addendum: I once told a sibling there was no way anyone was coming out of our childhood completely intact (emotionally, biologically) and this sibling (who disagrees with me on everything under the sun) paused, contemplated, nodded and wholeheartedly agreed...that we and those with similar experiences have to fix the damage or our lives would remain in a fractured state...basically half-living and half-suffering.
2023.03.19 22:47 MrNeverEverKnew Cycling Meds for Depression/Social Anxiety
I suffer from depression and social anxiety since I was 15 years old (symptoms occured even before but with 15 I started noticing it very clearly, with 17 I first started going to a psychiatrist and therapist). Now I'm 23 and tried 3 different forms of therapies as well as over 14 different types of meds. Nothing helped so far, nothing reduced my symptoms. It's now called treatment resistant depression and even my doc says normal therapy is not effective for my type of depression, it definitely is caused biochemically/neurologically/biologically.
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
submitted by MrNeverEverKnew to mentalillness [link] [comments]
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
- Lyrica (Pregabalin) => said to don't have much GABAergic affinity on its own, rather acts indirectly and weakly on GABA, hence hess less risk of cross tolerance with GABAergics (if I should add any GABAergic as a benzo to my cycle, too)
- Tianeptine (opiodergic antidepressant)
- Kratom (legal opioidergic plant) => question is, how strong would the cross-tolerance with Tianeptine be if used with a break of many days in between as both are opiodergic afaik?
- Benzodiazepine => Valium/Diazepam didn't work so I told my doc to quit my script for it as I don't find any use for it => a friend of mine with very similar symptoms had great experience with Clonazepam instead
- Ritalin
- Adderall
- Modafinil
- or similar AD(H)D stimulant medication
- => big issue: I guess I only have a 10% chance of getting any of these stimulant AD(H)D meds cause even if I strongly suffer from symptoms very similar to ADD (without the H for hyperactivity) no doc ever wanted to test me for ADD as long as my depression and anxiety weren't cured, that's why I never got a diagnosis until now and now docs tell me, you can mainly only get a diagnosis for ADD if it has been diagnosed in the childhood or when one has been very young, also one had to have very bad grades in school for one of the diagnosis checks => so my school grades have only been medium bad, not very bad + I'm now 23 and maybe a bit too late for school medicine to hop on the ADD train even if I always had the thought of suffering from ADD cause of my very bad cognitive symptoms (focus, memory etc.) + ADD goes hand in hand with depression and anxiety and might be a cause of these symptoms afaik (so why the hell no doc ever tested me for it before trying to always continue treating me with typical depression therapy and meds instead of giving the ADD train a go???)
- Hydroxyzine
- Buspirone
- Lamictal
- Abilify
- Amisulpride
- Selegiline
- any other ideas? as said my doc is really open to try new meds with me cause she knows how desperate and treatment-resistant I am and have been for years now
- Kava: legal anxiolytic plant, had some good experiences with it reducing my symptoms strenghts, being anxiolytic and antidepressant BUT it's a big hit and miss, causing skin issues for me (when taken some days daily in a row) and very expensive, hence surely also nothing to take daily => ALSO: there's not much science about rather it's GABAergic or also rather a voltage gated calcium channel blocker (VGCC blocker) as Lyrica, or how it really works, but it's said to not have any physical dependance or withdrawal issues or risk => question again, is there any cross tolerance with Lyrica or Benzodiazepines?
- DXM (Dextromethorphane): dissociative antitussive => originally a cough medicine, now officially used for depression and I already read years ago many times about people using it to self medicate their depression and anxiety in non-trip-doses (cause some people abuse it in mega-doses to get a psychedelic trip from it, which I never planned or wanted to)
- Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum): natural SSRI => sadly never noticed any effects from it when I tried the plain herb as well as extract orally or sublingually in low to medium dosage (some swear on having to take it intranasally to get antidepressant/anxiolytic effects but I already hate the thought of having to take something through my nose)
- Gotu Kola => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Lemon Balm => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Beta Alanine => some studies promise anxiolytic effects because of it's GABAergic properties
- Tongkat Ali => testosterone increasing, read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- SAM-e => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Bacopa => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Lions Mane Mushroom => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- KSM-66 (Ashwagandha) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT tried one KSM-66 product from Amazon for more than 2 weeks daily and never had success with it or any symptom reduction sadly...
- Taurine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- L-Theanine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- Silexan/Lasea (Lavender extract) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily
- Rhodiola Rosea extract => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily as well as only as needed
- Akuamma
- Wild Lettuce
- Skullcap
- Mulungu
- Passion flower
- GABA (plain powder supplement of GABA, infamous for not crossing the BBB so not being able to have any psychoactive effects)
- stronger MAOIs as Nardil or Parnate (I already tried the weaker MAOI "Moclobemide"/"Aurorix")
- Ketamine therapy
- rTMS
- ECT
2023.03.19 22:46 MrNeverEverKnew Cycling Meds for Depression/Social Anxiety
I suffer from depression and social anxiety since I was 15 years old (symptoms occured even before but with 15 I started noticing it very clearly, with 17 I first started going to a psychiatrist and therapist). Now I'm 23 and tried 3 different forms of therapies as well as over 14 different types of meds. Nothing helped so far, nothing reduced my symptoms. It's now called treatment resistant depression and even my doc says normal therapy is not effective for my type of depression, it definitely is caused biochemically/neurologically/biologically.
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
submitted by MrNeverEverKnew to AskPsychiatry [link] [comments]
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
- Lyrica (Pregabalin) => said to don't have much GABAergic affinity on its own, rather acts indirectly and weakly on GABA, hence hess less risk of cross tolerance with GABAergics (if I should add any GABAergic as a benzo to my cycle, too)
- Tianeptine (opiodergic antidepressant)
- Kratom (legal opioidergic plant) => question is, how strong would the cross-tolerance with Tianeptine be if used with a break of many days in between as both are opiodergic afaik?
- Benzodiazepine => Valium/Diazepam didn't work so I told my doc to quit my script for it as I don't find any use for it => a friend of mine with very similar symptoms had great experience with Clonazepam instead
- Ritalin
- Adderall
- Modafinil
- or similar AD(H)D stimulant medication
- => big issue: I guess I only have a 10% chance of getting any of these stimulant AD(H)D meds cause even if I strongly suffer from symptoms very similar to ADD (without the H for hyperactivity) no doc ever wanted to test me for ADD as long as my depression and anxiety weren't cured, that's why I never got a diagnosis until now and now docs tell me, you can mainly only get a diagnosis for ADD if it has been diagnosed in the childhood or when one has been very young, also one had to have very bad grades in school for one of the diagnosis checks => so my school grades have only been medium bad, not very bad + I'm now 23 and maybe a bit too late for school medicine to hop on the ADD train even if I always had the thought of suffering from ADD cause of my very bad cognitive symptoms (focus, memory etc.) + ADD goes hand in hand with depression and anxiety and might be a cause of these symptoms afaik (so why the hell no doc ever tested me for it before trying to always continue treating me with typical depression therapy and meds instead of giving the ADD train a go???)
- Hydroxyzine
- Buspirone
- Lamictal
- Abilify
- Amisulpride
- Selegiline
- any other ideas? as said my doc is really open to try new meds with me cause she knows how desperate and treatment-resistant I am and have been for years now
- Kava: legal anxiolytic plant, had some good experiences with it reducing my symptoms strenghts, being anxiolytic and antidepressant BUT it's a big hit and miss, causing skin issues for me (when taken some days daily in a row) and very expensive, hence surely also nothing to take daily => ALSO: there's not much science about rather it's GABAergic or also rather a voltage gated calcium channel blocker (VGCC blocker) as Lyrica, or how it really works, but it's said to not have any physical dependance or withdrawal issues or risk => question again, is there any cross tolerance with Lyrica or Benzodiazepines?
- DXM (Dextromethorphane): dissociative antitussive => originally a cough medicine, now officially used for depression and I already read years ago many times about people using it to self medicate their depression and anxiety in non-trip-doses (cause some people abuse it in mega-doses to get a psychedelic trip from it, which I never planned or wanted to)
- Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum): natural SSRI => sadly never noticed any effects from it when I tried the plain herb as well as extract orally or sublingually in low to medium dosage (some swear on having to take it intranasally to get antidepressant/anxiolytic effects but I already hate the thought of having to take something through my nose)
- Gotu Kola => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Lemon Balm => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Beta Alanine => some studies promise anxiolytic effects because of it's GABAergic properties
- Tongkat Ali => testosterone increasing, read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- SAM-e => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Bacopa => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Lions Mane Mushroom => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- KSM-66 (Ashwagandha) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT tried one KSM-66 product from Amazon for more than 2 weeks daily and never had success with it or any symptom reduction sadly...
- Taurine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- L-Theanine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- Silexan/Lasea (Lavender extract) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily
- Rhodiola Rosea extract => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily as well as only as needed
- Akuamma
- Wild Lettuce
- Skullcap
- Mulungu
- Passion flower
- GABA (plain powder supplement of GABA, infamous for not crossing the BBB so not being able to have any psychoactive effects)
- stronger MAOIs as Nardil or Parnate (I already tried the weaker MAOI "Moclobemide"/"Aurorix")
- Ketamine therapy
- rTMS
- ECT
2023.03.19 22:45 MrNeverEverKnew Cycling Meds for Depression/Social Anxiety
I suffer from depression and social anxiety since I was 15 years old (symptoms occured even before but with 15 I started noticing it very clearly, with 17 I first started going to a psychiatrist and therapist). Now I'm 23 and tried 3 different forms of therapies as well as over 14 different types of meds. Nothing helped so far, nothing reduced my symptoms. It's now called treatment resistant depression and even my doc says normal therapy is not effective for my type of depression, it definitely is caused biochemically/neurologically/biologically.
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
submitted by MrNeverEverKnew to Biohackers [link] [comments]
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
- Lyrica (Pregabalin) => said to don't have much GABAergic affinity on its own, rather acts indirectly and weakly on GABA, hence hess less risk of cross tolerance with GABAergics (if I should add any GABAergic as a benzo to my cycle, too)
- Tianeptine (opiodergic antidepressant)
- Kratom (legal opioidergic plant) => question is, how strong would the cross-tolerance with Tianeptine be if used with a break of many days in between as both are opiodergic afaik?
- Benzodiazepine => Valium/Diazepam didn't work so I told my doc to quit my script for it as I don't find any use for it => a friend of mine with very similar symptoms had great experience with Clonazepam instead
- Ritalin
- Adderall
- Modafinil
- or similar AD(H)D stimulant medication
- => big issue: I guess I only have a 10% chance of getting any of these stimulant AD(H)D meds cause even if I strongly suffer from symptoms very similar to ADD (without the H for hyperactivity) no doc ever wanted to test me for ADD as long as my depression and anxiety weren't cured, that's why I never got a diagnosis until now and now docs tell me, you can mainly only get a diagnosis for ADD if it has been diagnosed in the childhood or when one has been very young, also one had to have very bad grades in school for one of the diagnosis checks => so my school grades have only been medium bad, not very bad + I'm now 23 and maybe a bit too late for school medicine to hop on the ADD train even if I always had the thought of suffering from ADD cause of my very bad cognitive symptoms (focus, memory etc.) + ADD goes hand in hand with depression and anxiety and might be a cause of these symptoms afaik (so why the hell no doc ever tested me for it before trying to always continue treating me with typical depression therapy and meds instead of giving the ADD train a go???)
- Hydroxyzine
- Buspirone
- Lamictal
- Abilify
- Amisulpride
- Selegiline
- any other ideas? as said my doc is really open to try new meds with me cause she knows how desperate and treatment-resistant I am and have been for years now
- Kava: legal anxiolytic plant, had some good experiences with it reducing my symptoms strenghts, being anxiolytic and antidepressant BUT it's a big hit and miss, causing skin issues for me (when taken some days daily in a row) and very expensive, hence surely also nothing to take daily => ALSO: there's not much science about rather it's GABAergic or also rather a voltage gated calcium channel blocker (VGCC blocker) as Lyrica, or how it really works, but it's said to not have any physical dependance or withdrawal issues or risk => question again, is there any cross tolerance with Lyrica or Benzodiazepines?
- DXM (Dextromethorphane): dissociative antitussive => originally a cough medicine, now officially used for depression and I already read years ago many times about people using it to self medicate their depression and anxiety in non-trip-doses (cause some people abuse it in mega-doses to get a psychedelic trip from it, which I never planned or wanted to)
- Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum): natural SSRI => sadly never noticed any effects from it when I tried the plain herb as well as extract orally or sublingually in low to medium dosage (some swear on having to take it intranasally to get antidepressant/anxiolytic effects but I already hate the thought of having to take something through my nose)
- Gotu Kola => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Lemon Balm => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Beta Alanine => some studies promise anxiolytic effects because of it's GABAergic properties
- Tongkat Ali => testosterone increasing, read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- SAM-e => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Bacopa => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Lions Mane Mushroom => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- KSM-66 (Ashwagandha) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT tried one KSM-66 product from Amazon for more than 2 weeks daily and never had success with it or any symptom reduction sadly...
- Taurine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- L-Theanine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- Silexan/Lasea (Lavender extract) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily
- Rhodiola Rosea extract => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily as well as only as needed
- Akuamma
- Wild Lettuce
- Skullcap
- Mulungu
- Passion flower
- GABA (plain powder supplement of GABA, infamous for not crossing the BBB so not being able to have any psychoactive effects)
- stronger MAOIs as Nardil or Parnate (I already tried the weaker MAOI "Moclobemide"/"Aurorix")
- Ketamine therapy
- rTMS
- ECT
2023.03.19 22:45 MrNeverEverKnew Cycling Meds for Depression/Social Anxiety
I suffer from depression and social anxiety since I was 15 years old (symptoms occured even before but with 15 I started noticing it very clearly, with 17 I first started going to a psychiatrist and therapist). Now I'm 23 and tried 3 different forms of therapies as well as over 14 different types of meds. Nothing helped so far, nothing reduced my symptoms. It's now called treatment resistant depression and even my doc says normal therapy is not effective for my type of depression, it definitely is caused biochemically/neurologically/biologically.
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
submitted by MrNeverEverKnew to selfmedicate [link] [comments]
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
- Lyrica (Pregabalin) => said to don't have much GABAergic affinity on its own, rather acts indirectly and weakly on GABA, hence hess less risk of cross tolerance with GABAergics (if I should add any GABAergic as a benzo to my cycle, too)
- Tianeptine (opiodergic antidepressant)
- Kratom (legal opioidergic plant) => question is, how strong would the cross-tolerance with Tianeptine be if used with a break of many days in between as both are opiodergic afaik?
- Benzodiazepine => Valium/Diazepam didn't work so I told my doc to quit my script for it as I don't find any use for it => a friend of mine with very similar symptoms had great experience with Clonazepam instead
- Ritalin
- Adderall
- Modafinil
- or similar AD(H)D stimulant medication
- => big issue: I guess I only have a 10% chance of getting any of these stimulant AD(H)D meds cause even if I strongly suffer from symptoms very similar to ADD (without the H for hyperactivity) no doc ever wanted to test me for ADD as long as my depression and anxiety weren't cured, that's why I never got a diagnosis until now and now docs tell me, you can mainly only get a diagnosis for ADD if it has been diagnosed in the childhood or when one has been very young, also one had to have very bad grades in school for one of the diagnosis checks => so my school grades have only been medium bad, not very bad + I'm now 23 and maybe a bit too late for school medicine to hop on the ADD train even if I always had the thought of suffering from ADD cause of my very bad cognitive symptoms (focus, memory etc.) + ADD goes hand in hand with depression and anxiety and might be a cause of these symptoms afaik (so why the hell no doc ever tested me for it before trying to always continue treating me with typical depression therapy and meds instead of giving the ADD train a go???)
- Hydroxyzine
- Buspirone
- Lamictal
- Abilify
- Amisulpride
- Selegiline
- any other ideas? as said my doc is really open to try new meds with me cause she knows how desperate and treatment-resistant I am and have been for years now
- Kava: legal anxiolytic plant, had some good experiences with it reducing my symptoms strenghts, being anxiolytic and antidepressant BUT it's a big hit and miss, causing skin issues for me (when taken some days daily in a row) and very expensive, hence surely also nothing to take daily => ALSO: there's not much science about rather it's GABAergic or also rather a voltage gated calcium channel blocker (VGCC blocker) as Lyrica, or how it really works, but it's said to not have any physical dependance or withdrawal issues or risk => question again, is there any cross tolerance with Lyrica or Benzodiazepines?
- DXM (Dextromethorphane): dissociative antitussive => originally a cough medicine, now officially used for depression and I already read years ago many times about people using it to self medicate their depression and anxiety in non-trip-doses (cause some people abuse it in mega-doses to get a psychedelic trip from it, which I never planned or wanted to)
- Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum): natural SSRI => sadly never noticed any effects from it when I tried the plain herb as well as extract orally or sublingually in low to medium dosage (some swear on having to take it intranasally to get antidepressant/anxiolytic effects but I already hate the thought of having to take something through my nose)
- Gotu Kola => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Lemon Balm => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Beta Alanine => some studies promise anxiolytic effects because of it's GABAergic properties
- Tongkat Ali => testosterone increasing, read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- SAM-e => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Bacopa => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Lions Mane Mushroom => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- KSM-66 (Ashwagandha) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT tried one KSM-66 product from Amazon for more than 2 weeks daily and never had success with it or any symptom reduction sadly...
- Taurine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- L-Theanine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- Silexan/Lasea (Lavender extract) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily
- Rhodiola Rosea extract => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily as well as only as needed
- Akuamma
- Wild Lettuce
- Skullcap
- Mulungu
- Passion flower
- GABA (plain powder supplement of GABA, infamous for not crossing the BBB so not being able to have any psychoactive effects)
- stronger MAOIs as Nardil or Parnate (I already tried the weaker MAOI "Moclobemide"/"Aurorix")
- Ketamine therapy
- rTMS
- ECT
2023.03.19 22:44 MrNeverEverKnew Cycling Meds for Depression/Social Anxiety
I suffer from depression and social anxiety since I was 15 years old (symptoms occured even before but with 15 I started noticing it very clearly, with 17 I first started going to a psychiatrist and therapist). Now I'm 23 and tried 3 different forms of therapies as well as over 14 different types of meds. Nothing helped so far, nothing reduced my symptoms. It's now called treatment resistant depression and even my doc says normal therapy is not effective for my type of depression, it definitely is caused biochemically/neurologically/biologically.
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
submitted by MrNeverEverKnew to Anxiety [link] [comments]
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
- Lyrica (Pregabalin) => said to don't have much GABAergic affinity on its own, rather acts indirectly and weakly on GABA, hence hess less risk of cross tolerance with GABAergics (if I should add any GABAergic as a benzo to my cycle, too)
- Tianeptine (opiodergic antidepressant)
- Kratom (legal opioidergic plant) => question is, how strong would the cross-tolerance with Tianeptine be if used with a break of many days in between as both are opiodergic afaik?
- Benzodiazepine => Valium/Diazepam didn't work so I told my doc to quit my script for it as I don't find any use for it => a friend of mine with very similar symptoms had great experience with Clonazepam instead
- Ritalin
- Adderall
- Modafinil
- or similar AD(H)D stimulant medication
- => big issue: I guess I only have a 10% chance of getting any of these stimulant AD(H)D meds cause even if I strongly suffer from symptoms very similar to ADD (without the H for hyperactivity) no doc ever wanted to test me for ADD as long as my depression and anxiety weren't cured, that's why I never got a diagnosis until now and now docs tell me, you can mainly only get a diagnosis for ADD if it has been diagnosed in the childhood or when one has been very young, also one had to have very bad grades in school for one of the diagnosis checks => so my school grades have only been medium bad, not very bad + I'm now 23 and maybe a bit too late for school medicine to hop on the ADD train even if I always had the thought of suffering from ADD cause of my very bad cognitive symptoms (focus, memory etc.) + ADD goes hand in hand with depression and anxiety and might be a cause of these symptoms afaik (so why the hell no doc ever tested me for it before trying to always continue treating me with typical depression therapy and meds instead of giving the ADD train a go???)
- Hydroxyzine
- Buspirone
- Lamictal
- Abilify
- Amisulpride
- Selegiline
- any other ideas? as said my doc is really open to try new meds with me cause she knows how desperate and treatment-resistant I am and have been for years now
- Kava: legal anxiolytic plant, had some good experiences with it reducing my symptoms strenghts, being anxiolytic and antidepressant BUT it's a big hit and miss, causing skin issues for me (when taken some days daily in a row) and very expensive, hence surely also nothing to take daily => ALSO: there's not much science about rather it's GABAergic or also rather a voltage gated calcium channel blocker (VGCC blocker) as Lyrica, or how it really works, but it's said to not have any physical dependance or withdrawal issues or risk => question again, is there any cross tolerance with Lyrica or Benzodiazepines?
- DXM (Dextromethorphane): dissociative antitussive => originally a cough medicine, now officially used for depression and I already read years ago many times about people using it to self medicate their depression and anxiety in non-trip-doses (cause some people abuse it in mega-doses to get a psychedelic trip from it, which I never planned or wanted to)
- Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum): natural SSRI => sadly never noticed any effects from it when I tried the plain herb as well as extract orally or sublingually in low to medium dosage (some swear on having to take it intranasally to get antidepressant/anxiolytic effects but I already hate the thought of having to take something through my nose)
- Gotu Kola => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Lemon Balm => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Beta Alanine => some studies promise anxiolytic effects because of it's GABAergic properties
- Tongkat Ali => testosterone increasing, read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- SAM-e => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Bacopa => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Lions Mane Mushroom => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- KSM-66 (Ashwagandha) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT tried one KSM-66 product from Amazon for more than 2 weeks daily and never had success with it or any symptom reduction sadly...
- Taurine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- L-Theanine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- Silexan/Lasea (Lavender extract) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily
- Rhodiola Rosea extract => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily as well as only as needed
- Akuamma
- Wild Lettuce
- Skullcap
- Mulungu
- Passion flower
- GABA (plain powder supplement of GABA, infamous for not crossing the BBB so not being able to have any psychoactive effects)
- stronger MAOIs as Nardil or Parnate (I already tried the weaker MAOI "Moclobemide"/"Aurorix")
- Ketamine therapy
- rTMS
- ECT
2023.03.19 22:43 MrNeverEverKnew Cycling Meds for Depression/Social Anxiety
I suffer from depression and social anxiety since I was 15 years old (symptoms occured even before but with 15 I started noticing it very clearly, with 17 I first started going to a psychiatrist and therapist). Now I'm 23 and tried 3 different forms of therapies as well as over 14 different types of meds. Nothing helped so far, nothing reduced my symptoms. It's now called treatment resistant depression and even my doc says normal therapy is not effective for my type of depression, it definitely is caused biochemically/neurologically/biologically.
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
submitted by MrNeverEverKnew to AnxietyDepression [link] [comments]
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
- Lyrica (Pregabalin) => said to don't have much GABAergic affinity on its own, rather acts indirectly and weakly on GABA, hence hess less risk of cross tolerance with GABAergics (if I should add any GABAergic as a benzo to my cycle, too)
- Tianeptine (opiodergic antidepressant)
- Kratom (legal opioidergic plant) => question is, how strong would the cross-tolerance with Tianeptine be if used with a break of many days in between as both are opiodergic afaik?
- Benzodiazepine => Valium/Diazepam didn't work so I told my doc to quit my script for it as I don't find any use for it => a friend of mine with very similar symptoms had great experience with Clonazepam instead
- Ritalin
- Adderall
- Modafinil
- or similar AD(H)D stimulant medication
- => big issue: I guess I only have a 10% chance of getting any of these stimulant AD(H)D meds cause even if I strongly suffer from symptoms very similar to ADD (without the H for hyperactivity) no doc ever wanted to test me for ADD as long as my depression and anxiety weren't cured, that's why I never got a diagnosis until now and now docs tell me, you can mainly only get a diagnosis for ADD if it has been diagnosed in the childhood or when one has been very young, also one had to have very bad grades in school for one of the diagnosis checks => so my school grades have only been medium bad, not very bad + I'm now 23 and maybe a bit too late for school medicine to hop on the ADD train even if I always had the thought of suffering from ADD cause of my very bad cognitive symptoms (focus, memory etc.) + ADD goes hand in hand with depression and anxiety and might be a cause of these symptoms afaik (so why the hell no doc ever tested me for it before trying to always continue treating me with typical depression therapy and meds instead of giving the ADD train a go???)
- Hydroxyzine
- Buspirone
- Lamictal
- Abilify
- Amisulpride
- Selegiline
- any other ideas? as said my doc is really open to try new meds with me cause she knows how desperate and treatment-resistant I am and have been for years now
- Kava: legal anxiolytic plant, had some good experiences with it reducing my symptoms strenghts, being anxiolytic and antidepressant BUT it's a big hit and miss, causing skin issues for me (when taken some days daily in a row) and very expensive, hence surely also nothing to take daily => ALSO: there's not much science about rather it's GABAergic or also rather a voltage gated calcium channel blocker (VGCC blocker) as Lyrica, or how it really works, but it's said to not have any physical dependance or withdrawal issues or risk => question again, is there any cross tolerance with Lyrica or Benzodiazepines?
- DXM (Dextromethorphane): dissociative antitussive => originally a cough medicine, now officially used for depression and I already read years ago many times about people using it to self medicate their depression and anxiety in non-trip-doses (cause some people abuse it in mega-doses to get a psychedelic trip from it, which I never planned or wanted to)
- Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum): natural SSRI => sadly never noticed any effects from it when I tried the plain herb as well as extract orally or sublingually in low to medium dosage (some swear on having to take it intranasally to get antidepressant/anxiolytic effects but I already hate the thought of having to take something through my nose)
- Gotu Kola => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Lemon Balm => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Beta Alanine => some studies promise anxiolytic effects because of it's GABAergic properties
- Tongkat Ali => testosterone increasing, read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- SAM-e => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Bacopa => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Lions Mane Mushroom => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- KSM-66 (Ashwagandha) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT tried one KSM-66 product from Amazon for more than 2 weeks daily and never had success with it or any symptom reduction sadly...
- Taurine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- L-Theanine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- Silexan/Lasea (Lavender extract) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily
- Rhodiola Rosea extract => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily as well as only as needed
- Akuamma
- Wild Lettuce
- Skullcap
- Mulungu
- Passion flower
- GABA (plain powder supplement of GABA, infamous for not crossing the BBB so not being able to have any psychoactive effects)
- stronger MAOIs as Nardil or Parnate (I already tried the weaker MAOI "Moclobemide"/"Aurorix")
- Ketamine therapy
- rTMS
- ECT
2023.03.19 22:41 MrNeverEverKnew Cycling Meds for Depression/Social Anxiety
I suffer from depression and social anxiety since I was 15 years old (symptoms occured even before but with 15 I started noticing it very clearly, with 17 I first started going to a psychiatrist and therapist). Now I'm 23 and tried 3 different forms of therapies as well as over 14 different types of meds. Nothing helped so far, nothing reduced my symptoms. It's now called treatment resistant depression and even my doc says normal therapy is not effective for my type of depression, it definitely is caused biochemically/neurologically/biologically.
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
submitted by MrNeverEverKnew to socialanxiety [link] [comments]
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
- Lyrica (Pregabalin) => said to don't have much GABAergic affinity on its own, rather acts indirectly and weakly on GABA, hence hess less risk of cross tolerance with GABAergics (if I should add any GABAergic as a benzo to my cycle, too)
- Tianeptine (opiodergic antidepressant)
- Kratom (legal opioidergic plant) => question is, how strong would the cross-tolerance with Tianeptine be if used with a break of many days in between as both are opiodergic afaik?
- Benzodiazepine => Valium/Diazepam didn't work so I told my doc to quit my script for it as I don't find any use for it => a friend of mine with very similar symptoms had great experience with Clonazepam instead
- Ritalin
- Adderall
- Modafinil
- or similar AD(H)D stimulant medication
- => big issue: I guess I only have a 10% chance of getting any of these stimulant AD(H)D meds cause even if I strongly suffer from symptoms very similar to ADD (without the H for hyperactivity) no doc ever wanted to test me for ADD as long as my depression and anxiety weren't cured, that's why I never got a diagnosis until now and now docs tell me, you can mainly only get a diagnosis for ADD if it has been diagnosed in the childhood or when one has been very young, also one had to have very bad grades in school for one of the diagnosis checks => so my school grades have only been medium bad, not very bad + I'm now 23 and maybe a bit too late for school medicine to hop on the ADD train even if I always had the thought of suffering from ADD cause of my very bad cognitive symptoms (focus, memory etc.) + ADD goes hand in hand with depression and anxiety and might be a cause of these symptoms afaik (so why the hell no doc ever tested me for it before trying to always continue treating me with typical depression therapy and meds instead of giving the ADD train a go???)
- Hydroxyzine
- Buspirone
- Lamictal
- Abilify
- Amisulpride
- Selegiline
- any other ideas? as said my doc is really open to try new meds with me cause she knows how desperate and treatment-resistant I am and have been for years now
- Kava: legal anxiolytic plant, had some good experiences with it reducing my symptoms strenghts, being anxiolytic and antidepressant BUT it's a big hit and miss, causing skin issues for me (when taken some days daily in a row) and very expensive, hence surely also nothing to take daily => ALSO: there's not much science about rather it's GABAergic or also rather a voltage gated calcium channel blocker (VGCC blocker) as Lyrica, or how it really works, but it's said to not have any physical dependance or withdrawal issues or risk => question again, is there any cross tolerance with Lyrica or Benzodiazepines?
- DXM (Dextromethorphane): dissociative antitussive => originally a cough medicine, now officially used for depression and I already read years ago many times about people using it to self medicate their depression and anxiety in non-trip-doses (cause some people abuse it in mega-doses to get a psychedelic trip from it, which I never planned or wanted to)
- Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum): natural SSRI => sadly never noticed any effects from it when I tried the plain herb as well as extract orally or sublingually in low to medium dosage (some swear on having to take it intranasally to get antidepressant/anxiolytic effects but I already hate the thought of having to take something through my nose)
- Gotu Kola => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Lemon Balm => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Beta Alanine => some studies promise anxiolytic effects because of it's GABAergic properties
- Tongkat Ali => testosterone increasing, read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- SAM-e => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Bacopa => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Lions Mane Mushroom => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- KSM-66 (Ashwagandha) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT tried one KSM-66 product from Amazon for more than 2 weeks daily and never had success with it or any symptom reduction sadly...
- Taurine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- L-Theanine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- Silexan/Lasea (Lavender extract) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily
- Rhodiola Rosea extract => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily as well as only as needed
- Akuamma
- Wild Lettuce
- Skullcap
- Mulungu
- Passion flower
- GABA (plain powder supplement of GABA, infamous for not crossing the BBB so not being able to have any psychoactive effects)
- stronger MAOIs as Nardil or Parnate (I already tried the weaker MAOI "Moclobemide"/"Aurorix")
- Ketamine therapy
- rTMS
- ECT
2023.03.19 22:39 MrNeverEverKnew Cycling Meds for Depression/Social Anxiety
I suffer from depression and social anxiety since I was 15 years old (symptoms occured even before but with 15 I started noticing it very clearly, with 17 I first started going to a psychiatrist and therapist). Now I'm 23 and tried 3 different forms of therapies as well as over 14 different types of meds. Nothing helped so far, nothing reduced my symptoms. It's now called treatment resistant depression and even my doc says normal therapy is not effective for my type of depression, it definitely is caused biochemically/neurologically/biologically.
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
submitted by MrNeverEverKnew to antidepressants [link] [comments]
Except for my very last one: Lyrica. Lyrica helps at least a bit and makes my anxiety and depression a bit better. But I know Lyrica can cause dependance and horrible withdrawal as well as tolerance, so best would be to not use it daily but only as rarely as possible. I don't want to use any substance daily at all anyways, cause I've been through many horrible withdrawals. Hence my plan of cycling substances, meds, supplements, whatver to finally have a painless life.
My doc wanted to try every possible med left with me, so she's very open for new meds, which I'm too. She mentioned Tianeptine to try on me soon as - as said - Im trying my 15th med now without success or symptom reduction, for years, 2 depth psychological (analytical) and 1 cognitive behavioral therapy failed to help. I also do sports weekly (tennis and/or gym, skiing sometimes).
I might just take it if needed then, even if she prescribes it for daily. I mean, if it‘s an opioid and one says even harder to get off than oxy… Maybe if needed same as my Lyrica so one can switch them to reduce risk of tolerance/dependance/withdrawal of each. A 3rd med of different class would still be better to have a good cycle and get maybe at least 3, maybe even 5, worthful to live days and free of suffering days a week. 2 days completely off then.
Any idea? Lyrica is gabapentinoid = calcium channels, a teeny bit of GABA receptors itself too. Tianeptine is opioid = opioid receptors. What else could be added but not using the same receptor or system? What about Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Clonazepam? So far I only have found Lyrica & Kratom to be helpful (even if it's not "curing" me, just making my day and symptoms by maybe 20-50% better, but only if not taken daily - hence the need for a cycle and not taking any similar chemical daily)
As I don't want to use any similar chemical daily or many days in a row or a week at all and in the best case only one neurotransmitteCNS system once a week max, I thought about cycling following, each one only once a week to reduce any risk of possible dependance, withdrawal or tolerance:
Voltage gated calcium channels (Gabapentionoid):
- Lyrica (Pregabalin) => said to don't have much GABAergic affinity on its own, rather acts indirectly and weakly on GABA, hence hess less risk of cross tolerance with GABAergics (if I should add any GABAergic as a benzo to my cycle, too)
- Tianeptine (opiodergic antidepressant)
- Kratom (legal opioidergic plant) => question is, how strong would the cross-tolerance with Tianeptine be if used with a break of many days in between as both are opiodergic afaik?
- Benzodiazepine => Valium/Diazepam didn't work so I told my doc to quit my script for it as I don't find any use for it => a friend of mine with very similar symptoms had great experience with Clonazepam instead
- Ritalin
- Adderall
- Modafinil
- or similar AD(H)D stimulant medication
- => big issue: I guess I only have a 10% chance of getting any of these stimulant AD(H)D meds cause even if I strongly suffer from symptoms very similar to ADD (without the H for hyperactivity) no doc ever wanted to test me for ADD as long as my depression and anxiety weren't cured, that's why I never got a diagnosis until now and now docs tell me, you can mainly only get a diagnosis for ADD if it has been diagnosed in the childhood or when one has been very young, also one had to have very bad grades in school for one of the diagnosis checks => so my school grades have only been medium bad, not very bad + I'm now 23 and maybe a bit too late for school medicine to hop on the ADD train even if I always had the thought of suffering from ADD cause of my very bad cognitive symptoms (focus, memory etc.) + ADD goes hand in hand with depression and anxiety and might be a cause of these symptoms afaik (so why the hell no doc ever tested me for it before trying to always continue treating me with typical depression therapy and meds instead of giving the ADD train a go???)
- Hydroxyzine
- Buspirone
- Lamictal
- Abilify
- Amisulpride
- Selegiline
- any other ideas? as said my doc is really open to try new meds with me cause she knows how desperate and treatment-resistant I am and have been for years now
- Kava: legal anxiolytic plant, had some good experiences with it reducing my symptoms strenghts, being anxiolytic and antidepressant BUT it's a big hit and miss, causing skin issues for me (when taken some days daily in a row) and very expensive, hence surely also nothing to take daily => ALSO: there's not much science about rather it's GABAergic or also rather a voltage gated calcium channel blocker (VGCC blocker) as Lyrica, or how it really works, but it's said to not have any physical dependance or withdrawal issues or risk => question again, is there any cross tolerance with Lyrica or Benzodiazepines?
- DXM (Dextromethorphane): dissociative antitussive => originally a cough medicine, now officially used for depression and I already read years ago many times about people using it to self medicate their depression and anxiety in non-trip-doses (cause some people abuse it in mega-doses to get a psychedelic trip from it, which I never planned or wanted to)
- Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum): natural SSRI => sadly never noticed any effects from it when I tried the plain herb as well as extract orally or sublingually in low to medium dosage (some swear on having to take it intranasally to get antidepressant/anxiolytic effects but I already hate the thought of having to take something through my nose)
- Gotu Kola => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Lemon Balm => seems to help a bit, might be good for my "off-days" off "real stronger medication"
- Beta Alanine => some studies promise anxiolytic effects because of it's GABAergic properties
- Tongkat Ali => testosterone increasing, read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- SAM-e => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Bacopa => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- Lions Mane Mushroom => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety
- KSM-66 (Ashwagandha) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT tried one KSM-66 product from Amazon for more than 2 weeks daily and never had success with it or any symptom reduction sadly...
- Taurine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- L-Theanine => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me, maybe I have to increase dosage to a mega dose?
- Silexan/Lasea (Lavender extract) => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily
- Rhodiola Rosea extract => read some reviews about people having success with it for depression and/or (social) anxiety BUT never worked for me even after trying it for more than 2 weeks daily as well as only as needed
- Akuamma
- Wild Lettuce
- Skullcap
- Mulungu
- Passion flower
- GABA (plain powder supplement of GABA, infamous for not crossing the BBB so not being able to have any psychoactive effects)
- stronger MAOIs as Nardil or Parnate (I already tried the weaker MAOI "Moclobemide"/"Aurorix")
- Ketamine therapy
- rTMS
- ECT
2023.02.07 07:43 That-Group-7347 Ultimate Guide to Antidepressants and How to improve your mental health beyond meds.
I have combined much of the information into one post to make it easier for you to look through everything. Also if you look through the sub look for "Information" posts in yellow and "Resources" in orange.
When you are first prescribed antidepressants you are usually started on a low dose as your body needs to adjust to the medication. You usually have more side effects when you first start. These side effects may include, nausea, drowsiness, headache, lower libido, and increase in anxiety to name a few. These will usually subside over the first few weeks. If at any point you have suicidal ideation or thoughts you need to contact your doctor immediately as this is a side effect not to mess with. Also just because you don't have a follow up appointment for a month later if you are having problems call the office up and talk to a nurse.
Antidepressants are not a medication that works immediately. The brain has to adjust to the changes and it reacts rather slowly. You may notice some changes after 2 weeks, but they can also take up to 8 weeks to start working. I say this is the time to give your brain a little help with some lifestyle improvements. Add some regular exercise as studies have shown this to help depression and anxiety. Try improving your diet. Start by removing junk food/drinks. There was a study just done that showed that artificial sweeteners actually increase anxiety. Finally make sure you are getting plenty of sleep. Your brain needs that time to recover from out stressful lives. If after 8 weeks you are not noticing any kind of improvements it is time to contact your doctor about changing your dosage or trying a new medication. Don't be frustrated by this as it is normal for people to have to try a few before finding the one that works best for you.
When you start noticing improvements it usually isn't an overnight event. The changes are gradual and you may not notice it. Sometimes if you journal or rate how you feel it can help. You may start to notice you don't feel so awful or you feel like you want to start doing activities that you had been avoiding. Also make sure to communicate with your doctor how you are doing. You may need to gradually increase your dose to find what is optimal for you.
People often ask how do antidepressants actually work. I came up with a good analogy based on how my doctor explained it. People seemed to like it so you can find it here: https://www.reddit.com/AntidepressantSupport/comments/14bjnrh/explaining_how_antidepressants_work_with_an/
Additional info about Antidepressants
When people start looking up antidepressants and want to see how they have worked for other people they find all of these horror stories about terrible side effects. Please remember when someone has a negative experience they are more likely to complain or are looking for help. Look at the number of stories you read and think about the fact that tens of millions of people take antidepressants. The people for whom they are working don't go online to tell people about their experience. They are back to enjoying their life. I have found that drugs.com has a more rounded reviews. Also if you are having anxiety be careful about reading some of the horror stories as all they do is end up increasing your anxiety.
Tapering Antidepressants & Withdrawal
If you ever decide you are going to stop antidepressants it is very important to taper off of them very slowly. The longer you have been on them the slower you want to taper. The reason for this is the brain gets accustomed to the effects of the medication and it expects those effects on neurotransmitters. This causes dependence, not addiction. So if you yank the medication away from the brain it will result in withdrawal which can be awful. You can experience nausea, dizziness, headaches, brain zaps, emotional highs and lows, insomnia, agitation, etc. So you need to slowly over time take the medication away. Doctors are taught in school that tapering can be done in a short time and withdrawals only last a couple of weeks. This isn't true. Research has shown that the 10% method of tapering has been found to be one of the safest methods. This is taking the dose you are taking at that time and subtracting 10% each month. This is a long process, but the goal is to get off the medication with the least amount of withdrawal. If you were taking 100mg this is how your tapering schedule will go. 100, 90, 81, 73, 66..... For more information on tapering and how to make these custom doses you can visit survivingantidepressants.org.
Withdrawal is something you want to avoid, but if you find yourself going through there are some things that you can do to get yourself out of it. Withdrawal is most common when going off a medication cold-turkey or tapering too fast. There is no timeline for how long withdrawal will last, it could be weeks or months. One way to possibly get your self out of it is going back on a lower dose than you were last on. This is called reinstating. You let your brain stabilize and once you feel better give yourself 2-4 weeks to heal properly. Then you want to begin tapering off again. People also report that taking Fish Oil can help with recovery from withdrawal.
Sites and more information on tapering and withdrawal. https://www.reddit.com/AntidepressantSupport/comments/10krlmd/sites_and_resources_for_tapering_antidepressants/
Switching from one Antidepressant to Another
There are 3 methods doctors will use when switching from one antidepressant to another. Many times it is just the doctor's preference to which they recommend.
Drugs not listed do not have any reputable source for dose equivalency. Doses are rounded up.
Treatments Beyond Medication
If you have tried numerous medications and just can't find anything that helps there are few treatments that you can look into. You may even want to try some of these things before trying meds. Some of these do have higher side effect risks.
Talks about lifestyle changes to help with mental illness and other therapies like light therapy. Some doctors hand these out to patients. https://www.psycho.farm/resources
All of these are tools that we can use to improve our mental health. Medication may help, but it is also a tool and you need to help it out by working on yourself. I wish everyone the best on their journey!!!
Many times people ask about the genetic tests and are they helpful. These will tell you how you metabolize the medication, but that plays no role in whether it will be effective for you. The one helpful thing is the MTHFR gene mutation, but your GP could do this lab at a much lower cost. I actually just ordered this test for myself and even if insurance doesn't cover it, the cost is $188. The below article explains in detail why the FDA actually recommends not using these. An upcoming blood test will be able to show in a couple of weeks if a medication will work for you. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gene-testing-to-guide-antidepressant-treatment-has-its-time-arrived-2019100917964 https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-antidepressant-biomarker-19863/
This really dives into exactly what causes the sexual side effects, which medications are more likely to cause it, and ways to treat it. As of note nefazodone is another medication that is known not to cause sexual side effects. As well as the upcoming medication Ruoxinlin (ansofaxine). Nefazodone I also believe the new medication Auvelity is supposed to have lower sexual side effects. AuvelityMed https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/sexual-dysfunction-with-antidepressants/
Rate of incidence of sexual side effects of some of the medications. The average for SSRI's is 59%, but there are other antidepressants that have much lower sexual side effect percentages. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11229449/
Nefazodone, mirtazapine, wellbutrin (bupropion), Auvelity, viibryd, and Trintellix (vortioxetine) are they medications with the lowest rate of sexual side effects. Wellbutrin is often added to an SSRI to relieve some of the sexual side effects.
Here is a guide I put together about sexual side effects: https://www.reddit.com/AntidepressantSupport/comments/14bicp1/guide_to_antidepressant_sexual_side_effects/
submitted by That-Group-7347 to AntidepressantSupport [link] [comments]
The Basics
Most Common Antidepressants- SSRI's - Works on Serotonin
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
- Citalopram (Celexa)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
- Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
- Vilazodone (Viibryd)
- Vortioxetine (Trintellix)
- SNRI's - Works on Serotonin and Norepinphrine
- Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
- Venlafaxine (Effexor)
- Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)
- Levomilnacipran (Fetzima)
- SNDRI's - Works on Serotonin, Norepinephrine, and Dopamine
- Nefazodone (Serzone)
- Ansofaxine (Ruoxinlin) --- Available in China, coming to U.S. in 2024
- Atypical/Misc.
- Bupropion (Wellbutrin) <--- NDRI, works on Norepinephrine and Dopamine
- Mirtazepine (Remeron)
- Esketamine (Spravato)
- Bupropion/Dextromethorphan (Auvelity)
- Gepirone (Exxua) --- Available in USA in early 2024
- Zuranolone --- Now Available in USA
- Trazodone --- Used mostly as a sleep aid
- Tricyclic
- Amitriptyline (Elavil)
- Imipramine (Tofranil)
- Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
- Clomipramine (Anafranil)
- Meds for Anxiety
- Gabapentin (Neurontin)
- Pregabalin (Lyrica)
- Propranolol
- Buspirone (BuSpar)
- Hydroxyzine (Vistaril)
- Mood Stabilizers
- Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
- Depakote
- Lithium
- Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
- Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
- Antipsychotics (seroquel, abilify, risperdone, vraylar, rexulti)
When you are first prescribed antidepressants you are usually started on a low dose as your body needs to adjust to the medication. You usually have more side effects when you first start. These side effects may include, nausea, drowsiness, headache, lower libido, and increase in anxiety to name a few. These will usually subside over the first few weeks. If at any point you have suicidal ideation or thoughts you need to contact your doctor immediately as this is a side effect not to mess with. Also just because you don't have a follow up appointment for a month later if you are having problems call the office up and talk to a nurse.
Antidepressants are not a medication that works immediately. The brain has to adjust to the changes and it reacts rather slowly. You may notice some changes after 2 weeks, but they can also take up to 8 weeks to start working. I say this is the time to give your brain a little help with some lifestyle improvements. Add some regular exercise as studies have shown this to help depression and anxiety. Try improving your diet. Start by removing junk food/drinks. There was a study just done that showed that artificial sweeteners actually increase anxiety. Finally make sure you are getting plenty of sleep. Your brain needs that time to recover from out stressful lives. If after 8 weeks you are not noticing any kind of improvements it is time to contact your doctor about changing your dosage or trying a new medication. Don't be frustrated by this as it is normal for people to have to try a few before finding the one that works best for you.
When you start noticing improvements it usually isn't an overnight event. The changes are gradual and you may not notice it. Sometimes if you journal or rate how you feel it can help. You may start to notice you don't feel so awful or you feel like you want to start doing activities that you had been avoiding. Also make sure to communicate with your doctor how you are doing. You may need to gradually increase your dose to find what is optimal for you.
People often ask how do antidepressants actually work. I came up with a good analogy based on how my doctor explained it. People seemed to like it so you can find it here: https://www.reddit.com/AntidepressantSupport/comments/14bjnrh/explaining_how_antidepressants_work_with_an/
Additional info about Antidepressants
- Wellbutrin can cause an increase in anxiety.
- Trazodone and Mirtazapine both can be used to help with sleep
- If the antidepressant causes insomnia you may want to try taking it in the morning, and if you take it in the morning and you are drowsy try switching it to the evening.
- Even though Trintellix and Viibryd are considered SSRI's they have a different mechanism of action so if other SSRI's don't work for you those two could still help you.
When people start looking up antidepressants and want to see how they have worked for other people they find all of these horror stories about terrible side effects. Please remember when someone has a negative experience they are more likely to complain or are looking for help. Look at the number of stories you read and think about the fact that tens of millions of people take antidepressants. The people for whom they are working don't go online to tell people about their experience. They are back to enjoying their life. I have found that drugs.com has a more rounded reviews. Also if you are having anxiety be careful about reading some of the horror stories as all they do is end up increasing your anxiety.
Tapering Antidepressants & Withdrawal
If you ever decide you are going to stop antidepressants it is very important to taper off of them very slowly. The longer you have been on them the slower you want to taper. The reason for this is the brain gets accustomed to the effects of the medication and it expects those effects on neurotransmitters. This causes dependence, not addiction. So if you yank the medication away from the brain it will result in withdrawal which can be awful. You can experience nausea, dizziness, headaches, brain zaps, emotional highs and lows, insomnia, agitation, etc. So you need to slowly over time take the medication away. Doctors are taught in school that tapering can be done in a short time and withdrawals only last a couple of weeks. This isn't true. Research has shown that the 10% method of tapering has been found to be one of the safest methods. This is taking the dose you are taking at that time and subtracting 10% each month. This is a long process, but the goal is to get off the medication with the least amount of withdrawal. If you were taking 100mg this is how your tapering schedule will go. 100, 90, 81, 73, 66..... For more information on tapering and how to make these custom doses you can visit survivingantidepressants.org.
Withdrawal is something you want to avoid, but if you find yourself going through there are some things that you can do to get yourself out of it. Withdrawal is most common when going off a medication cold-turkey or tapering too fast. There is no timeline for how long withdrawal will last, it could be weeks or months. One way to possibly get your self out of it is going back on a lower dose than you were last on. This is called reinstating. You let your brain stabilize and once you feel better give yourself 2-4 weeks to heal properly. Then you want to begin tapering off again. People also report that taking Fish Oil can help with recovery from withdrawal.
Sites and more information on tapering and withdrawal. https://www.reddit.com/AntidepressantSupport/comments/10krlmd/sites_and_resources_for_tapering_antidepressants/
Switching from one Antidepressant to Another
There are 3 methods doctors will use when switching from one antidepressant to another. Many times it is just the doctor's preference to which they recommend.
- Direct switch - the doctor gives you an equivalent dose of the new medication and you stop the original and the next day you start the new one.
Drugs not listed do not have any reputable source for dose equivalency. Doses are rounded up.
- Taper and washout - you slowly taper off the old medication give your body 2 weeks without any medication and then you start the new one and titrate up.
- Cross taper - As you taper off the old medication you titrate up on the new medication. The doctor will usually give you a schedule. If you are taking 100mg of Med A. and wants you to go to 200mg of Med B. Week 1 -- 75 of A and 50 of B, week 2 -- 50 of A and 100 of B....
Treatments Beyond Medication
If you have tried numerous medications and just can't find anything that helps there are few treatments that you can look into. You may even want to try some of these things before trying meds. Some of these do have higher side effect risks.
- Talk Therapy - alongside your antidepressant or independent of taking a medication. This is about the safest thing you can do.
- Life Style Changes - Exercise, Diet, etc. Again this is very safe and can be always used in conjunction with other therapies.
- Ketamine - This is a medication, but is usually a treatment when meds don't work.
- TMS, in 2023 we should see a new protocol for TMS called SAINT which is supposed to be more effective and involves less sessions. As of 2024 this is being done in California and Massachusetts.
- ECT - This is usually done as a last resort, it has some significant side effects such as short term memory loss. Do your research before considering.
- Stellate Ganglion Blocks - This is fairly new as far as being used for mental disorders.
Lifestyle Changes to Improve Mental Health
Medication can be helpful, but it is not the only way to improve your mental health. Here is a list of some things that can help you on the road to improved mental health.- Exercise -- Regular exercise is really helpful. Studies have shown that it can improve depression/anxiety. More intense exercise has been found to be more helpful for anxiety. Exercise can help produce endocannabinoids which can make you feel better. It is sometimes described as "runner's high". Plus if you can get out in the sun for your exercise that is good as sunlight helps Vitamin D. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-truth-behind-runners-high-and-other-mental-benefits-of-running Here is a new study on the benefits of physical activity on depression. https://www.psypost.org/physical-activity-and-mental-health-exercises-therapeutic-potential-for-depression-highlighted-in-new-meta-analysis/
- Speaking of sunlight many people will suffer from seasonal depression in the winter as their levels of Vitamin D drop due to the lack of sunlight. If you are in a northern climate when you go out in the winter the only skin exposure may be the little area on your face. To combat this you may wish to look into light therapy during the winter months. https://www.insider.com/guides/health/mental-health/light-therapy
- Improve your diet. Cut out junk food/drinks. There is a link below about which foods help depression/anxiety and which ones aren't good for it. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318428
- Make sure you are getting enough quality sleep. Your brain needs that down time to rest and recover. If you feel like you are getting enough sleep, but are always exhausted talk to your doctor about having a sleep study done. They have kits you can do at home. I found out I had central sleep apnea and my oxygen levels were around 80% for half the night.
- Socialize, keep the brain active. Try activities that challenge your brain. Suduko, crossword puzzles, trivia, etc.
- You also may want to try some type of talk therapy or learn some different coping skills and methods of relaxation such as deep breathing exercises.
- Volunteer. You are helping others and sometimes seeing just by giving your time to people and seeing how it helps them can be rewarding.
- You may even want to consider getting a pet as they are supposed to be beneficial for depression. You can even go one step further and get and Emotional Support Animal (ESA). They are specifically trained and are allowed to go with you on airplanes and other public places. Some are even trained to recognize certain side effects in medications. For more information you can visit this site: https://www.certapet.com/service-dog-for-depression/
Talks about lifestyle changes to help with mental illness and other therapies like light therapy. Some doctors hand these out to patients. https://www.psycho.farm/resources
All of these are tools that we can use to improve our mental health. Medication may help, but it is also a tool and you need to help it out by working on yourself. I wish everyone the best on their journey!!!
Lab work and tests
This lists out some blood tests that can be done to see if something else is contributing to your depression. I'm sure their are others, but this gave a little explanation why you would check out some of these. This may not eliminate depression, but it may find something that can be treated and can decrease the amount of depression. https://www.optimallivingdynamics.com/blog/13-important-blood-tests-to-get-done-if-you-have-depressionMany times people ask about the genetic tests and are they helpful. These will tell you how you metabolize the medication, but that plays no role in whether it will be effective for you. The one helpful thing is the MTHFR gene mutation, but your GP could do this lab at a much lower cost. I actually just ordered this test for myself and even if insurance doesn't cover it, the cost is $188. The below article explains in detail why the FDA actually recommends not using these. An upcoming blood test will be able to show in a couple of weeks if a medication will work for you. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gene-testing-to-guide-antidepressant-treatment-has-its-time-arrived-2019100917964 https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-antidepressant-biomarker-19863/
Sexual Side Effects
The is one of the most unfortunate side effects to antidepressants. Some things to remember is if you have sexual side effects on one medication it does not mean you will have them on all of the medications. Some people say that the effects are the worst when you first start the meds and can slowly recover after a few months. You may also realize this, but untreated depression and anxiety can have an effect on your sexual performance and libido. So for some people treating their mental disorder actually improves sexual issues.This really dives into exactly what causes the sexual side effects, which medications are more likely to cause it, and ways to treat it. As of note nefazodone is another medication that is known not to cause sexual side effects. As well as the upcoming medication Ruoxinlin (ansofaxine). Nefazodone I also believe the new medication Auvelity is supposed to have lower sexual side effects. AuvelityMed https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/sexual-dysfunction-with-antidepressants/
Rate of incidence of sexual side effects of some of the medications. The average for SSRI's is 59%, but there are other antidepressants that have much lower sexual side effect percentages. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11229449/
Nefazodone, mirtazapine, wellbutrin (bupropion), Auvelity, viibryd, and Trintellix (vortioxetine) are they medications with the lowest rate of sexual side effects. Wellbutrin is often added to an SSRI to relieve some of the sexual side effects.
Here is a guide I put together about sexual side effects: https://www.reddit.com/AntidepressantSupport/comments/14bicp1/guide_to_antidepressant_sexual_side_effects/
Side Effects & Medication Interactions
If you really want to read about the side effects of each medication pdr.net has some of the most comprehensive information. It even lists the rate of incidence of each side effect. It also lists out the interactions with other medications. Drugs.com has probably some of the best user reviews of each medication. You can even look how a medication is rated for depression, anxiety, ocd, etc. None of the information contained in this guide should be a substitute for your doctor. You should always run any type of medication change by your doctor and keep him/her in the loop on side effects you are having. Including supplements you are thinking of adding. There are some supplements that just don't mix good with antidepressants. You should be upfront with the doctor about how you are feeling. Always let them know about side effects. Most importantly it is your health so you deserve to have a say in your treatment plan. Don't be afraid to speak up if you are uncomfortable with something because it is your health.2022.08.09 18:09 SativaSunshineX Two mood stabilizers?
I LOOOOOOOOOVE my psych, he is amazing, he came here on a "genius visa" and has done numerous studies and published over 30 peer reviewed research papers related to molecular biology/neurotransmitters (also my major in school which is cool!!) I started seeing him in March. The previous doctor I had (about 5 years, starting at 15) seemed to be clueless. I swear when I would come in and say I haven't been feeling well, she would throw darts at a board to pick what to try next! Finally after over 8+ combinations, changing doses, and little to no patient-doctor relationship to make me feel like my feelings were understood, I left. This new doctor also gave me my official diagnosis; my original psych diagnosed me MDD w generalized anxiety and when I told her I had been researching bipolar disorder and I feel like the symptoms match a lot of my experiences, she literally said "That could be, we could try something for that too" ??!!!! ANYWHO........... my new psych has been working closely with me to undo the mess my previous one caused, starting by stopping the SSRI and antipsychotic I was on, leaving me just with lamictal. We played around with the dose, and I personally cannot handle more than 200mg of that drug. I have had extremeeee crying spells, out of thin air, almost daily, for the last 2-3 weeks, and made an emergency appointment yesterday to see him as it was getting unbearable and messing with my mood at work. Because we know I cannot tolerate more lamictal, he prescribed me trileptal to take ON TOP of the lamictal, to increase my overall dose of mood stabilizers but avoid increasing the lamictal more. Has anyone else ever been treated with two drugs from the same class at the same time, and if so, what triggered your doc to try that and how did it work out for you? I feel like I am doing so well with my irritability, fatigue, and antisociality, it really just comes down to the crying spells being the most unbearable uncontrolled symptom currently. I just want to find something that works !!
submitted by SativaSunshineX to bipolar [link] [comments]
2022.07.18 01:52 IdeaRegular4671 A psychiatrist answered this question “if mania is caused by excessive dopamine and depression caused by low dopamine, what causes mixed episodes?
Quoting the psychiatrist answer to the question. “Your premises are incorrect.
Mania is not caused by excessive dopamine, nor is depression caused by low dopamine.
Bipolar disorder is intrinsically different in its mechanism of action than unipolar, or major depression.
Our understanding of depressive illnesses is that they are genetically predisposed, and environmental traumas, life experiences, psychological losses and the like trigger them, and neurotransmitters are involved in the genesis of those illnesses.
The antidepressants we use to treat those disorders cannot correct the inherited genetics, nor remove the triggers to those illnesses, but aim to correct the neurotransmitter changes.
Bipolar disorder is a disorder similar to epilepsy, but instead of ion channels being disrupted in the motor cortex in epilepsy, the disruption occurs in the limbic system, resulting in mood swings.
Calcium and sodium channels are opened excessively, similar to what happens in seizures, and mood swings occur. As with treating seizures, we use medications to control seizures, such as Depakote or Lamictal, which closes the calcium channels, and stops the seizures, or manic episodes.
Lithium works by substituting for sodium, another ion channel actor. Lithium is just above sodium on the periodic table of elements, which means they share the outer electron valence shell, and can substitute for each other.
In bipolar disorder, lithium ions substitute for sodium, block the excessive channel transmission, and the mania subsides.
Too little release of Dopamine is involved in ADHD in the prefrontal cortex, and too much release with psychosis.
Too little release of dopamine in the substantial nigra, due to withered dopamine fibers, causes Parkinson’s disease.
In the periphery, dopamine is a vasoconstrictor, used in acute, severe blood loss.
Disorders of the brain are complex, and the specific mechanism of action, as well as the location, are crucial elements in understanding.
Lastly, as for mixed episodes, we believe it is a combination of several ions overflowing that are involved in mixed states in bipolar disorder, often needing multiple medications to stabilize the person.”(psychiatrist)
Is the answer the psychiatrist give out true and valid. Like is the science accurate?
submitted by IdeaRegular4671 to Antipsychiatry [link] [comments]
Mania is not caused by excessive dopamine, nor is depression caused by low dopamine.
Bipolar disorder is intrinsically different in its mechanism of action than unipolar, or major depression.
Our understanding of depressive illnesses is that they are genetically predisposed, and environmental traumas, life experiences, psychological losses and the like trigger them, and neurotransmitters are involved in the genesis of those illnesses.
The antidepressants we use to treat those disorders cannot correct the inherited genetics, nor remove the triggers to those illnesses, but aim to correct the neurotransmitter changes.
Bipolar disorder is a disorder similar to epilepsy, but instead of ion channels being disrupted in the motor cortex in epilepsy, the disruption occurs in the limbic system, resulting in mood swings.
Calcium and sodium channels are opened excessively, similar to what happens in seizures, and mood swings occur. As with treating seizures, we use medications to control seizures, such as Depakote or Lamictal, which closes the calcium channels, and stops the seizures, or manic episodes.
Lithium works by substituting for sodium, another ion channel actor. Lithium is just above sodium on the periodic table of elements, which means they share the outer electron valence shell, and can substitute for each other.
In bipolar disorder, lithium ions substitute for sodium, block the excessive channel transmission, and the mania subsides.
Too little release of Dopamine is involved in ADHD in the prefrontal cortex, and too much release with psychosis.
Too little release of dopamine in the substantial nigra, due to withered dopamine fibers, causes Parkinson’s disease.
In the periphery, dopamine is a vasoconstrictor, used in acute, severe blood loss.
Disorders of the brain are complex, and the specific mechanism of action, as well as the location, are crucial elements in understanding.
Lastly, as for mixed episodes, we believe it is a combination of several ions overflowing that are involved in mixed states in bipolar disorder, often needing multiple medications to stabilize the person.”(psychiatrist)
Is the answer the psychiatrist give out true and valid. Like is the science accurate?