Eric, This is a copy/paste from Lexipro website. Can you dumb this down so that I can understand it and does it have any effect on the seratonin in the GI tract? I know i'm a pain in the butt sometimes, but I read it over and over and I can't grasp it. How SSRIs WorkThe brain chemistry of depression and anxiety is not fully understood. However, a growing body of evidence supports the view that people with these disorders have an imbalance of the brain's neurotransmitters. These are chemicals in the brain that allow nerve cells to communicate. One of these neurotransmitters is serotonin. An imbalance in serotonin may be an important factor in the development of depression and anxiety."Serotonin is released from one nerve cell and passed to the next. In the process, some of the serotonin released is reabsorbed by the first nerve cell. SSRIs block the reabsorption of serotonin into the first nerve cell. It is this blocking action that causes an increased amount of serotonin to become available at the next nerve cell. This is how SSRIs affect the balance of serotonin in the brain." I tried Lexipro 2 years ago and got a D reaction after about a week, and stopped taking it. But I can't find D as a side effect.? I want to be sure when I see my doc later this month that I am requesting the right antidepressent to go with Mikes Tapes.ThanksBrett
Eric
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Brett, I am at work and on the work computer and don't have all the access to my links.However, the post you posted is about serotonin and the brain.The majority of serotonin is stored in the gut and the newer IBS drugs effect gut receptors.The gut brain or enteric nervous system uses serotonin receptors as well.A while ago when they first started prescribing prozac they found patients would get d and nausea from the drug."Clinical Implications. Obviously, these data have important implications for physicians who regularly prescribe mood-altering drugs. Because the neurotransmitters and neuromodulators present in the brain are nearly always present in the bowel as well, drugs designed to act at central synapses are likely to have enteric effects. Early in the course of antidepressant therapy, about 25% of patients report some nausea or diarrhea. With higher dosages or longer duration of therapy, serotonin receptors become desensitized, and constipation may occur. (Presumably, the 75% of patients who do not complain of gastrointestinal disturbance either are not taking enough of the antidepressant or have compensatory mechanisms that reduce the impact of prolonged serotonin availability.) If these effects--which are not side effects per se but predictable consequences of transporter protein blockade--are not anticipated and carefully explained to the patient, they are likely to reduce adherence and limit the value of treatment. On the other hand, the same drugs that tend to cause difficulty for patients who take them for emotional illness may be a godsend to those with functional bowel disease. Moreover, because the ENS reacts promptly to changes in serotonin availability, patients with chronic bowel problems often find their symptoms relieved at pharmacologic concentrations far below those used in conventional antidepressant therapy. "This explains how the Dr Dr Gershon found serotonin in the gut.http://www.hosppract.com/issues/1999/07/gershon.htm
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