Posted by Racer on May 27, 2007, at 15:22:58
In reply to I'm confused., posted by Denise190466 on May 27, 2007, at 15:09:29
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> I also get confused by what seems to me like conflicting findings. For instance one study says that P11 proteing helps depression in rats by increasing localisation of 5HT1B receptors at the cell surface and then another study says that drugs like prozac exert their affects by decreasing 5HT2B receptors?????Those aren't conflicting results -- all the different serotonin receptor types do different things, so upping one sort, while downing others might lead to similar results.
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> Then I read another study which says that most of the beneficial affects of antidepressants comes from their action on the 5HT6 receptor.And then there are the studies suggesting that SSRIs do their magic by upregulating dopamine receptors...
The bottom line, really, is that no one knows, but a lot of people are working on figuring it out. Don't feel discouraged -- unless you want to ;-) -- because you don't understand it all. There's a lot of information out there, and a lot of the studies haven't yet been replicated. My guess is that, eventually, it'll turn out that there are a constellation of biochemical disorders with similar symptoms, all of which are currently lumped together under the name "Depression." That would explain a lot about why people react so differently to antidepressants.
As for what it all means to us, one answer is: nothing. More drugs are coming out, slowly, and there are a lot of existing drugs out there, and we can try them all without knowing anything about the underlying actions or pathologies. The other answer, of course, is that knowing more may help increase our confidence in our doctors, or help us feel better about our response/lack of response to medications.
Really, though, here's what I would say to you: if reading these studies does not help you feel better, or if you find yourself feeling worse after reading them, don't read them. That's a behavioral option open to you for improving your mood. If, on the other hand, you find that you feel better, or more energized by reading them, then by all means -- read away!
Practically speaking, it might help for you to take a basic biopsych class, or even just do a bit of research on what is currently known about the actions of the various serotonin receptors. That way, you might be better able to put those studies in context.
Good luck.
poster:Racer
thread:759830
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070524/msgs/759838.html