Posted by psychobot5000 on December 22, 2008, at 10:56:32
In reply to Re: Agomelatin: could 5HT(2c) action be bad for sl, posted by linkadge on December 21, 2008, at 22:34:13
Hi Link,
>
> I wonder if a 5-ht2c agonist antidepressant would have psychedelic properties?Like in that pilot study indicating psilocybin had a positive acute effect on OCD symptoms? I knew a guy with severe OCD who continually self-medicated with psilocybin mushrooms, by the way. At least that was my interpretation of his situation...
> A 5-ht2c agonist might have more application in depression associated with hyperactive frontal cortex function (for instance OCD/Depression). A 5-ht2c agonist might also work well with atypical depression depression that is associated with overeating etc.
So is OCD thought to be related to frontal cortex overactivity? (I have both OCD and severe difficulty with executive function...so I'm very curious...) It's worth mentioning, that (I read in one article) some patients find Remeron (5HT2c antagonist, no?) highly effective for OCD symptoms. I also found this to be the case from my personal experience. Any ideas what might explain the (apparent) paradox that both 5HT2c agonists and antagonists can be effective on OCD? Granted, mirtazipine (like most antidepressants) takes several days to have its positive effects, whereas presumably psilocybin gives its benefits almost immediately, when the user takes them, leaving open the question of whether mirtazipine's positive effects are due to some sort of re-regulation... But should one look to the medications' effects on other targets as well (i.e. 5HT-2a)? How well understood is the 5HT-2c link?
(and if frontal cortex activation is bad for OCD...what is someone like myself with both OCD and cognitive dysfunction/executive dysfunction supposed to do, I wonder?)
I'd be very curious to hear any insight anyone might have, of course. I suppose the practical answer to such questions is: take agomelatine and see what happens. But it sure is all confusing.
Psychbot
poster:psychobot5000
thread:869924
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20081214/msgs/870258.html