Posted by SLS on May 9, 2005, at 7:38:17
In reply to Re: Kindling? » SLS, posted by Chairman_MAO on May 8, 2005, at 13:48:50
> For what it's worth, years ago I took Effexor with Dexedrine. When I started withdrawing from Effexor, I found that taking the Dexedrine (30-40mg at a time) eliminated all withdrawal symptoms from the Effexor.
>
> I think kindling is relevant to withdrawal from benzodiazepines but not antidepressants. I had a pdoc tell me once that withdrawal from benzos was WORSE than barbiturates because seizures can occur up to 14 days after detoxification, which is unheard of with barbiturates. Antidepressants lower the seizure threshold (while benzos obviously raise it), so I would think that kindling upon withdrawal would be a nonissue, no? If you want I can ask a pharmacologist.
It would appear that withdrawal from SRIs phenomenologically appears like withdrawal from benzodiazepines in that it gets worse the longer it is allowed to continue. If the many reports of extended withdrawal syndrome lasting for months after the last dose of the offending agent can be believed, it looks like those experiencing the worst scenarios are those whom discontinued the SRI abruptly - "cold turkey".I'm too lazy to research it and make a case for a true kindling physiology of these phenomena, but it seems that they can be understood or managed as if they were - a virtual kindling if nothing else. If anything, something might be precipitating a resistance on the part of 5-HT neurons from reregulating themselves due to a lack of change of postsynaptic second messenger and nuclear events despite the loss on reuptake inhibition. The nerves remain hyperexcitable.
Do you happen to know what the physiology is behind the kindling of seizures? I'm not really clear on that.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:460726
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050424/msgs/495466.html