Posted by bob on April 10, 2000, at 19:03:25
In reply to Re: Ecstasy and Anti-Depressants, posted by Pfc. boB on April 10, 2000, at 18:27:51
Mike,
boB (being a Bob, of course) has some good points, particularly wrt the brain reorganization stuff. We used to think that any brain cells you kill off were permanent losses, whereas more recent work shows both that nerve cells can regenerate and that whatever is "hardwired" can get re-routed ... something I've seen firsthand in my father's recovery from a stroke that left him unable to read a single word (he could still write, talk, listen fine). Within six months, he was back close to normal.
The other thing to keep in mind is that not all antidepressants work on seratonin. Tricyclics as a class, if I'm not mistaken, tend to have a stronger effect on norepinephrine than seratonin. Wellbutrin has some effect on dopamine as do stimulants. So, if you were depressed before you may have fried some seratonin receptors, seratonin may not have been the problem in the first place.
Bottom line -- see a pro if you think you have a problem with depression.
cheers,
bob
poster:bob
thread:29544
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000401/msgs/29570.html