Posted by Elizabeth on July 20, 2001, at 16:10:08
In reply to Re: more Buspar stuff » Elizabeth, posted by terra miller on July 20, 2001, at 0:19:58
> Elizabeth, I have read this about the serotonin and Buspar. Do you know just what it means in layman's terms?
Sure. Buspirone imitates the actions of serotonin at one of the many types of serotonin receptors (the one designated, uncreatively, type "1a"). (A partial agonist is just an agonist that doesn't produce the full effect when on the receptor.) SSRIs increase the available pool of serotonin, which activates all types of serotonin receptors indiscriminately.
> My issue is that the meds that I have tried that do something to serotonin tend to not be tolerated well. Is buspar primarily a dopamine effecting med, or is there more serotonin action than I originally thought?
It's a weak dopamine antagonist. Its main direct effect is activation of the serotonin 1a (5-HT1a) receptor. It does have indirect effects on dopaminergic transmission with chronic use.
> Any information goes to helping me consider potential side-effects that I typically get on SSRI's and others that have serotonin effects.
Because of its selectivity, BuSpar can be expected not to have a lot of the side effects that SSRIs tend to cause, such as nausea and sexual dysfunction. (I've even heard of people using BuSpar in addition to an SSRI to counteract the sexual side effects.)
The big minus about BuSpar is that (again, probably because of its selectivity) it just doesn't work for a lot of people. If it doesn't seem to be doing anything, I'd suggest that, if you can tolerate it and your doctor says it's okay, you consider taking more than the usual recommended doses. It's safe to take BuSpar in much higher doses, and it has antidepressant effects when doses are used in the range of 60-90 mg. I would guess that these higher doses also work better for anxiety.
I hope this is helpful.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:70575
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010720/msgs/71100.html