Posted by crepuscular on April 26, 2002, at 12:57:45
In reply to Re: SSRI's - why they loose their effect..., posted by Denise528 on April 26, 2002, at 11:45:53
for some people - but not all, and probably not most - simply elevating serotonin will relieve depression. in fact, a few hours after taking an SSRI, inter synaptic serotonin is increased. but people generally do not feel the effect within hours.
it appears that the brain responds to antidepressants in some kind of poorly understood cascade. after about two weeks on an AD, several transmitter turnover rates and BDNF levels are increased. this change usually corresponds to the lifting of depression and suggests that widespread metabolic changes in brain chemistry are producing the subjective effect.
so it is this "cascade" that antidepressants seem to cause, and it can be started by a number of different transmitter systems, hence the wide variety of meds.
poster:crepuscular
thread:103897
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020425/msgs/104210.html