Posted by cybercafe on July 17, 2002, at 2:44:16
In reply to enhancing and decreasing the same neurotransmitter, posted by Sigolène on July 17, 2002, at 2:06:10
> There is something i don't understand. Maybe semeone can explain me.
> When they prescribe an antipsychotic (risperdal) together with an AD, they have the opposite effect. One is increasing 5 HT, the other is decreasing it !
> The same when you have antipsychotic with ritalin, on is increasing dopamine, the other is decreasing it.
> How can these meds be prescribed together ?
antipsychotics don't decrease a neurotransmitter, they block a specific receptor...in other words ... you would be right if an antipsychotic blocked all of the D1, D2, D3,D4 and D5 dopamine receptors and you also took a drug that increased synaptic dopamine level.. however i believe the antipsychotics you are referring to only block one of the dopamine receptors -- D2 -- and only a few of the serotonin receptors 5HT2A and others ... ?
... another interesting effect is that if you take an antipsychotic and block a receptor, that leaves more dopamine available for the other receptors ... so the antipsychotic effectively increases the dopamine content in the synapse ...
poster:cybercafe
thread:112626
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020709/msgs/112632.html