Posted by mistermindmasta on April 21, 2004, at 15:47:22
In reply to Can Clonidine [CATAPRES] be used for anxiety/ADD?, posted by Vanillintabaktöne on April 21, 2004, at 11:15:03
From what I understand, excessively high or excessively low norepinephrine can cause cognitive difficulties associated with ADD. The underactive ADD types generally have low NE and low DA and the hyperactives generally have high NE and low DA. Ritalin and all stimulants are thought to work through increasing dopamine through inhibiting its reuptake from the synapse. In the case of Strattera, the NE reuptake site also uptakes DA, so Strattera works as a NE reuptake inhibitor to increase DA levels.
But... Sometimes Clonidine works for the hyperactive / anxiety ADD people b/c it lowers NE to a nice baseline level to allow smooth, relaxed concentration, via acting as an agonist at the NE autoreceptors... so you're brain thinks theres too much NE and it actually ends up lowering NE levels overall... allowing for enhanced concentration. Yohimbine raises NE levels and can increase anxiety by antagonising alpha 2 receptors, the opposite of Clonidine, sort of. Still, clonidine doesn't effect dopamine levels as far as I know, so maybe Clonidine + a stimulant might be more ideal? I've read that Guafacine is actually a more potent alpha 2 agonist in comparison with Clonidine, maybe give that a try too.
It seems like Clonidine would be a good idea.
poster:mistermindmasta
thread:338370
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040417/msgs/338442.html