Posted by franco neuro on March 28, 2005, at 13:10:56
In reply to Re: Braverman?, posted by banga on March 27, 2005, at 7:41:11
Hi,
KaraS in her last post and the archives she suggested should give you a pretty good idea of what Dr. Braverman is all about. He has my friend on 400mg of Lamictal and it's helped him a lot. This should have no bearing on how much you take. That's between you and your doctor. As far as Lamictal goes here is what I know. (Mind you I'm not a doctor or scientists. I'm just a screwed up, fairly intelligent, fellow psycho-babbler.)
Lamictal: One of the newer anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). All of them increase GABA, and most of them are N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists. Lamictal inhibits the release of glutamate. It also acts on and interacts with voltage-sensitive sodium channels.
OK. From what I've learned, a lot of research in recent years has pointed to over expression of the brains primary excititory neurotransmitter glutamate and/or increased sensitivity of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) recepter as being a possible cause or at least a contributing factor in the development of many neuro-degenerative diseases (Parkinson's, ALS, Alzheimers, etc.) and neurosomatic disorders (chronic fatigue, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, pelvic inflamatory disease, non-bacterial prostatitis, etc.) Neurosomatic disorders as defined by Dr. Jay A. Goldstein in his book "Tuning the Brain" are disorders caused by or reflecting "inappropriate handling of sensory and cognitive input by the brain." Dr. Goldstein also believes that some chronic psychological conditions like depression and anxiety may also be neurosomatic disorders.
This hyperglutamatergic state, particularly in regards to its interaction with the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (aspartic acid being another major excititory neurotransmitter) may cause excitotoxicity, which can lead to neuronal cell death in a worse case scenerio. Particularly of dopamine producing neurons. (Hence it's implication in Parkinson's disease.) Although in the case of neurosomatic disorders a state of neurotransmitter imbalance as opposed to cell death is more likely. (I hope!) At least in the short term. To put it in plain English. Too much of a good thing (our excititory neurotransmitters) may be frying our brains! (My brain anyway...) This is why I stay away from Aspartame and MSG (monosodium glutamate).
This is one of the reasons why anti-epileptic drugs like Lamictal, Neurontin (it helped me), Pregabilin, etc., are proving to be so affective in a wide range of neurosomatic conditions. They may be neuro-protective. (Once again, remember I'm not a doctor or scientist so take this post and everything else you read on this website with a grain of salt. Unless you have high blood pressure and have been advised to restict your salt intake.)
Whew! Now my brain hurts. I need to take a nap. :-)
poster:franco neuro
thread:474712
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050326/msgs/476747.html