Posted by Larry Hoover on December 4, 2005, at 12:48:34
In reply to Question about 5-htp / Tryptophan, posted by linkadge on December 4, 2005, at 9:03:56
> I read somewhere that long term administration of dopa to parkinsons patients could actually worsen the course of the illness for some reason.
>
> Isn't it possable that loading up on serotonin precursors might also pose similar risks to the serotonergic system ?
>
> LinkadgeMy opinion, for what it's worth. There is no known parallel to Parkinson's that involves degeneration of a serotinergic system, where dedicated cell types die off. In treating parkinsonism, there are two objectives: stopping the atrophy, and symptomatic relief. L-DOPA does give symptomatic relief, but it might cause further atrophy of the remaining live cells. In other words, it's a trade off.
Like I said, I know of no similar neurological disorder involving serotonin. I see no evidence that loading of serotonin precursors has caused worsening of the course of depressive illness, which is about all you could really compare Parkinson's to. So, I consider the increase of morbid risk to be an improbable effect of serotonin precursor loading.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:585341
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20051025/msgs/585375.html