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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Janelle on July 12, 2001, at 21:18:59
You mentioned somewhere above that a "chronic" change in *gene expression* in monoaminergic neurons with the SSRI's for example, takes time, which is why they take awhile to kick in despite side effects happening right away. Could this "chronic" change in gene expression in those neurons become PERMANENT with long-term use of an SSRI - I'm concerned because I was on Paxil for seven YEARS (before poop out and some other factors). If you could answer here - great, or if you would also like to email me, feel free to do so: mermaiden22@hotmail.com.
Posted by pellmell on July 13, 2001, at 9:54:22
In reply to Sorry, PELLMELL, but question re perm. neuron chg:, posted by Janelle on July 12, 2001, at 21:18:59
About the permanent effects of antidepressant drugs...
I'm not sure if anyone's sure. The people who make a career out of studying these things (Cam W. has talked about this in the past) hypothesize that the brain can adopt the postitive aspects of the new neurochemistry that SSRIs and the like introduce, making it unnecessary to keep swallowing pills after about a year of drug therapy. In practice, though, this doesn't seem to happen...at least judging from my own life so far and the lives of most who post on this board.
Changes in the expression of your genes happen every day, depending on what you eat or breathe, where you are in your hormonal cycle, how much time you've spent in the sun, etc. I didn't mean to imply with my **'s that changing gene expression was an uncommon thing for a carbon-based life form. :) It is the primary way that current antidepressants are thought to work, though.
So...can anyone else say anything on this subject? :)
-pm
P.S. - Janelle... I discovered something interesting about Paxil the other day: it also inhibits norepinephrine reuptake a bit, more than any other SSRI (BTW, Effexor isn't an SSRI..it's an NSRI: norepinephrine *and* serotonin reuptake inhibitor. So it's correct to call it an SRI, but not an *S*SRI. :) At up to around 150mg [the lowest theraputic dose for depression], though, its primary effect is on the serotonin reuptake pump. It takes a higher dose for it to affect NE significantly as well). This action on NE might not have any clinical significance, though. Anyway, in light of this, maybe the NE action of Effexor isn't what's causing you trouble.
This is the end of the thread.
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