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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 MB on August 8, 2001, at 13:53:57
I have a question about mood stabalizers and their concomitant use with antidepressants. There are times when I am not depressed and times when it is severe. Some of my "up" moments are marked by extreme anxiety and panic, and I think the only reason I'm not depressed at these moments is because I'm too preoccupied with racing heart, racing thoughts, chest pain, and feeling like I'm going to faint to be depressed. However, there are certain "up" times that border on normalcy. If I were to take a mood stabalizer with an antidepressant to level out the bad "up" times, will I also lose the good "up" times? I don't think I could bear to lose the few moments a week that I feel decent. I mean, if I combine an antidepressant (to remove the down time) with a mood stabalizer (to remove the up time) won't I just feel nothing?
Posted by SalArmy4me on August 8, 2001, at 14:23:22
In reply to Question about mood stabalizers, posted by MB on August 8, 2001, at 13:53:57
You need a mood-stabilizer with mood elevating properties like Lamictal. Lamotrigine works on serotonin, alleviating anxiety and depression (unipolar or bipolar), according to these and other studies:
Southam E, Kirkby D, Higgins GA, Hagan RM. Lamotrigine inhibits monoamine uptake in vitro and modulates 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake in rats.
Eur J Pharmacol. 1998 Sep 25;358(1):19-24:
"The inhibition of the p-chloroamphetamine-induced 5-HT syndrome in rats suggests that lamotrigine also inhibits 5-HT uptake in vivo. These effects probably reflect an affinity for biogenic amine transporters..."Erfurth A, Amann B, Grunze H. Female genital disorder as adverse symptom of lamotrigine treatment. A serotoninergic effect?
Neuropsychobiology. 1998 Oct;38(3):200-1:
"The new anticonvulsant, lamotrigine, is becoming an important tool in the treatment of bipolar disorder, including bipolar depression. Its efficacy in bipolar depression might be linked to its inhibition of serotonin uptake..."Kumar TC, Khanna S.
Lamotrigine augmentation of serotonin re-uptake inhibitors in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2000 Jun;34(3):527-8.Shiah IS, Yatham LN, Lam RW, Zis AP. Effects of lamotrigine on the 5-HT1A receptor function in healthy human males.
J Affect Disord. 1998 May;49(2):157-62.
This is the end of the thread.
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