Posted by AndrewB on July 18, 2000, at 9:12:56
In reply to Re: MAO-B inhibitor + dopamine-releaser dangerous?! » AndrewB, posted by SLS on July 18, 2000, at 7:39:24
Thank you Rick for your informative post. I always enjoy reading your posts and have printed out copies of them before.
I didn't make this clear at all in my previous post, but even though I feel my social anxiety is as under control as it has ever been now, I can't say that selegiline (at 5mg/day) has given me any benefit at all. I'm just giving it a trial and watching and hoping for the best.
The one study that looked at low dose selegiline and social phobia saw a 33% response rate. This is a modest response, but the result was described to have significance above placebo, if I remember right.
It was interesting that selegiline increased your anxiety Rick. Taking amineptine, a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, increased my anxiety or tension. Amineptine is well known for this.
My impression is that while evidence shows social anxiety to have a dopaminergic component, it may be more to the point to say that it has a D2 (and possibly D3) receptor component. A recent study indicated that social phobics had lower D2 receptor binding potentials.
The antipsychotics amisulpride and sulpiride specifically target the dopamine D2 and D3 receptors. Amisulpride and sulpiride are prescribed overseas sometimes for social anxiety. Evidence shows both of these drugs to be anxiolytic though no studies specific to social anxiety have been done.
All in all, social anxiety seems to be poorly understood; biochemical abnormalities in the GABA, serotonergic, andrenergic and dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems have been suggested.
I don’t feel I have totally gotten at my social anxiety with my combo of amisulpride and reboxetine. Perhaps some of us need to target more than one neurotransmitter system. I intend to try other anxiolytics in the future such as low dose Klonopin.
One more note on selegiline. One study indicated that low dose selegiline was effective for ADD. This study showed a response rate of 60%, comparable to that of stimulants. A poster on another board claimed it improved his ADD symptoms when used with Adderall.
Scott, does selegiline metabolize into amphetamine at low doses?
AndrewB
poster:AndrewB
thread:40697
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000717/msgs/40837.html