Posted by Shawn. T. on July 29, 2002, at 18:19:27
In reply to Shawn, please help., posted by bubblegumchewer on July 29, 2002, at 13:53:56
I apologize about that; I may try to write something more accessible on that topic. There are definitely much better medications already available, but the FDA has to approve them before they can be marketed in the US. You can buy some of these drugs, although they are wildly expensive (for lab use only). The one that I would most like to see is a drug that destroys 5-HT-moduline neuropeptides (although I cannot say whether or not it would be safe in humans; it has only been given to rats to my knowledge).
There is also a drug called SB-236057-A that is a 5-HT1b inverse agonist. My understanding of inverse agonists is that they maintain an equilibrium between the inactive state of a receptor and the active state. Agonist binding of a receptor results in a switch to the active state. Antagonists have will cause a receptor to be both in the active and inactive state; equilibrium is maintained, but agonists and antagonists cannot affect the receptor. Don't worry about understanding that, just know that such a drug will likely be an effective antidepressant with very few side effects.
http://www.biopsychiatry.com/sb-236057.htm
also check out the following, which is about a similar drug:
http://nootropics.com/5ht1bmem.html
There is another drug called GW353162 that is a noradrenaline/dopamine reuptake inhibitor that may be interesting (this one is in stage 1 clinical trials). Substance P antagonists (actually called NK1 antagonist) have been shown to be about 50% effective in treating depression, but they have very few side effects (5-HT3 antagonists are similar, although not as powerful for blocking the actions of substance P). There are some in stage 1 clinical trials, and I believe that they will be very effective for certain types of pain management. There is a corticotropin release factor antagonist (CRF-R1) called SB723620 (also in stage 1 clinical trials). CRF basically signals the body to release stress related hormones such as cortisol.
Drugs called Ampakines made by Cortex Pharmaceuticals are looking interesting (moreso for schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease, however).
http://www.cortexpharm.com/html/research/ampakines.htmlBy refusing to take SSRI's, you can help the drug companies to understand that these drugs are unacceptable and that they should spend their millions of dollars on improving their products rather than marketing them. You should certainly not feel a loss of hope. The days of relying on snake oils are over; we are beginning to truly understand the actions of psychiatric drugs on the brain. Our understanding of the brain is advancing at a faster rate every year, so you should rest assured that a cure is on the way. I haven't read your other post, so I'll not comment on currently available meds.
Shawn
poster:Shawn. T.
thread:114124
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020725/msgs/114218.html