Posted by Frog on April 6, 2003, at 16:38:44
In reply to Re: cortisol is the consequence of my problems » Frog, posted by Pfinstegg on April 5, 2003, at 17:24:25
Hello Pfinstegg,
Thank you very much for your advice , I am taking note of it.
I am going to tell a bit about myself so that you can see exactly my situation. I suffer from major depression since at least 5 years(at the beginning the depression was not so major)and this is only recently (november 2002) that I was daignosed with this disease. The main symptoms I have are : Extreme fatigue 24/7 (I am perfectly able to distinguish mental fatigue from physical fatigue) , unable to concentrate, loss of interest in everything I used to enjoy in the past...
Since then , I have been on various antidepressant (Prozac, Effexor, Anafranil , Seroxat , Ixel) but noone has worked for me , I only got various side effect..
Now regarding suggestions you have mentionned :> 1. Take all the vitamins and supplements which are thought to be neuroprotective, such as fish oil, B vitamins, alpha lipoic acid, phosphadatyl serine and 7-keto DHEA
>Ok , I think it would be interesting to look in that way . I also remember seeing that “ketoconazole” could have antidepressant effect by lowering cortisol levels. I read that in the book of Andrew Solomon “The noonday demon”
> 2. Consider AD's which are thought to have neuroprotective qualities, such as lithium- perhaps in low doses. Tianeptine, available in Europe,has been shown to protect rat and tree shrew hippocampuses from damage caused by cortisol. In animal studiers, it prevents neuron loss, and allows the daily creation of new neurons to continue even when cortisol levels are high. Some neuroscientists are thinking that it is the daily birth of new neurons in the hippocampus which prevents depression from occurring.
> Currently, a lot of the "regular" AD's are being evaluated for their neuroprotective effects, and we should soon know more about which ones do a good job.
>Tianeptine is known as Stablon here , and I did know until you mentionned it that could have good effect in lowering cortisol . Therefore, I will definately give a go to this drug if my current antidepressant fails.
> 3. Look up the studies currently being done at Stanford and NIH on the use of mefipristone in depression associated with high cortisol levels. They have reported very dramatic results. It is a short-term treatment- I think it's 7-10 days, and I don't know how they manage long-term treatment. Still, these studies are considered very promising- they are "fast-tracked" by the FDA- and they would seem to meet your situation.
>Those studies seems to be very promising if it has an antidepressant effect and can also deal with high cortisol levels , I hope that this drug would also get approval in Europe too since I am european.
> 4. Get familiar with what ECT and TMS can do. They have the same effect of increasing neurogenesis, calming HPA over-activity, and increasing blood flow to the left hippocampus and frontal lobe.
>Regarding TMS , I read in a book that it was effective but mainly for low/mild depression . About ECT , it is said to be very fast and powerful for major/atypical depression. Before trying such therapy , I really hope that I could find a solution among drug available before.
> 5. Don't forget psychotherapy! A good therapist can help you learn gradually how to prevent the hyperrousal which gets all these unwanted physiological reactions going.
>
> Good luck! And be sure to let us know what you decide upon- and what you think works.
>Thank you very much for your support Pfinstegg , at the moment I am on Marsilid(50mg/day) since 4 days and I really hope this drug will be the right one for me.
Frog
poster:Frog
thread:216253
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030402/msgs/216730.html