Posted by andrewb on June 28, 2018, at 10:47:28
In reply to Antibiotics - minocycline - to treat depression?, posted by JohnBoy2000 on June 17, 2018, at 15:44:32
Hello,
I don't think it is really as confusing as it seems as to why minocycline can work for some. Also it isn't a crazy mystery as to why antibiotics can either cause depression or relieve depression or just have no effect.
If you look at depression as an inflammatory disorder specifically, mediated by the inflammasone NLRP3, thing start making sense. For example, think of minocycline's antidepressant effect likely due NLRP3 inhibition rather than as an antibiotic effect (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5773028/). Note that it is speculated that an SSRI's effectiveness is also based on their abilities as NLRP3 inhibitors. But some drugs that inhibit NLRP3 inflammation in one situation will not in another. So possibly minocycline can be effective where an SSRI wasn't because of its different mechanism of NLRP3 inhibition.
So why do other antibiotics sometimes help with depression or cause it? NLRP3 is activated by many things, but in normal health
you want it to be activated when pathogenic bacteria or viruses enter the body so the immune system can be engaged to respond and eliminate them. SOME antibiotics eliminate good bacteria in the gut that protect the gut lining from letting in bad bacteria. Also these good bacteria put out butyrate that helps control excess NLRP3 inflammation. Without the good bacteria, bad bacteria can take over the gut and enter the body through the impaired gut wall causing ongoing inflammation and possible depression. But when an antibiotic helps with depression it might indicate that there was already a source in the body of bacterial infection that the antibiotic eliminated. An example of this may be from gum disease.
So if depression is caused by NLRP3, how is it controlled? It is controlled by controlling the causes of chronic NLRP3 inflammation and by taking certain helpful drugs or supplements or making dietary/lifestyle changes. These include:-use CoQ10 (100 mg, three times a day with food)
-use Curcumin, bioavailable (e.g. Curcubrain, 4 caps, twice a day on empty stomach)
-use melatonin, 2mg before bed
-consider exogenous ketones (hydroxybutyrate)
-consider butyrate supplement
-consider metformin for both NLRP3 and blood sugar control.
Lifestyle Changes:
-prevent allergens: ( e.g. change sheets and filters)
-keep a healthy gut (e.g. probiotic L rhamnosus , probiotics inulin and cold potato starch, also zinc supp.)
-keep healthy gums
-avoid stress
-control sleep apnea
-avoid saturated fats
-control blood sugar, avoid high sugar diet
-good oils: olive, coconut, and fish oils
- control obesity
-consider ketogenic diet (but also consider quality of fats used.)I hope this is helpful!!
poster:andrewb
thread:1099196
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20180521/msgs/1099323.html