Posted by SLS on May 19, 2000, at 22:02:51
In reply to Magnesium and depression, posted by Sigolene on May 19, 2000, at 14:23:52
> I experienced something new last week. My doc. told me to try Magnesium for tiredness, what I did. And I immediately "fell" in deep depression. When I stopped Magnesium, depression desapeared.
Did anyone already experienced this ? or have an explaination ? (I usually have a too high turnover of DA and 5HT)
> Sigolene
Hi there.
Question: How do you know that you have too high a rate of turnover of DA and 5-HT. Have you ever had a spinal tap?
I don't know exactly what's what, but I believe magnesium may play a regulatory role in the release of neurotransmitters from presynaptic vesicles. A change in the voltage (depolarization) of the neuronal membrane at the terminal causes calcium channels to open and allows calcium ions to rush in. This event somehow induces the neuron to release its neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft. A high concentration of extracellular magnesium Mg+2 ions prevents this calcium influx. The Ca++/Mg++ ratio seems to be important. Magnesium ions influence neurotransmission in other ways as well.Nifedipine, a calcium-channel blocker, has been known to reverse an antidepressant response to tricyclics.
I think it is conceivable that increasing your blood levels of magnesium could have been responsible for the exacerbation of your depression, if not through an increase of extracellular magnesium inhibiting calcium influx (necessary for neurotransmitter release), then perhaps by a perturbation of some other function influenced by magnesium ion.
One time, I tried taking a large amount of calcium supplement (I don't recall the amount). Within a few hours, I became very much more depressed. After this effect wore off, I was afraid to try it again. I read one post here describing exactly the same thing.
- Scott
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High serum and cerebrospinal fluid Ca/Mg ratio in recently hospitalized acutely depressed patients.Levine J, Stein D, Rapoport A, Kurtzman L
Beersheva Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel. levinej@msx.upmc.edu
Calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are involved in many processes related to depression. Evaluations of serum and plasma Ca and Mg levels in depressive disorders do not show consistent results. The few studies that examined their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels tended to find no differences between depressed patients and controls. Because both hypercalcemia and hypomagnesemia are associated with depression, and as Mg may function as a Ca antagonist, it is suggested that the relationship between these cations could be different in depressed patients and controls. We examined CSF and serum Ca and Mg in acutely depressed patients diagnosed as having major depressive disorder or being in a depressive episode of bipolar disorder. Controls were subjects undergoing lumbar puncture as part of an evaluation for headache or suspected meningitis and found to demonstrate no physical or mental disorder. Serum and CSF Ca/Mg ratios were found to be elevated in the depressed patients compared with the controls. A retrospective analysis of previous trials assessing serum/plasma or CSF Ca and Mg does not seem to refute the findings of this study. We further discuss our findings in their relation to the acuteness of the depressive disorders.
PMID: 10072661, UI: 99172254
poster:SLS
thread:34025
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000517/msgs/34072.html