Posted by Ame Sans Vie on September 11, 2003, at 21:00:07
In reply to Re: Weight gain question?, posted by Ethel Basset on September 11, 2003, at 20:15:55
I came across this article a while back:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030907/msgs/259205.html
"Brain scans show that obese people, just like drug addicts, have fewer receptors for dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps produce feelings of satisfaction and pleasure.
"The finding at the Brookhaven National Laboratory has prompted scientists to theorize that one reason people overeat is to stimulate the dopamine "pleasure" circuits in the brain, just as addicts do by taking drugs."
...
"The researchers found that study subjects with the highest Body Mass Index had the fewest number of dopamine receptors. Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a ratio of weight to height."
Soooo, if SSRIs do in fact decrease the action of dopamine (as so many of us seem to agree they do), the food *cravings* they cause are most likely mediated mostly via this route, though increased *appetite* is probably mediated via 5-HT2c binding. Whatever the case, I still agree 100% that these drugs have to exert some effect on one's metabolism.
poster:Ame Sans Vie
thread:258700
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030907/msgs/259229.html