Posted by munificentexegete on February 14, 2007, at 16:50:55
In reply to Re: Seroquel in low vs high doses » munificentexegete, posted by blueberry1 on February 14, 2007, at 9:09:37
> I wasn't aware most people here have lab tests showing oversupply of dopamine or serotonin, or any labs tests on dopamine serotonin at all. What lab tests are you talking about?
sure, i thought everyone was getting treated for their imbalances and/or receptor problems? why else would one take medication?
> How exactly do you measure your serotonin and dopamine on a daily basis? Please fill me in on these tests. Interested in learning more of your thoughts.
> From things I've read at pubmed.com, antipsychotics increase dopamine levels, and are either neutral or increase serotonin levels. At the same time they partially block the receptors from sensing the dopamine serotonin.right you are, some do, this is because some people have too much or too little dopamine/serotonin in their brains the classic chemical imbalance, while others have overactive or underactive receptors while other have structural damage to their dopmaine architecture as in the case of Parkinson's.
luckily they have many lab tests including urine, blood and spinal fluids, and mri and pet scans for receptor architecture, prevalence, occupancy and function.
Once they identify the problem, it is a matter of relevant treatment, by either trying to alter the amount of dopamine/serotonin in the brain, or trying to either suppress or increase the activity of the receptors.
if a dopamine or serotonin imbalance is detected and being treated for, urine or blood while not as accurate as spinal fluid tests, allows an individual to measure their catecholamines levels on a daily basis to ensure medication is working as expected:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003561.htm
> Since everyone's genetics and wiring are so different, how does one know what "normal" sertonin dopamine levels are? Or if they are too high or too low? Seems kind of like the one shoe size should fit everybody kind of thing.it is largely a matter of measurement, analysis and statistics. In the same way that normal insulin levels are understood based on factors such as sex, age and weight, so too we understand what normal levels or serotonin and dopamine are. if your doctor told you about the chemical imbalance he no doubt pulled out a chart and showed you where your levels were relative to the normal range for your age, sex, height and weight.
> How do we explain when someone is not helped by serotonin dopamine manipulation, either up or down, but are helped by such things as lamictal, lithium, xanax, etc?
it depends on the underlying physiology involved really, if the patient has a serotonin or dopamine imbalance, then other medications won't really deal with the medical issue at hand and cannot be justified.
we are living in the space age, space stations sending research robots to mars, genetic cures for cancer, we cannot justify a "suck it and see" approach, it is a matter of science, and that means identifying the underlying medical cause and dealing with it appropriately.
poster:munificentexegete
thread:732568
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070213/msgs/732800.html