![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Andy on April 27, 2000, at 18:15:59
I just read about this drug in development and it has shown promise for treating the above and anxiety disorders. I'd like to know someone can try this and other drugs in development without going to a clinical trial center. There they want you to stop all meds before trying the studied drug. I've been taking ativan for years and cannot stop.
Posted by Cam W. on April 28, 2000, at 7:13:54
In reply to Substance P antagonist antidepressant??, posted by Andy on April 27, 2000, at 18:15:59
Andy - I am not convinced by the working hypothesis of substance P antagonist mechanisms of action (but I have been wrong before).The reason they need drug-free individuals is to prove that it was the drug that they are testing that is causing the decrease in depression and/or anxiety alone. Confounding factors just raise more questions. - Cam W.
Posted by Scott L. Schofield on April 28, 2000, at 20:24:51
In reply to Substance P antagonist antidepressant??, posted by Andy on April 27, 2000, at 18:15:59
> I just read about this drug in development and it has shown promise for treating the above and anxiety disorders. I'd like to know someone can try this and other drugs in development without going to a clinical trial center. There they want you to stop all meds before trying the studied drug. I've been taking ativan for years and cannot stop.
How recent is the information you have encountered?Last year, there was quite a bit of excitement surrounding the possible efficacy of substance-P antagonists as antidepressants. I think this was brought about by the conclusions reached by a single study. There may have been others, but I remember this one in particular garnering all of the attention. Subsequent studies published a few months later contradicted these conclusions. I checked out Medline to see what's happening. It seems that the substance P preferring NK1 receptor remains an object of study for the development of antidepressants.
It's hard to find open-label studies of investigational drugs.
- Scott
Posted by Jennifer on April 29, 2000, at 0:58:04
In reply to Re: Substance P antagonist antidepressant??, posted by Scott L. Schofield on April 28, 2000, at 20:24:51
All I know about Substance P, is that it is a neuropeptide (protein for the brain). It is in the same group of chemicals as Endorphins and Enkephalins. These are both painkillers and soothers. So, I do not doubt that Substance P (short for some protein long word) would be used in small amounts to increase the level of protein in the brain to inhance absorption of the proper chemicals
Sheesh.
Posted by Cam W. on April 29, 2000, at 9:47:38
In reply to Substance P - - All I know, posted by Jennifer on April 29, 2000, at 0:58:04
Substance P is a neurotransmitter taht stimulates vasolidilation, contraction of the intestine and other smooth muscle, acts in diuresis (formation and secretion of urine), natriuresis (excretion of sodium) and plays a part in salivary secretion.
The action of substance P that we are looking at here is how it affects the function of the peripheral and central nervous systems. It is thought to be the principle chemical mediator of pain impulses from the periphery to the CNS.
Capsicum or capsaicin, the stuff that makes cayenne peppers hot, is found in some of the better analgesic rubs (eg Zostrix). Capsaicin, when rubbed on in a cream, seems to make the skin insensitive to pain by depleting and preventing the reaccumulation of substance P in the peripheral (outside the CNS or brain) sensory neurons. No chemicals available to stimulate the nerves to feel pain, thus, no pain. For this reason, I do not recommend anlagesic rubs. Using them does relieve the pain in sore muscles, but that pain is telling you something (to stop using that muscle so much until it recovers). By continuing to use that muscle, because you are pain-free, you are risking damaging it further, sometimes to the point of permanent damage (doesn't happen often, though).
How substance P theoretically works as an antidepressant is still a mystery to me, even after reading a couple articles on the subject. Naively, one could say that by blocking substance P, you are relieving the pain of depression.
Musing away - Cam W.
Posted by JohnB on May 3, 2000, at 20:36:10
In reply to Substance P - - All I know, posted by Jennifer on April 29, 2000, at 0:58:04
There are posts about Substance P on this board from last year. Merck was testing it for depression, but the test results at the time were apparently disappointing.
Posted by kazoo on May 5, 2000, at 0:08:45
In reply to Re: Substance P - and still more, posted by JohnB on May 3, 2000, at 20:36:10
> There are posts about Substance P on this board from last year. Merck was testing it for depression, but the test results at the time were apparently disappointing.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Funny how I never "noticed" this post until today when I called UCONN
re. a trial study using this mysterious stuff called
"Substance 'P' " ... very interesting.Of course I wasn't accepted, typical of the kind of non-help one gets in this
hick, tight-assed State of Connecticut. Sheesh, you'd think they would have swept me off my feet
with my checkered background.You never know these days.
Greetings to John B.
kazoo
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.