Question:
I used caffine and nicotine (cigarettes) to fight my periodic depressions. After I quit smoking I needed to take anti-depressants to help fight my depression. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Reading the article below, it occurred to me that caffeine works by > increasing the production of cyclic AMP. > Does anyone find that they’ve felt better at times when they were drinking > lots of coffee/tea? > I read on Medscape or somewhere like that last year that caffeine may have > an antidepressant effect. > (I’m not suggesting anyone throw away their SSRIs.) > Beyond Monoamines: New Clues, New Approaches > A more comprehensive understanding of the intracellular and signal > transduction pathways may result in novel therapeutic interventions, said > Dr. Phil Skolnik.[10] One of the intracellular pathways affected in the > development of depression is the cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) > system. By increasing the production of cAMP, a cascade of reactions ensue, > including phosphorylation of protein kinase A, stimulation of the > cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) system, and the subsequent > induction of mRNA and new protein synthesis.[11] One of these new proteins > synthesized appears related to depression is brain-derived neurotrophic > factor (BDNF),[12] a member of the neurotrophic growth factor family of > molecules. In vitro, it protects rat serotonin and dopamine neurons against > insult, giving support to the notion that depression-associated > neurodegeneration may occur when there are decreased levels of this > molecule.[13] It has also been observed that chronic antidepressant > administration increases BDNF mRNA levels in the rat hippocampus and that > infusion of BDNF in rat brains during behavioral despair challenge produces > an antidepressant-like action. Thus, enhancement of BDNF may offer a more > direct means of producing antidepressant effects… > from On the Horizon: New Antidepressants Martin L. Korn, MD > Medscape Conference Coverage based on selected presentations at the 154th > Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, May 5-10, 2001, New > Orleans, Louisiana
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>My big vice is Diet Coke. I’m a serious Diet Cokehead. >Denise, its been reported that the aspartame used in diet sodas is bad for >depressives. The nutrasweet depletes B-vitamins, which are essential for >maintaining central nervous system health. Read about it here. I rarely >drink >diet soda anymore or any nutrasweet containing drink. >Scroll down to number six for the hint about aspartame. >http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.hints.html > Thanks, Eric. I appreciate the link. > Actually, I know it’s supposed to be bad for me. The aspartame may make my > depression worse, the caffeine may make my breasts lumpy (and who wants that?? > 
), the phosphoric acid may make my bones brittle and my teeth decay. It’s > like I’m drinking a six-pack of poison every day. Bad, bad stuff. > But, I really have tried life without it, and I swear I feel *sooo* much worse. > So, I’ve decided that’s one tip I’m going to have to forego, at least for now. > My blood work always comes out good on B-vitamins, so maybe I’ll survive my > addiction. :-/ :-) > BTW, my sister is horribly allergic (or sensitive, I guess… I don’t know that > it’s a true allergy) to aspartame. If she chews a little piece of sugarless > gum she has nausea and crushing headaches the rest of the day… she has to > take to bed. > Denise
i throw up when i have fizzy drinks. i however am a serious caffeine addict and go through 1.5 liters of ice coffee a day plus the other hot coffee i have (about 3-5 cups a day)!
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I love the flavored bottled water at Wal-Mart. L – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Thanks for the link, eric. I guess I knew that… I sometimes try drinking >seltzer water rather then soda….
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…….snip > Mostly what I do read is "guy stuff" books, like books > on working out or lifting weights or Penthouse magazine or something like that.
Rather then reading about sex and looking at pictures of women in the top .1 percentile, I think a real woman would be of great help to you eric. You might find that natures cure works even better then drugs, dude. Just dont stop the aerobic exercise!
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Just make sure you take a multivitamin like a Centrum everyday and maybe >throw >in a B-50 or B-100 complex tab daily and you should be fine despite using >products that contain aspartame. I guess. > I think that’s good advice. I do try to keep up with my vitamins. > I dont use any aspartame containing >products anymore, but boy I was a big diet Dr. Pepper and diet Mountain Dew >drinker before depression. Always was stopping at the quick store to get a >diet >mountain dew or diet Dr. Pepper. > Diet Dr. Pepper or Diet Mountain Dew will do when my first love isn’t > available. :-)
Oh not for me. Diet dew..ugh!!!! regular is great but diet…ugh. I never liked Dr. P either…I do like diet 7-up, and sprite…but no caffineeeee, thats why I drink the stuff…and dont even mention diet pepsi!! LOL Steve – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Denise
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Thanks for the link, eric. I guess I knew that… I sometimes try drinking seltzer water rather then soda…. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->My big vice is Diet Coke. I’m a serious Diet Cokehead. > Denise, its been reported that the aspartame used in diet sodas is bad for > depressives. The nutrasweet depletes B-vitamins, which are essential for > maintaining central nervous system health. Read about it here. I rarely drink > diet soda anymore or any nutrasweet containing drink. > Scroll down to number six for the hint about aspartame. > http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.hints.html > Eric > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FactsAndFallaciesOfDepression > MIBS (Minimally Invasive Brain Stimulation) > http://www.musc.edu/psychiatry/fnrd/tms.htm > FIDO…Fuck It Drive On
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> I have fewer mood problems decreasing coffee. > Gemini > "I’m nobody. Who are you?" …..Emily Dickenson
Do you mean you have better moods when you have less coffee? I’d guess that it would probably need to be taken in relatively high doses for about 3 weeks to work, but I don’t know.
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Denise, I hear you so well!! I drink a 2 liter bottle a day if I do not watch myself, its a bad addiction we share. I have been drinking from 12 oz cans now so I make myself be aware of each drink of diet coke. The bottle is so easy to sneak a sip from! By the way…in france it’s called coke light, so if you go now you know!! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Reading the article below, it occurred to me that caffeine works by >increasing the production of cyclic AMP. >Does anyone find that they’ve felt better at times when they were drinking >lots of coffee/tea? > My big vice is Diet Coke. I’m a serious Diet Cokehead. > I reach for one first thing in the morning (I don’t really like coffee) and > have about 5 more during the day. I get withdrawal headaches if I go for more > than about 16 hours without one. > I very much view them as the drug I’m addicted to. I would love to do without > them, but I’ve quit several times, for periods of six months to a year, and > it’s torture — daily torture. I never feel awake, I constantly crave them, > even months and months after I’ve stopped. So yes, I feel a lot better when I’m > consuming caffeine. I could easily drink 15 Diet Cokes a day if I didn’t > consciously limit myself. > The psychological effect is pretty amazing to me — because I feel a rush of > energy the instant the Diet Coke touches my tongue, long before any caffeine > has actually entered my system. Very Pavlovian. In a pinch, I can fool myself > a little by drinking a Caffeine Free Diet Coke. It works very briefly to perk > me up. > To most people, my DC addiction seems out-of-character, because I’m also a > vegetarian and try to eat pretty healthy most of the time. I don’t know what > to tell them… I just *need* this stuff to feel okay. > Last year I read an essay in some women’s magazine by this woman who had a DC > addiction that’s even worse than mine. She carries them in her purse and her > glove compartment. She came home early from a trip to some foreign country > because she ran out of them and couldn’t find more. Her boyfriend had a Diet > Coke fountain dispenser installed in her apartment! > I identified with that chick *so* much! > Denise
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Okey dokey. But for your own intellectual curiosoty, next time you’re at B&N, flip through Andrew Solomon’s book, as well as Hallowell and Ratey’s Driven to Distraction. Acually, John Ratey’s recent book is also quite interesting: The User’s Guide to the Brain. And by the way, inattentive ADDers fit the following profile: sluggish, non-impulsive, dreamy, prone to hyperfocus, etc. This subtype is often missed, and was not recognized in the DSM until after 1970. There are a lot of misconceptions about this subtype, and they slip through the Dx net quite often. Ritalin may not be the best med for them; Adderall or dex is probably better for these adults, some say. But you’re quite right about the cognitive effects of depression. Again, for your interest, here’s a site offering a new treatment approach, as well as describing very specific subtypes: http://www.amenclinic.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Eric– >Have you ever considered an ADD diagnosis, instead of major depression? As >I’m >sure you know — you are very well-informed about mental health issues — >that >many ADDers (especially inattentive women) are incorrectly diagnosed. >Just a thought. I’m sure you’ve already considerd this idea, but was curious >as to your thoughts. Ever read any of the popular books, eg, Drive to >Distraction, Amen’s new book, etc? >Speaking on the subject of books: have you taken a look at Andrew Solomon’s >new book on depression, Noonday Demon? If so, I’d be interested in your >thoughts on it. AS has suffered from deep depression for many years, and has >written a marvelous account — not only of his personal experience, but a >survey of the culture, as well.
No I have not considered ADD and I dont believe I have that. My symptoms are pure SEVERE depression. Perhaps with a ruminative psychosis. I didnt think people with ADD have severe eating, sleeping and sex drive problems. I do have severe cognitive problems, but again that can stem from just plain old severe depression. My last Pdoc, the one I fired right after I got out of the hospital, told me in the hospital that he thought I had some kind of ADD, that had something to do with my cognitive problems. I disagreed with that for a couple reasons, one of which is that Id seen several much better Pdocs before him and ADD had never been suggested. I also disagreed with it because of the simple fact that just plain old severe depression can cause serious cognitive problems. See, I dont really think a lot of people understand how badly severe depression can destroy cognition, Not even some Pdocs understand Ive picked up. Severe depression can really destroy your clear thinking, focusing, remembering, decision making, reading comprehension, etc. Plus Ive tried Ritalin before and while it did improve my cognition some, it didnt do as good a job at it as plain old SSRIs. I was on Prozac when I tried Ritalin. ADD is kind of a hip diagnosis to have right now, kind of like bipolar has been in the past. Im really too methodical in my thinking though to have ADD in my opinion. I think very mechanically and kind of am a methodical person. Im really not all that impulsive and the way I understand it impulsiveness goes along with ADD. Im kind of like the opposite of impulsive, more conservative and careful. Ive never even heard of Noonday Demon. Thats not saying much as I dont read that many books anymore. Mostly what I do read is "guy stuff" books, like books on working out or lifting weights or Penthouse magazine or something like that. I do read Stephen Stahl books however and I do go to Barnes and Noble to browse a lot, but I dont have any money to buy books with anymore. My last magazine subscription ran out a few months ago, MILO, a really cool magazine that covers powerlifting/olympic weightlifting and strongman competitions. Like where strongmen pull trucks and crazy things like that. LOL Im fucking with you a little. Gee a guy with ADD might wanna read MILO huh? Do all guys who like to work out heavy have ADD? I bet some of these shrinks would probably say so. Im very unhyper and more sedated, sluglike. I really dont think I have ADD, really dont. Eric http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FactsAndFallaciesOfDepression - – // oooO ( ) ( ) ) / ( (_
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Should I respond to that easy remark? L – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Doh, how come I never meet the chicks who are easy to please? >—–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– >http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >—–== Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–
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Eric– Have you ever considered an ADD diagnosis, instead of major depression? As I’m sure you know — you are very well-informed about mental health issues — that many ADDers (especially inattentive women) are incorrectly diagnosed. Just a thought. I’m sure you’ve already considerd this idea, but was curious as to your thoughts. Ever read any of the popular books, eg, Drive to Distraction, Amen’s new book, etc? Speaking on the subject of books: have you taken a look at Andrew Solomon’s new book on depression, Noonday Demon? If so, I’d be interested in your thoughts on it. AS has suffered from deep depression for many years, and has written a marvelous account — not only of his personal experience, but a survey of the culture, as well. Yes, I have found after I drink a couple mugs of coffee in the morning I feel much better. And I feel that way both on and off meds. Caffeine definitely has some mild stimulant properties, which for some of us equates to an antidepressant effect (mild). Others however absolutely cannot tolerate caffeine while depressed or anxious. For some, coffee or tea activates terrible anxiety, panic attacks, etc. Ive never had that problem however. Eric http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FactsAndFallaciesOfDepression - – // oooO ( ) ( ) ) / ( (_
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>Does anyone find that they’ve felt better at times when they were drinking >lots of coffee/tea?
Of *course*. C//
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->The psychological effect is pretty amazing to me — because I feel a rush of >energy the instant the Diet Coke touches my tongue, long before any caffeine >has actually entered my system. Very Pavlovian. In a pinch, I can fool myself >a little by drinking a Caffeine Free Diet Coke. It works very briefly to perk >me up. >To most people, my DC addiction seems out-of-character, because I’m also a >vegetarian and try to eat pretty healthy most of the time. I don’t know what >to tell them… I just *need* this stuff to feel okay. >Last year I read an essay in some women’s magazine by this woman who had a DC >addiction that’s even worse than mine. She carries them in her purse and her >glove compartment. She came home early from a trip to some foreign country >because she ran out of them and couldn’t find more. Her boyfriend had a Diet >Coke fountain dispenser installed in her apartment! >I identified with that chick *so* much! >Denise
Doh, how come I never meet the chicks who are easy to please? —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–== Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–
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And they LAUGHED at me when I said it was EVIL! mwahahahahaha Linda – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->My big vice is Diet Coke. I’m a serious Diet Cokehead. >Denise, its been reported that the aspartame used in diet sodas is bad for >depressives. The nutrasweet depletes B-vitamins, which are essential for >maintaining central nervous system health. Read about it here. I rarely drink >diet soda anymore or any nutrasweet containing drink. >Scroll down to number six for the hint about aspartame. >http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.hints.html >Eric >http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FactsAndFallaciesOfDepression >MIBS (Minimally Invasive Brain Stimulation) >http://www.musc.edu/psychiatry/fnrd/tms.htm >FIDO…Fuck It Drive On
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> Others however absolutely cannot tolerate > caffeine while depressed or anxious. For some, coffee or tea activates terrible > anxiety, panic attacks, etc.
Yes, that describes me. When I’m at my most depressed, I treat caffeine as a poison. It’s like liquid anxiety that makes me much more susceptible to panic attacks. I still *need* the stimulating effect of caffeine at work, but I have to be very careful with the amount. I can tolerate and benefit from the caffeine in a couple cups of instant hot chocolate a day, but that’s my limit. And I never take any on the weekend. Bruce.
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hello john i tend to feel lethargic and low in the mornings, so i automatically need 2 cups of coffee as soon as i get to the office. I cant function without them. i tend to drink about 10 mugs a day and then a feel abit hyper, especially if i dont eat that day. There might be something to the claim, but i dont think that it is necessarily curative, i think it temporarily changes your state of mind, but then again, so do meds! lisa xxx
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Reading the article below, it occurred to me that caffeine works by > increasing the production of cyclic AMP. > Does anyone find that they’ve felt better at times when they were drinking > lots of coffee/tea? > I read on Medscape or somewhere like that last year that caffeine may have > an antidepressant effect. > (I’m not suggesting anyone throw away their SSRIs.) > Beyond Monoamines: New Clues, New Approaches > A more comprehensive understanding of the intracellular and signal > transduction pathways may result in novel therapeutic interventions, said > Dr. Phil Skolnik.[10] One of the intracellular pathways affected in the > development of depression is the cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) > system. By increasing the production of cAMP, a cascade of reactions ensue, > including phosphorylation of protein kinase A, stimulation of the > cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) system, and the subsequent > induction of mRNA and new protein synthesis.[11] One of these new proteins > synthesized appears related to depression is brain-derived neurotrophic > factor (BDNF),[12] a member of the neurotrophic growth factor family of > molecules. In vitro, it protects rat serotonin and dopamine neurons against > insult, giving support to the notion that depression-associated > neurodegeneration may occur when there are decreased levels of this > molecule.[13] It has also been observed that chronic antidepressant > administration increases BDNF mRNA levels in the rat hippocampus and that > infusion of BDNF in rat brains during behavioral despair challenge produces > an antidepressant-like action. Thus, enhancement of BDNF may offer a more > direct means of producing antidepressant effects… > from On the Horizon: New Antidepressants Martin L. Korn, MD > Medscape Conference Coverage based on selected presentations at the 154th > Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, May 5-10, 2001, New > Orleans, Louisiana
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Reading the article below, it occurred to me that caffeine works by increasing the production of cyclic AMP. Does anyone find that they’ve felt better at times when they were drinking lots of coffee/tea? I read on Medscape or somewhere like that last year that caffeine may have an antidepressant effect. (I’m not suggesting anyone throw away their SSRIs.) Beyond Monoamines: New Clues, New Approaches A more comprehensive understanding of the intracellular and signal transduction pathways may result in novel therapeutic interventions, said Dr. Phil Skolnik.[10] One of the intracellular pathways affected in the development of depression is the cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) system. By increasing the production of cAMP, a cascade of reactions ensue, including phosphorylation of protein kinase A, stimulation of the cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) system, and the subsequent induction of mRNA and new protein synthesis.[11] One of these new proteins synthesized appears related to depression is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),[12] a member of the neurotrophic growth factor family of molecules. In vitro, it protects rat serotonin and dopamine neurons against insult, giving support to the notion that depression-associated neurodegeneration may occur when there are decreased levels of this molecule.[13] It has also been observed that chronic antidepressant administration increases BDNF mRNA levels in the rat hippocampus and that infusion of BDNF in rat brains during behavioral despair challenge produces an antidepressant-like action. Thus, enhancement of BDNF may offer a more direct means of producing antidepressant effects… from On the Horizon: New Antidepressants Martin L. Korn, MD Medscape Conference Coverage based on selected presentations at the 154th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, May 5-10, 2001, New Orleans, Louisiana
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