"When life stresses out your brain, serotonin helps put distance between you and your stress. When this is deficient, you over-identify with your stress and become overwhelmed. At the golidlox amount, you can separate your identity from your failures and misfortunes enough to live another day. At an excessive amount, it may be that you separate yourself from reality itself in a psychotic break. This is vaguely supported by research indicating that the hallucinogen-activated 5-HT2A receptors start decreasing in density prior to the onset of schizophrenia, which might reflect a negative feedback response to overstimulation."
This helps explain why child abuse and child neglect contribute to schizophrenia
Could chronic constipation such as IBS-C be treated by increasing serotonin in the gut? Would that be safe for the brain—when you don’t want more serotonin in the brain? Any ideas on how? I think 5-htp actually affects brain.
Gosh I wish I had the brain to understand this- been on Effexor for 20+ years and I feel normal. I still can be depressed and still have great empathy for others, but feel like a normal functioning person. I still have anxiety from time to time. I have considered weening off - I tried various times but it made me sick but never fully tried as in working through the process/sickness and also am afraid of falling into depression/anxiety again.
I’m 73 & started taking it after menopause & some serious life issues were overwhelming, but now wonder how helpful it has been for me & if I should detox?
I don’t thinks it’s anything like a “detox.” I believe it changes how many receptors you have and then they freak out from the withdrawal. (But these articles from Chris are going to show up some new ideas, too!) I would work with a psychD to VERY slowly withdraw… very very slow. And get your steps in! Plus start breathing regimen.
Probably high volume low intensity movement is reducing chronic hypoxia by oxygenating tissues, whereas short bouts of high intensity exercise is providing a hormetic hypoxic stress stimulus. As I wrote about in the hiking article, I suspect the average fit person benefits by 4-5 days a month at 6500 feet altitude for such a stimilus.
My Doctor recommends Neurolab. Serotonin seems low but I’m reticent to take it as a supplement. I have seen values on other people’s labs that are really low that seem to be very important that they land within normal values after supplementing with Serotonin.
If you’re in Texas you can see my Doctor. If not, contact Neurolab or Sanesco. Mercola posted an article on how Serotonin works on people that have elevated Serotonin Syndrome and also severe pain from within the body. Mercola recommends Famotidine to help with the pain. He has a Substack that should be available to you. I’m sorry you’re going through that - it feels like walking while asleep. It’s like the brain has changed. My Doctor told me when Serotonin is low your body cannot create it so one has to add it in as supplement or pharma.
Thank you so much for your response. I truly don’t understand if I have high or low serotonin. My body is obviously breaking go it down quickly and that might be depleting my level but could also be the opposite. I am not currently in the US, unfortunately:(
Love learning about all the other nuances of serotonin. So many things in the body have so many roles and they often get overlooked or understudied because one aspect of them gets popular.
But as a bit of a side tangent, i am still wondering regarding the idea of the "happy chemical":
I know this isn't the only effect MDMA has in the brain but it seem the primary one is still reversing the serotonin transporter and flooding neurons with serotonin (if i understand that correctly), which does seem to produce euphoria. And in fact you can blunt the euphoria effect by taking an SSRI which will block the transporter and prevent the reversal. Doesn't that seem to support that idea beyond just stress coping?
I've not done a deep dive on MDMA but just perusing a bit it doesn't seem to be anywhere near primarily serotonergic and the euphroric aspect seems thought to be mediated by dopamine.
"When life stresses out your brain, serotonin helps put distance between you and your stress. When this is deficient, you over-identify with your stress and become overwhelmed. At the golidlox amount, you can separate your identity from your failures and misfortunes enough to live another day. At an excessive amount, it may be that you separate yourself from reality itself in a psychotic break. This is vaguely supported by research indicating that the hallucinogen-activated 5-HT2A receptors start decreasing in density prior to the onset of schizophrenia, which might reflect a negative feedback response to overstimulation."
This helps explain why child abuse and child neglect contribute to schizophrenia
🔥 Fascinating series so far, I’m really enjoying it! Thank you!
👏👏
How does this relate to mast cell and the nervous system ? This is almost watershed imo
Can you cover serotonin syndrome? I had this 9 months ago and I’m still not right.
Edit to add: not caused by SSRIs
3 years in here and never recovered,developed seizure activity and cerebro vascular insufficiency and it's getting worse.
How does this relate to adverse reactions, protracted withdrawals ?
Could chronic constipation such as IBS-C be treated by increasing serotonin in the gut? Would that be safe for the brain—when you don’t want more serotonin in the brain? Any ideas on how? I think 5-htp actually affects brain.
Thank you for these details! This is amazing.
Gosh I wish I had the brain to understand this- been on Effexor for 20+ years and I feel normal. I still can be depressed and still have great empathy for others, but feel like a normal functioning person. I still have anxiety from time to time. I have considered weening off - I tried various times but it made me sick but never fully tried as in working through the process/sickness and also am afraid of falling into depression/anxiety again.
I’m 73 & started taking it after menopause & some serious life issues were overwhelming, but now wonder how helpful it has been for me & if I should detox?
I don’t thinks it’s anything like a “detox.” I believe it changes how many receptors you have and then they freak out from the withdrawal. (But these articles from Chris are going to show up some new ideas, too!) I would work with a psychD to VERY slowly withdraw… very very slow. And get your steps in! Plus start breathing regimen.
Thank you.
I came off an ssri. I suggest you ween off very slowly, eat healthy, and do nervous system regulation work.
https://www.madinamerica.com/2023/05/hyperbolic-tapering-off-antidepressants-limits-withdrawal/
Thank you
Can you elaborate more on the connection between hypoxia and ssris?
So taking high dose melatonin 10mg orally during the day (2pm) will increase my ATP output without disrupting my natural rhythms ?
Not sure about that -- have you seen it studied?
Very enlightening insights here! I’m wondering whether the benefit of consistent movement/exercise is due to reducing hypoxia.
Probably high volume low intensity movement is reducing chronic hypoxia by oxygenating tissues, whereas short bouts of high intensity exercise is providing a hormetic hypoxic stress stimulus. As I wrote about in the hiking article, I suspect the average fit person benefits by 4-5 days a month at 6500 feet altitude for such a stimilus.
thanks!
There’s much more happening when we exercise than just hypoxia. Nrf2 activation, BDNF, etc.
I’d love to see an article on this!
Neurolab is in two locations in Germany and one in Spain.
My Doctor recommends Neurolab. Serotonin seems low but I’m reticent to take it as a supplement. I have seen values on other people’s labs that are really low that seem to be very important that they land within normal values after supplementing with Serotonin.
My 5-HIAA levels have always been elevated on OATs, even though I don’t take SSRIs. I feel like my body’s been stuck in a stress state since 2020.
Mentally, the past few years have been marked by apathy and self-sabotage—which feels strange, because it’s the complete opposite of who I was before
2020. What can I do to normalize it?
If you’re in Texas you can see my Doctor. If not, contact Neurolab or Sanesco. Mercola posted an article on how Serotonin works on people that have elevated Serotonin Syndrome and also severe pain from within the body. Mercola recommends Famotidine to help with the pain. He has a Substack that should be available to you. I’m sorry you’re going through that - it feels like walking while asleep. It’s like the brain has changed. My Doctor told me when Serotonin is low your body cannot create it so one has to add it in as supplement or pharma.
Thank you so much for your response. I truly don’t understand if I have high or low serotonin. My body is obviously breaking go it down quickly and that might be depleting my level but could also be the opposite. I am not currently in the US, unfortunately:(
The companies I mentioned may be in your Country.
My 5-HIAA levels have always been elevated on OATs, even though I don’t take SSRIs. I feel like my body’s been stuck in a stress state since 2020.
Mentally, the past few years have been marked by apathy and self-sabotage—which feels strange, because it’s the complete opposite of who I was before
2020. What can I do to normalize it?
thank you, seriously. Thank you.
Love learning about all the other nuances of serotonin. So many things in the body have so many roles and they often get overlooked or understudied because one aspect of them gets popular.
But as a bit of a side tangent, i am still wondering regarding the idea of the "happy chemical":
I know this isn't the only effect MDMA has in the brain but it seem the primary one is still reversing the serotonin transporter and flooding neurons with serotonin (if i understand that correctly), which does seem to produce euphoria. And in fact you can blunt the euphoria effect by taking an SSRI which will block the transporter and prevent the reversal. Doesn't that seem to support that idea beyond just stress coping?
I've not done a deep dive on MDMA but just perusing a bit it doesn't seem to be anywhere near primarily serotonergic and the euphroric aspect seems thought to be mediated by dopamine.