Cortisol

[Walsingham]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol

 

I'm keen to discuss cortisol, and its likely impact on human psychology. Anyone knowledgeable and or interested?

[Humodour]

They're less than you would think.

 

Even adrenaline itself is not psychoactive. The 'adrenaline rush' exists because something else gets released alongside it - noradrenaline.

[Humodour]

Interestingly, street amphetamine (racemic) is considered more 'speedy' than pharmaceutical dextroamphetamine because it releases more norepinephrine (noradrenaline) than dopamine. In truth, though, street speed is only about half as psychoactive; the observational disparity stems from the fact that physical stimulation is mistaken to be a psychological effect.

 

The whole observation disparity surrounding the adrenaline rush and sympathomimetic drugs is a result of separation between the sympathetic nervous system (part of the PNS) and the central nervous system.

 

There's a decent look at the sympathetic nervous system here: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Demystifying_...e_Stress_System

 

Edit: while I'm talking about myths surrounding the adrenal system, it should be noted that the 'sugar rush' does not exist and certainly doesn't have anything to do with childhood hyperactivity. There is an increase in adrenaline and cortisol from carbohydrate binging, but they occur several hours after the fact (due to reactive hypoglycemia, from memory). Moreover, as stated earlier, adrenaline is not psychoactive, so could not be the cause of hyperactivity. Even if it were, noradrenaline itself is not a stimulant (it's the dopamine that makes amphetamines a stimulant).

Edited October 1, 2008 by Krezack

[Walsingham]

Thanks, Krez. Willl read this evening.

[taks]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol

 

I'm keen to discuss cortisol, and its likely impact on human psychology. Anyone knowledgeable and or interested?

cortisol is probably the reason i take sertraline (zoloft).

 

taks

[Humodour]

Thanks, Krez. Willl read this evening.

 

No problem. I like discussing the endocrine system.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol

 

I'm keen to discuss cortisol, and its likely impact on human psychology. Anyone knowledgeable and or interested?

cortisol is probably the reason i take sertraline (zoloft).

 

taks

 

I don't think so. Not unless you have an endocrine disorder or are always stressed (as a cause not a symptom of depression).

 

The fact that you're on Zoloft would indicate it's not an adrenal problem, but a central nervous system problem (Zoloft is an SSRI).

[Llyranor]

rofl taks is depressed

[Nick_i_am]

Don't be mean to Taks, he's depressed.

[taks]

I don't think so. Not unless you have an endocrine disorder or are always stressed (as a cause not a symptom of depression).

 

The fact that you're on Zoloft would indicate it's not an adrenal problem, but a central nervous system problem (Zoloft is an SSRI).

you missed the joke...

 

zoloft is also heavily prescribed for generalized anxiety disorder which is, in my case, the result of stress (i've posted on this often, btw). and yes, i know exactly what any drug does before it goes into my body. i don't like it, either. i suffer from all of the 2% side effects, none of the real common ones.

 

not depressed at all, actually. however, if you read about anxiety or depression, they tend to go hand in hand. at least, someone with GAD has some level of depression and vice versa. hard to actually look at yourself and diagnose mild depression i suppose.

 

taks

[Humodour]

Zoloft for anxiety? I don't believe in long-term treatment of symptoms via drugs if the cause can be treated with them instead. I believe it exacerbates the problem. But I'm not as well read on that area of psychiatry (especially depression/anxiety) as I'd like, so what do I know?

 

I believe you should be acting to lower your stress levels instead.

[taks]

Zoloft for anxiety? I don't believe in long-term treatment of symptoms via drugs if the cause can be treated with them instead. I believe it exacerbates the problem. But I'm not as well read on that area of psychiatry (especially depression/anxiety) as I'd like, so what do I know?

 

I believe you should be acting to lower your stress levels instead.

yes, by coming in here and debating with all of you guys...

 

yes, zoloft for anxiety. it is actually considered as effective as xanax, which is acknowledged as the gold standard for anxiety. xanax, however, is not very effective after 8 weeks or so (i built a tolerance within 6, actually). i still have some xanax left, but haven't taken any in 2 months or so.

 

not much i can do about the stress. i had one friend refer to my situation as the "perfect storm" of stress. i won't go into details (most of which are already posted in here anyway), but the phd was probably the biggest factor and the resulting stomach issues haven't subsided yet.

 

taks

[Llyranor]

Anxiolytics aren't the gold standard for anxiety, especially not a specific commercial brand-name one. Are you a pharma rep?

 

Lose weight, eat fruits, stop drinking and smoking, cut on coffee, get a divorce, quit your job, kill werewolves in video games, and stop posting about politics.

[taks]

xanax (alprazolam) is and has always been (well, since 1981) the gold standard. just about everything i've ever read makes that claim. it does completely eliminate panic attacks and general anxiety, its just not a very long-term solution for most (there are people that take it long-term, and i even know some, but results are mixed).

 

sometimes, unfortunately, life is just difficult to avoid. i actually started with panic attacks (ended up in the hospital thinking it was a heart attack) and was otherwise fine... then the stomach problems started and triggered attacks almost non-stop. that's getting better, a bit, but very slowly.

 

taks

Edited October 1, 2008 by taks

[Llyranor]

Where in blazes are you even getting that from? A quick literature search (via Medline/Pubmed, not google) reveals not a single randomized double-blind study or meta-analysis (though, to be fair, I cut my search to 1996, so maybe outdated 80's medicine did show such a thing) even remotely suggesting anything like that. Not even benzos as a whole, and especially not Xanax specifically.

 

Seriously, did you get that from xanax.com or let some pharma rep fool you by editing wikipedia?

[Humodour]

There's nothing wrong with a Google literature search as long as you use Google Scholar instead of the main search, I've found.

 

Pubmed is pretty great, though.

 

And Xanax is a poor choice for chronic anxiety, too, because of its quick acute tolerance buildup. I imagine that's true for other benzos, too.

[Laozi]

somehow this is socialized medicine's fault

[taks]

And Xanax is a poor choice for chronic anxiety, too, because of its quick acute tolerance buildup. I imagine that's true for other benzos, too.

exactly, and i made that pretty clear, too. it is excellent for short-term, mild to moderate anxiety. it will stop panic attacks 100%, which you cannot improve upon. unfortunately, once the tolerance builds up, it's not really effective.

 

laozi: now you're just being an ass for the sake of being an ass.

 

taks

[taks]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10356648

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12900305

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10622685

 

while none of these are indicative of usefulness per se, they are indicative of what is being used by the medical profession. to refer to something as a "gold standard" implies "what is accepted." it is certainly anecdotal w.r.t. how well it worked with me, but both times i had a severe panic attack and took one 0.5 mg tablet, said attack went away within 45 minutes. the last time i took it, however, i couldn't even tell anymore...

 

personally, the side effects i had with xanax were minimal compared to zoloft (actually, i take neither, but some generic version). at least, what i am experiencing with zoloft sort of sucks. it works for the extreme events, but it also makes me feel nervous and jittery, even when i don't drink coffee (which i do, too much probably).

 

taks

[Laozi]

I thought it was a joke, since we never argued about health care I didn't see the harm.

 

 

I used to have pretty bad anxiety attacks, but once I found out my heart wasn't going to explode I found a way to deal with them. I cut out some of my more detrimental activities and even though I still get them from time to time, I've found a way to cope. Lots of exercise seems to be the best thing.

[Meshugger]

"Well, kids today are too weak in spirit, phwe! I have endured preussian military training, 5 years on the front in the second world war, and seen 60% of my friends die right in front of me. Then i have built my own house from the ground-up, built up a farm, married, and fathered children. Been there, done that. I have developed diabetes of old age, had cancer, and when i had a hearthattack, i didn't even realize it at first, i just thought that my legs felt strangely heavy. But here i am, 91 years old and still living in the same house with my wife. How did i reach this age? Frankly, i have no idea, but i think it has to do with:

 

- Eating pork atleast 3 times a week.

- Eat porridge every morning.

- Use a lot of salt in your food.

- Drink cream with coffee, not that watery milk-stuff.

- Use alot of butter when making pork chops.

- And most importantly, don't worry about anything. When you've stared death in the eye a couple times in your life, it becomes more easy."

 

 

^My grandfather.

 

I just need to think of him when i think that times are 'bad'. It gives you perspective and a sense of calm. No pills for me.

[taks]

I thought it was a joke, since we never argued about health care I didn't see the harm.

okie. apologies. the recent debates (not you, just in general) have me a bit touchier than i should be. plus, i'm bored at the office waiting for some files to copy to my winders pooter.

 

I used to have pretty bad anxiety attacks, but once I found out my heart wasn't going to explode I found a way to deal with them. I cut out some of my more detrimental activities and even though I still get them from time to time, I've found a way to cope. Lots of exercise seems to be the best thing.

they are terrible, aren't they? i am certain my heart is not going to explode, too. i had a nuclear stress test done and the doc said i passed with flying colors. the problem now is my stomach issues, which kick off the jittery anxiety feeling. even though i can rationalize it away to some extent, i.e., i don't think i'm going to die, i can't shake all of it. unfortunately, once that gets going it also makes the belly hurt worse. argh.

 

i have heard that exercise helps. i'm fat (sort of) and lazy. need to backpack more. i keep telling everyone i want to camp for a living, too.

 

walsh, why do you ask (attempt at getting back on topic!)?

 

taks

[taks]

meshugger, i think your grandfather suffers from the best disease of all: good genes.

 

taks

[Llyranor]

Specifying a specific medication as the gold standard is deceptive, when there are tons of other medications equally effective. The abstracts you listed don't even mention alprazolam. You also make it sound like you're pushing a hidden agenda, though you probably aren't, since no one on this forums has any sort of psychiatric problem. You're probably better off giving cognitive-behavioral therapy a try, anyway. Combination works better. Pro-tip: nothing in medicine is 100%

 

(are you getting sexual dysfunction? )

[Meshugger]

meshugger, i think your grandfather suffers from the best disease of all: good genes.

 

taks

 

Maybe, but i think that there's more to it as well. Compared to many, he was always considered a bit lazy, and didn't care about having a career and such. I think that kind of mindset is important for your mind. Meaning, learning how to relax and don't caring for a moment or two

[Humodour]

Two phrases that sum my attitude up: "I'll go where the wind takes me." and "When one door closes, another opens."

 

It's worked great in life so far. I can't recall ever having something like a panic/anxiety attack.