4 ms·
The name "Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor" vaguely sounds like it has something to do with rebalancing chemicals.
by nsxwolf 4y ago
The name "Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor" vaguely sounds like it has something to do with rebalancing chemicals.
- PaulHoule 4y agoSSRIs are exactly what they say. They inhibit the function of this thing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin_transporter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin_transporter Now what happens after you block the serotonin transporter and how that leads to relieved symptoms of depression and anxiety, that's much more controversial. There is a strong association between social dominance and serotonin, and "low serotonin levels" are associated with being an underdog. It's a reasonable assumption that SSRIs attenuate stress-related brain damage caused by being an underdog. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-33410-1 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-33410-1 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-002-1049-7 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-002-1049-7 You don't hear that one very much because if you took it seriously it would mean you shouldn't take a pill but rather you should join a revolutionary party.
- astrange 4y agoYellow card for insufficient dialectics. Joining a revolutionary party makes you more of an underdog! Obviously there's no way to just become someone who can feel successful, but having social hobbies is a more normal way to get there. But if you're depressed you have a harder time doing that. It's probably not what SSRIs are doing though. It might be something BDNF related, or brain inflammation (everything's inflammation…). https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/how-antidepressants-work-last https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/how-antidepressant...