44 lines
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44 lines
2.0 KiB
Plaintext
Newsgroups: alt.psychoactives
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From: bagg@ellis.uchicago.edu (matthew john baggott)
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Subject: MDMA + SSRIs (was Re: Ecstasy + SRRI)
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Message-ID: <1993Apr23.160435.13963@midway.uchicago.edu>
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Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1993 16:04:35 GMT
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In article <16BB97712.FARM-PA@finou.oulu.fi> FARM-PA@finou.oulu.fi (Pentti Arvela) writes:
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>Is it true that ecstasy works by enhancing the serotonin level in brain.
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Yes, MDMA seems to enter the serotonin neuron and cause massive release of
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serotonin.
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>Could it be possible to prolong its effect by new selective serotonin re-
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>uptake inhibitors like citalopram ?? I just wonder.
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Probably not. One of the ways (if not THE way) MDMA enters the 5-HT
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(serotonin) neuron is through the serotonin reuptake transporter. By
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blocking 5-HT reuptake, you also seem to significantly block MDMA's
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entry into the cell, thus probably reducing its effects. I haven't
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seen any reports from humans about this, but I have seen microdilysis
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data wherein an SSRI stopped the fenfluramine-caused increase in
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extracellular 5-HT. On the other hand, Dave Nichols' group reported
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that rats who were pretreated with an SSRI and then given MDMA still
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responded as if they had been given MDMA. However, Nichols has more
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recently concluded that the rats do not experience/respond to MDMA the
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way humans do, since several substances which have no MDMA-like effect in
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humans will substitute for MDMA in rats. Thus, I would not draw strong
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conclusions from his SSRI+MDMA data.
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Some people take SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
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several hours after taking MDMA. Thus is not to prolong or potentiate
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the MDMA trip but to prevent the possibility of a neurotoxin entering
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the 5-HT cell and damaging the cell's axons. This has been shown to
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happen in animals after relatively high or repeated doses.
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Chronic use of SSRIs, as is done in the treatment of depression, seems to
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reduce the effects of MDMA. That is, a higher dose of MDMA is required to
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achieve the entactogenic effect.
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--Matt
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