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Topic: Compulsive shopper? Take a pill!
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Sisyphus
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1425
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posted 28 July 2003 02:40 PM
quote:
I believe this is the same stuff as the anti-depressant Celexa.
Right. They are both trade names for citalopram: 
[ 28 July 2003: Message edited by: Sisyphus ]
From: Never Never Land | Registered: Sep 2001
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Sisyphus
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1425
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posted 28 July 2003 04:46 PM
quote:
Could those of you who have met this drug before tell us a little more? This is a strange coincidence for me; I need to know what people think of it.
I can tell you a little of the 5-HT (serotonin) re-uptake inhibitors -'book larnin' stuff- but they are used for such a wide range of symptoms and messing with serotonin levels has such a wide and profound collection of effects that it's impossible to generalize. My father has been on a few for depression (but not citalopram) and they did nothing for him. In fact he got nightmares and hallucinations. He's now on Trazodone.
My sense is that choosing SRI's is a trial-and-error kind of affair, which is really scary when you think about it. The best sources of information would be people who've taken it and doctors who've actually monitored a patient the've prescribed it to: drug pamphlets are like all advertising, eh? 
From: Never Never Land | Registered: Sep 2001
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worker_drone
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4220
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posted 28 July 2003 06:06 PM
quote:
People with a compulsion disorder are healthy?
No, but whether or not somebody has an actual compulsion disorder...well, that's a medical diagnosis. Just because somebody is a "shopaholic" or a "chocoholic" does not mean they are suffering from a compulsion disorder. The pharma industry today is all about convincing people that they have a "disorder", a medical disorder that they can help cure. I guess I'm not much for self diagnoses because I've seen friends with real compulsion disorders and seen the havoc it wreaks on their life, and I've seen people who describe themselves as being compulsive shoppers because they can't resist a shoe sale.
From: Canada | Registered: Jun 2003
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Sisyphus
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1425
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posted 29 July 2003 10:25 AM
Thanks Doc, like many SSRI's (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors), citalopram mimics the structure of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5HT):
The homology is sufficient to bind to the serotonin re-uptake receptors on dendrites and cell bodies of serotonergic neurons. The structural homology is not enough, however, to activate the 5HT 1A receptor, which is responsible for serotonergic neuronal firing. The increased extracellular concentration of serotonin ('cause the "clearing pump" has been blocked) inhibits firing of these neurons by increasing the extracellular serotonin concentration (negative feedback effect involving the 5HT1A receptors) and prevents (indirectly)their releasing even more serotonin. Edited to add: As far as the structure of the 5HT 1A receptor, you're on your own, though I suspect it has been cloned and sequenced. If this is the case, the 5HT binding motif is probably known as well from truncation or site-directed mutagenesis studies. If you're not in a hurry, I'll look into it over lunch.  [ 29 July 2003: Message edited by: Sisyphus ] [ 29 July 2003: Message edited by: Sisyphus ]
From: Never Never Land | Registered: Sep 2001
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Sisyphus
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1425
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posted 29 July 2003 11:25 AM
I think, pax, it was more the sound of un-deconstructed academic jargon going by you  .Dr C, Here is a good summary of serotonin receptor trivia. Oh yeah, I almost forgot: skdadl, I was totally out to lunch when I suggested who you should trust when you want info about complicated drugs: I'd trust the experience of a competent psychiatric NURSE over, doctors, patients and pharmacologists anytime. [ 29 July 2003: Message edited by: Sisyphus ]
From: Never Never Land | Registered: Sep 2001
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