Re: Antidepressants and mold exposure, was: Drugs taken by

[Guest guest]

When one suddenly is having to face the loss of their health, the sudden

loss of their home, belongings, work and finances, everyone here knows the

emotional shock and extreme devastation that is experienced with this. Worse

still, unlike with a natural disaster, there is little understanding or

support.

We have seen people on this list facing these very situations who in the mold

haze, confusion and desperation become suicidal. I actually would be

surprised to find those that have gone through the above and more, who were not

at

one point or another suicidal.

It is at this early stage where there is an emotinal component present

whereby antidepressants can be of great help to some. The challange with this

is

to find the right antidepressant during this window period of time which

takes a knowledgable psychiatrist. I am in agreement that there are problems

with the SSRI's and it is not uncommon for those with mold exposure to be

extremely sensitive to these drugs and to react poorly to this class of

antidepressants. Often one can be better served by the antidepressants in the

other

categories. However, this must be left up to the treating psychiatrist to

determine.

As the emotions of the initial phase wind down it is only in the next stage

that can begin to reveal and reflect the full organic injury, which may not

respond to antidepressant therapy.

What is unfortunate is that most psychiatrists have no understanding or

education in just how mycotoxin exposure affects the brains of those affected

by

this syndrome. The pattern of short term memory loss, the inability to

organize oneself, the inability to concentrate, the fog, confusion and

inability

to make decisions all leave one feeling like they are moving through

molassis. The clinical presentation with the same cognitive deficits amongst

those

affected by mycotoxin exposure are almost identical. Though the description of

these symptoms may mimic a depressive syndrome, these symptoms as part of the

effects of mycotoxin exposure fall into a different category, that of an

organic brain syndrome. It becomes most frustrating when this is not

understood

and simply attributed to the manifestations of a depressive disorder.

If there is a long ways to go in the education of physicians to the

recognition and treatment for mold exposure, there is an even longer ways to go

in

educating psychiatrists to this syndrome.

In a message dated 4/18/2007 2:27:42 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

jeaninem660@... writes:

I can tell you this much. the effects of stachy myco exposure on the

cns and zoloft dont mix well at all. to many doctors like to throw

antidepressants at you without first finding the cause of your anxity

and depression. god help you if you have any prior events before your

mold exposure that a doctor can blame your anixity and depression on

because they won't look any further than that. and it doesn't matter

what you tell them because they rarely listen to you anyway.

> >

> > Apparently, he was on 60mg of Prozac. Go figure! And,

according

> to this CBS News article at:

> >

_http://www.cbsnews.http://www.chttp://www.http://wwhttp://www.http:_

(http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/26/national/main683321.shtml)

> > it says that he had recently had his dose increased. Anyhow,

> that's one more reason to ban SSRIs.

> >

> > In His Service,

> > Young <><

> >

> >

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

I was suicidal. Lost everything. Needed the meds.

**************************************

See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

If we were treated like human beings and not animals I would have

handled this illness better. I am just so dissapointed after doing this

for nine years. I keep on writing and praying but it has been such a

long time waiting for people to understand.

If I could have accomplished something

>

> I was suicidal. Lost everything. Needed the meds.

>

[Guest guest]

Many mold toxins are inhibitors of neurogenesis, which is the process by

which the brain creates new connections. Neurogenesis

is also the way the brain repairs itself from toxins and other damage.

The neurogenic theory of depression holds that inhibiting neurogenesis (as

many toxins do) not only inhibits learning, causes inflammation of the brain

because of apoptopsis, hypoxia, etc. it also causes depression.

Many antidepressants have complex modes of action and

the way they interact with neurotoxins is not well known. Its entirely

plausible that an antidepressant might help - or - worsten the situation,

depending on many different factors which we are barely even beginning to

study.

So be careful!

Whey protein can be useful as a source of natural neurotransmitter

precursors, BTW.

If people feel like they need an antidepressant, I'd wonder if its just that

they NEED to get completely out of the moldy environment and use

cholestyramine to clear the toxins out of their system.

They also need the nutrients that the body manufactures neurotransmitters

out of.. (mostly proteins)

They also need to let their body repair the damage without too much stress.

(which also inhibits neurogenesis)

If the mold damage was not too severe, say if the exposure was not too

great, they might be able to make a complete recovery with time and complete

avoidance of moldy environments.

[Guest guest]

The papers linked from this page appear to be taking about the knowledge we

have been building up about neurogenesis and depression/antidepressants.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/301/5634/757

*Science* 8 August 2003:

Vol. 301. no. 5634, p. 757

DOI: 10.1126/science.301.5634.757

News Focus NEUROSCIENCE:

Depression Drugs' Powers May Rest on New Neurons *Gretchen Vogel*

Blocking neurogenesis in adult mice renders antidepressants ineffective,

lending support to a theory that a dearth of newborn neurons contributes to

depression. Work described on page

805<http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/301/5634/805>provides

some of the best evidence to date that changes in neurogenesis

might at least partly explain how the disease progresses.

Read the Full Text<http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/301/5634/757>

------------------------------

The editors suggest the following Related Resources on *Science* sites: In

*Science* Magazine *RESEARCH ARTICLES*

Requirement of Hippocampal Neurogenesis for the Behavioral Effects of

AntidepressantsLuca Santarelli, Saxe, Cornelius Gross, andre

Surget, Fortunato Battaglia, Dulawa, Noelia Weisstaub, Lee,

Duman, Ottavio Arancio, Belzung, and René Hen (8 August

2003)

*Science* *301* (5634), 805. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1083328]

| Abstract »<http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/sci;301/5634/805>

| Full Text » <http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;301/5634/805>

| PDF » <http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/sci;301/5634/805.pdf>

| Supporting

Online Material

»<http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;301/5634/805/DC1>

------------------------------

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES: Brain-Derived Neurotrophic

Factor in Amygdala-Dependent Learning.L. M. Rattiner, M. , and K. J.

Ressler (2005)

Neuroscientist *11*, 323-333

| Abstract » <http://nro.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/4/323> | PDF

» <http://nro.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/11/4/323>