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Weight Loss Forum / Low Carb / January 2004does this cause depression
I was on a seratonin upper and doing well then when I went on the low carb diet the weepiness has returned. Is anyone else experiencing this? >I was on a seratonin upper and doing well then when I went on the low carb >diet the weepiness has returned. Is anyone else experiencing this? Yes, even without any prior depression. In my case, ketosis had lowered my active thyroid hormone enough to cause severe depression. Most folks experience the opposite effect on mood, but some of us don't. Perhaps you should increase carbs, consult your doctor, and have your free T3 checked? Susan > I was on a seratonin upper and doing well then when I went on the low carb > diet the weepiness has returned. Is anyone else experiencing this? Not sure about the meds but I think there is a direct correlation between losing weight and subsequent loss of depression. I do not know why outside of the obvious mental and physical gains but I have read that Atkins advantageously impacts seratonin levels. -Cheers << I was on a seratonin upper and doing well then when I went on the low carb diet the weepiness has returned. Is anyone else experiencing this? >><BR><BR> Are you using aspartame? This may or may not be helpful, but thought I'd post it anyway. This abstract from PubMed refers to a study of people with a history of depression and their severe reactions to aspartame. It concludes that people with mood disorders are especially sensitive to aspartame. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&li st_uids=8373935&dopt=Abstract That said, looking through the PubMed index, many aspartame studies have found it to be safe. > I was on a seratonin upper and doing well then when I went on the low carb > diet the weepiness has returned. Is anyone else experiencing this? Regarding depression in general. Sugar and carbs require B vitamins and folate among other nutrients to be metabolized by the body. If you were on a high refined carb diet, before the low-carb diet, you may have pretty much depleted your body of B vitamins and folate. Niacin (a B vitamin) and tryptophan (occurs in most foods in good amounts) are both serotonin precursors, which means they are both turned into serotonin. But the catch is that your body needs B vitamins and folate to convert these nutrients to serotonin. Thus here is the cycle, you eat a lot of refined carbs and deplete your body of B vitamins and folate, you then cannot produce enough serotonin because of the lack of these vitamins. It may be that the low-carb induction phase is restricting even more the small amounts of B vitamins and folate that you are already depleted of. You can increase the amounts of low-GI carbs, like fruits and veggetables. Or you can start taking a B vitamin complex supplement (stress formula is good) and a folate or folic acid supplement. Or better yet, do both. Get your b vitamins and folate levels up in your system. While you are at it, you may want to wean yourself off of your serotonin meds. They are useless. They were never intended for more than a few months. They are expensive. The side effects are atrocious and may be extremely severe. Replenishing your b vitamins and folate will probably help with your depression to a large extent, possibly more than the meds. TC >While you are at it, you may want to wean yourself off of your >serotonin meds. They are useless. They were never intended for more >than a few months. They are expensive. The side effects are atrocious >and may be extremely severe. And be sure to remember that medical advice you receive from usenet participants is worth exactly what you pay for it. Do your own homework, assess your own condition, and discuss with your own doctor. Susan <snipped OP & stuff about B vitamins> > While you are at it, you may want to wean yourself off of your > serotonin meds. They are useless. They were never intended for more > than a few months. They are expensive. The side effects are atrocious > and may be extremely severe. > TC Really?!? As they say on "CSI", cite your source. (I assume you're talking about SSRIs, such as Prozac, Zoloft, & Paxil.) -- PollyQ 265/260/160? Atkins since 1/1/04 > <snipped OP & stuff about B vitamins> > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > 265/260/160? > Atkins since 1/1/04 I know this from personal experience and my subsequent research. Just do a google search on "ssri side effects". It'll boggle your mind. Pharmaceutical companies have admitted that they work in no more than approx. 1/3 of patients. They are intended for short term use only, read the documentation. There are many cases of people becoming suicidal and/or homocidal within days of starting on ssri's. Many other have had horrific experiences withdrawing from them while the companies insist that they are not dependency forming. It is absolutely tragic that those who are in need of effective depression treatment are given these drugs that make things so much worse, when all along a large number of them could have be at least somewhat helped with some simple diet advice, avoid refined carbs. TC >I was on a seratonin upper and doing well then when I went on the low carb >diet the weepiness has returned. Is anyone else experiencing this? Lowcarbing favors catecholamine production over serotonin production. It takes carbs to facilitate tryptophan transport across the blood brain barrier for conversion to serortonin. http://www.lowcarb.org/amino_rd.html So I would suggest someone on SSRIs keep their complex carbs at a high enough level to maintain serotonin needs and settle for a slower weightloss. Another idea would be to discuss with your prescribing physician the possibility of safely adding a serotonin booster like the amino acid 5-htp. Don't self medicate or you could wind up making things even worse for yourself depression wise. HTH Lee Rodgers Have you tried The Low Carb Connoisseur? They put the dash back into low-carb http://www.low-carb.com ~~~~~ Lee Rodgers The Lowcarb Retreat http://www.lowcarb.org Mesage Board BBS http://lowcarb.org/forums ~~~~~ > Lowcarbing favors catecholamine production over serotonin production. > It takes carbs to facilitate tryptophan transport across the blood [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > self medicate or you could wind up making things even worse for > yourself depression wise. HTH Interesting. Since starting this WOE, I have had more energy and, in ways, have been in a better frame of mind. BUT at the same time, I feel like my emotions have been blunted, and things look sort-of bleak.  SignatureJean B. Some great info passed along in this thread, thanks for sharing! > Lowcarbing favors catecholamine production over serotonin production. > It takes carbs to facilitate tryptophan transport across the blood [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > self medicate or you could wind up making things even worse for > yourself depression wise. HTH I spent a year severly depressed. Life events instigated the depression, but then it took on a life of it's own. I tried two SSRIs during that time: one did nothing at all except provide unpleasant side effects, the other provided extremely minor relief. It took the absolute worst of the blackness away, but given that I still wanted to kill myself on it, I don't consider it a resounding success particularly. The only thing that resulted in any genuine relief from my pain was empathy and humor - and then the relief was very short-lived. I can't pinpoint precisely what exactly changed my depression, but I had been in intensive therapy for a while when it lifted (3 times a week!) I was also spending huge amounts of time in an online support group. These things gave me perceived relief at the time, but may have simply distracted me until things got better. After my initial recovery, I remained susceptible to depression for a long time... almost 2 years. It was never as bad as during that period, certainly was never seriously suicidal again, but... I'd have black, non-functional periods for 2-3 days at a time. Very annoying as my life was in pretty good shape and I didn't have anything to be depressed about. About six months ago, these relapses finally ceased. There is a good chance they were exacberated by peri-menopause, as may have been the entire original depression, though precipitated by life events. So I started taking 5-HTP daily when I re-started low-carbing. Basically, for me... the health risks of depression are far worse than the health risks of either obesity or poor blood sugar control. Basically, if I can't low-carb without depressive episodes, I would seriously not be able to low-carb at all. Rather than get into that position, I am taking 5-HTP purely as a preventative measure. > > Lowcarbing favors catecholamine production over serotonin production. > > It takes carbs to facilitate tryptophan transport across the blood [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > seriously not be able to low-carb at all. Rather than get into that > position, I am taking 5-HTP purely as a preventative measure. I am thinking on trying the 5 htp also. I have heard good things about it. My pharmacist also has suggested it. I can understand the suicidal thoughts, I too had them several times over the last couple years. The blackness feeling. The last time I felt like this was around Christmas, then was put on Wellbutrin. It did nothing for me really. Xanax at times in the past has helped. It concked me out to where I could sleep at least. Celexa worked for a time, then increased the dosage, and it stopped working too. Tryed Paxil, had some serious weight gain and it helped none. Therapy has helped alot. I not longer go to therapy now. But yes, it helped. >Lowcarbing favors catecholamine production over serotonin production. >It takes carbs to facilitate tryptophan transport across the blood [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >~~~~~ >Lee Rodgers I take 5-htp. I could never have LC'd without it. The downside is that there are no long term studies of what serotonin does to the bloodstream (it's only supposed to be in the brain). Yvonne I just wanted to clarify that I am no longer on the seratonin upper. I have been off it for approx. 8 months. > I was on a seratonin upper and doing well then when I went on the low carb > diet the weepiness has returned. Is anyone else experiencing this? |
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