5 replies to this topic

[jakord]

I see Lyrica getting recommended for anxiety issues all over the longecity board. I'm not so sure if that is a good idea, as I recently read an article that is titled "Neurotin and Lyrica are a death sentence for new brain synapses", which sounds very bad if you want your brain to be able to adapt, learn and form new neuronal pathways, especially if you suffer from anxiety and want to change something by cognitive behavioral therapy in addition to medication.

Here is the original study: http://www.ncbi.nlm....PMC2791798/#SD1

So it seems like pregebalin "only" inhibits synaptogenesis of excitatory neurons. Another pubmed paper even says that this is part of its anxiolytic action: "Finally, pregabalin may also act by inhibiting synaptogenesis of excitatory neurons formed in response to chronic stress or anxiety, or more acutely inhibit the trafficking of CaV to the plasma membrane" (http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/22784017)


So I'm not sure if inhibiting synaptogenesis of excitatory neurons is a very sophisticated way of treating anxiety disorders or if it is a good reason to flush pregabalin down the toilet.

[penisbreath]

Both Lyrica and Neurontin produced intolerable cognitive side-effects in me. The latter was excellent for anxiety, though. I suppose it depends on your circumstances .. what else you've tried .. how desperate you are.

I think either might be fine as a short-term option, though would hesitate to take high doses for long periods of time. Also bear in mind that Lyrica can be quite difficult to come off of.

[Tom_]

Its actions on inhibiting exessive excitory neurotrasmission is its mechanism of anxiolysis.

It causes cognitive side effects in up to 10% of patients. However generally it doesn't cause problems and in those that cognitive side effects are present they tend to be mild. They certainly don't continue past its usage (bar a few weeks). This is at doses used to treat epilepsy which is significantly higher than the ususal dose used to treat anxiety.

Pregabalin is an extremely effective anxiolytic because its speed of onset is as fast as benzo's and just as effective (with effects taking a few weeks to build up to maximum effect) but it also may possess mood stabilizing and/or antidepressive qualities. Any and all drugs that are anxiolytics inhibit excitory neurotransmission and due to downregulation either upstream or downstream all of them reduce brain synaptisity somewhere.

There is no reason to believe Pregabalin would reduce the effiacy of CBT.

[nowayout]

CBT, if it works, also produces brain synaptic changes. Maybe even some of the same ones. Nobody really knows.

[jakord]

Any and all drugs that are anxiolytics inhibit excitory neurotransmission and due to downregulation either upstream or downstream all of them reduce brain synaptisity somewhere.

I think the mechanism that was found for pregabalin is more than just inhibition of excitory neurotransmission like it is the case with memantine for example. It seems like pregablin specifically blocks a receptor that is responsible for synaptogenesis of excitatory neurons. If these synapses would become part of a neuronal circuit that is associated with the anxiety problem, that even might be good thing.

Reading about new wonder substances for alzheimer's, that mainly increase synaptogenesis, I'm not so sure if you want to take something that does the exact opposite, at least in the long term.

Edited by homopharma, 03 February 2014 - 08:04 PM.

[Tom_]

The mechanism of action is different but the result is the same between memantine and pregabalin. Reduced glutemate activity and increased GABA accounds for reduced the possible decrease in synaptogenesis, however it does improve hypothamlmic neurogensis.