Benzodiazipenes, neurotransmitters and their actions

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Great post Davit. This would explain while at my worst and consumed by negative thoughts no amount of Benzos really help. They make my body feel lathargic and slow/heavy and made me drowsy but they had little to no affect at stopping or reducing my negative depressive/anxious thoughts. Its like the body is slowed down but the but the anxious brain is hardly affected.

Also, is there any way to naturally increase dopamine?

[Davit]

I don't know, maybe Terry does. I will see if I can find out. It does increase with stimulation from opiates. So it increases on it's own with need.

[Michelle1]

Hi davit

Great post I found it very interesting.
A question I wonder you can help me with?

I take diazepam daily (low dose 2mgs) which I'd like to eventually get off. I understand diazepam stays in the body a long time ( some people say 100 hrs others say 8 days some say even longer).

If I take 2mg today, will that 2mg be added to yesterday's 2mg and the previous day's 2 mg etc.

What I'm trying to ask (not very well) how much will actually be in my system today if I take 2mg daily? Taking into account all the build up from previous days?

[Davit]

Well this is interesting. Dopamine production happens through out the body and brain where ever it is needed as needed. Dopamine can not cross the blood brain barrier but Ldopa can. Parkinson's happens when Dopamine production drops when the gland that produces it in the area that controls it is damaged. Ldopa is in the drugs for Parkinson's.

Reward stimulates dopamine production. (runners high) Dopamine affects few neurons compared to the other neurotransmitters. (400,000 only) Dopamine affects mood and is affected by mood. Happy makes more happy. Positive thought and feeling good about yourself stimulates it to produce. It appears worry doesn't waste it but it does waste Serotonin. So other than Ldopa the only way to increase Dopamine is with medication, tricyclic anti depressant, Trimipramine. Or CBT.

---------- Post added at 12:22 ---------- Previous post was at 11:49 ----------

Michelle1

Dr Google doesn't explain this very well.

Half life of Diazepam is 24 hours. Therapeutic effectiveness could be as little as 8. Metabolites can take a very long time to break down. (metabolites have ver little effect) Traces have been found a year later in some studies. Half life is the same whether you take 2mg or 10. Excretion rate is still the same just more of it. So you don't actually compound. Twice or three times a day bridges the half Therapeutic time span so you have a steady state over the half life keeping it effective. Half life means in 24 hours half is gone but effectiveness goes before then. Withdrawal symptoms show anytime after eight on a single dose. EG: take it at night for sleep and sometime the next morning anxiety starts to creep in. How long it says in your system and it's effectiveness depends on what other Medication is using the P450 enzyme system in your liver to break it down. P450 is the most common enzyme and a lot of meds are broke down by it. I have used Diazepam 2mg PRN with no side effects other than a bit of agitation 8 or more hours later. I have taken Diazepam every day for a year twice with no withdrawal problems. No reduction in affect either. It works best with you rather than for you. Reduction only happens with increased anxiety from increased negativity beyond what the dose handles.

So if you exceed what your liver can process you could possibly get a build up but I think in healthy people this is like 40mg a day.

Thinking positive reduces the amount you need. Thinking positive is the best way to get to the point you don't need it.

---------- Post added at 13:01 ---------- Previous post was at 12:22 ----------

Anti psychotic drugs reduce dopamine production.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi davit

Great post I found it very interesting.
A question I wonder you can help me with?

I take diazepam daily (low dose 2mgs) which I'd like to eventually get off. I understand diazepam stays in the body a long time ( some people say 100 hrs others say 8 days some say even longer).

If I take 2mg today, will that 2mg be added to yesterday's 2mg and the previous day's 2 mg etc.

What I'm trying to ask (not very well) how much will actually be in my system today if I take 2mg daily? Taking into account all the build up from previous days?

Hi Michelle,

Clear elimination looks like this per half life:

0 100%
1 50%
2 25%
3 12.50%
4 6.25%
5 3.13%

When its under 5% its no longer clinically significant.

Diazepam has a half life of 100 hours.

How it reaches "steady state" which is the point where as much is being taken in as eliminated is different to this. I'll post it on later as it's in another thread.

This will be all blood Plasma based and drugs can be stored otherwise than in the blood. I'm not sure how that affects clear elimination though. This is the extra part you need to know, I'll see if there is some information about it.

---------- Post added at 23:03 ---------- Previous post was at 22:57 ----------

Also, is there any way to naturally increase dopamine?

A quick grab from Wiki:

L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine are both precursors for dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. These conversions require vitamin B6, vitamin C, and S-adenosylmethionine.

You would need to understand what influences the Dopamine production over the others though.

[in1peace]

I found some pictures, but maybe you have something better, Davit?
I think better when I can visualise.
You guys are on it, Davit and MyNameIsTerry! Wish I had this info sooner!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!




http://www.yourdiagnosis.com/yourdia...talillness.htm

[Davit]

No those are very good pictures, I saved them. Good article too. Glad to see you are expanding your research. Knowledge is power. Yes, I wish I had of known what I know now years ago.

Here are the pics.

[in1peace]

for Davit and MyNameIsTerry

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Michelle,

Clear elimination looks like this per half life:

0 100%
1 50%
2 25%
3 12.50%
4 6.25%
5 3.13%

When its under 5% its no longer clinically significant.

Diazepam has a half life of 100 hours.

How it reaches "steady state" which is the point where as much is being taken in as eliminated is different to this. I'll post it on later as it's in another thread.

This will be all blood Plasma based and drugs can be stored otherwise than in the blood. I'm not sure how that affects clear elimination though. This is the extra part you need to know, I'll see if there is some information about it.

Michelle,

To reach "steady-state", the point at which as much is going in as out looks like this:

1 50%
2 75%
3 87.5%
4 93.75%
5 96.875%
6 96.4735%
7 99.25%

Day 3 is considered clinically significant.

[in1peace]

MoreOrless,
Thank you for your response. I am so sorry you had to go through that!!!! I will definitely not be going cold turkey. I will follow a schedule of gradual reduction. I can't believe I was naive enough to think that this medication would be ok to continue for so long. I'm ready to try getting off it, but I will be doing CBT as well. I'm sure Davit and Terry will know when I've started because I've latched onto their input like a security blanket. LOL!! I apologize in advance if I get too clingy! Haven't started yet. Probably will be in another month or so.