Many parents whose children are taking antidepressants have called me over the years and asked me "Why does it take so long for his antidepressant to start working?" I had no answers because the psychiatric/neurological profession didn't either. I wasn't happy with that especially because parents were distraught because their children were suffering. Ugh.
Only recently have researchers discovered the reason for the "delayed effect" of antidepressants and it's all related to rafts. Yes, I said rafts. These rafts specialize in organizing important molecules.
In those people with depression, the rafts isolate a protein involving in communicating with other cells and keep them from doing their jobs. I have the vision of this protein jumping on board the raft and getting out of the water, so to speak, and lying about not doing its job. Just catching some rays, I guess.
In those people with depression, the rafts isolate a protein involving in communicating with other cells and keep them from doing their jobs. I have the vision of this protein jumping on board the raft and getting out of the water, so to speak, and lying about not doing its job. Just catching some rays, I guess.
When you are prescribed an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) such as Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, Lubox, Lustral, Cipralax, Seroxat, because the level of serotonin (brain's naturally occurring anti-depressant, so to speak) is low, the medication does more than just make serotonin more available in the brain.
It also causes the signaling protein to get off the raft and increase cell signaling. The actual physical delay in the cells becoming active and signaling again corresponds to the therapeutic delay of antidepressants.
This is valuable work because it may help researchers to go one step further in developing a test to predict how patients will respond to an antidepressant, thereby reducing medication trials and enhancing progress.
Yet again, science has answered another one of my burning questions. On to the next one!
TTFN, Claudia
Follow me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch
It also causes the signaling protein to get off the raft and increase cell signaling. The actual physical delay in the cells becoming active and signaling again corresponds to the therapeutic delay of antidepressants.
This is valuable work because it may help researchers to go one step further in developing a test to predict how patients will respond to an antidepressant, thereby reducing medication trials and enhancing progress.
Yet again, science has answered another one of my burning questions. On to the next one!
TTFN, Claudia
Follow me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch
