Are there any natural SNRIs? Switch from Effexor to St John’s Wort?

The drug Effexor seems to work for many people, but is there a natural alternative?

“First introduced by Wyeth in 1993, now marketed by Pfizer, it is licensed for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, and comorbidindications in certain anxiety disorders with depression. In 2007, venlafaxine was the sixth most commonly prescribed antidepressant on the U.S. retail market, with 17.2 million prescriptions.” – wiki.

It has some negative side effects, including lack of interest in sex and inability to have an orgasm, which can last up to years after someone stops taking the drug.

Some people recommend St John’s wort as a natural SNRI. Does St John’s wort work for depression? Yes, it seems so:

An analysis of twenty-nine clinical trials with more than five thousand patients was conducted by Cochrane Collaboration. The review concluded that extracts of St. John’s wort were superior to placebo in patients with major depression. St John’s wort had similar efficacy to standard antidepressants. The rate of side-effects was half that of newer SSRI antidepressants and one-fifth that of older tricyclic antidepressants.^[6]

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and other NIH-affiliated organizations hold that St John’s wort has minimal or no effects beyond placebo in the treatment of major depression.^[9][10] This conclusion is based primarily on one trial of 340 volunteers, with negative outcome conducted by NCCAM.^[11] The authors of the study themselves, as well as several others, pointed out the low assay sensitivity of this study, and how only limited conclusions can be drawn from its results.^[12][13] The same study also indicated that sertraline (Zoloft) has no positive effects vs. the same placebo.

St. John’s wort has not been found to be effective for patients suffering from dysthymia, a less severe and more chronic variety of depression.^[14]

St. John’s wort is “associated with aggravating psychosis in schizophrenia”.^[15]

Cool, you might try St Johns wort but, don’t just stop your current anti-depressant cold or you may end up committing suicide. Work with a doctor to reduce your dose safely.

Note: Venlafaxine should not be taken when using St John’s wort.  Wait at least two weeks after stopping one before starting another. It takes 4 to 8 weeks before positive effects are felt. Again, don’t take St Johns wart with Effexor or any other anti-depressant. You may die from serotonin syndrome, a potentially life-threatening adverse drug reaction.

Unfortunately, St Johns wort  has the same potential side effects as venlafaxine, such as lessened interest in sex, but the problems occur less frequently than with meds, according to the studies.

Adult

• Dry herb (in capsules or tablets): The usual dose for mild depression and mood disorders is 300 mg (standardized to 0.3% hypericin extract), 3 times per day, with meals. St. John’s wort is available in time-release capsules.
• St. John’ s Wort is also available as a liquid extract or a tea. Ask your doctor to help you find the right dose.

It may take 3 – 4 weeks to feel any effects from St. John’s wort. Don’ t stop taking St. John’ s wort all at once, because that may cause unpleasant side effects. Gradually lower the dose before stopping. – umm.edu

Also, if you are taking venlafaxine, avoid drinking:  “Although the synergistic effects may not be as bad as with other antidepressants, it is still not recommended to take venlafaxine with alcohol.^{[46]“  – wiki}

More on how venlafaxine works in the brain:

Venlafaxine is part of a class of drugs called serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or SNRIs for short. SNRIs act on specific chemicals within the brain known as serotonin and norepinephrine. These are two of several chemicals used to send messages from one nerve cell to another. As a message travels down a nerve, it causes the end of the cell to release serotonin or norepinephrine. The serotonin or norepinephrine enters the gap between the first nerve cell and the one next to it. When enough reaches the second nerve cell, it activates receptors on the cell and the message continues on its way. The first cell then quickly absorbs any serotonin or norepinephrine that remains in the gap between cells. This is called “reuptake.” Normally, this process works without any problems. But when the levels of serotonin or norepinephrine become unbalanced, it can cause a variety of conditions, including depression. Venlafaxine helps to block the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine so that more remains in the space between the brain’s nerve cells. This gives the chemicals a better chance of activating the receptors on the next nerve cell.

via Venlafaxine.

I guess I’m lucky. I’m generally calm and happy if I get regular exercise and enough sleep a few times a week, but I’m still interested in this topic for others I know and love.

Antidepressant users: If you have successfully moved to St John’s wort or some other natural cure (light therapy, exercise, 5-htp) from Effexor, please leave a comment and let us know your experience.

Psychiatrists: Have you had any patients who have transitioned successfully from an SNRI to a natural alternative with fewer side effects?

Woman upside down for THREE MONTHS gives birth

A WOMAN who suffers a rare condition that led to repeated miscarriages gave birth — after lying upside down for THREE MONTHS.

Donna Kelly, 29, was told five months into her pregnancy that her baby was just an inch from the top of her cervix and at risk of “falling out”.

So doctors made her lie in a hospital bed tilted at 45 degrees to reduce the pressure.

She had to stay there 24 hours a day, getting up only to go to the loo. Donna, who later gave birth to baby Amelia, said of the bed: “It made me feel sick at first, and I had a massive ‘head rush’. But after a couple of days my body adjusted and I got used to it.

“I propped myself up with pillows and the barrier round the bed kept me from falling out. I had to roll onto my side to eat, but I’d always have a dead arm by the end of the meal.”

Donna, of Coventry, has suffered from a weak cervix since having son Joshua, now four. She suffered two miscarriages at 19 and 23 weeks. During her latest pregnancy she spent ten weeks at University Hospital in Coventry under the care of Professor Siobhan Quenby, one of the world’s leading experts in recurrent miscarriages.

Ex-gynaecology nurse Donna, who lives in the city with Joshua and hubby Mark, 32, said: “Mark and I crossed off each day on a calendar. The way I saw it, one day more in bed hopefully meant one day less in special care for the baby if she arrived too prematurely.”

Amelia arrived six weeks early by emergency caesarean, weighing 4lbs 15oz. She spent two weeks in an incubator before going home.

via From here to maternity | The Sun |News.

I like taking a story and following a chain of new things to learn. What is a weak cervix, for example? This PSA from American Pregnancy:

A weakened cervix can be caused by one or more of the following conditions:

• Previous surgery on the cervix
• Damage during a difficult birth
• Malformed cervix or uterus from a birth defect
• Previous trauma to the cervix, such as a D&C (dilation and curettage) from a termination or a miscarriage
• DES (Diethylstilbestrol) exposure

DES? What’s that and why did Eli Lilly keep making it and marketing it for 26 years after it was shown to cause tumors?

Diethylstilbestrol (DES, former BANstilboestrol) is a synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen that was first synthesized in 1938. It is also classified as an endocrine disruptor. Human exposure to DES occurred through diverse sources, such as dietary ingestion from supplemented cattle feed and medical treatment for certain conditions, including breast and prostate cancers. From about 1940 to 1970, DES was given to pregnant women in the mistaken belief it would reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and losses. In 1971, DES was shown to cause a rare vaginal tumor in girls and women who had been exposed to this drug in utero. The United States Food and Drug Administration subsequently withdrew DES from use in pregnant women. Follow-up studies have indicated that DES also has the potential to cause a variety of significant adverse medical complications during the lifetime of those exposed.^[1] The United States National Cancer Institute recommends^[2] that women born to mothers who took DES undergo special medical exams on a regular basis to screen for complications as a result of the drug. Individuals who were exposed to DES during their mothers’ pregnancies are commonly referred to as DES daughters and DES sons. … The last remaining U.S. manufacturer of DES, Eli Lilly, stopped making and marketing DES in 1997. – wikipedia

More about Eli Lilly:

Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company and one of the world’s largest corporations. Eli Lilly‘s global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. … The company was ordered to pay $400,000 in damages from DES  … Eli Lilly and Company has been involved in numerous controversies, including those involving politics and medical ethics. … According to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), manufacturers of drugs and health products had contributed $764,274 to the 2004 Bush campaign through their political action committees and employees by April 26 of the election year 2004, making George W. Bush the top receiver of these contributions. … President and CEO of Eli Lilly, Sidney Taurel, was named by U.S. President George W. Bush as a Homeland Security Advisory Council member in 2002. In 2003 Bush named Taurel a member of the President’s Export Council. Bush named Taurel to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN) in April 2007 for a four year term. – wikipedia

 

 

Breakthrough in Treatment to Prevent Blindness

A UCSF study shows a popular treatment for a potentially blinding eye infection is just as effective if given every six months versus annually. This randomized study on trachoma, the leading cause of infection-caused blindness in the world, could potentially treat twice the number of patients using the same amount of medication.

“The idea is we can do more with less,” said Bruce Gaynor, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Francis I. Proctor Foundation for Research in Ophthalmology. “We are trying to get as much out of the medicine as we can because of the cost and the repercussions of mass treatments.”

In a paper published this month in The Lancet, researchers conducted a cluster-randomized trial, using an antibiotic called azithromycin to treat trachoma in Ethiopia, which has among the highest prevalence in the world. They picked 24 communities and randomized the two treatment options: 12 villages were given azithromycin every six months and the other 12 were treated every 12 months.

“What we found was the prevalence of trachoma is very high at baseline. Forty to 50 percent of the children in these communities have this condition,” Gaynor said. “They are the most susceptible and it can quickly spread from person to person by direct or even indirect contact.”

Researchers tracked both groups and found the prevalence of infection decreased dramatically.

“We found that from as high as 40 percent, the prevalence of trachoma went way down, even eliminated in some villages regardless of whether it was treated in an annual way or a biannual way,” Gaynor said. “You can genuinely get same with less.”

Their finding is significant because of how easily the disease spreads. Trachoma can be transmitted through touching one’s eyes or nose after being in close contact with someone who is infected. It can also be spread through a towel or an article of clothing from a person who has trachoma. Even flies can transmit the disease.

Approximately 41 million people are infected with trachoma globally, and 8 million go blind because of lack of access to treatment. More than 150 million doses of azithromycin have been given out worldwide to treat this disease. Unlike other antibiotics, resistance to azithromycin has not been found in Chlamydia trachomatis, the bacteria that causes trachoma. …

via Breakthrough in Treatment to Prevent Blindness | www.ucsf.edu.

UCLA neuroscientists demonstrate crucial advances in ‘brain reading’

At UCLA’s Laboratory of Integrative Neuroimaging Technology, researchers use functional MRI brain scans to observe brain signal changes that take place during mental activity. They then employ computerized machine learning (ML) methods to study these patterns and identify the cognitive state — or sometimes the thought process — of human subjects. The technique is called “brain reading” or “brain decoding.”

In a new study, the UCLA research team describes several crucial advances in this field, using fMRI and machine learning methods to perform “brain reading” on smokers experiencing nicotine cravings.

…In essence, the algorithm was able to complete or “predict” the subjects’ mental states and thought processes in much the same way that Internet search engines or texting programs on cell phones anticipate and complete a sentence or request before the user is finished typing. And this machine learning method based on Markov processes demonstrated a large improvement in accuracy over traditional approaches, the researchers said.

…In future research, the neuroscientists said, they will be using these machine learning methods in a biofeedback context, showing subjects real-time brain readouts to let them know when they are experiencing cravings and how intense those cravings are, in the hopes of training them to control and suppress those cravings.

via UCLA neuroscientists demonstrate crucial advances in ‘brain reading’.