Word: serotonin
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...Sept. 11. What is surprising is how many more depressed people are getting treatment--at least compared with 10 years ago. I remember in my first year of medical school, back in the late 1980s, being taught about a new class of antidepression medications called SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, of which Prozac is now the most famous. What we didn't realize then is that the SSRIs would start a revolution in the management of America's most common--but no less serious--mental disorder...
...weeks decreased the number of binge episodes they experienced. Only 40 patients were studied, so the results are still preliminary. Other antidepressant drugs, like Prozac and Zoloft have already been shown effective in cases of binge eating's relative, bulimia. Most likely they work because antidepressants normalize levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that doctors think may be involved in controlling appetite. Practitioners also report success with cognitive behavior therapy, alone or in combination with medication. The therapy focuses on abnormal attitudes toward food and the psychological underpinnings fueling the binge-eating episodes...
Which kind depends on the nature of the anxiety. If it's part of a chronic, underlying problem such as depression or something called "generalized anxiety disorder," the doctor would probably prescribe a so-called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor such as Paxil. Such inhibitors take up to six weeks to begin working. But by putting your brain chemistry back into balance, they can get rid of the outward symptom--the anxiety...
...hyperactive child, those with ADHD actually need to rev up activity in the part of their brain responsible for functions like organization and concentration. Methylphenidates (Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate) and amphetamines (Adderall) will do that by bathing the brain's nerve cells in certain chemicals--dopamine, norepinephrine or serotonin--that promote nerve activity...
These keep levels of serotonin and norepinephrine high but are only about 60% effective in reducing ADHD symptoms. Tricyclics have also been associated with more troubling side effects, including fatal heart attacks in those with a history of heart-rhythm disturbances...