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: Neurotransmitter re-sensitization |
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Reply
| | | From: John (Original Message) | Sent: 6/23/2006 4:49 PM |
Thank you, Joel, for the WhyQuit.com, as I have enjoyed it all afternoon. I take straterra (75mg) for borderline ADD diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago, and this seems to run in my family of both smokers and non-smokers. My question is: I quit smoking end of January 06, and after reading Wurtman's Serotonin Solution and learning of nicotine/serotonin connection, I realize smoking does brain damage!!! (Perhaps I would not be on straterra if I had not smoked 35 years?) What is the recovery process? I still take straterra, next appt with doctor is mid-July, and I'll find out if I need to change med amount. But what I'm asking is about the recovery of the serotonin production (that has been knocked out, as I understand, by the nicotine bombardment) Can normalcy be achieved? How long? I feel like my "motivator" is knocked out, can't get moving, etc. But once I get moving, I'm fine. Perhaps that is my nature and will not change, or will that get better too? I find reading about recovery benefits to be very reinforcing to me. I think that would be a good objective for whyquit.com. Please, I am not trying to tell you how to run your excellent website, and I am so impressed with everyone's credentials, and obvious commitment, and I will become a member as soon as I send this, however, "recovery benefits" deserves LOTS OF ENERGY!!! Thanks again, and will keep reading, Christine |
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| | | From: John | Sent: 6/23/2006 4:51 PM |
Hello Christine, There's no question that nicotine is a potent teratogen that has absolutely no business being inside the human brain. Statistics have long told us that over half of mental health patients are dependent upon smoking nicotine but only in recent years has science starting exploring why and in regard to chronic depression asking which comes first nicotine (the chicken) or depression (the egg). Christine, we cannot and will not render any medical advice as we are not physicians and even if we were we wouldn't do it through a screen on the Internet : ) Besides that we have no idea how your current medication/s impact neurotransmitter levels or what's "normal" for you. We need just look at mood, anxiety and drive diversity among our friends and family members to appreciate that each of us are unique. As for neuronal re-sensitization there are a number of recent studies on the topic but most look at dopamine pathways. I've yet to see any study suggest that re-sensitization does not commence and rather rapidly at that. I'm sure we'll see new more accurate, focused and detailed studies over the next few years but right now it's my sense that re-sensitization is substantially complete within a couple of weeks. Having quit in 01/0 6 there may be other chemicals impacting neurotransmitter function but nicotine, and its absence, isn't one of them. Discuss these questions with your doctor, Christine. Through acetylcholine nicotine impacted a host of neurochemicals including adrenaline. One aspect of readjustment may be in learning to again generate our own central nervous system stimulation through physical activity or new sources of interest and excitement. Climbing out of that deep smoker's rut we each lived in doesn't happen on its own. We need to intentionally push these healing bodies and their increased lung function a wee bit harder than normal. Sort of like a test drive now and then of a car whose performance actually improves with time. We also need to embrace activities lasting longer than a couple of hours, things we shied away from as smokers because they would have deprived us of mandatory nicotine feedings. Still just one guiding principle determining the outcome for all, Christine, a principle that will always remain our common bond ... no nicotine today, Never Take Another Puff! John John R. Polito, Quit Date May 15, 1999 Nicotine Cessation Educator |
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