Antidepressants Increase Natural Killer Cell Activity

[Wayne]

Hi All,

I recently read the Lyme Disease article entitled "Lyme, Depression and Suicide" posted by ggingues at this link. In this article, I found the following paragraph quite interesting. Thought I'd post it here in the Antibiotics and Immune Modulators forum.

This is supported by clinical observation and laboratory research showing antidepressant treatment improves immunocompetence. It has been demonstrated in vitro that antidepressants which act on the serotonin 1A receptor (most antidepressants) increase natural killer cell activity. In addition, there are undoubtedly other indirect effects on the immune system through other neural or neuroendurocrine and autonomic pathways. To state this more concisely - antidepressants can result in antibiotic effects, and antibiotics can have antidepressant effects.

Best, Wayne

 

[heapsreal]

hi wayne,

i suppose its the mind-body medicine thing or even laughter is the best medicine, so i suppose if we are happy and positive it must carry over to almost everything else, so why not nk cells. I think that is also apart of the logic of treating symptoms, if we feel better or not as bad hopefully we move forward, sometime i just wish it would hurry up, lol.

cheers!!!

 

[Enid]

Interesting one Wayne, getting to actual chemistry of certain drugs, as long as the psych mumbo is out, and caution with the term depression (as if a self inflicted emotion) opposed to "clinical" depression - biological. I never recall depression as part of ME (occasionally fed up) but all systems at at such a low degree of function only and to an outsider might appear just that.

 

[PokerPlayer]

I have done a lot of reading on this, and have read about antidepressants increasing natural killer cell activity. I think that it should also be mentioned that the antidepressant class that they are talking about are ssri's. It seems that ssri's can help me a lot, but I seem to not have ME symptoms but more CFS symptoms. I have depression and really bad post exertional malaise, but I can walk around as much as I want as long as I don't get my heart rate up. I am taking an ssri now and I have seen a big increase in my body's crash thresh hold. I am only taking a super low dosage (1/8th starting recommended dosage). I plan on titrating up slowly, hopefully it works, I am super sensitive to ssri's. If I take too high of a dosage, I get extremely worsened depression and increased anxiety and agitation.

I think that can definitely benefit from ssri's, and some others may not. It may be because we aren't all dealing with the same causes of our illnesses, different viruses or bacterias etc.

 

[coolron33]

I take 50 mgs of amitriptyline each night at bedtime. If I don't take it I have numerous sleep interuptions and the next day I feel like _ _ _ _

 

[undcvr]

They really don't know how antidepressants work do they ...

 

[Wayne]

They really don't know how antidepressants work do they ...

Hi undcvr,

You're correct on that one. There's soooo much we don't know about soooooo much. For instance, St. John's Wort (SJW), which is often taken for depression, is measured by the ingredient hypericum. But they don't even know if this is the ingredient that actually helps some people. For those people SJW does help, they don't really know why, whether it's because it affects neurotransmitter levels, or like lithium orotate, protects the brain from toxicity. I wish medical practitioners/scientific researchers would admit a little more often how much they don't now. Sure would help the ME/CFS community.

 

[heapsreal]

They say that depression is caused by low serotonin levels, i have just recently read something that said they gave people a diet to lower their serotonin levels to try and induce depression, not all of the people with low serotonin levels got depression, this isnt to say that increasing serotonin doesnt improve depression but the example i read is how asprin treats a headache, this doesnt mean we are low in asprin.

cheers!!!