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Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

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Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#11

Post by [deleted] »

johnchristopher wrote: post #10
johnw11 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, while I don't personally have experience with a lot of illegal drugs, if you ask anyone who does he will tell you that there are drugs that nearly instantly make you happy without having to wait weeks for the drugs to have a subtle effect on your thought processes. These illegal drugs may or may not be too dangerous to use regularly to treat depression, but it's worth noting the fact that it's clearly not "impo…

But don't those happy pills have really high dependence and don't you need to increase the dosage and the intervals to stay on the same plateau ?

[deleted]

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#12

Post by johnw11 »

johnchristopher wrote: post #10
johnw11 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, while I don't personally have experience with a lot of illegal drugs, if you ask anyone who does he will tell you that there are drugs that nearly instantly make you happy without having to wait weeks for the drugs to have a subtle effect on your thought processes. These illegal drugs may or may not be too dangerous to use regularly to treat depression, but it's worth noting the fact that it's clearly not "impo…

But don't those happy pills have really high dependence and don't you need to increase the dosage and the intervals to stay on the same plateau ?

Yes, many do, but is that necessarily inherent to all "happy pills"?

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#13

Post by empath75 »

johnw11 wrote: post #7
johnw11 wrote: post #5

I would like to point out that there is a whole range of non-SSRI medicines that have significant clinical effects on depression. In particular: Medicines that promote drowsiness (such as sleeping aids and even the antipsychotic quetiapine), as sleep deprivation and depression are highly correlated. The atypical antidepressant wellbutrin/bupropion, which impacts a whole bunch of chemicals in the body but notably does…

Also, while I don't personally have experience with a lot of illegal drugs, if you ask anyone who does he will tell you that there are drugs that nearly instantly make you happy without having to wait weeks for the drugs to have a subtle effect on your thought processes. These illegal drugs may or may not be too dangerous to use regularly to treat depression, but it's worth noting the fact that it's clearly not "impo…

Yeah I've been wondering about that. How the hell does mdma work if it's not serotonin. I always understood that the euphoria was caused by a flood of serotonin in your brain.

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#14

Post by Snackchez »

johnchristopher wrote: post #10
johnw11 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, while I don't personally have experience with a lot of illegal drugs, if you ask anyone who does he will tell you that there are drugs that nearly instantly make you happy without having to wait weeks for the drugs to have a subtle effect on your thought processes. These illegal drugs may or may not be too dangerous to use regularly to treat depression, but it's worth noting the fact that it's clearly not "impo…

But don't those happy pills have really high dependence and don't you need to increase the dosage and the intervals to stay on the same plateau ?

Your statement should have an "or" instead of an "and". Ex: MDMA does not have high dependence but does require an increased dosage due to plateaus

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#15

Post by johnw11 »

Snackchez wrote: post #14
johnchristopher wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But don't those happy pills have really high dependence and don't you need to increase the dosage and the intervals to stay on the same plateau ?

Your statement should have an "or" instead of an "and". Ex: MDMA does not have high dependence but does require an increased dosage due to plateaus

Also, isn't MDMA highly toxic if used frequently? Drug forums seem to recommend the use of MDMA no more often than once every two weeks.

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#16

Post by johnchristopher »

johnw11 wrote: post #12
johnchristopher wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But don't those happy pills have really high dependence and don't you need to increase the dosage and the intervals to stay on the same plateau ?

Yes, many do, but is that necessarily inherent to all "happy pills"?

Well, I don't know. To be honest I doubt such magic pill exists :/.

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#17

Post by stinos »

empath75 wrote: post #13
johnw11 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, while I don't personally have experience with a lot of illegal drugs, if you ask anyone who does he will tell you that there are drugs that nearly instantly make you happy without having to wait weeks for the drugs to have a subtle effect on your thought processes. These illegal drugs may or may not be too dangerous to use regularly to treat depression, but it's worth noting the fact that it's clearly not "impo…

Yeah I've been wondering about that. How the hell does mdma work if it's not serotonin. I always understood that the euphoria was caused by a flood of serotonin in your brain.

Came here to pose the exact same question. I also always understood that one of the risks of repeated mdma intake is serotonin depletion. Also the effect where one feels like shit 1-3 days after an mdma trip is very real.

So while it is possible serotonin is not the happy chemical, it either does play a role (possibly or even likely if you ask me in combination with other chemicals) or else all other research so far has been very much wrong.

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#18

Post by 0xcde4c3db »

amelius wrote: post #3
rincewind wrote: post #2

Is the zero bit the computer happy bit?

I don't know, but I found this to be the interesting bit: > Depressed and anxious people might simply be too good at learning about bad outcomes > Over the past few decades, researchers have been discussing that mental health issues such as depression and anxiety might fundamentally be disorders of learning, rather than outcomes of a ‘chemical imbalance’ that requires correction by a serotonin boost. Specifically, ce…

This paragraph is rather inconsistent. The first sentence talks about the issue being one disorder rather than another, then supports that with a study finding that both are components.

It seems like a lot of people use that study as an argument for ignoring the part they're not interested in, rather than concluding that both components should be treated.

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#19

Post by digi_owl »

gghh wrote: post #6

The article presents a possible explaination for why SSRI antidepressants (which increase the amount of serotonine in one's synapsis) are effective: serotonine plays a role in how we learn, and > [people with an] atypical function of the serotonin system may be at risk of developing depression or anxiety because they are too good at learning about negative outcomes > Serotonin changes produced by the drug, combined w…

Sorry but i have to get this off my chest.

This fits me so well. I wonder how many nights i have simply wished i could think less. That is, stop twisting old events hoping to grab some new insights, or ruminate about whats to come given X Y and Z.

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#20

Post by mirekrusin »

johnw11 wrote: post #15
Snackchez wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your statement should have an "or" instead of an "and". Ex: MDMA does not have high dependence but does require an increased dosage due to plateaus

Also, isn't MDMA highly toxic if used frequently? Drug forums seem to recommend the use of MDMA no more often than once every two weeks.

I don't know about frequent uses but I remember reading research paper which said that high doses are toxic, permanently damaging brain - so it's definitely not a good idea to take too many in too short time.
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