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Psychiatric Medication  and Why, Behind Every Great Neurotransmitter is a Great Nutrient

6/23/2015

6 Comments

 
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Courtney Snyder, MD
 
Psychiatric medications are a good thing ...for a lot of people....at least at this time in the history of medicine. They save lives and alleviate suffering and pain.   
​
The current understanding is that such meds increase or decrease the activity of neurotransmitters  - chemicals produced in nerve cells which allow cells to communicate with one another.  Some of the big players are serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, GABA, glutamate, and acetylcholine.  Think of them as the words spoken between nerves.  Some are excitatory (you know the type) - they tell the next nerve to fire, "GO! GO!" Others are inhibitory, telling the next nerve cell, "Whoa, slow down."   Some do both, depending on who they're talking to.  

Let's look at a couple examples of medications and how their impacts can be farther reaching than intended. Ritalin, like many meds for ADHD, increases dopamine activity between the cells.  This can help improve attention and decrease hyperactivity for many.   Some people, however, have too much dopamine activity already. Increasing it further can cause psychosis, ie. paranoia or hallucinations.  Traditional treatments for psychosis, such as Thorazine, worked by lowering dopamine activity.  But if lowered too much, a person could develop Parkinson's like symptoms.  Parkinson's is due to insufficient levels of dopamine in certain parts of the brain. There's a fine balance and different parts of the brain need different amounts of these neurotransmitters.  

Another example would be the commonly prescribed Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Sertraline/Zoloft, Fluoxetine/Prozac, Paroxetine/Paxil, etc. They increase serotonin activity with the intent of improving mood or decreasing anxiety.  Yet again, there are some people with depression who have too much serotonin activity and can get dramatically worse on such medication.  We're not all the same.  The blanket increasing and decreasing of neurotransmitters can have some unintended consequences aside from annoying side effects. But until fairly recently, it's been the only option.

The greatest limitation of medications, however, is that they don't address the deeper problem. Why exactly are those neurotransmitters out of balance in the first place?  Symptoms are our bodies way of telling us, "something's not right." The ADHD child who goes on as an adult to have depression and then many years later perhaps even dementia, didn't just have bad luck, they had a biochemical problem that affected them differently at different times in their life. Though likely helpful, none of the medications addressed their individual biochemical imbalance. 

So what do I mean by a biochemical imbalance? Neurotransmitters aren't autonomous. Just as words require letters to exist, neurotransmitters are made of nutrients and require nutrients to communicate with the next cell. For a variety of genetic and environmental reasons, we may be deficient or even overloaded in certain nutrients  - amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other natural biochemicals.

Here's what they do in the brain:

(1)  Nutrients play a role in the synthesis of neurotransmitters:

Take a look at B6 which is needed to make serotonin, dopamine and GABA.  


                                          L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase
5-Hydroxytyrptophan ----------------------------------------------------> SEROTONIN
                                                            B6

                                L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase
L-DOPA -------------------------------------------------------------------> DOPA
                                                           B6

                                     L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase
GLUTAMIC ACID -----------------------------------------------------------> GABA
                                                            B6

While you could tweak these neurotransmitters with multiple psychiatric medications, you could also take a simpler and more refined approach to normalize nutrient deficiencies or overloads. 

Copper Overload can cause too much dopamine to turn into norepinephrine, resulting in low dopamine activity [think ADHD] and increased norepinephrine activity [think high anxiety].

                                      Dopamine Beta-Hydroxylase
DOPAMINE ------------------------------------------------------------> NOREPINEPHRINE
                                        Copper, Vitamin C, O2

It's not uncommon for people to be on a stimulant (ADHD medication) and an SSRI antidepressant (for anxiety).  Instead, the problem could be addressed by normalizing their copper levels.

(2) Nutrients are involved in the neurotransmitter reuptake process at the synapse - the space between the nerve cells. (more reuptake, means less activity)
For example:
- Methionine and SAMe (serotonin reuptake inhibitors) = more serotonin activity.
- Folate = reduced serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine activity.
   
Not less important, but too large for this post to hold:
(3)  Certain nutrients are antioxidants that protect the brain from damage.
(4) Nutrients amazingly play a role in genetic expression - ie. whether certain mutations are expressed or not.  

And though crucial, when it comes to the brain, there aren't a lot of nutrients to think about.

From Dr. William Walsh, PhD (whose work I am referring to throughout this post):
"..only about six or seven (out of the more than 1000 important nutrients in the body) ...seem to have a dramatic impact on mental health. I used to be bothered by the fact that the same chemical imbalances kept turning up in different conditions.... It turns out that each of these nutrient factors is directly involved in either the synthesis or the epigenetic regulation of a neurotransmitter in the brain. That was really good news. If we had to study over 200 possible chemical imbalances and cor­rect whatever we found, designing treatments would be very difficult. Fortunately, we can focus on six or seven nutrients, and by balancing them, we can help most people with mental disorders." 

When it comes to the brain:
Deficiencies in Zinc, Methionine, Folic Acid, B6, B12, Se, Glutathione, Vitamins C and E can be a problem.
Excesses/overloads of Copper, Folic Acid, Iron, Methionine, SAMe, and toxic metals (lead, mercury, cadmium) can be a problem.

Yes, that's right - one person can have depression due to folate deficiency (too much serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine activity) while another person can have depression due to excessive folate (not enough of these neurotransmitters).  This is again, why people respond differently to certain medications - some get better, some no response and some get worse - sometimes dramatically so (think school shooters recently put on an SSRI antidepressant who may have been folate deficient with too much neurotransmitter activity already).  Similarly, multivitamins are good for some people and not good for others, especially when it comes to brain related disorders.  

Many factors, both genetic and environmental, can produce nutrient imbalances.  Addressing nutrient levels through biochemical or nutrient therapies isn't just about checking levels and then normalizing them, though that's an important part.  It's also about addressing the genetic expression (more on methylation in a later post) that may be contributing, addressing gut health (and the absorption of nutrients), diet and environmental exposures (which can run the gamut from toxic chemicals to toxic relationships). None of this negates the benefits of psychiatric medications.  Nutrient therapies do allow some individuals to not need medication, some to eventually come off medication and others to be on fewer medications at lower doses with less side effects.  

I'm not a spokesperson for the Walsh Research Institute, but I do feel strongly that the work of Dr. Walsh and his colleagues, Dr. Albert Mensah and Dr. Judy Bowman will dramatically shift the way mental illness is understood and treated.  There are too few of us in the US who are trained in these specific treatments, which need to become more accessible.  I highly recommend the Physicians Training program to any physicians treating brain related disorders (CME credit is approved by the American Medical Association). To find a physician in your area, visit the Walsh Research Institute Resource List.

6 Comments
anonymous
7/26/2021 03:31:08 pm

what is your opinion on GABA and L-theanine supplements (at a very low dose and very infrequently)
-are there any negative side effects or possibility that if someone starts this, their body would in any way be negatively effected later on if they stop taking the supplements?

Reply
Courtney Snyder, MD link
7/30/2021 01:28:46 pm

I think they can be very helpful. They can be helpful for more symptomatic relief - as opposed to correcting underlying nutrient imbalances. The only caveat with GABA is that if I see someone who is taking it and having benefit, I will recommend they take one day off a week - theoretically, this prevents the receptors for GABA from being down-regulated (thinking they aren't needed essentially). That would be more of an issue if taken daily. Thank you for the questions. Courtney

Reply
Jana link
3/12/2022 11:29:21 pm

If there is something as "innate logic and emotional wisdom" as my, now past, the psychologist said to me... That's the only way to describe my whole life experience. Since a young age, I couldn't know any of these neurotransmitters' jobs however, my soul temple knew it.

I'm a true believer in the power of nutritional psychiatry. I've worked it on myself, without a medical background and education but tapping into my own senses and being. It's a "knowing by doing". I can't explain it closer than that.
I'm observant of everything I do and try, love analyzing so.. Changed my lifestyle and diet drastically when I was 18 and my life has changed. Today, at 34, I can recall everything a did and how I felt and functioned. The personal findings of how certain food and the amount of/lack of the same switched my thinking, behavior, and senses.
I've heard Dr. Mensah in the webinar say that we are born with under/over methylation status. Thus, my findings don't match with that and now I'm more intrigued by the whole methylation science.

In my small country, I don't have to whom to share my thinking as even 16 years ago when I changed my diet and lifestyle, none understood my choices. It felt so alone for a decade until 4 years ago I found people speaking about the same choices. If English was my mother tongue, I'd have already written a book by now.
I still wonder if someone can change its methylation status 'cause I feel different when I switch to a certain nutrient profile. I also see a switch from left to right brain.

Thank you Courtney for sharing this treasure under the ice berg. It means a world🙏🏻

Reply
Courtney B Snyder link
3/19/2022 06:54:33 pm

Jana,
Thank for sharing your experience and what sounds like your own intuitive path to finding what works for you nutritionally. Dr. Walsh has also said that he does feel some people can switch methylation status. Because a handful of genes appear to be involved and genetic expression can change, it would make sense that this could shift could happen in some cases. I tend to associate the left brain with undermethylation based on the similarities in traits and symptoms. Thank you again for commenting. Best to you on your journey.

Reply
Amanda
11/9/2024 05:18:47 am

I am interested in learning more about acetylcholine. It seems to get less attention than some of the other chemicals. I know that in Nutrient Power, choline is listed as decreasing serotonin activity. I recently read in an article that copper strongly inhibits AChE. So maybe excess acetylcholine could be part of the reason that copper overload causes problems! Perhaps you will consider writing about these relationships. I appreciate your work.

Reply
Courtney Snyder link
11/14/2024 06:49:55 pm

Thank you. Yes. I think a post on acetylcholine is a great idea. To add to your point, in Alzheimer's there low acetylcholine and high copper is common.

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