High, Not Low, Serotonin Linked To Social Anxiety

After decades of prescribing SSRI to treat anxiety, and especially "social" anxiety, evidence is finally being published in bastions of dogma like JAMA that anxiety disorders are likely caused by high levels of serotonin rather than low. This makes the prescription of SSRI one of the worst "treatments" for social and other types of anxiety. It is also worth noting that both serotonin synthesis is also enhanced, which suggests overactive TPH1, also implicated in depression, suicide, and various neurological disorders like autism, ALS, AD, etc.

http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article ... id=2319710

"...Social anxiety disorder is frequently treated pharmacologically with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, several of which are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for this indication. Nonetheless, only30% to 40% of patients have full and satisfactory responses to these agents...In a study reported in this issue, Fricket et al use positron emission tomography to measure what they consider to be indices of serotonin synthesis and serotonin transporter density. They find that both measures are increased in patients with social anxiety disorder. Interpreting these findings and putting them in context with other related models of anxiety and depression requires an understanding of the functioning of the brain’s serotonin system."

 

Still, SSRIs often work. I think it is largely due to the patient losing the ability to perceive disapproval and their own social failures. That creates a lot of disinhibition.

 

Yea, I know a couple people on SSRI's. They are very social, but both say some really questionable things. They just seem a bit "off." One is aging very quickly and losing his hair.

 

I've been trying to remedy my social anxiety for years now. Like most people, I started with an SSRI. I wasn't on if very long, maybe two months tops.

As far as my anxiety went, it may have made me a bit less inhibited, but also more idiosyncratic. It also lowered my libido; I went from jacking it every day to maybe once a week. Overall, it didn't do the trick and wasn't worth the trouble of seeing a doctor to get a prescription.

After trying a bunch of Peaty things, I find that serotonin-lowering substances, and anti-glutaminergic substances work best for me.

 

Theanine is great for lowering both glutamate and serotonin and incidentally it has been studies for social anxiety. I think the dose was only 200mg daily. Google around, the study was pretty popular when it came out.

 

Btw weirdly enough avoiding masturbation helps remedy anxiety and depression.

 

What are some other anti-glutaminergic substances?

 

Completely agree. This is a page I often like to share with people on the harms of masturbation...

http://drlwilson.com/Articles/MASTURBATION.htm

 

[quote} Theanine is great for lowering both glutamate and serotonin and incidentally it has been studies for social anxiety. I think the dose was only 200mg daily. Google around, the study was pretty popular when it came out.[/quote]

I tried theanine very early on, before I ever got into Peat's stuff. It seemed to help the first time, but seemed to drop off immediately after. Perhaps it was a dosage issue or any other number of factors. Stuff like tianeptine, phenibut, and caffeine seem to help more, but again, maybe it's a dosage/potency issue. I should experiment with theanine again given it's anti-serotonin/glutamate effects.

 

Maybe give this page a read...

http://beesandbutterflies.org/29450/soc ... depression

 

I've experimented with this off and on for the past couple of years, and there is definitely some kind of improvement when I abstain from porn and masturbation. However, I've often wondered if it's the porn itself or the excessive masturbation that results in the anxiety and depression. My guess is that it's a combination of the two that creates a downward spiral.

 

Self-confidence means you have confidence in yourself (kind of like you were two persons in one body). Self-confidence is context dependent, you could have intellectual self confidence but lack social self confidence. Lack of self confidence gives rise to anxiety. So, if you are so physically weak that you can't come up with anything to say in social situations or your body language is out of tune with the group then it might help to spare your bodily reserves through abstaining from masturbation. However, if you don't use it you'll lose it, or your sex drive will decrease if you never ejaculate. I don't believe porn or masturbation inherently is bad, unless you have some guilt complex. Low moral douchebags have often the most vitality. They don't kill themselves with shame.

 

+1

 

Saw it elsewhere on here that masturbating raises estrogen levels, and estrogen causes serotonin to be made. Too much serotonin causes anxiety and mood stuff.

 

True, very true.

 

Excessive is not the problem, masturbation period is the problem. If you are single don't masturbate, simple as that. And only love your wife when she is ovulating if you are married. That's the simplicity to keeping testosterone levels up and estrogen down.

The reality of our creation is that God never intended physical romantic desire outside of ovulation. Pornography only offers sight sense from magazines or sight and sound from video. There is no ovulating sense of smell perceived from the woman in porn. That is what gets a real man's desire focused and the need for release.

 

This is a typical medical belief that is not true. Abstinence builds honour, respect and confidence.