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why did sertraline/zoloft make my thinking faster?

T

trainman04

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Dec 18, 2017
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It felt like I imagine a dopamine kick would be... I was taking high dosages of this drug and it made me think/thoughts so much faster like I expect adderall would do. So I checked the wikipedia and it says Sertraline inhibits the dopamine transporter. But it was amazing... my thought went 100 miles an hour and I could think of stuff so fast... so thats how adderall and or ritalin would feel like probably stronger... I need to get me some of that..

heres what I know correct me if I am wrong:So inhibiting the dopamine transporter makes the dopamine stay for longer outside something, does that mean if you inhibit the DAT that you increase the expression of all the dopamine receptors ?
 
So inhibiting the dopamine transporter makes the dopamine stay for longer outside something, does that mean if you inhibit the DAT that you increase the expression of all the dopamine receptors ?
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Nope. Inhibiting DAT tends to not have an immediate effect on receptor expression, but chronically blocking it and having elevated DA levels in the synapse all the time would result in downregulation of DA receptors.
 
dopamine has its effects trough the dopamine receptors right? by activating them.
Like serotonin binding to the serotonin receptors for example 5ht2a then whatever the 5th2a is responsible for happens.

same concept with dopamine , inhibiting the transporter leaving dopamine stay longer more receptor expression is what I figured. If drugs that inhibit DAT like ritalin don't get their effect from increasing receptor expression how else is the dopamine producing an effect? I figured the same with adderall , I know adderall works differently moves dopamine makes it more available but in the end the effect comes from increased dopamine receptor expression? Or am I confused and you need drugs like pramipexol to increase dopamine receptor activity?
 
"Increase in dopamine receptor expression" means your body is making more dopamine receptors. Activation of DA receptors, when DA binds and causes a signalling cascade, is something different.
 
oh I thought expression was the same thing as activity or whatever you call it when DA binds to receptors. how do you increase the amount of dopamine receptors is that possible? like is there anything that increases dopamine receptors density?
 
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FYI, sertraline's effects on dopamine reuptake are negligible. Yes, the values may look decent on paper, but since almost all of the drug is stuck to proteins in your plasma, it is not a stimulant.

However, since its affinity for the serotonin transporter is extremely high, it remains an effective SSRI despite being almost 99% protein-bound.

So if you're experiencing racing thoughts from high-dose zoloft (how high of a dose are we talking about here?), the far more likely explanation is that you were simply suffering from a mild case of serotonin syndrome.
 
the max i took was like 1000mg but like 600+mg on average but the dopamine kick dissapeared fast each time.

It wasnt racing thoughts like anxiety , I got no anxiety from it but i felt like my brain processing speed increased, which I dont think serotonin does but dopamine does.
 
I tried sertraline before, I felt more energetic and was also thinking faster, it is different from other SSRIs which are more sedating and slow you down
 
yea its the only ssri that affects dopamine which makes me wanna try ADHD drugs considering how well i reacted to sertraline dopamine effect even tho how weak it is on dopamine i cant imagine how something stronger like ritalin would feel..

I also think Venlafaxine(SNRI) affects dopamine..... anyone have any idea how strong it is or weak as with sertraline or weaker? and cymbalta(snri)
 
trainman04 said:
the max i took was like 1000mg but like 600+mg on average but the dopamine kick dissapeared fast each time.
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A normal daily dose of sertraline is 50 mg twice per day. Taking 600 or even 1000 mg of sertraline at once is a massive overdose. At these doses, you were basically experiencing a milder case of serotonin syndrome.

It wasnt racing thoughts like anxiety , I got no anxiety from it but i felt like my brain processing speed increased, which I dont think serotonin does but dopamine does.
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It wasn't racing thoughts like anxiety because it was racing thoughts like "mania". Which is exactly what serotonin does (among other things).
 
trainman04 said:
It felt like I imagine a dopamine kick would be... I was taking high dosages of this drug and it made me think/thoughts so much faster like I expect adderall would do. So I checked the wikipedia and it says Sertraline inhibits the dopamine transporter. But it was amazing... my thought went 100 miles an hour and I could think of stuff so fast... so thats how adderall and or ritalin would feel like probably stronger... I need to get me some of that..

heres what I know correct me if I am wrong:So inhibiting the dopamine transporter makes the dopamine stay for longer outside something, does that mean if you inhibit the DAT that you increase the expression of all the dopamine receptors ?
Click to expand...

It's a weak DRI but maybe Just the right amount for you( the sweet spot). The drug has been around for over 2 decades and there is extensive research done regarding it's cognitive effects.Showing superiority over fluoxetine, venlafaxine, citalopram and the tricyclic equivalent- amitryptalline. Superior results in Digit recall, working memory, speed and efficiency of memory stages( retention, acquisition, retrieval). It has zero effect on motor skills and latencies( car driving)
Improves attention and word fluency as well.

It also is a mild sigma Antgonist. Unlike Fluvoxamine and Escitalopram, which are both agonists at various Sigma Ligands. The benefits of this activation are not fully appreciated or illustrated in recent literature.However it is believed to contribute to it's activation components, which can be quite stimulating and cause various degrees of Akasthisia and or anxiety.Especially early on during treatment initiation. If you don't suffer from anxiety, then an activating SSRI could be beneficial for mental and physical energy, motivation with a state of mental alertness( clarity).
Zoloft increases dopamine and norepinephrine in the Nucleus Accumbens, PFC and Striatum. The NA, PFC, Caudate Nucleus/putamen are highly innervated with dopaminergic projections and spindle branches.....Thalamus>Caudate Nucleus<Nucleus Accumbens then the prefrontal cortex. This is basically the dopamine reward pathway and contributes to Reward seeking, Motivation and cognitive strengthening.

May I ask you which Anti-d's you've taken before as well as obviously to why you're taking Zoloft( Sertraline) in the first place? I'd like to draw comparisons and try to isolate the mechanism of action in more detail, once I learn of any and all maladaptive disorders, age, and present/previous diagnosis.
 
Captain.Heroin said:
"my thoughts went 100 mph" sounds like a placebo effect.
Click to expand...

Had this too with venlafaxine (and DXM, 4,4'-DMAR, Mephedrone, 3-MMC, ...). It's called hypomania, as has already been said ... is pretty enjoyable to those who susceptible / even habit forming and not placebo but a side effect of something messing too much with one's 5-HT system :p :)

Oh, and zoloft. I hate this one. Feels weird, and it's a sigma antagonist.
 
karambit said:
It's a weak DRI but maybe Just the right amount for you( the sweet spot). The drug has been around for over 2 decades and there is extensive research done regarding it's cognitive effects.Showing superiority over fluoxetine, venlafaxine, citalopram and the tricyclic equivalent- amitryptalline. Superior results in Digit recall, working memory, speed and efficiency of memory stages( retention, acquisition, retrieval). It has zero effect on motor skills and latencies( car driving)
Improves attention and word fluency as well.

It also is a mild sigma Antgonist. Unlike Fluvoxamine and Escitalopram, which are both agonists at various Sigma Ligands. The benefits of this activation are not fully appreciated or illustrated in recent literature.However it is believed to contribute to it's activation components, which can be quite stimulating and cause various degrees of Akasthisia and or anxiety.Especially early on during treatment initiation. If you don't suffer from anxiety, then an activating SSRI could be beneficial for mental and physical energy, motivation with a state of mental alertness( clarity).
Zoloft increases dopamine and norepinephrine in the Nucleus Accumbens, PFC and Striatum. The NA, PFC, Caudate Nucleus/putamen are highly innervated with dopaminergic projections and spindle branches.....Thalamus>Caudate Nucleus<Nucleus Accumbens then the prefrontal cortex. This is basically the dopamine reward pathway and contributes to Reward seeking, Motivation and cognitive strengthening.

May I ask you which Anti-d's you've taken before as well as obviously to why you're taking Zoloft( Sertraline) in the first place? I'd like to draw comparisons and try to isolate the mechanism of action in more detail, once I learn of any and all maladaptive disorders, age, and present/previous diagnosis.
Click to expand...

i was trying different ssri for anxiety and this one stood out becuase of the dopamine thing.
it did help with my anxiety like once it decreases crh in the BNST . no ssri helped my anxiety anyway.. i felt them working like one day but then they stop working all of sudden no idea why.
would you suggest a drug like ritalin or modafinil since i reacted to sertraline that well in terms of cognitive function even tho its weak.
maybe even wellbutrin will work. where in the brain do these increase dopamine ?
 
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That can be a symptom of hypomania. Wouldnt surprise me if that much sertraline would do that even in a euthymic person.
I think the DRI effects of 200mg+ sertraline are overblown. Personally I wouldnt take more than 300mg, but thats just me.
Fluoxetine may have some indirect dopaminergic effect via 5HT-2c. Its about as activating as sertraline and has a much longer half-life.
 
trainman04 said:
well isnt mania caused by excess dopamine.. it was just improved processing i felt my brain going 1000 miles faster like for example i could give the answer to math problems/questions way faster.

http://www.dana.org/News/New_Clues_to_the_Causes_of_Bipolar_Disorder/

either way i like that feeling im probably gonna try and get a ADHD med.
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No it isnt caused by any one Neurotransmitter, as there is always coupling integrated with downstream effects. Mania results from large diparities between your Rational mind and Reactive mind. The same with OCD and a few others.

Why the hell do u want to play with your brain and try to procure a " ADHD" med when things seem to be working fine with sertraline? Any reasons ??

cr33py said:
That can be a symptom of hypomania. Wouldnt surprise me if that much sertraline would do that even in a euthymic person.
I think the DRI effects of 200mg+ sertraline are overblown. Personally I wouldnt take more than 300mg, but thats just me.
Fluoxetine may have some indirect dopaminergic effect via 5HT-2c. Its about as activating as sertraline and has a much longer half-life.
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It's most likely not a result of Hypomania and is a result of initial activation until 5HT receptors begin to down-regulate and start to Normalize. You don't even now HOW much he took, unless he disclosed in a DM, as its not mentioned. "Trainman" You're leaving out too much information!

Negligible indirect dopaminergic effects from initial antagonism of 5HT2C receptors. They up-regulate rather quickly making it about as effective as a popcorn fart in the wind on any dopamine synthesis. The activation of Prozac is more more constant and intense than zoloft, as the binding profile for 5HT2C is greater with Fluoxetine.

Zoloft's source is weak DRI, Prozac gets it from short-lived 5HT2C antagonism. Totally different mechanism of action!
 
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Hodor said:
He already stated he took 600-1000 mg, which is three to five times the maximum daily therapeutic dose, right here in this thread:
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I see. Thanks for this. Probable Serotonin Syndrome with hyperexcitability

WhyTF would you do this trainman?? You seem like a child with risk taking and reckless behaviour! Do you want a stroke from SeroSyndrome ??
 
I don't take sertraline anymore it was just in the early years when I was like 16-17 and I first started taking SSRI. I didn't know any better and I thought higher dosage = more chance of it working for anxiety,but thats completely wrong. But anyway I was just curious to what made the sertraline increase my brain power so much and I really think it has to do with dopamine and this has sparked an intrest in me wanting to try drugs like Wellbutrin, modafinil etc (dopaminergic drugs).
 
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