Do you think it is possible for a person to have too much serotonin?

Question

I have always heard that people with depression have too little serotonin. But, is it possible for a person to have too much? Just currious. Thanks!

Answer 1

Absolutely! When there is an abundance, it's a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some people are diagnosed with too little or too much of the brain's chemicals such as: serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), epinephrine.

Serotonin: A neurotransmitter believed to play an important role in the regulation of mood, sleep, sexuality and appetite. Serotonin has been thought to play a part in many disorders, notably as part of the biochemistry of depression, migraine, bipolar disorder and anxiety. (also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT)

Hope that helped!

Answer 2

I do think it is possible for a person to have too much serotonin or a sensitivity in such they have symptoms of serotonin syndrome with a drop of serotonin increase, through serotonin reuptake inhibitors or anything that just increases serotonin. As someone already mentioned though, there is no test. But, I have read a couple stories on the Internet with people only being prescribed a light dose, and having seizures, and not being an epileptic and other symptoms. Never tried coke, but once and had double or triple vision. I myself, cannot remain conscious with just a drop of any medication with dextromorphan in too many over the counter cough and cold medications, as well as instant knock out in surgery with ketamine and 6 x vision for hours after. Someone once tried to give me a risperdrone prescription, I started going down just placing the pill in my mouth, twitched for the rest of the night felt heavy and almost passed out three times in next couple days, along with having an even slower response than I usually do. Needless to say, I took the pill out of my mouth as I was going down, and later returned the pills. I have a police officer instructor I twitched around and random switching around some people??? Could it be? Like a street drug around some people? I also have always avoided nutmeg and ginseng, before I found out they will also increase serotonin.

Answer 3

An excess of anything can be toxic. Taking too way much vitamin C is toxic to the human body, for example.

It's less about how much serotonin (quantity), and has more to do with how long the chemical gets to 'hang around' in electrical impulses in the brain called 'a synapse". Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants work to allow naturally occurring brain chemicals (neurotransmitters including but not limited to serotonin) TO STAY IN SYNAPSES LONGER. You need to learn about how these electrical impulses work before you will understand any of this, The only reason I know is that my Intro Psyche course at university dealt with "how brains think", 'how eyes see", etc., etc. at length. It's not something people regulary chat about at Starbuck's over a cappuccino. Here's the critical bit:

"SSRIs increase the extracellular level of the neurotransmitter serotonin by inhibiting its reuptake into the presynaptic cell, increasing the level of serotonin available to bind to the postsynaptic receptor.
THAT'S IT IN A NUTSHELL!!!

They have varying degrees of selectivity for the other monoamine transporters, having little binding affinity for the noradrenaline and dopamine transporters."
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"The term "Third generation antidepressant" is sometimes used to refer to even newer antidepressants, often selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as fluoxetine, reboxetine, mirtazapine, nefazodone, paroxetine, sertraline, and venlafaxine. However, this usage is not universal.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of antidepressants used in the treatment of depression, anxiety disorders and some personality disorders...

They are pharmacologically similar to methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and other reuptake inhibiting drugs. They act in a similar way by allowing chemicals to stay in synapses longer.

Answer 4

I'm not too sure about mania (the opposite of depression) but it could be caused by a seratonin overload I suppose.
But then, have they really been able to prove that a chemical called seratonin exsists...and if they have why can't they measure it with a blood test like so many other disorders...?
Sometimes I wonder if it's just a ploy by the drug companies to make money..."You aren't smart enough to understand this but there is a chemical we can't prove exsists and the levels drop which cause depression...but we can't test that...just believe us." You know what I'm saying? If you're having heart problems they can check that. Problems peeing--they're a test. But there is no test for seatonin. Think about it.

Answer 5

With all the SSRI's on the market, serotonin syndrome has become something of a problem, though not common, and those people are not comfortable.

Answer 6

good question, Never heard of it but if they have too much I wonder if they are extremely happy.