Insights Into Link Between Anti-Cholesterol Drugs And Depression
Main Category: StatinsAlso Included In: Anxiety / Stress; Depression
Article Date: 02 Jul 2010 - 0:00 PDT
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Scientists are reporting a possible explanation for the symptoms of anxiety and depression that occur in some patients taking the popular statin family of anti-cholesterol drugs, and reported by some individuals on low-cholesterol diets. These symptoms could result from long-term, low levels of cholesterol in the brain, the report suggests. It appears in ACS' weekly journal Biochemistry.
Amitabha Chattopadhyay and colleagues note in the study that statins work by blocking a key enzyme involved in the body's production of cholesterol. Some studies link the drugs to an increased risk of anxiety and depression, but the reasons are unclear. The scientists previously showed that maintaining normal cholesterol levels is important for the function of cell receptors for serotonin, a brain hormone that influences mood and behavior. But the long-term effect of cholesterol depletion on these receptors, which can occur in patients taking anti-cholesterol drugs, is unknown.
The scientists turned to the statin medication mevastatin to find out. In lab tests using human serotonin receptors expressed in animal cells, they showed that long-term use of the drug caused significant changes in the structure and function of serotonin cell receptors. Adding cholesterol to cells treated with mevastatin restored them to normal. The results represent the first report describing the effect of long-term cholesterol depletion on this type of cell receptor and suggest that chronic, low cholesterol levels in the brain might trigger anxiety and depression, the scientists say.
Article: "Chronic Cholesterol Depletion using Statin Impairs the Function and Dynamics of Human Serotonin1A Receptors"
Source:
Michael Bernstein
American Chemical Society
Visit our statins section for the latest news on this subject.
MLA
16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/193579.php>
APA
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/193579.php.
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Visitor Opinions In Chronological Order (3)
statins
posted by kathryn on 2 Jul 2010 at 2:33 amI developed breast cysts while on simvastatin,so I stopped taking them and the lumps disappeared.Many people I know have developed memory loss and stooped taking statins and regained their memory.Is this one of the reasons for our increasing dementia problems?
Is there such a thing as too much fish oil?
posted by name withheld on 3 Jul 2010 at 2:30 pmIn light of these findings, and for someone with depression, is there such a thing as too much fish oil in one's diet? I understand that omega 3's affect cholesterol levels and this article does not make clear what exactly might be a too low level of cholesterol and whether fish oil may have the same effect?
Because of serious and long term major depressive disorder, I am a hyper-vigilent consumer of foods that I perceive to healthy i.e. low cholesterol foods with the exception of fish oil which I consume by the handfull. Which is to say six capsules of medium grade fish oil with every meal.
My question essentially is "Might a low cholesterol, high fish oil diet cause anxiety/depression in a mechanism similar to the statin one described in this article. I do recognize the difference between LDL and HDL however this article does say which kind is being altered.
My Anti-cholesterol Story
posted by Linda on 23 May 2011 at 9:05 amThe VA started me on 20 mg late in 2006. I developed large cysts on my thyroid (4 cm in diameter on the left side, 1 cm in diameter on the right side). I developed depression, anger, and hostility, along with a decrease in my energy level, plus I now suffer from bad memory lapses. The VA increased my dosage to 40 mg late in 2007, then upped it again to 80 mg late in 2008. Except for the first follow-up lab test (three months after the intial prescription), the VA checked my liver enzymes only once per year or less, which informationcauses civilian nurses and lab technicians to get rather horrified looks on their faces, since the standard-of-care in the civilian world is to be tested at least every six months.
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