Highly selective serotonin (5-HT) antagonist treats both anxiety and depression, proving 5-HT is a cause of both
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It never ceases to amaze me just how paradoxical the pharma industry is. On one hand, they still claim that low 5-HT causes depression and/or anxiety. On the other hand, pharma companies have various drugs on the market already approved for anxiety and depression, and the mechanism of action of those drugs is exactly 180 degrees from the “serotonin dogma” of mental illness, and nobody bats an eyelash and simply ignore the implications that SSRI drugs are thus a proven fraud. In this case, agomelatine – a highly selective 5-HT receptor antagonist (5-HT2C receptor) has been sold in countries outside the US for years as a treatment for both anxiety and depression, but is not approved for use in the US. The drug seems to so far have produced remarkable results – i.e. proving effective in four out of 4 large randomized placebo-controlled trials, which is a feat no SSRI drug has ever come even close to. This is probably enough for most doctors to never mention the drug to their patients who struggle or deteriorate while on SSRI , and also allows the FDA and Big Pharma to avoid commenting on such “paradoxical” drugs by saying they are not approved for use in the US and as such no comment is needed/warranted. In any event, 5-HT2C receptors are known to be the master “control switch” for the production of ACTH and thus activation of the HPA axis. Antagonists of 5-HT2C are clinically used to control cortisol synthesis and even treat hyper-cortisol conditions on the Cushing spectrum. Conversely, 5-HT is one of the main activators of HPA (and thus the stress response), which again makes its role (as well as the role of cortisol) virtually undeniable in depression. I think we are at the cusp of some major changes in Big Pharma, as the serotonin fraud can no longer be maintained or hidden from the masses. Especially now, when the public is wisening up to the fact that the perp(s) in every major mass shooting in the US have been on at least one psychotropic drugs, with SSRI almost always being one of drugs in the “cocktail”.
https://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=181224&sid=2
“…Agomelatine, a clinically validated…serotonin 2C receptor antagonist, is an effective anxiolytic and antidepressant approved for the treatment of GAD in Australia and major depressive disorder in Australia and the European Union. In generalized anxiety disorder, agomelatine has demonstrated statistically significant separation from placebo in four out of four third-party placebo-controlled studies and has better efficacy and tolerability – including reduced risk of abuse potential, sexual dysfunction, and weight gain – than standard of care drugs, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or benzodiazepines. However, over 90 per cent of unmodified agomelatine is lost to first-pass liver metabolism and its use has been limited by dose-dependent liver enzyme elevations and the need for frequent liver monitoring.”