# Possible deficiency in neurotransmitters??



## Doberg (Sep 12, 2013)

I want to share an excerpt from a blog I came across, what do you guys think?

"PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP! WE KNOW THE SECRET! WE WANT TO HELP BECAUSE MY DAUGHTER HAS BEEN THERE LIKE YOU AND SUFFERED THROUGH FRICKING HELL!!! After a year of searching for help for my 21 year old daughter we actually figured out the cure by accident! Please take this seriously because my daughter is doing very well now. She was so sad to read of your account.
We went to so many psychiatrists that I lost count and none of them helped so then we began to do research on our own. We learned a LOT about neurotransmitters. Here's the thing...everyone who is suffering from depersonalization is severely lacking in one or more neurotransmitters! Don't let ANY doctor tell you otherwise! Their knowledge is remarkably deficient in this area. I truly believe they are killing people every day by their stupidity and ignorance on this! I am not kidding! In her final days of dp before we figured out what would help, my daughter Dana was riding roller coasters for the adrenaline rush and cutting herself just so she could feel alive. Anyway, I digress. After considerable research on neurotransmitters we found out several things.
1) Most people with dp are deficient in dopamine and or adrenalin, even though they may suffer from panic attacks, it's the LACK of adrenalin that is part of the cause of them.
2) Some dp people are deficient in serotonin.
3) You can usually determine which is the problem by knowing which legal and illegal drugs u respond well to. If you do great on coffee, cigarettes, cocaine and rollercoasters. You probably have a dopamine/ adrenalin deficiency, especially if marijuana makes you more depersonalized or paranoid.

4) If you do great on marijuana you probably have a serotonin problem.

Doctors almost always give serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants! This is a HUGE problem for people who need dopamine because it only makes them worse!

My daughter got an accidental clue at a party we were at one night at Halloween. A girl put some cocaine in her drink. Dana said it was her best night in years! She said she could actually see the food on the table and realize she was in the room. Later we went to our family doctor who is actually smart and told him about her problem and what happened. He laughed and told her that cocaine raises dopamine levels asked if we'd tried Wellbutrin. She said no, that she was afraid to try any more antidepressants because they were a disaster for her and made her feel suicidal. He told us that Wellbutrin works on dopamine and adrenalin so it would probably be a completely different experience. He tried her on the minimum dose and she immediately started to feel better. In fact she was so happy she cried. Then she gradually moved up in dosage until now she as at twice the normal dose because her dopamine levels were off the charts low. Anyway, she saw your letter and wanted me to write to you because she couldn't. Her computer has a virus. She wants you to NOT give up!! She is happy now for the first time in years. She wants you to know how bad she feels for you but that you CAN FEEL BETTER!!! You may have the same problem! Look into this and don't be intimidated by those doctors!!! Ask for what you want! Insist on it! Please write if you have any questions. And please let us know how you're doing! ~Theresa"


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## sunshinita (Aug 13, 2013)

You can't seriously compare heroine to antidepressants.There is a huge difference.I also believe that chemical imbalance sometimes is the cause of anxiety,depression and dp symptoms.There may be more to is as well like trauma and other issues-which make the chemical imbalance easily reached. It's no surprise that some antidepressants like SSRIs don't work on everybody.They don't work for me either, but SNRI does because it affects my noradrenaline levels (not just serotonin). I can't see anything wrong with taking antidepressants to reach 'normality' again WHILE you are working on your main issues.It's hard to work on your real problem when you don't feel 'real'.


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## sunshinita (Aug 13, 2013)

But it's hillarious how he thinks that his daughter was drugged 'by someone else accidentally'  yeah right, she 'didn't' know she was taking drugs at the time!


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## missjess (Jun 1, 2012)

sunshinita said:


> You can't seriously compare heroine to antidepressants.There is a huge difference.I also believe that chemical imbalance sometimes is the cause of anxiety,depression and dp symptoms.There may be more to is as well like trauma and other issues-which make the chemical imbalance easily reached. It's no surprise that some antidepressants like SSRIs don't work on everybody.They don't work for me either, but SNRI does because it affects my noradrenaline levels (not just serotonin). I can't see anything wrong with taking antidepressants to reach 'normality' again WHILE you are working on your main issues.It's hard to work on your real problem when you don't feel 'real'.


Can u plz elaborate on SNRI I'm just simply curious how does it work for you?


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## sunshinita (Aug 13, 2013)

I am not on SNRI now.I was last year when I had DP issues for the first time.It just took everything away-dp,anxiety,depression episodes,I was back to what I call 'normal' but I got off my meds once I felt normal which was a huge mistake.All I know about SNRIs is that they affect serotonin and norepinephrine ( noradrenaline) levels and I remember starting to feel better in the 3rd week and felt completely normal by the 3rd month.That was for me,it doesn't mean it will work on everybody,I read stories where people say that Effexor made them worse,it just wasn't them.As for WHY I am not taking it again at the moment is because I gain weight on antidepressants-it's the only reason.


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## sunshinita (Aug 13, 2013)

But it doesn't do anything for self-steem and codependency issues.Don't get me wrong when I say normal I don't mean I was a person without any issues.I mean normal-like I felt before having DP for the first time. Self issues can't be cured with meds,only chemical imbalance and all the ucnomfortable scary feelings.


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## missjess (Jun 1, 2012)

It's just interesting because I have never heard of any medication helping for dp, I used to take lexaoro a few years back when I had anxiety and yes it did help but I deff don't need that anymore.

U took Effexor that was horrible for me, when I was trying out anti depressants to find the right one the docs put me on 70mg of Effexor and I got seretonin syndrome it was really horrible, that was around the time u had severe anxiety going back 5 years ago


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## sunshinita (Aug 13, 2013)

It's different for everybody,my dp is a symtom of severe anxiety and effexor took axniety away and little by little dp also disappeared because my anxiety was causing it.How do you know when you have a serotonin syndrome,what are the symptoms? I am asking because now I am taking 5htp and some herb but a naturopath gave me one more supplement and I started having horrible panic attacks again,can it be too much serotonin?


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## Andre (Jun 2, 2013)

Fearless said:


> I think it's stupidity. When you see your beautiful girl, and you feel love, that warm feeling, your brain actually releases chemicals that make you feel that way.
> 
> But if you feel bad, the sane solution is not to put those chemicals into your body artifically. That's what you call DRUG use.
> 
> ...


 Ok, but what if the drug gradually re-balances the chemicals permanently? Isnt it an actual cure?


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## L.Z. (Oct 15, 2012)

Maybe dear Fearless, people have life issues cause they suffered from that chemical in-balance


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## sunshinita (Aug 13, 2013)

I don't agree that everybody who took antidepressants came back to square one when they stopped them.If they were taking it long enough (2-3 years at least) it can fix you chemical imbalance not just while you are taking them. I know people who are off medication and 10 years later they are just fine.I was on Effexor only for 8-9 months.You should continue taking your meds at least 6 months after you feel better,I didn't do that,silly me and here I am again.


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## Andre (Jun 2, 2013)

sunshinita said:


> It's different for everybody,my dp is a symtom of severe anxiety and effexor took axniety away and little by little dp also disappeared because my anxiety was causing it.How do you know when you have a serotonin syndrome,what are the symptoms? I am asking because now I am taking 5htp and some herb but a naturopath gave me one more supplement and I started having horrible panic attacks again,can it be too much serotonin?


 I think I may have this serotonin syndrome also. Coffe and stimulants in general make me more anxious and increase my dp consequently. When I drink whisky (not other drinks, only whisky) I use to 'recover' for a while, like the cocaine thing... so this may suggest I have that serotonin issue, dont know for sure...


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## sunshinita (Aug 13, 2013)

Of course I am back to square one and I think I gave a good reason for that. And another thing:when someone blames themself for something ( because everybody does at some point at their life ) doesn't mean that they are messed up mentally because of that.You see a little problem and you make it a big one.I blame myself because I didn't listen to my doctor who new better.That doesn't make me a person with guilt issues.I have other issues like everybody else but, trust me, I don't have guilt issues just because I did something stupid and I regret it. You see a problem everywhere where there is no one.If I follow your logic every person on that planet should have DP because everybody have issues.And you ignored the fact that there are a lot of people doing just fine after quitting their medication-of course you will because it doesn't match your logic.


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## cruisinthrulife89 (Sep 5, 2013)

how did your daughter develop her condition in the first place.


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2013)

The fact is our brains function entirely on chemical reactions, this means that everything we think feel and do is going to be reflected by changes in those chemicals. It's entirely possible that if your depressed to force your chemicals back into a non-depressed state, but that doesn't mean the depression was caused purely by an imbalance. A person who's depressed by an imbalance and person who's depressed do to personnel issues can have the same alterations in their brain chemistry and can both be helped by the same medication, but if the underlying issues is never addressed then the depression will come back over and over again for the second person.

The biggest mistake that anyone can make is having good results with a medication and then assuming their issues were the result of a spontaneous imbalance.


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## sunshinita (Aug 13, 2013)

I agree with Antimony.Of course there is something causing this imbalance in the first place.All I want to tell is that there is nothing wrong with taking medication while working on the main issue,because when you feel okey it will be easier to work on yourself.When you are in panic it is harder.That's all.


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## philandrjack (Feb 20, 2013)

Fearless said:


> Did it fix in your case? No. You're back at square one, and you are blaming yourself for quitting too soon. Convincing.
> 
> Just dropped my 2cents, have a good discussion guys.


Fearless, do the concentrational and cognitive difficulties you have in DP go away once you recover by facing your true psychological issue? Pls respond it is important for me to know.


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## philandrjack (Feb 20, 2013)

Fearless said:


> Yes but I don't really like how you composed the question. I mean, it shows that you don't have realistic ideas about how it works. Concentrational problem is not something you "have", but something you do. Lot of cognitive distortions are results of adaptations to your childhood environment.
> 
> You need to dig deep in order to realize where your habits are rooting. We're talking about your thinking habits which will eventually make you "have" concentration problems.
> 
> ...


Thank you. This is 100% true.


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## AlexFromPT (Jun 26, 2011)

Fearless said:


> Yes but I don't really like how you composed the question. I mean, it shows that you don't have realistic ideas about how it works. Concentrational problem is not something you "have", but something you do. Lot of cognitive distortions are results of adaptations to your childhood environment.
> 
> You need to dig deep in order to realize where your habits are rooting. We're talking about your thinking habits which will eventually make you "have" concentration problems.
> 
> ...


Amazing.


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## golfvr6 (Oct 11, 2013)

FEARLESS IS CORRECT.

MY VACATION FROM LIFE ON HEAVY DOSES OF MEDICATION HAVE PUT ME BACK 10 STEPS.

I

INSTEAD OF TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEMS I HAD IN MY LIFE, I JUMPED ON THE MEDICATION WAGON LIKE EVERYONE.

NOW I TRYING TO TO FIX THE SHIT I BROKE ON MEDS.

WHEN I BECAME DEPRESSED, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO COME UP WITH A PLAN OF ACTION, LIKE EXERCISE, NEW CAREER ETC I MEDICATED.

INSTEAD OF FACING LIFE PROBLEMS, AND TRYING TO FIX THE SHIT WHICH WAS WRONG. I MEDICATED

NOW I AM BACK TO SQUARE ONE OFF MEDS TRYING TO FIX THE SHIT I RUN AWAY FROM JUMPING ON MEDS.

I HAVE TAKE 10 STEPS BACKWARDS FROM BEFORE I WENT ON MEDS.

MEDICATION IS A VACATION AWAY FROM REAL LIFE ISSUES.

YES, THEY HELP, BUT ITS FALSE, IT FAKE, ITS A CAGE AROUND YOU.

THE TRUTH LIES IN FIXING PROBLEMS. RATHER THAN RUNNING AWAY.

THANK YOU MEDICATION

NOT!!!


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## flat (Jun 18, 2006)

Do you really think we have these rapidly cycling thoughts going on in our heads? Do you really hear yourself talking to you...in words and sentences all the time? I don't. Sure sometimes I will sorta think out loud a bit by saying to myself "why did I do that?" for example. But there is definitely no running dialogue that keeps me constantly occupied. The blankness and brain fog of dp/dr keeps me from hyperthinking that way.

And it may be possible for neurotransmitter levels to go awry either by stress or possibly by themselves. Isn't that how a lot of endogenous diseases like diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis etc happen? Of course bad psychological habits can have an effect on recovery as well. But I don't think they always go hand in hand.


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## NEEDMOREBLAZE (Apr 8, 2013)

Fearless said:


> try to cure that with meds : - )


You know it's funny to me, as awful and terrifying as it is, I have never taken or desired medication for this disorder. As the fog has been lifted over the last few months, I can literally feel the lack of integration in my mind when i view the world, but there are things that instantly cause integration for me....reading, exercise, puzzles, conversing with friends and family....but as for my best integration methods, I started coaching football which is something I have ALWAYS dreamed about doing. I also went on a date last night with a girl i really like, DP was the farthest thing from my mind...now that's my kind of medication.

Further proof that we are actually CHOOSING to dissociate from ourselves most of the time.


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## missjess (Jun 1, 2012)

sunshinita said:


> It's different for everybody,my dp is a symtom of severe anxiety and effexor took axniety away and little by little dp also disappeared because my anxiety was causing it.How do you know when you have a serotonin syndrome,what are the symptoms? I am asking because now I am taking 5htp and some herb but a naturopath gave me one more supplement and I started having horrible panic attacks again,can it be too much serotonin?


I felt extremely sick, dry mouth, everything was worse I thought I was gonna have a seizure but luckily it didn't get that bad was a horrible experience.

Are u taking more then 1 thing for depression? I would advise against that


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## golfvr6 (Oct 11, 2013)

I would say heroin is worse than ssri! I am living proof!

At least it does not numb you, or make you want to start shooting people.

ssri way worse, but because its indorsed by governments, and seen as healthy way its accepted

Bit like coke cola, considered safe, tv adverts, etc yet diabetes, teeth rooting,

But if the government says its good well, well it must be..Lets just believe everything were told. pretty much a sheep nation anyway.


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## golfvr6 (Oct 11, 2013)

such bullshit that ssri can fix your brain chemicals. never such useless rubbish..

on the contrary, a team of neuroscientist did a test on prozac, after a week, they had shrivel terminals in there brain

when they examined the brain while on prozac, the brain resembled alzheimer's

so this ssri fix imbalances is utter bullshit..wikapedia nonsense.

even depression was considered to have low serotonin levels, but it was high serotonin levels

SSRI dont fix anything, they make you feel better while your on them. But once your off back to square one.

So the years you wasted feleing good on medication and not taking action to fix the issue's had put people right back to start. what a waste of time.

artifical feel good feelings...but there not real.


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## Guest (Oct 31, 2013)

golfvr6 said:


> such bullshit that ssri can fix your brain chemicals. never such useless rubbish..
> 
> on the contrary, a team of neuroscientist did a test on prozac, after a week, they had shrivel terminals in there brain
> 
> ...


Exactly my friend.

SSRI'S are designed to take forever, and the longer you take them the more impossible it is to get off. The people I know who have been on anti depressants/ssri's long term (20 years +) are shallow and lethargic and weird. You know the one.. 'lights on but nobody's home..... usually they take an anti anxiety as well.

It's time to wake up! And shove these so called 'experts' off their pedestals. So what if they spent six years sitting in lectures. That means jack shit in my world. They often don't even listen to what their patients are really saying, hence years of incorrect diagnoses and medications.

Ask a psychologist or psychiatrist how long they really spent learning about dissociative disorders! I have, and answer has been... virtually nothing! They gain experience by meeting people with DD's out in the real world and taking a keen interest in it. Don't expect Jo Blow the psych to be able to help you, chances are he really has very little knowledge about what's REALLY going on...

Ahhh.. that's better. Rant over.

Just my 2 cents....


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## Kinda-Confused (Nov 18, 2013)

Actually, very weird the post stated that doing good on rollercoasters could mean Adrenaline/Dopamine deficiency. I normally visit Busch Gardens (an amusement park in Florida). Anyways, I have a tradition of always going on a particularly intense coaster named Sheikra which has a large inward drop. It has always been intense the first couple times riding it before I became used to the feeling of falling and the speed. But this year ( I got DPDR around 6 months ago) I was immediately fine on the coaster. I felt normal. It was so weird because that has never happened before. Interesting.


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## KevinSmith14 (Nov 16, 2013)

sunshinita said:


> You can't seriously compare heroine to antidepressants.There is a huge difference.I also believe that chemical imbalance sometimes is the cause of anxiety,depression and dp symptoms.There may be more to is as well like trauma and other issues-which make the chemical imbalance easily reached. It's no surprise that some antidepressants like SSRIs don't work on everybody.They don't work for me either, but SNRI does because it affects my noradrenaline levels (not just serotonin). I can't see anything wrong with taking antidepressants to reach 'normality' again WHILE you are working on your main issues.It's hard to work on your real problem when you don't feel 'real'.


Just a question..

How would you define the difference between illegal drugs and anti-D's?


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## Guest (Nov 20, 2013)

There's a term which often comes up when talking about mental health. Chemical imbalance. The term 'chemical imbalance' has never been proven to exist. No one has ever been able to actually measure the amounts of chemicals in our brains, let alone measure an imbalance in our individual brains!

So next time a mental health 'professional' talks about our brains 'chemical balance or imbalance' and/or medication which will restore the balance of the brains chemicals, maybe get them to explain a little more&#8230;.

We deserve to hear the truth about what they try and force down our throats&#8230;


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## KevinSmith14 (Nov 16, 2013)

My sentiments exactly, Philo


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## Guest (Nov 20, 2013)

I heard that some pharmaceutical company coined the term chemical imbalance&#8230;. quite likely I suppose.


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## Doberg (Sep 12, 2013)

I think regardless, if you benefit from medication why not use it? If it does not benefit you do not use it. I know many people who benefit from medication tremendously. I also know many are bias against it. It should be a personal matter. However, regarding the chemical imbalance I believe in some cases it is true. I do not believe that anxiety and depression are caused by imbalances, I believe they cause the imbalance.


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## KevinSmith14 (Nov 16, 2013)

"However, regarding the chemical imbalance I believe in some cases it is true. I do not believe that anxiety and depression are caused by imbalances, I believe they cause the imbalance."

That's a great way to put it. I've never thought of it like that before.


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## Guest (Nov 21, 2013)

Doberg said:


> I think regardless, if you benefit from medication why not use it? If it does not benefit you do not use it. I know many people who benefit from medication tremendously. I also know many are bias against it. It should be a personal matter. However, regarding the chemical imbalance I believe in some cases it is true. I do not believe that anxiety and depression are caused by imbalances, I believe they cause the imbalance.


I believe what you said too..


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## themaxx10 (Nov 20, 2013)

I think it's dangerous to assume that DP/DR must be caused by the same thing in everyone. I think we need to keep an open mind, except to the idea that "everyone" has it because of [insert your reason here].

I think a lot may have it due to unresolved psychological/personal/trauma issues. But it also seems quite evident to me that a chemical malfunction in the brain could produce DP/DR symptoms in someone as well. To misdiagnose either would be a disservice to the sufferer. It does see from some posts in this thread that one should be careful about going on a regimen of drugs, to make sure you are aware of side effects and possible negative consequences.


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