> From: Ronald Reiner <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: What is GabaPentin
>
> Alastair wrote -
>
> >Hi Ron
> >
> >What is gabapentin ? Does it have any connection with GABA ? At
> >present I am trying to find out if GABA can suppress Dyskinesia .
> > Taking it on its own it does not have much effect , but that may be
> >because it does not cross the blood/brain barrier well . I am now
> >trying GHB which was originaly used as a way of getting GABA into the
> >brain . Naturaly with a name like gabapentin it springs to mind that
> >this is another way of getting GABA across the Blood/brain barrier ??
> > peace
> > Alastair ( [log in to unmask] )
>
> Alastair,
>
> Frankly I'm not sure what distingusihes gabapentin (i.e., Neurontin)
> from Gaba but I'm sure that there is a big difference. Neurontin is a
> prescription drug used mainly as an anticovulsant. It is also a mild
> antidepressant and is useful for restless legs syndrome. I don't think
> that the Gaba you buy OTC advertises these same benefits.
>
> You may find an answer on a massive web page concerning Fibro Myolagia
> (sp?) that I stumbled on. It discussed all sorts of chemicals and brain
> functions. Unfortunately, I lost the URL but you may find it with a Web
> search oon Fibro Mylagia.
>
> Ron Reiner (50/3)
>
>
Hi Ron
Yes I did look it up on the Web . For anyone who is interested .
Gabapentin is structuraly similar to GABA but does not behave
similarlty . It does not interact with the GABA receptors . How it
interacts with the nervous system is not understood . It is used to
treat central not peripheral pain , as well as epileptic seizures .
It has been used to treat seizures cause by brain tumours where other
medication fails .( Brain tumours can also cause PD symptoms .) It
has also been used , contravertialy, to treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
.
We seem to have with the use of gabapentin yet another non dopamine
PD tratement that shows PD's similarity to epilepsy and CFS. This tends to
reinforce my belief that PD is a spasm in the neural firing pattern
It reinforces my view that all this talk in terms of
neurotransmitters and receptors is a lot of hot air designed to
impress rather than effect a treatment . If you break the brain down
into a collection of neural circuits you have to have a complete
diagram before you can use this information . One
unnoticed/unexplained circuit will completely alter the whole circuit
pattern and how it operates. I support the collection of all
knowledge . But in the cases of the brain I feel one should look at
the overall picture and then try to place smaller detail into it ,
rather than try to build an overall picture from a collection of
detail .
Because we do not know how gabapentin works in detail we should
consider its action on the overall picture . Most effective
treatements for PD were stumbled upon by accident . The more we
stumble around and can report our stumbles on something like this list
the more chance we have of stumbling accross a cure for PD .
Gabapentin was originally devloped as a GABA agonist . It is not
this ,but it clearly has other unexplained useful properties .
.
peace
Alastair ( [log in to unmask] )
