Treatments for AN - Drug Therapy Flashcards
How are drug treatments effective
Biochemical mechanisms (dopamine and serotonin) should be able to alter neurotransmitter activity may benefit AN symptoms.
Two types of drug treatments
Antidepressants
Antipsychotics
What do antidepressants do
Increase serotonin/ serotonin and noradrenaline in synapse
What do antipsychotics do
Dopamine abnormally high in AN. Block postsynaptic receptors so dopamine cant bind, reducing signals.
Two type of antidepressant drugs
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
SNRIs (serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors)
Why does low serotonin cause AN
may be direct cause of AN or be because AN is co-morbid with depression
What does serotonin do normally
remaining in synapse are normally removed by process of reuptake
Taken back into presynaptic neuron through serotonin transporter
What happens to serotonin when drug is taken
block serotonin reuptake in presynaptic so excess serotonin is not recycled, instead stays in synapse and repeatedly binds with postsynaptic receptors
How do SSRIs and SNRIs help people with AN
Extends the appetite-enhancing effects of serotonin
How do SNRIs work
-Work in similar way to SSRIs but target noradrenaline as well as serotonin (inhibiting reuptake of both serotonin and adrenaline)
What do SNRIs suggest
low serotonin is not only neurotransmitter dysfunction that afffects AN
What happens do SGAs do to neurotransmitters
Dopamine antagonists = blocks postsynaptic dopamine receptors without activating them, reducing dopamine activity
Block D2/D3 and serotonin 5HT2A receptors
Increase grehlin
How do SGAs help with anorexia
Olanzopine = decrease obsessive thoughts (anorexic ruminations)
Ghrelin = decrease fullness and encourage food intake -> Van der Zwaal 2012
Atypical second-generation antipsychotics
SGAs - Olanzopine
Why is it a weakness to just treat AN with SGAs or SSRIs/SNRIs
-Weight gain = dealing with symptoms but not underlying causes. Make them mentally worse because people with AN are scared to gain weight.