THE MEMANTINE THEORY

I usually open with a quip.

I have no idea where to begin with this one.

No clue.

Or am I just confused?

Spanish researchers came up with an interesting hypothesis. Fibromyalgia patients have been found to have elevated glutamate in certain areas of the brain. Would a drug that works on blocking glutamate be useful as a treatment for Fibromyalgia?

Enter Memantine.

Memantine is an FDA approved drug for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. It works by blocking NMDA receptors. It seems that people with Fibromyalgia have excessive activity of a neurotransmitter system called the NMDA system. The NMDA or N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor system has been investigated for pain, neurological disorders and seizures. These receptors play a role in the excitatory over-stimulation. The binding of both glutamate and glycine activate this receptor. Now, glutamate levels have found to be high in people with Fibromyalgia. So, if glutamate levels are high and the activity of this receptor system are on overdrive and the result of this produces an elevated level of nitric oxide in our systems then wouldn't that explain why we have different levels of pain at different places and times in our body? Plus, instead of working just on pain, wouldn't this drug also work with memory issues and cognitive function?

But, here's the thing. 

And it's the "thing" I have with a lot of drugs.

The side effects are scarier than the disease.

The common side effects are confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, insomnia and agitation. This would be weird because I wouldn't know what was the drug and what was the Fibro. Less common are vomiting (that does it for me right there) anxiety, cystitis and increased libido. Ok.....how much increased????? 

You are instructed to stop it immediately if you have a cough, chest tightening, fever, trouble breathing, seizures, sudden numbness and/or hallucinations.

I'm not trying to make light of Fibromyalgia, not at all, but this sounds like something that could seriously mess you up and I wouldn't take it for the pain of Fibromyalgia.  In an MS trial it was reported to induce a "reversible" neurological impairment. This impairment was severe enough to halt the clinical trial.

This drug is also being tested for the use in anxiety, epilepsy, opioid dependence, lupus, depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, Tourette's, problem gambling, ADHD, glaucoma, tinnitus, MS, autism, migraine, ALS and Down's syndrome. Now, it seems, just add Fibromyalgia to the list.

You want to know something funny?

I've also read a pain study that has shown that dextromethorphan can ease the pain. Now, this "study" had three groups; male and female in normal control groups and then female Fibromyalgia patients. Each group had 10 people in it. I don't see this as a real big study but it did seem to imply that cough syrup could control the pain. The study said that it "significantly" controlled the pain. Let me get this straight.......if I slug down cough syrup it will control the pain?? Dextromethorphan does act as an NMDA antagonist so it kind of makes sense.

So let me get this straight......

I can take an Alzheimer's drug.....

or........

I can slug down cough syrup......

Hmmmmmm.......................

THE NYQUIL APPROXIMATION

Just when one lock opens,

you find out there are a hundred more to go.

When I wrote about the perception of pain I found many different theories about the cause of our pain. What I didn't find is what to do about it other than the milk-toast remedies that we've been dealing with for so long. I really can't take Lyrica because it makes my mind squirrely and, most importantly for me, it makes me gain weight. It really did a number on me and, in my mind, getting rid of pain while packing on pounds just doesn't work. First of all, weight gain would exacerbate the symptoms while the medication is trying to help them? 

It doesn't make sense to me.

I've also read a pain study that has shown that dextromethorpan can ease the pain. Now, this "study" had three groups; male and female in normal control groups and then female Fibromyalgia patients. Each group had 10 people in it. I don't see this as a real big study but it did seem to imply that cough syrup could control the pain. The study said that it "significantly" controlled the pain. Let me get this straight.......if I slug down cough syrup it will control the pain?? Dextromethorphan does act as an NMDA antagonist so it kind of makes sense but more on that later.

So now what?

It seems that people with Fibromyalgia have excessive activity of a neurotransmitter system called the NMDA system. The NMDA or N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor system has been investigated for pain, neurological disorders and seizures. These receptors play a role in the excitatory over stimulation. The binding of both glutamate and glycine activate this receptor. Now, glutamate levels have found to be high in people with Fibromyalgia. So, if glutamate levels are high and the activity of this receptor system are on overdrive and the result of this produces an elevated level of nitric oxide in our systems then wouldn't that explain why we have different levels of pain at different places and times in our body??

Physical trauma can cause elevated levels of nitric oxide. Could this explain why Fibromyalgia could be initiated by a short term traumatic event? I know that the trigger that flipped the switch in my case was the automobile accident that I had in 2008. I was hit from behind by a guy going 35 miles per hour. That event started the fall of the dominoes. Could elevated levels of NO cause a chronic condition?

I just want to go back to the drugs that seem to be involved in this nitric oxide and NMDA system theory. It's kind of interesting or rather...........IT'S KIND OF SCARY.

Get this...............

There's dextromethorphan (cough syrup)

There's Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas.

There's Methoxetamine, a designer drug sold on the Internet.

There's Etoxadrol, a drug similar to PCP!

There's Tiletamine, an animal anesthetic.

There's ETHANOL, don't we use this in cars????

And then there's magnesium.

Which one would I choose to use???????

Duh....................I think magnesium wins..........