Serotonin

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hey all

if your looking for what we might call a 'fix' for some undesirable AS symptoms you should try eating Walnuts, i find it helps with OCD tendencies and can keep you in a good mood, it can help keep you 'cool' which is quite helpful in places such as school environments and the sort.
If you disagree with the morals of doing this i can assure you this isnt that unnatural especially if you already suffer from low serotonin levels (most aspies do) since it only puts us back on par with everyone else, i advise you read up on serotonin and see if you suffer from the symptoms.

Be warned though; if you eat too many walnuts and you will experience temporary mania which isn't too bad but you might feel funny for a while (lots of energy).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mania
It does this by increasing serotonin levels in the brain, I think its pretty harmless but still exercise caution and just eat a few everyday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin
I ate half a bag in one night and couldn't sleep, felt like the opposite of depression with so much energy and desire to do stuff I couldn't rest which wasn't any use at 3:00am !

PS: consume them in the morning and Play it safe, i dont take responsibility for what happens to you after taking my advice!

PPS: They're just walnuts, unless you're allergic or something whats the worst that could happen? don't be put off by the above

-Your Friendly Evilmonkey

I am pretty sure I have low seratonin levels. I was on SSRIs a few years back which helped my mood a bit, but the side effects weren't worth it.

I didn't know walnuts helped with this. I like walnuts, so maybe I'll pick up a bag for snacking on during the day. I'm curious to see if it does anything.

What are the symptoms of not enough seratonin? I was put on Prozac I guess years ago (that affects seratonin, right?) only it seemed to have the exact opposite effect on me. I got really tired and just slept all the time until I quit it.

I was kind of depressed as a teenager, but really haven't been in my 20's (I think my mom mistakes some of my symptoms for depression though).

This whole serotonin level/imbalance thing is fallacious. People don't have "low" serotonin levels, it's just that an elevated level of serotonin in the brain has an antidepressant/anti-anxiety effect.

I dont think so.

According to wikipedia low serotonin has 'symptoms' that arent even related to aspergers syndrome and if you posses any, perhaps you do have low serotonin.
if you can have elevated serotonin levels then why cant they be 'low'?
Wikipedia does imply that they can be, where do you get your facts from?
This isnt a cure for anxiety and depression, its a cure for low serotonin.

Edit:
I think these things might be useful in breaking an addiction, not sure though.

Well, first of all, Wikipedia isn't the best resource to quote. It's not a reliable source especially for subjects under considerable debate. The article itself uses the word "may" because the truth is that the effects of serotonin levels on mood and behaviour aren't really known for certain.
One thing is known. Elevated serotonin levels are often associated with disease or damage to the brain. How that relates to mood or behaviour isn't fully known.

A lot of claims have been made on the subject, many by individuals and organisations trying to sell some product or belief. I haven't made up my mind on the subject. Too much conflicting data.

To answer the question " how do I get my levels checked? " . Serum levels don't help much. The only reliable test for serotonin levels in the brain is using a lumbar puncture to get cerebrospinal fluid.


Ouch....

Not true. It is quite possible to have low serotonin.

1) It has been documented to be very much a problem with lactose/fructose intolerance and other digestive problems. When these conditions are present, tryptophan is not absorbed. Serotonin is made from tryptophan, and low tryptophan is associated with low serotonin.

2) Various other non-digestive metabolic issues can lower serotonin production. This includes immune activation (too much interferon, IL-6, TNF), as well as several other metabolic conditions.

3) Low levels of B-vitamins reduce serotonin production.

4) Dietary modifications to increase tryptophan have been shown to improve mood and reduce anxiety. The improvement is more marked with people with low tryptophan and/or poor mood; normal people don't change as much. Most of the studies I have seen were with a particular protein (some lactalbumin) purified from milk, but other food proteins or purified tryptophan works.



Walnuts, almonds, and other nuts are also a good source of arginine and increase nitric oxide levels - good for blood pressure, heart function, etc. Daily (or near daily) consumption of such nuts is part of the "Mediterranean Diet" and is generally associated with better health (although there are lots of other things in a Med-Diet).

There's no reliable source for that Wiki-claim. The source mentioned with that paragraph researched the correlation between religious experiences and 5HT receptor density. Not a word about 'serotonine levels'.

In the brain, serotonine is used as neurotransmitter, to transport signals - information - between neurons. Talking about 'levels', 'balance' or 'low serotonine' in this context is rather pointless, even fallacious. Food can only provide the 'construction-materials' used by neurons to make serotonine.