Depression

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>>>>> "Richard" == Richard Masoner <richardm@cd.com> writes:

    Richard> For example, heart disease is very often accompanied by
    Richard> depression, although other similarly traumatic/life
    Richard> threatening conditions don't lead to severe depression.
    Richard> This suggests a link that is not merely "in the mind."

Actually, reduced oxygen tension in the blood increases the speed of
neural conduction and lowers the threshold of neural firing.  This
accounts for some of these symptoms, but even more significant, many
heart patients have hypertension (high blood pressure) and take
medication such as beta blockers to lower blood pressure and regulate
heart rhythms.  

Beta blockers are really interesting chemicals.  They lower blood
presure by dialating blood vessels.  But they also do other related
things, like constricting bronchial passages to decrease dead air
space, since dialated blood vessels and constricted bronchial passages
correspond to a resting body.  For this reason, asthmatics have
trouble taking beta blockers, since they can increase the incidence
and severity of asthma attacks.

Beta blockers also affect neural conduction, and this is how they
regulate heart rhythms.  But that produces the side effect that thay
can have psychoactive side effects, ranging from weird dreams and
nightmares, to depression, and even halucinations.

Depression in heart patients is frequently a side effect of beta
blockers.  If the person is using a liposoluble beta blocker, a switch
to a hydrophilic beta blocker may reduce psychoactive side effects,
since fatty substances cross the blood-brain barrier easier than
watery substances.

PS:  I am not a doctor -- just a somewhat well read computer person.
Ask you doctor before acting on any of this advice!

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