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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2004 >> Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
        
(Message started by: floridian on Jan 20^th, 2004, 10:07am)

Title: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by floridian on Jan 20^th, 2004, 10:07am

Melatonin shown to be potentially useful in controlling high blood pressure.

Quote:

The researchers found that patients taking repeated melatonin had lower nighttime systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) by 6 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) by 4 mm Hg.

"It has been reported that people with high blood pressure often have suppressed nighttime melatonin levels," Scheer said. "We have recently found that people with high blood pressure have actual anatomical disturbances of their biological clocks. This finding might open the door for a new approach for treating hypertension. "http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040120034618.htm

Sound like anyone you know? Melatonin production is supressed in cluster headaches. The risk of cluster heads having high blood pressure is 1.5x greater than the average person (ie, a 50% greater risk):

Quote:

Headache. 1999 Jun; 39(6): 409-16.
Headache and cardiovascular risk factors: positive association with hypertension.

The consequences of untreated high blood pressure include heart disease, stroke and kidney damage.

Title: Re: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by t_h_b on Jan 20^th, 2004, 5:46pm

Some of us take so much verapamil that high blood pressure is probably not an issue....

Title: Re: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by Stevieray on Jan 20^th, 2004, 9:41pm

When I first went to the doctor about my recent bout of CH, my Bp was 159/97, a bit high she thought so she put me on Verapimil and said it would lower the BP which it did and would help control the CHs which in conjunction with Lithium has pushed the beast back into it's cave (7days now) and hopefully will stay there for a good long time if not forever.

Title: Re: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by ave on Jan 21^st, 2004, 2:59pm

And yet another twitch of the beast's tail...

I have always had low bp, so much so that when I was a regular blood donor, I was often refused because my bp happened to be too low.
(I solved that by having my appointments later in the day, round lunchtime; bp still was low-ish so the blood would not flow spontaneously, but it was just enough)

After menopause, my bp went up. My doctor checked it and told me that, finally, I was having a normal bp!

That was the time I started getting clusters too.

In my case, it would seem that it was the relative and not the absolute higher pressure that did it.

Title: Re: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by thomas on Jan 21^st, 2004, 4:21pm

on 01/20/04 at 10:07:51, floridian wrote:

Melatonin production is supressed in cluster headaches.

Which leads to low levels of seratonin........ correct?

Title: Re: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by floridian on Jan 21^st, 2004, 4:36pm

The melatonin comes from serotonin - so a shortage of serotonin would probably decrease melatonin, but a shortage of melatonin might not have any effect on serotonin (which could have already been screwed up). That's assuming its a one way reaction only, and that there's no feedback.

OK, I'll try to post this image I came across. http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/local/projects/s_thipayang/synthesis.gif

Title: Re: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by t_h_b on Jan 21^st, 2004, 6:26pm

Thanks for the wonderful diagram. I've saved it to my desktop for reference.

Title: Re: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by Giovanni on Jan 21^st, 2004, 7:01pm

If everything was increased prior to melatonin, ie 5-HTP and or tryptophan would that increase melatonin levels or is the mechanism messed up between those points?

One could perhaps use 5-HTP in combination with melatonin to be more effective?

[smiley=huh.gif]

Title: Re: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by floridian on Jan 21^st, 2004, 7:28pm

I have been using 5htp for a few years, and believe it helps with clusters (but I use several things including magnesium, flax/fish, and tea, and I cant say for sure what is having an effect). 5htp definitely helps with mood and sleep. There is discussion of this elsewhere on the board. Don't mix it with SSRI antidepressants or MAOI drugs - very dangerous. For long term use, tryptophan might be better than 5htp.

Title: Re: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by Giovanni on Jan 22^nd, 2004, 8:34am

What are specifically some MOAI drugs?

Title: Re: Fresh Research - Melatonin, Blood Pressure, CH
Post by floridian on Jan 22^nd, 2004, 10:51am

Not many prescriptions written in the US for MAOIs - the older generation can cause serious blood pressure problems when mixed with various foods, and the new generation of MAOIs has been approved in Europe but not the US. Nardil is a second generation MAOI. SSRIs are more widely presribed in the US.

Some MAOi drugs include: phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), Seligiline (Eldepryl), and isocarboxazid (Marplan), Clorgyline, Isocarboxazid.

Here's one link on 5htp. I have the same philosophy as Sahelian on using 5htp - use the smallest dose that achieves results, and take only when needed.
http://www.raysahelian.com/5-htp.html

Another link that gives an overview of 5htp, mentions their use in migraines and other headaches. http://www.5htp.com/

I think that 5htp works more broadly than a SSRI - the SSRIs work pretty specifically in the nerve junctions. But serotonin has an effect on many other tissues outside of the blood, so boosting serotonin across the body would have wider effects. Tryptophan and 5htp also work quicker than SSRIs, which need time to build up in the body before an effect is seen.