Talking Turkey (Thanksgiving and Antidepressants)

[Fresh]

From the International Coalition for Drug Awareness 

Anne Blake Tracy , talking about the shooting event in Colorado:

 

 

Minutes before this shooting came in I had just made the statement that we have often seen a flurry of cases around Thanksgiving as people mix turkey with their antidepressants having little clue of the synergistic effects of mixing something like turkey or in the case of Columbine, all the cheeze from pizza. With Dylan and Eric both working at a Pizza Parlor we can expect that like any other kid in a similar situation they had been having pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And both with the milk protein and with turkey you get an increase in serotonin which seems to push people on these medications over the edge as the toxicity from too much serotonin sets in.

 

http://www.drugawareness.org/antidepressants-active-shooter-at-planned-parenthood-in-colorado-springs-co/

[chicken]

Doesn't turkey have tryptophan (sp?) or something that makes one sleepy.  I've heard of people getting sleepy after eating turkey.

[JanCarol]

The amount of tryptophan in turkey is negligable, almost an urban myth.  

 

I still like it - and think about those times after T-day dinner where we lay around for hours, complaining that the gravity was heavier on Thanksgiving after dinner.

 

But I think it was just that we overate, and our systems shut down to digest all that food.

[Altostrata]

I'm sorry, that statement by Ann Blake Tracy makes no biochemical sense at all.

[Fresh]

Curious , I would have thought the amount of tryptophan would be negligable too.

 

From drugs.com (I tried lexapro as a test ad)

Interactions between your selected drugs

Major tryptophan  escitalopram

Applies to: tryptophan, Lexapro (escitalopram)

Using tryptophan together with escitalopram is generally not recommended. Combining these medications can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. You should contact your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms while taking the medications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor

[JanCarol]

from:  http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/the-truth-about-tryptophan

 

As it turns out, turkey contains no more of the amino acid tryptophan than other kinds of poultry. In fact, turkey actually has slightly less tryptophan than chicken, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, LDN, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman and author ofThe Flexitarian Diet.

 

Continues:

 

"When is the last time someone ate a chicken breast at a summertime barbecue and thought they felt sluggish [because of it]?" she asks.

Turkey is, indeed, a good source of tryptophan. Still, it's a myth that eating foods high in tryptophan boosts brain levels of tryptophan and therefore brain levels of serotonin, Somer says.

Somer says that proteins like turkey, chicken, and fish, which are high in tryptophan, require assistance from foods high in carbohydrates to affect serotonin levels.

"Tryptophan is quite high in milk and turkey, but that's not the food that will give you the serotonin boost," she says. It's a small, all-carbohydrate snack -- no more than 30 grams of carbohydrates -- in combination with the tryptophan stored in your body from food you've already eaten that will give you the biggest boost of serotonin, Somer says.

What I get from that is that the turkey is too high protein to release it's tryptophan and feed into the serotonin system.

And cheese pizza and Columbine?  That's really quite extreme.  Sure, a poor diet would be harsh (and might be part of why the boys were on the drugs to begin with) but - I doubt the pizza is anywhere near as responsible as the psych drugs and access to guns.

 

[Altostrata]

Tryptophan is available in the US as a supplement, Fresh. That could be much stronger than anything you'd get from food.

 

Really, this doesn't bear discussion. Ann Blake Tracy is talking through her hat here.

[oskcajga]

I'm sorry, that statement by Ann Blake Tracy makes no biochemical sense at all.

 

Ann Blake Tracy is not trained in biological sciences or medicine - she tends to make hyperbolic statements like this from time to time.  I sometimes feel like her work has the air of "conspiracy theory" more than any of the other activists - but at the same time I'm a big fan of her projects, such as

 

http://www.ssristories.net/

 

And there are circles of people who swear by her work (though idolizing any one person has always been something that bothers me, personally).

 

I read through much of her giant book, and found it to be interesting and well composed - with some compelling discussions about how SSRIs may influence the endocrine system, REM sleep disorders, and the history of pharmaceutical companies' peddling of drugs to the public:  http://www.amazon.com/Prozac-Panacea-Pandora-Antidepressants-Zoloft/dp/0916095592

 

She's also done a great deal of work to help bring awareness to the problems with psychiatric medications - so I would argue that in spite of her propensity for hyperbolic statements, she's an important member of this community.

 

She's also one of the earliest members of the community, beginning her work back in the early 1990s - where she worked with Peter Breggin, and other individuals - and did numerous legal testimonies, etc.

[Altostrata]

All of that is true, osk. However, when she makes hyperbolic (or absurd) statements, as this one is, she casts her credibility in doubt.

[oskcajga]

All of that is true, osk. However, when she makes hyperbolic (or absurd) statements, as this one is, she casts her credibility in doubt.

 

I agree

[SertralineAnxiety]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread. 

I recently read statements from Ann Blake Tracy about how SSRI s are highly protein binding, and having animal protein in the diet makes it harder to eliminate the drugs from our system or something similar. I am kind of worried about my diet causing the drug to be stored in increased amounts and/or for longer in my body tissues...

How credible are these claims? It's hard to know which information to take seriously. I looked up Tracy's qualifications, and I found things about her PhD not being legitimate. Does anyone know if she at least has a degree or similar qualification in a relevant field? Not that I would automatically dismiss someone's opinions based only on academic achievements (I think we all know highly qualified psychiatrists can ruin lives by giving out powerful drugs like candy...). But these are complex subjects and it's good to know what kind of knowledge and experience a person has when trying to determine the reliability of their claims. 

[Armorall]

Here's the link to the audio of Ann Blake Tracy's book if anyone wants it (not sure if I can post this, please take down if not appropriate)

http://www.drugawareness.org/wp-content/files/Dr-Ann-Blake-Tracy-COMPLETE-Help-I-Cant-Get-Off-My-Antidepressant-80min.mp3

[Armorall]

I should give a warning about the ABT book- I found it to be somewhat triggering in talking about symptoms and also there's a story about a guy withdrawing that assaults someone (to put it mildly) as a result of his symptoms. 

[Gridley]

On 7/26/2019 at 7:03 AM, SertralineAnxiety said:

I recently read statements from Ann Blake Tracy about how SSRI s are highly protein binding, and having animal protein in the diet makes it harder to eliminate the drugs from our system or something similar.

Kelly Brogan, M.D., the anti-drug psychiatrist, some of whose patients she is tapering off AD's, recommends red meat to her patients.  She is very knowledgeable about tapering and diet.  Personally, I wouldn't be concerned about Tracy's assertion.

[Altostrata]

It's a version of this nonsensical myth:

 

 

If we could recommend Ann Blake-Tracy's work, we would, and close up this site.

[ChessieCat]

Also see discussion which starts here: