New; hi! Toxoplasma Gondii and psych meds - additional thoughts

Hello there! Glad to be able to join in; been lurking about for a while.

I saw a few posts on T. Gondii as it relates to schizophrenia, but have a few articles bookmarked I’d like to share.

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/9/11/03-0143_article
Here’s a starting point (from the CDC!) to establish (as several of the threads on here have mentioned) the link between Toxoplasma Gondii and schizophrenia.



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Drugs used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder inhibit the replication of Toxoplasma gondii.
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Here’s some data on how several psychiatric drugs target T. Gondii; in particular, Haldol and Depakote seem to have the most in vitro (petri dish) activity against the organism…



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Comparative analysis of anti-toxoplasmic activity of antipsychotic drugs and valproate
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A bit more data on anti-toxoplasmic activity of different psych drugs; slightly different results, particularly on Depakote / valproate, but still shows the link between psych drugs and anti-toxoplasmic effect.


Strange that these drugs were developed before any link between schizophrenia and T. Gondii were made public… perhaps to avoid a public freakout? I, personally, didn’t start taking medication regularly UNTIL I discovered the link to this organic cause… Anyway, moving on…



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Brain parasite directly alters brain chemistry
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Specifically mentions dopamine


Since these drugs DO help many of us, and considering their anti-toxoplasmic nature, I’d like to invite y’all to look at this article

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-medicine/about/school-of-medicine-news/research-news/paper-of-the-month-102512.cfm
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Paper of the Month: OHSU scientists develop new drugs against T. gondii
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These drugs are far safer, and FAR more effective against T. Gondii, than our current antibiotics/antimalarials/antipsychotics…
Not released to the public yet, but perhaps one of us can charm them into giving a month-long trial?


Eyo, thanks for reading :slight_smile:
Ciao!

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DNA methylation and demethylation as targets for antipsychotic therapy

I find this quite interesting, since…


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Clozapine and sulpiride but not haloperidol or olanzapine activate brain DNA demethylation.
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and also



How Electroconvulsive Therapy Works?: Understanding the Neurobiological Mechanisms


Clozapine AND ECT leading to DNA demethylation…



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Epigenetics: 5 Ways Your Environment Modifies Your Genes
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The rats born to inattentive mothers were found to have highly methylated genes regulating glucocorticoid receptors, which serve to regulate stress hormones. In the rats with highly attentive mothers, these genes were rarely methylated. The methylation of these genes in the rats born to inattentive mothers prevented the normal amount of glucocorticoid receptors from being transcribed in the hippocampus—a structure in the limbic system of the brain that is critical for memory acquisition and stress response. As a result of the high methylation, these rats grew up with highly nervous temperaments.
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Oddly enough, clozapine utilizes DNA demethylation, a seemingly fairly recent target for antipsychotic therapy, even though it was first synthesized back in 1958…

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Yar! Fortunately for our furry kitten friends, their poop is only contagious for 2-4 weeks after infection with T. Gondii…

And you’d have to neglect cleaning the litter box for 2-4 DAYS for it to get into the air, even during that short window of opportunity.

T. Gondii is MOSTLY from eating undercooked meat.
France has WAY more folks with T. Gondii than most Western nations… they are VERY fond of their undercooked meat.

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If you think you might have toxoplasmosis, there is a blood test for that.

It’s like herpes though, in some parts of the world it is exceedingly common. (Not from cats, from undercooked meat.)

There are two different types of tests for toxoplasmosis, one that shows if you have an active infection, and one that shows if you have ever been exposed.

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IgG and IgM antibody tests are the standard…

Problem is, I preeeeetty much REFUSE to stop taking my psych drugs, and, if their success is due to anti-T. Gondii effects… would I even show up positive for antibodies, if they meds are already keeping the levels low?

Maybe testing cerebrospinal fluid and / or brain biopsy.

Other randomness:

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2008/10/05/toxoplasma-the-brain-parasite-that-influences-human-culture/

http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1896&context=utk_gradthes

https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/new-study-finds-antibodies-that-may-be-the-cause-of-schizophrenia-in-some-patients

For me, personally, 24 cats growing up (indoor, outdoor, indoor/outdoor, feeding the feral cats) AND my family having a HUGE taste for undercooked meat…

Just seems likely.
My mother also has a great deal of ocular problems resembling those associated with T. Gondii, and the parasite passes on to the child in the womb…

shrugs

Can you give us practical instructions what to do to improve our condition?

I cannot, legally nor morally.
Was mainly coming here to share the T. Gondii data in the hopes someone with the financial means to… persuade… OHSU in Portland Oregon to give them a trial on the ELQ-271 / ELQ-316

What I’m doing for myself is
clozapine 450 mg / day (might go higher)
lithium 600 ER / day
adding in propranolol DAILY for its anti-toxoplasmic effect at 120mg / day

NAC / inositol… etc…

ECT if clozapine fails or is not sufficient (Leaning towards this for my next step, seems like it could be a useful booster, especially with that brain DNA demethylation, just like clozapine / amisulpride)


the propranolol effect

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-medicine/about/school-of-medicine-news/research-news/paper-of-the-month-102512.cfm
the ELQs (endochin-like-quinolones)

DOES ANYONE know if there is a NEW demethylation tool around? Everything recent seems to be experimental and only tested on mice, so far, that I can find…

This one has been noticed recently:

This is an infection you can get from almost anywhere. Cats are the main host, and they get it from contact with the soil, so humans can get it from them and the soil also, as well as at birth. Eating undercooked meat is another important way to meet the organism. Our immune system usually takes care of it so no therapy is needed, unless one gets immunocompromised, like with AIDS or an organ graft. So if steps are taken not to get AIDS, and diet & exercise are done.

Glad that the knowledge is becoming widespread…

Aye, on the immunocompromised…

I didn’t have any sort of deep delusions or severe deficit symptoms until AFTER I got HIV-1…

I don’t think there has ever been a trial to determine if psych meds affect seropositivity of tests for T. gondii. But… I would think it would not impact it a whole lot because the tests are pretty sensitive. Theoretically, maybe it could make an active infection look less severe.

But either way, I think you are correct to keep taking your meds. And if there is no treatment available for toxoplasmosis, other than the meds you are already taking, there might not be much point to the test.

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Well, there are some… mostly super-heavy duty antibiotics/antimalarials.

Also, if I show up positive for Toxoplasma Gondii, then I will INSTANTLY go up to Portland, Oregon, and sign up for these meds:

I’ll just bug them daily until they agree to do a case study just to get me out of their hair and send me back to Texas :crazy_face:

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That’s good! An inspiring post!

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Is that a drug that has ever been tried in humans?

Not as far as I can see.

OH MY. What else is in these drugs?
They certainly seem to have a MUUUCH broader range of mechanisms of action than some minor neurotransmitter adjustments…

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Clozapine really does seem like a miracle drug in some ways.