I’m still pretty confused about this one, if SNRIs raise norepinephrine, which raises the fight or flight response, then how is that supposed to make anxiety improve?
Wasn’t sure whether to flair this as biology or chemistry
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Norepinephrine does act in the peripheral nervous system and participates in sympathetic nervous system activation (fight or flight response). However, it also acts in the central nervous system as a neurotransmitter involved in a complex interplay between serotonin and dopamine as well. The exact mechanism is not well described IIRC but the overall effect is one of mood stabilization.
While norepinephrine (NE) definitely does activate the fight or flight response, it also does a ton of other stuff. The response results from high levels of NE produced during stress, but at normal levels, NE is also responsible for stuff like alertness and focus, among others. Conditions that are treated with SNRIs usually correlate with low NE levels, which can lead to decreased alertness and focus; SNRIs normalize NE levels to increase alertness and focus.
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