If depression is caused by an undersupply of a neurotransmitter like serotonin and we want to increase that, why do we use antagonist drugs to treat depression instead of agonists?
In: Biology
Are you asking why we use a drug that is an antagonist to serotonin reuptake vs using something that binds to the serotonin receptor?
One of the reasons is that the gut uses serotonin as a signaling molecule. So a pill containing something that acts like serotonin could trigger diarrhea or vomiting (this is also a common side effect of SSRIs).
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