I see way too many people in this corner saying

"Serotonin is the Happy Hormone. Do this to increase it!"

Let's go deep into the history of serotonin to see why it's NOWHERE NEAR as beneficial as you've been told

The Truth about Serotonin, SSRIs, Depression, & more

THREAD

Serotonin itself wasn't officially discovered until 1935

An Italian pharmacologist and chemist named Vittorio Erspamer isolated a monoamine compound from enterochromaffin cells, which cause the intestinal walls to contract

He named this compound “enteramine”

13 years later, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic discovered an amine in blood serum that appeared to act as a vasoconstricting agent

They named it “serotonin” (serum + tone)

In 1952, scientists finally realized that enteramine and serotonin were the exact same chemical

That same year, MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) were introduced by drug companies into the marketplace

This rush of new drugs came alongside the “monoamine theory of depression,” in an attempt to artificially raise circulating levels of monoamines like serotonin in the body

90% of serotonin is produced in the gut

Your gut-based enteric nervous system communicates neuronally to your brain via the spinal cord and bacterially via production of certain gases to catalyze reactions and cascades within the body

Messing with gut function is risky business

The development of serotonin-amplifying pharmaceuticals built UNSTOPPABLE momentum in the public relations sector

They were embraced by government regulators as the antidote to mind-opening drugs—the anti-serotonin agents—which had already proven too unwieldy for them to control

Only 10 years after Prozac, the blockbuster antidepressant drug, was approved for sale in the US

The Boston Globe reported that approximately 50 thousand people committed suicide due to taking the drug

Prozac acts in the brain as a Selective-Serotonin-Reuptake-Inhibitor (SSRI)

SSRIs block the reabsorption of serotonin that is sent out from presynaptic neurons

Leaving MORE serotonin to flood the space between the two communicating neurons, aka the "Synaptic Cleft"

Propagating the action of serotonin further than it would normally go in a healthy brain

Germany's FDA, the BGA, refused to approve Prozac in 1987 (just a few years before it was approved in the US)

German regulators were disturbed by the results of human trials

Subjects who were previously non-suicidal experienced a FIVE-FOLD increase in suicide rates and attempts

The term "antidepressant" that is used to market SSRIs is HIGHLY misleading

It's a complete misnomer, because when you increase the circulation and activity of serotonin in the brain, it has a DEPRESSIVE effect

Which explains the increase in suicides after SSRIs were introduced

So why is serotonin still known as "The Happy Hormone" despite evidence of its deleterious effects,

And why are serotonin agonists still being prescribed by physicians?

Let's wind the clock back; there is A LOT more to this story

The answer is hidden deep in the history of LSD

On April 16, 1943

Swiss scientist Albert Hoffman was resynthesizing a stimulant chemical that he discovered years prior

A groundbreaking discovery took place after he added a functional group to a compound he extracted from a fungus in 1938 but had temporarily abandoned

Accidently absorbing some of the chemical through his fingertips

Albert had to lie down & experience its effects

"In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed, I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors."

After about two hours, his dreamlike state faded away

Hoffman, who was ranked in 2007 as the number one living genius of our time by the UK's The Daily Telegraph, had discovered LSD

And three days later, he took the first full-dose acid trip

The world was about to change

In 1947, Sandoz Laboratories, Hoffman's employer, introduced LSD as a drug treatment for schizophrenia & alcoholism in Europe

Soon thereafter, in the 1950s, things started getting weird

Government entities became very interested in the effects of the drug

According to public disclosure by President Gerald Ford in 1975 through the Rockefeller Commission—a federal investigation into illegal CIA activities,

The CIA had purchased the entire world's supply of LSD from Sandoz Laboratories & secretly introduced it into the United States

The CIA's focus was on mind-control experimentation

The chief aim was finding drugs that could be used in clandestine operations in order to wipe a subject's mind clean so it could be reprogrammed

For nearly a decade, the CIA ran experiments on individuals without their consent

According to declassified CIA documents, the agency abandoned LSD experimentation in 1962 because it proved too unpredictable for achieving their mind control objective

Less than a year later, Sandoz Laboratories' patents on LSD expired

By this point—writers such as Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts, and Timothy Leary had begun openly advocating for the therapeutic usage of LSD & psilocybin,

Two potent anti-serotonin compounds, to expand an individual's mental perception

The exact OPPOSITE purpose of the CIA's program

After Leary and his research partner Richard Alpert were publicly fired from Harvard University in 1963 for their experiments on LSD and psilocybin,

The 60s counterculture movement in the US started to pick up steam, with widespread use of psychedelics in the general population

The movement lasted until 1968—when possession of LSD was made illegal by the federal government and then subsequently listed as a schedule 1 controlled narcotic by the United Nations in 1971

Nixon made the public declaration that drug abuse was "public enemy number one" in 1971

With such a huge focus on chemical induced mind-control by government agencies throughout this time,

It might seem serendipitous that the 1950s and 60s also ushered in the first two generations of antidepressant pharmaceuticals

Physicians began widely prescribing these drugs

Remember, LSD is a POWERFUL serotonin antagonist

The first two generations of antidepressant drugs weren't the only things that rose in popularity during that time

Serotonin precursor supplements did as well:

Namely the amino acid L-Tryptophan, 5-HTP, and the hormone Melatonin

Dr. Richard Wurtmann—the MIT & Harvard doctor who discovered melatonin's hormone action in 1994—warned against its use as a supplement

"Nobody should use melatonin as a dietary supplement due to known health risks"

Yet it continues to be sold over the counter & used by millions

The Truth about serotonin goes against EVERYTHING we have been told by mainstream science

LOWERING your serotonin levels, while increasing the production of Dopamine and GABA,

Is actually going to give you that great feeling of well-being, clarity, and high energy that you want

Modern marketing for antidepressant drugs has been so effective at brainwashing the medical community & alternative health circles

(e.g. everyone calls it the “happy hormone” even though it’s not a hormone at all)

That most people now believe that they’re DEFICIENT in serotonin

That belief could not be further from the truth

In fact, most evidence points to population-wide EXCESS of serotonin

This serotonin overload is responsible for a myriad of devastating physical & psychological dysfunctions, from low energy and hair loss to depression and anxiety

In 1950—sociology researchers out of UC Berkeley published a seminal book entitled

"The Authoritarian Personality"

The content of which set forth a theory that, based on Freudian developmental models, individuals either develop an authoritarian or anti-authoritarian personality

Both personalities have a biological basis

Authoritarian personalities are characterized by harm-avoidance behaviors, unquestioning submission to authority figures, passive aggression, and extreme obedience

All of which have been proven to correlate with high serotonin levels

Excess serotonin leads to overproduction of stress hormones such as estrogen, cortisol, and prolactin

It also conditions the human body and mind to “Learned Helplessness”

A phenomenon that has been demonstrated in animal research to trigger disturbingly acute suicidal behaviors

Studies demonstrate learned helplessness through swimming scenarios

The non-serotonin group animals will swim for hours to stay alive

But when the serotonin group is placed in the water maze—they quickly exhibit signs of extreme stress & they literally allow themselves to drown

Researchers think this occurs for several reasons

High serotonin levels trigger the production of a lot of lactic acid via glycolysis, which interferes directly with mitochondrial respiration

This slows the metabolic rate significantly, leaving the animal with diminished energy

Anti-authoritarian personalities are expressed through high dopamine and low serotonin

It is characterized in an individual via risk-taking behaviors, lack of obedience, & a disregard for authority figures

So its logical why the government would want a high-serotonin population

After MAOIs were introduced in the 1950s, incidences of migraines spiked, especially in women

Estrogen is already an endogenous MAOI, it stimulates an increased rate of serotonin production

The excess serotonin has a vasoconstrictive action and decreases blood flow to the brain

Roughly 50% of studies done on the negative effects of serotonin and SSRIs go unpublished due to financial conflicts of interest between drug companies and medical journals

In cases of overdoses of 5-HTP and SSRIs—individuals experience the potentially fatal "Serotonin Syndrome"

Organs in the body, such as the liver and lungs, have innate enzymes such as Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase that break down excess serotonin

However, in order for those enzymes to function, adequate carbon dioxide needs to be present

Therefore the glucose metabolism is paramount

PUFA consumption encourages the conversion of L-Tryptophan into Serotonin

Avoidance of PUFAs and HUFAs (seed oils, vegetable oils, fish oils, liver oils, etc.)

Is crucial to ensure that you stay in the ideal high dopamine, energetic, creative state throughout your entire life!

Here are some supplements that can help with correcting deficiencies and lowering excess serotonin:

• Niacinamide (B3)
• L-Theanine
• BCAAs
• Glycine
• Proline
• Activated Charcoal
• Penicillin VK
• Magnesium Chloride/Glycinate
• MSM
• Fat-Soluble Vitamins (A, D, E, K)

If you've read this thread in its entirety, thank you so much. Sharing is appreciated

Special thanks to Ray Peat, Christopher Walker, @dannyroddy, @haidut, @narxism, @bronzeagemantis, and @menatetronone_4 for inspiration to share the Truth about serotonin, authoritarianism, etc.