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A comment on The ‘psychobiome': the gut bacteria that may alter how you think, feel, act. Parent comment

Re:The ‘psychobiome': the gut bacteria that may alter how yo... by doingtheiroming on Thursday April 21, 2022 @07:37AM (#31108156)
It's likely the inflammation that's causing the depression rather than any particular molecule produced by a bacterium though. I have the same experience with UC to the extent that taking steroids causes almost immediate relief of the depressive symptoms and I relapse when I taper. In my last flare, I tried to track depressive symptoms against CRP levels in my blood but being depressed, lost interest... Joking aside, I also wasn't getting the blood tests with sufficient frequency for it to be useful. "The Inflamed Mind" by Edward Bullamore is a good read on the subject.
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Re:The ‘psychobiome': the gut bacteria that may alter how yo... by supertofu on Thursday April 21, 2022 @07:50AM (#31108269)
How can you be sure the steroids themselves aren't causing the mood change? I also have UC and steroids make me noticeably, behaviorally manic. I don't think the mania is due to the absence of inflammation.
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Re:The ‘psychobiome': the gut bacteria that may alter how yo... by doingtheiroming on Thursday April 21, 2022 @08:54AM (#31108743)
I can't. But there's good evidence that inflammation is linked with depression and steroids unquestionably reduce inflammation. They may well have further effects. They are certainly not something I want to take consistently.
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