I just posted this info for an FYI, it's interesting. Most of this data is not from benzo research since benzo withdrawal research is non-existent.
Memantine: An anti-glutamate drug
"Memantine is an anti-glutamate and energy-buffering drug. As an NMDA antagonist, memantine prevents the neurotransmitter glutamate from leading to nerve cell degeneration by inhibiting glutamate´s binding to the receptor. Memantine has been clinically used to treat dementia and Alzheimer´s disease. Current research on its effects in other diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), including HD, looks promising because memantine appears to be well-tolerated as well as beneficial in terms of learning facilitation. It is possible that memantine may even be able to disrupt the progression of HD.
"According to a theory known as the excitotoxicity theory, lower energy levels in the nerve cells of people with HD cause them to be overly sensitive to glutamate. Consequently, even normal levels of glutamate can overactivate the glutamate receptors on the nerve cells. When these receptors (also known as NMDA receptors) are activated, calcium ions enter the nerve cells. Excessive activation causes a buildup of these calcium ions, which then leads to the death of the nerve cell....
"HD researchers believe that memantine may have strong potential to slow the progression of HD by decreasing the NMDA receptor´s sensitivity to glutamate. Memantine is an NMDA antagonist. As an antagonist, memantine prevents the excessive binding of glutamate to NMDA receptors, inhibiting the pathway to excessive NMDA activation and nerve cell death. Memantine is also a non-competitive antagonist. "Non-competitive" means that memantine binds to a site on the NMDA receptor that is different from glutatmate´s binding site. By binding to one portion of the NMDA receptor, memantine changes the overall shape of the receptor, making it more difficult for glutamate to bind to the other portion of the receptor."
-- (HOPES: Huntington's Outreach Project for Education, at Stanford, 5/3/2005:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/hopes/treatmts/antiglut/l5.html)
Riluzole: An anti-glutamate drug and energy buffer.
"Riluzole has been shown to have energy-buffering and anti-glutamate properties. It has been associated with increased energy metabolism efficiency and inhibition of glutamate activity, and is currently used as a treatment for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) .... as well as Huntington’s disease...."
Riluzole is used to deal with the problem of aerobic inefficiency. "Energy metabolism is the process by which cells produce energy. Normally, cells prefer a form energy metabolism called aerobic respiration due to its efficiency and high-energy yield. The altered huntingtin protein in people with HD is believed to interfere with aerobic respiration, resulting in the inability of HD cells to perform aerobic respiration efficiently. Instead, HD cells must resort to anaerobic respiration, another form of energy metabolism that is less efficient. This impairment in energy metabolism results in various negative effects that eventually lead to cell death.
"Studies have reported that riluzole treatment improves motor abnormalities associated with administration of a toxin that blocks energy metabolism. The improvements indicate that riluzole may have positive effects on cells with defective metabolism. However, the mechanism by which riluzole improves energy metabolism is still unknown....
Riluzole is also used to deal with the problem of glutamate sensitivity. "One of the effects of the impairment in energy metabolism in HD cells is an increased sensitivity to glutamate. Glutamate is one of the major neurotransmitters in the nervous system, used to transmit messages from nerve cell to another. Increased activation of receptors that receive glutamate has been observed in people with HD. Increased glutamate activity, in turn, has been associated with nerve cell death.
"Studies have demonstrated that riluzole may act as an anti-glutamate drug in two ways: 1) by inhibiting the release of glutamate and 2) by interfering with the effects of glutamate on nerve cells.
"It is thought that riluzole inhibits the release of glutamate by interfering with sodium ([...]+) channels that are required for normal glutamate release."
-- (HOPES: Huntington's Outreach Project for Education, at Stanford, 12/3/2004:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/hopes/treatmts/antiglut/l3.html)
Lamotrigine - An anti-glutamate and anticonvulsant drug
"Lamotrigine belongs to a group of medications called anticonvulsants, which are used to control seizure disorders. Lamotrigine acts on the central nervous system to control the number and severity of seizures. It is thought to suppress the activity of certain parts of the brain and the abnormal firing of nerve cells that cause seizures. In psychiatry, lamotrigine may be used as a mood stabilizer. In the laboratory, researchers have found that lamotrigine also inhibits release of the neurotransmitter glutamate. This is important because glutamate may play a role in nerve cell degeneration in the brains of people with HD, so reducing the amount of glutamate released makes lamotrigine a potential treatment for HD."
-- (HOPES: Huntington's Outreach Project for Education, at Stanford, 6/24/05:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/hopes/treatmts/antiglut/l4.html)
Budipine
Budipine and Other Glutamate Blockers. A number of experimental drugs are being investigated for Parkinsons disease because they block the actions of glutamate, an amino acid that is a particularly potent nerve cell killer. Some of these drugs block a receptor group to glutamate called N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). Investigative NMDA antagonists include remacemide, memantine, riluzole, and budipine. Budipine is of particular interest. It not only blocks NMDA, but it increases levels of two enzymes involved in the production of dopamine. Studies suggest that it reduces tremor in PD and it proving to be beneficial in combination with levodopa.
-- (About.com, 3/12/06):
http://adam.about.com/reports/000051_7.htm)
Gabapentin"Gabapentin - [Brand Name: Neurotin] is a FDA approved medication for the treatment of seizures (epilepsy). Gabapentin is thought to decrease the production of glutamate. Glutamate is an excitatory amino acid in the brain. It acts as the major excitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Glutamate, in excessive amounts, is toxic to motor neurons. Studies have shown that ALS patients have high levels of glutamate in their brain as well as a defect in the glutamate transport mechanism. Gabapentin is hoped to slow the rate of motor neuron death. A small number of patients on gabapentin report decreased muscle spasms and/or decreased muscle fasciculations and improved sleep."
--(The University of Miami ALS Clinical and Research Center:
http://www.miami-als.org/drugs.htm)
