exlibhollywood.blogspot.com/2.......html

After listening to Karri’s story and comparing notes with other reports, I noted similarities between Karri’s symptoms and known withdrawal syndromes, including those of antidepressants. I also found reports that HIV drugs were being crushed and smoked by addicts in Africa:.......

While being studied as a possible treatment for tuberculosis in 1952, this antibacterial agent was discovered to have psychoactive properties. “Terminally ill patients who were given this drug became cheerful, more optimistic, and more physically active.” Iproniazid and similar compounds slowed the breakdown of norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine “via inhibition of the mitochondrial enzyme monoamine oxidase.” These neurochemicals affect the same receptors as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, cannabis, and other more commonly known addictive drugs. These antibacterial agents have since become known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), which are now used as antidepressants (SSRIs) under the names of Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro, Zoloft, and Effexor. Iproniazid withdrawal symptoms were similar to those Karri described

The link to this post does not get interesting until you get to this reply which I am working on.

Reply:
Sorry for introducing a lot of chemistry, but your hypothesis is very interesting.

Indeed, the depleting of iodide by sustiva is not difficult to explain.
The formation of thyroxine is made by oxidization of iodide anion (which exist in sea, food, but cannot give itself the thyroidal hormones.

This oxidization occurs in the "iodine trap", and requires hydrogen peroxide.

This process leads to an electrophilic iodine (the cation iodine I+), which reacts very quickly with the activated aromatics rings of the precursors of thyroxine.

But, if you oppose to I+ another nucleophilic compound, which reacts more quickly, the thyroxine cannot be made.

Sustiva contains an alkyne function (a triple bond between two carbons), which reacts very quickly - in a reaction named "electrophilic addition" - with the electrophilic halides Cl+, Br+ and I+.

Finally, Sustiva appears as an "electrophilic" iodine trap.

These article :

www.sciencedirect.com/ sci...bb9524b5ec5eca9

shows that carbamates and propargylic compound have antidepressant activities. And Sustiva is indeed a real carbamate, and propargylic compound (the carbon-carbon triple bond is bound with a C-O structure).

The scientific community says that the mechanism of action of these compounds is not clear and requires further elucidation.

But, as sustiva is an electrophilic trap, it can too trap the nitrosative oxidants, such the peroxynitrites, which appears to be intimately linked with the hiv phenomenon, which is, as David Rasnick says it, only a tentacle of aids.
jean umber

Thinking it has more to do with iodine but not sure will get back to you on this.