Posted by Sean on June 18, 1999, at 18:23:33
In reply to Dilantin for depression/anxiety, posted by Deborah on June 18, 1999, at 16:16:56
> I asked about this a couple of months ago but cannot seem to find my message anywhere here..have triple checked!! Has anyone heard of using Dilantin to treat depression and/or anxiety? I read an amzing book on this by Jack Dreyfus (founder of the Dreyfus Fund) recently, and am interested if anyone out there has heard of this or tried it?? Have been the Nardil, Paxil route..am getting ready to try Effexor..but this book keeps nagging at me..am very curious.
Hi Deborah,
Dilantin is a classic anticonvulsant, so it is
in the same family (treatment-wise, not chemical-wise)
as valproate, carbamazepine, etc.., and other
drugs which were orginally used to treat epilepsy.You've probably heard of Post's famous "kindling"
paper where he hypothesized that there might be
something similar going on in bipolar illness
as in epilepsy. Whether he was right about that
or not, the anticonvulsants have turned out to be
a great class of meds for some people, esp. those
w/rapid cycling etc... you know the drill!I first read about Dilantin in a "Smart Drugs" book.
Part of being in the depressed cycle for me is feeling
(and being) really unable to think clearly. Aside from
not feeling like doing anything productive, my brain
really isn't capable of it. (In an unrelated, but fun
detour, I actually picked up some nootropics (Piracetam)
in Mexico to see if they would help. Alas, they did not.
Have also tried DMAE, Pemoline, and all sorts of
other quasi-legal-slash-natural stuff to no avail)But I too have been curious about Dilantin ever
since reading the glowing report by Dreyfus. From
what I hear, it makes your gums over-grow, which
is a kind of odd/funny/scary side effect! It
doesn't seem to have emerged as front-line therapy
for mood disorders, but as you know, we are all
so different that it is certainly worth a try.Let me know if you have any luck!
Sean.
poster:Sean
thread:7519
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990601/msgs/7520.html