Posted by Cindy W on March 18, 2000, at 19:34:50
In reply to Re: medication poop-out/reply to KarenB, posted by Colleen on March 18, 2000, at 0:41:09
> I just pooped out on my drugs and I am crashing very hard. I'm taking 300 Effexor Xr, 400 Wellbutrin and 2mg Risperdal. My doctor is taking me off of the Effexor and wants to try me on serzone. I really understand everyone's frustrations. I've been battleing depression for 20 years now and have been on every kind of AD you can think of except for the MAO. It's nice to know that I'm not alone.
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> > > Whoa -- a lightbulb just went off in my head when I read your message. I've been on SSRIs -- and they work great for about three months, then they stop working and we increase the dose and the blues dissolve again after two weeks. Then three months later the meds poop out again. (Repeat that process till I reach the max dosage of Zoloft, Celexa, whatever, then switch to a new SSRI.)
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> > > Recently my dr. switched me to Effexor (Wellbutrin had no effect), and while I don't feel like crying 24/7, I do still feel apathetic, lazy and like Human Slug Girl.
> > >
> > > Have you (or anyone else?) had similar reactions? How do you know what the problem is? The seratonin stuff works for a while, but eventually gives out, so do you think there's another brain feel-good thingy that's out of whack?
> > >
> > > Thanks for your help :) This board is really great.
> > > lizzy
> >
> > I have never found a single antidepressant to be
> > adequate. Wellbutrin alone is activating for the
> > first week or so, as is Prozac, but any AD
> > activity it may have is insufficient. I have
> > taken Elavil and Wellbutrin; Prozac and Wellbutrin;
> > Celexa and Wellbutrin; Paxil and Wellbutrin;
> > Serzone and Wellbutrin; Remeron and Wellbutrin and
> > Ritalin; Remeron and Wellbutrin and Ritalin and
> > Adderall;and now Celexa and Wellbutrin and Ritalin
> > and Adderall. I have a personal scale from 0 to
> > 10. 0 is dead. 1/2 is very heavily contemplating
> > suicide, steering yourself in a surreal way
> > through the day. A full 1 is just dragging
> > yourself through the day. Normal for the
> > "nonpathological population" is 4,5,6; 7 is high
> > energy, productive, generally satisfying. Most
> > people at 7 would play their hand. 7 and 8 are
> > the levels of hypomania. Someone once said that
> > the goal, in terms of mood and productivity, is a
> > controlled hypomania. At 8 symptoms of mania may
> > start to appear. You're walking on the edge.
> > 9 is frank mania at its most controlled level.
> > The structure of your life is crumbling, you may
> > loose everything. At ten you are either under
> > control in a hospital or prison or swiftly heading
> > toward death.
> > Without any AD I am usually at a 1. A serotonin
> > active drug takes me to 2. Add Wellbutrin, I'm up
> > to a 3, the bottom of my 3,4,5 personal range. Top
> > that with Ritalin and/or Adderall, and I'm generally
> > content to play the hand at 4 or 5. EXCEPT for the
> > sexual effects of the serotonergic drug. Orgasm
> > becomes extremely difficult. So I switch to Remeron
> > and Wellbutrin, Ritalin and Adderall, and function
> > at a 4 or 5 for about 3 months, when I crash, start
> > taking Celexa, Wellbutrin, Ritalin and Adderall,
> > and SAM-e, and if I catch it early, in a few days
> > I'm on my way up.
> >
Sorry to hear you "pooped out" on Effexor. I'm taking Effexor now. How long were you taking Effexor? Tried Serzone in the past, and found it very helpful (just remember to hang in there if you have mood swings or whatever the first couple of weeks...this passes). Best wishes!
poster:Cindy W
thread:26793
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000312/msgs/27506.html