Posted by Racer on April 25, 2000, at 20:42:06
In reply to Input requested on Serzone, posted by Lynn on April 25, 2000, at 16:56:53
I tried Serzone for about four months. It was awful for me, lowered my blood pressure terribly, nauseated me so much I couldn't keep food down, rekindled anorexia, hightened my anxiety, and made me so wobbly that I could hardly walk. It also made it more difficult for me to sleep or wake up.
That's just me, and I do have very low blood pressure to begin with and a typically indiosyncratic metabolism.
I take a combination of Effexor XR and Prozac now, which works pretty well for me. Let's see: first week I almost didn't sleep at all, but was calm and relaxed and more rested after a totally sleepless night on Effexor than I had been after a full night's sleep on Serzone. Everyone reacts differently, so don't let someone else's reaction stop you from trying unless there's something empirically significant to stand in the way. An example of what I mean is don't take a drug that lowers blood pressure if your normal BP is 90/60. Don't take a drug that causes lack of appetite or weight loss if you've a history of anorexia. Otherwise, talk to your doctor and keep an open mind.
The Effexor hasn't been particularly activating for me, though I tend towards insomnia anyway. I do have to take it first thing in the morning, and I try very hard to keep fairly regular hours, so that I can habituate myself to sleeping well. I feel healthy and 'normal'. None of the artificial feeling I had on Paxil, none of the semi-OK of tricyclics, none of the emotional constipation of SSRIs. Just normal. I got upset and sulky when my car was broken into last week, but put it in perspective. (Yeah, they broke in, they damaged my car, they took stuff, but they didn't take my saddle, my chaps, etc. The car's insured, the insurance company will make it as easy as possible for me - that's what they're paid for. You know -- a normal reaction!) I love this feeling, that I can react to a really rotten day by being normally cranky, rather than thinking the world will end or being numb.
Good luck on finding what works this well for you!
poster:Racer
thread:31249
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000420/msgs/31272.html