Posted by Cindy W on May 16, 2000, at 8:53:08
In reply to Re: AD's and Dopamine Agonists? What to try next, posted by AndrewB on May 16, 2000, at 4:45:47
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> John,
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> Bromocryptine has been used successfully before for SSRI side effects. Another dopamine agonist is Mirapex. I just read a case study where it helped a women with SSRI induced anorgasmia and anhedonia. I think it may be quite effective for apathy also.
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> I would think that a person is usually a good judge of whether he is very depressed or anxious. Sometimes though a person can be depressed or anxious without realizing it, I was. I swore that I wasn’t depressed or anxious, just mentally fatigued and irritable. I was so mentally disassociated from myself however that I couldn’t tell what my feelings were. There were ways I would (and still do) protect myself from unpleasent feelings and experiences. One way is too procrastinate. I procrastinate to avoid the anxiety producing activity I should be doing. Over the long term I had become totally numb to my feelings, comfortably numb. I hadn’t cried in years.
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> You mentioned apathy. Sometimes apathy is associated with dysthymia. Dysthymia is chronic low to moderate grade depression. People with it very often complain of low energy, poor concentration, poor self-esteem, and feelings of hopelessness. There is a theory that these symptoms, along with apathy, anhedonia and poor motivation are an indication of poor dopamine transmission. If you have a cluster of these symptoms, you should know that there are dopaminergic medicines that have a good track record of working if SSRIs have failed.John, I'm taking Effexor-XR 375 mg/day. Effexor effects seem dose related. At first, I couldn't climax, and now, while my response is a little slowed, I have no difficulty, so I think I habituated to the Effexor, so to speak.
You mentioned that your wife said you are depressed. From what I've read on this site and elsewhere (ask Cam), Effexor first affects serotonin, then at a higher dose, affects norepinephrine. So you might want to try a higher dose before giving it up (ask Cam at what dose it does that). At a MUCH higher dose, it reportedly affects dopamine (500-600 mg/day?). Talk to your pdoc. Best wishes and hope things get better for you!
poster:Cindy W
thread:33494
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000508/msgs/33594.html