Posted by JohnL on October 6, 2000, at 2:04:20
In reply to New to the board, has anyone tried Deprenyl?, posted by angelrose on October 4, 2000, at 12:18:10
> Thanks to all of you for this wonderful board. I thought I was alone trying to fight my chronic depression. I've learned more in reading this post than I have talking to psychiatrists.
>
> I'm currently on Paxil for social anxiety and depression. I'm not impressed with the Paxil but it has helped with my anxiety. I tried to come off it several times but have felt worse.
> The bad news is the sexual dysfunction, the lethargy and the apathy.
> I've heard of Deprynil and was wondering if it would help? Has anyone tried it? Is it safe to combine it with Paxil?
> Any suggestions are appreciated.
Hi Angelrose (cool name by the way),
Yes, I've tried Deprenyl. I tried it in an effort to overcome the Paxil apathy and sexual dysfunction. It did help a tiny wee bit, but was overall a disappointment. Paxil's side effects and emotional blunting (apathy) are just too powerful. I think the only things I've tried that might be powerfull enough to overcome those are Ritalin or Adderall. Sometimes Wellbutrin or Remeron add-ons, or both, will work. One doctor in Dr Bob's Tips has good success with Paxil+Wellbutrin+Remeron.In my own experimentation I think Deprenyl works best as a primary medication, not an augmentation med. If you decide to try it, just be aware that to do it safely the dose must be kept low. 5mg is safe. 10mg max. Any higher would be risky and possibly dangerous. Low is OK.
It may be you would do well with a different SSRI. Of them all, I think Prozac has the least apathy and sexual dysfunction. I mean, Prozac can cause both of those too, but it's not as common as with other choices. The real problem, as you've noted, is getting off the Paxil. You could lower the dose and overlap with a low dose of a new one like Prozac while weening off Paxil. Just another option. Others like Celexa or Zoloft are very likely to be quite similar to Paxil.
So at this point I think your options are, as Paxil augmentations...
Ritalin, Adderall, Wellbutrin, Remeron, or any combo of these.As stand alone replacements...
Wellbutrin, Remeron, or both; Prozac, maybe Effexor.But Deprenyl could work, though it didn't with me. I'm just thinking out loud, and these are all options that could be considered. I hope something here might be helpful to you in some way. Actually I think the most straight forward approach that makes sense is to try adding Ritalin to your Paxil. If that's no good for whatever reason, Adderall would be next. I like these options better than the others, because if they are to work, they will do so within 24 to 72 hours. No long wait as with the others.
John
poster:JohnL
thread:45780
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000926/msgs/45856.html