Posted by JahL on January 3, 2001, at 3:05:34
In reply to Pindolol as augmentation agent, posted by SalArmy4me on January 2, 2001, at 21:52:35
> I post this from time to time because some people haven't even heard of
> certain treatment options--so they try other augmentation agents that
> have less evidence behind them, and work poorly or not at all. Examples
> of these unproven agents include Omega3s, amantadine, inositol, or all
> the over-the-counter vitamins, minerals, or herbs--save hypericum.
>
> No augmentation agent will work as well as Lithium. This is the first
> choice in augmentation according to my doctor and the Harvard Psychiatry
> Depression Algorithym (http://mhc.com/Algorithms/Depression/). But if you cannot take the side-effects of
> Lithium, do not have a thyroid deficiency (which exacerbates
> depression), or have not done well on buspirone, Harvard mentions Visken
> (rx only: pindolol)--also featured prominently on the New York University Psychiatry website: http://www.med.nyu.edu/Psych/aug/index.html
>
> This treatment for depression is nothing new, actually. Pindolol is a
> beta-blocker, the only one of its class known to speed up the action of
> antidepressants. The main studies done (found on Medline) have used it
> most effectively with sertraline, although it has been tried and
> proven effective with most of the SSRIs, tranylcypromine and
> moclobemide, and a few of the tricyclics. See Dr. Bob's
> Psychopharmacology website (uhs.bsd.uchicago.edu/~bhsiung/tips/tips.html) and look up pindolol for more information.
>
> I promote pindolol because it has made the most dramatic difference in
> my life. I take 10 mg per day in two divided doses. Drawbacks: 1) It
> is expensive in the brand form. My HMO, the largest in the United
> States, does not cover it. That is because other treatments for
> hypertension are preferred over pindolol. 2) It can cause
> stomach-upset. This can be remedied with famotidine, cimetidine, or
> protonix. 3) It takes as long as antidepressants to work, and 4) it
> cannot be used in the place of a regular antidepressant/anticonvulsant.
> But these drawbacks never convinced me to stop using it. There's your FYI.What do you (& HenryO?) take with it & @ what dose?
Ta,
Jah.
poster:JahL
thread:50787
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001231/msgs/50809.html