Posted by SalArmy4me on March 2, 2001, at 8:58:33
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 once made the most dramatic difference in my life. I took 10 mg per day in two divided doses. Drawbacks: 1) It MUST be taken in brand form--not generic. 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.Best wishes for your full recovery by Easter...
poster:SalArmy4me
thread:55327
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010302/msgs/55327.html