Posted by BK on March 11, 2001, at 9:50:17
In reply to Re: Please help! latest... adrafinil trial, posted by JohnL on March 10, 2001, at 5:26:58
> Hi Jon,
> You provided very good information. The one thing that popped out at me was 'dopamine'. Though some of the drugs you've tried had slight effects on dopamine, none of them really focus on that. I think that is the one area that has been overlooked.
>
> Specifically I think you would do well to stay with the Adrafinil for at least 4 weeks. Take an OTC pain reliever as needed until the headaches go away. They are likely caused by increased noradrenaline function, which will adjust and go away. But in addition, I think you might do well to steer your direction toward dopamine drugs. I'm thinking of drugs like Zyprexa, Amisulpride, Risperdal, in that order. Any of them can be added to Adrafinil. Zyprexa in particular will cure any insomnia, and any sedation will not carry over into the next day after you adjust to it. For me that was about a week.
>
> I'm pretty confident you may find one of those drugs helpful. They've helped a lot of difficult cases here in babbleland, including me. Small dose (5mg to 10mg) Prozac may also be very helpful. It goes very well with the other drugs I mentioned. At that dose there shouldn't be any sexual side effects. I take 20mg with no side effects. (Paxil and all the others had terrible sexual side effects for me.)
>
> Hope something here is helpful.
> JohnJon,
I too have tried a wide range of medications and all of the ones that you noted with the exception of Adderal. I'm currently on Adrafinil, 300 mg, and have been taking it for a little over two weeks. I did experience headaches which seemed to be helped most by Ibuprofen. I also notice episodes of anxiety which I have had in the past, so I'm not really clear if it is related to the Adrafinil. Insomnia and some sexual dysfunction have also been noted. I'm still depressed and have noticed little if any improvement in my cognitive abiilities, but i think its way too early to give up yet.
I'm going to stay the course for at least three more weeks and give the med a fair shake. Its always been my rule to try a med for a significant period, regardless of side effects, so that I may cross it off my list with confidence. This has proven to be a painful experience, but a necessary one as far as I'm concerned.
John L provided me with some good insights and recommendations also. Namely, the supplementation with Prozac which I most certainly will do after I've given the Adrafinil a sufficient try on its own.
Good luck with your trial and please keep me posted via the boards. Lets hope its the answer for both of us!
poster:BK
thread:56006
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010310/msgs/56190.html