Posted by JohnL on April 13, 2001, at 18:06:31
In reply to Tried everything else. Topamax for depression?, posted by dab on April 13, 2001, at 12:09:35
> I have never posted on one of these, so please bear with me if I do something wrong. I have been severly depressed for about 2 years (suicide attempts, etc.) I have tried just about every drug and combination of drugs with no real success.Paxil, Celexa, Trazodone,Effexor,Serzone & Neurontin,Wellbutrin SR,Wellbutrin with Neurontin,Zoloft with Neurontin,& Wllbutrin SR & probably some I cant remember. Currently I am on 150 of Lamictal along with Zoloft I have always had either Klonipin or xanax prn.as well as 30-60 mgs.Dalmane for sleep. I talked to my doc about topamax and he said it might be a good drug for me. I really don't think anything is going to help totally, although I now have some good days. I still fight the suicidal impulses when I have particularly bad days. Any help on the Topamax for severe depression alone would be helpful. I am also very interested in the weight loss results, if any, as the stuff I am taking now is making me gain weight.
Hey, wouldn't it be nice if we could go to Las Vegas and somehow stack the odds in our favor? Well, in the world of drugs, wouldn't it be nice if there was one that would stack the odds in our favor?
Well, there is. Actually several. What is a category of drugs that seems to work especially well in patients who have not had adequate results with a variety of antidepressants? Answer is antipsychotics. Specifically Zyprexa, Risperdal or Amisulpride.
Certainly this won't work for everyone. However, it is a way to stack the odds in your favor. The antipsychotics are very often excellent antidepressants. Especially when combined with antidepressants. Much better than either alone. In your shoes, with the benefit of hindsight, I would choose my favorite of the antidepressants and add Zyprexa to it. Give it two weeks. Then if I wanted to, I would try Risperdal and then Amisupride just to see which I like the best. Then I would go with my favorite for a long trial. Most people would probably disagree with this approach. But I have to tell you I have seen it work over and over again. While other drugs work somewhat some of the time, these antipsychotics seem to work very well a lot of the time. No guarantees. But I like stacking the odds in my favor. Hope something here is helpful.
John
poster:JohnL
thread:59689
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010411/msgs/59737.html