Posted by SalArmy4me on April 20, 2001, at 4:15:34
I will tell you about three meds which are all common practice to prescribe for antidepressant-caused: dry mouth, chronic headaches, and tremor. All of these are by prescription only but cheap when bought generic:
Urecholine (Bethanechol) - a not new at all medicine that relieves anticholinergic effects, such as dry mouth, constipation, heavy sweating, urinary retention, etcetera. It can be prescribed with any antidepressant; it was given to me with Paxil and Parnate. The side-effect profile is generally benign {part of Urecholine is developed naturally in the body. I myself never had any side-effects from it. I don't think I would have lasted as long on Parnate if it hadn't been for this medication}.
Calan (Verapamil) - psychiatrists believe there is such a thing as a "depression headache" (I suppose it is from anxiety). Also, many people on this message board complain that their headaches are from the antidepressants themselves. At any rate, most doctors will prescribe (Elavil) amitriptyline for chronic non-migraine headaches, because it has the most anti-pain properties of any antidepressant. But amitriptyline can have annoying side-effects, even at the low nightly-doses prescribed for headaches. Verapamil does not have those effects. Verapamil SR 240 mg can be taken once-a-day and it has worked wonders for me and other patients.
Inderal (propranolol) - this is the gold standard treatment for tremor, caused by antidepressants/anticonvulsants like LITHIUM, buproprion, Tricylcics, and MAOI's. It has not been shown to cause orthostatic hypotension in otherwise normal adults. It needs to be taken 3 times a day, and the side-effect profile is also benign.
Surprisingly, many people resist taking medications to combat the side-effects of medications. I understand this, though. It means that one will be putting another foreign substance in one's body. But I would rather die than not treat the dry mouth, headaches, myoclonic jerks, extreme constipation, urinary retention, and fatigue from Parnate--when I could easily just take a Urecholine with each Parnate.
poster:SalArmy4me
thread:60547
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010417/msgs/60547.html