Posted by Mr.Scott on May 2, 2001, at 14:53:11
Hi John,Wouldn't Zyprexa, or Amisulpiride, or Risperdal only make SSRI induced apathy worse? They Block even more Dopamine than SSRI's..no? I could understand the Ritalin, Wellbutrin, Adrafinil/Modafinil approach.. but the new antipsychotics??? It's not that I don't believe you, but rather am curious if you have postulated any theories on How this can be??
Intrigue and Curiousity
mr.scott
From what I've seen over the years, the best odds for success in dealing with those apathetic feelings is to focus on dopamine and/or norepinephrine drugs. SSRIs can make apathy worse through an emotional numbing mechanism. On one hand it's good because it numbs away the depression, but on the other hand isn't good because you're nowhere near being recovered. Not only are the depressed feelings numbed, but so are the desired good feelings.
In your shoes I would put Zyprexa, then Risperdal, then Amisulpride at the top of the list. Forget everything else until you've tried them for two to three weeks each. In the unlikely event that none of them work out, then stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall could be next.And of course my personal favorite is Adrafinil from overseas. After years and years of depression and apathy unresponsive to antidepressants, I feel better than ever in my life with 20mg Prozac, 300mg Adrafinil, and 5mg Zyprexa. None of them alone does much. But combined they are like magic.
John
poster:Mr.Scott
thread:61423
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010424/msgs/61423.html