Posted by Cindylou on February 15, 2002, at 14:54:50
In reply to Re: Lamictal + Dex, posted by Hattree on February 14, 2002, at 8:47:37
Hi Hattree...
Thanks for the response. You know, you are the second person on this board who has mentioned that they felt HORRIBLE on Prozac for 5 days or so, then stopped it, and then felt better for awhile. THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENS TO ME!!! But when I mentioned this to two different therapists, they both poo-pooed it ... like it was all in my head.So, after that initial experience, would you purposefully take the Prozac for a few days, then stop it? How long would you take it for, and then how long would you stop? It makes a lot of sense to me. Like you said, maybe a week on, week off would work ...
Also, I mentioned Neurontin to my pdoc, and she dismissed the idea ... I can't remember why, but I think she said it causes fatigue, and since I am so sensitive to fatigue she didn't see it as a good choice. She is usually very open to suggestions, so I just accepted her 'dismissal' of it. Why do you think it may be a good option? I don't know much about that med.
Thanks for everything!
cindy> Hi Cindy,
>
> > Is there any reason for me to believe I may be able to tolerate that one better than the others?
>
> Probably not, but you never know. I do find Dex to be the smoothest one. Also, this Adrafinil that people write about here sounds intriguing--more gentle than the others maybe, including its cousin Provigil. If you can get it, of course.
>
> Also I don't think your notion of teeny doses of Prozac is so crazy, either, given its loooong half life. Or maybe even weekly doses (but not weekly prozac, just the regular kind). Ask your doc, but my very first AD experience was trying Prozac, which made me feel emotionally and physically HORRIBLE--I gave it up after 5 or 6 days, and then a few days after that I gradually realized that I was feeling better than I had before in my life. When after a few months I found myself sinking again in a big way, I tried it again, and it worked again, and so on (with diminshing returns) for a couple of years until I got pregnant. After that hiatus it never worked again and I started trying other things, none of which did all that well until Lamictal. Just a long way of saying you never know.
>
> Also wonder if you ever thought about Neurontin.
>
> Hope its a good day.
>
> --hat
>
> >
> > Thanks in advance! Hope you are doing well,
> > -cindy
> >
> > > Yeah, I left out the Dex. I take that too.
> > >
> > > I seem to require the Zoloft to get the desired effect (I tried to drop it for a while and got depressed--I can't be sure that was why, but I went back on the Zoloft and got better). I do take a tiny dose, though, 25 mg. Maybe an itty bitty dose of something would do the trick for you.
> > >
> > > That said, I'm not convinced the Lamictal won't work without an AD. And I find it helps me avoid the stimulant crash.
> > >
> > > > > I find it to be a gem for unipolar depression (along with Zoloft) and for me there are no side effects other than some itching, which went away after awhile.
> > > > >
> > > > > > Is Lamictal helpful for unipolar depression, or is it only appropriate for bipolar depression? I have unipolar depression.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > About six years ago, I was given Depakote to "augment" the antidepressant I was on at the time. The Depakote made my depression much worse and it brought a lot of other problems with it (bleeding, hair loss, etc.), so I am very wary of anti-convulsants being used for depression.
> > > > *************************************************
> > > >
> > > > Hello, Hattree. Thanks for your reply. Have you ever combined Lamictal with stimulants (like Dexedrine, for example?). One pdoc told me that Lamictal had to be combined with an antidepressant, not a stimulant, to be effective. I have a lot of trouble with polypharmacy (I think my liver enzymes are out of whack), so I like to take as few meds as possible at any one time. Any luck with Lamictal plus Dex. WITHOUT an antidepressant?
poster:Cindylou
thread:93373
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020215/msgs/94287.html