Posted by sarah1980 on September 20, 2003, at 2:57:03
I tried reboxetine for treatment resistant depression after trying everything else. I had tried every SSRI, other atypical antidepressants, a trycylic, moodstabalizers, neuroleptics (antipsychotics), and even Electroconvulsive therapy. In the beginning zoloft helped for several months and then stopped working, same with prozac. But eventually, the only thing that worked for me anymore was zoloft with olanzapine (zyprexa). However I could only be on olanzapine for so long because I would gain four pounds a week on the stuff even if i dieted and exercised (no kidding even the doctors were skeptical of how fast I was gaining weight, when they started weekly weighings they were shocked). I am 5' 6" and go between 120-130 pounds, so after I got up to 165 pounds and felt asthough I was in a fat suit I had to stop because it didn't look like there was an end in sight to my gaining.
I felt really desperate. For the first time I even thought about suicide. I had even been bed-ridden before from depression but never had reached the point of losing all hope.
My doctor told me that reboxetine might be coming out at some point in the US and that it had passed all the FDA tests. It looked as though the company was waiting for some opportune time to come out with the drug. I couldn't wait for their needs. I went on the internet and found a website that sold reboxetine from England.
This drug is great and awful. First the great part: I can take this medicine for 3 weeks and then stop and my depression will be lifted. It starts to work in about one and a half weeks! After I stop taking it my depression is usually latent for four-six months. This is a big change from being on medicine that I took every day for 10 years straight!
Now here are the negatives: You have to go on this medicine really slowly. The side effects are really crappy: headaches, a fever, spacey feeling, nausea, severe sexual side effects, insomnia, hypomania, and feeling angry/irritable. Only take 2-4 milligrams the first few days or it will be awful. But after 2 and a half weeks the side effects go away. And frankly the side effects of depression are worse. This is not the medicine for someone who hasn't tried a few other medicines. But if you have and feel that nothing will work you might want to consider reboxetine. It is best for people with melancholic depression that makes them sleep all the time I have heard. If you have ever been manic I would not suggest it.
poster:sarah1980
thread:261871
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030917/msgs/261871.html