Posted by lil' jimi on September 21, 2003, at 14:28:02
In reply to re: Theo » lil' jimi, posted by theo on September 21, 2003, at 11:08:14
hi Theo,
> Thanks for the input. >
you're welcome
> Before when I tried Lex I started at 10mg as I was stopping 20mg of Paxil. I stopped the Paxil because I had taking it a while and felt the need to make a change because I had been on it for a long while. Now that I've not taken any SSRI for at least eight weeks now, maybe trying the Lex at 5mg might be a more of a fair evaluation for the Lex. >
i think this is a fair assessment ...
... and i feel it relects the cumulative wisdom from this thread ...> When docs first got their hands on Lex it was "10mg for everyone" which for someone with anxiety is probably to much too start with. >
my sentiments exactly ... ...
... as i've oft repeated here ...
... i (who had never suffered with anxiety) took 10mg ONE day (march 6) and then .... ....> Is it OK to break Lex to just take 5mg since they only come in 10mg and 20mg?? >
... from march 7 for the next month ... i broke the 10mg pills into halves (as best i could) and took only 5mg until sometime in april before i went back up to 10mg ... ...
> My pdoc actually suggested "WellPro" and of course acted like he coined the term, but from what you've read about the Wellbutrin-Lexapro combo have you heard positive results? >
i haven't read enough well-lex reports to have an opinion ... and i don't believe i've seen a well-pax reference before ... ... who knows about these combos nicknames ? ... ... at least "wellpro" sounds encouraging ... ... if that will only help to make us well ...
> Not just about offsetting sexual sides but adding something to give a serotonin boost since Wellbutrin doesn't cover that area? >
i just thought that those offsetting effects might make paxil a more likely candidate ... one i would never choose, but that's just my prejudice speaking ... ... you must, of course, consider all the alternatives which may work for you ... ... wellbutrin may be the redemption of your paxil for you ...
i haven't read any other's personal experiences on which to base this response ... ... nevertheless, that is the theory of the SSRIs' combos with wellbutrin ...
from
http://www.medicinenet.com/bupropion/article.htm"GENERIC NAME: bupropion
BRAND NAME: Wellbutrin; Zyban
DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Bupropion is an antidepressant medication that affects chemicals within the brain that nerves use to send messages to each other. These chemical messengers are called neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters that are released by nerves are taken up again by the nerves that release them for reuse. (This is referred to as reuptake.) Many experts believe that depression is caused by an imbalance among the amounts of neurotransmitters that are released. Bupropion is unrelated to other antidepressants. It works by inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, an action which results in more dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine to transmit messages to other nerves. Bupropion is unique in that its major effect is on dopamine, an effect which is not shared by the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs (e.g. paroxetine, Paxil; fluoxetine, Prozac; sertraline, Zoloft) or the tricyclic antidepressants or TCAs (e.g. amitriptyline, Elavil; imipramine, Tofranil; desipramine, Norpramin). "
... hey, this bupropion sounds great ... why aren't i on it ? .... it'll even help me quit smoking !! (i don't smoke ... HA!) ...
anything that can help folks fight tobacco adiction is strong medicine in my book ...
... and we see here that it works on raising dopamine, norepinephrine ans serotonin levels, all three ...
... adding the ssri effect of lex should be expected to further increase serotonin levels ...
... this is the theory anyway ...> Also would 5mg have less sides than 10mg from what you've read? >
yes ... ... that's practically gospel here
... ... however, i have read posts of folk who take 20mg right off the bat and have no SEs ... which is rare ... ... but it is less rare for folks diving in with 10mg and reporting zero SEs ... not too imply that either isn't uncommmon ... at all... still it is consistent with our posters' report (and it makes intuitive sense) the any SEs would be less with less doseage ...
anyway that is my contribution ...
take care !
~ jim
poster:lil' jimi
thread:109458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030917/msgs/262197.html