Posted by Viridis on November 29, 2003, at 22:00:48
In reply to Fair Trial or Trudge On, posted by KellyD on November 28, 2003, at 19:49:10
I haven't had depression problems with Klonopin, which I take every day, but I do take Adderall as well for ADD, and it has a substantial AD effect. Even before I started Adderall, though, I found that Klonopin decreased my depression by reducing my anxiety -- I think that a lot depends on the cause of your depression, and if it's anxiety-based, then benzos can be a big help.
Xanax does appear to have AD effects for some people, and I always find myself in a good mood the day after taking it (I use it occasionally for additional anxiety relief).
What worried me with Xanax is that, unlike Klonopin, I developed definite tolerance to it even with occasional use, so now it takes several times as much to achieve the same results. I never had any other problems with it, but wouldn't want to use it regularly for anxiety relief (although maybe my tolerance would reach a plateau?). My pdoc says he's seen this before, and is much more cautious with Xanax than Klonopin. He'll give me enough Xanax for the occasional flare-up but (especially given my development of tolerance) prefers that I use it sparingly, whereas he's fine with daily use of Klonopin.
Wellbutrin has a reputation for causing severe anxiety in some people, and I had a terrible time with it even after 8 weeks. It's great for some people, but my pdoc avoids it for anxiety-prone patients. I also can't tolerate SSRIs, but WB was the worst for anxiety.
One med that you might find helpful is Strattera. It's prescribed mainly for ADD but can also have antidepressant effects. I found it helpful mood-wise for quite a while, although its positive effects for me seem to have waned lately. The main thing with Strattera is to increase the dose fairly slowly, or you may experience side effects like nausea and dry mouth. These disappeared quickly for me when I tapered the dose up in increments, starting at 25 mg and moving to 80 over a few weeks. Although Strattera is supposed to be a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor like Wellbutrin, I actually found it calming (Wellbutrin made me a nervous wreck and had all sorts of weird side effects).
Good luck!
poster:Viridis
thread:284860
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031126/msgs/285131.html