Posted by Budgie on April 14, 2004, at 14:42:22
In reply to I get immediate mood lift from low dose AD's » Racer, posted by zero on April 13, 2004, at 23:53:27
> My experience with AD's (Trazodone, MAOI's, SRI's, a couple of TCA's, Wellbutrin, and more) is an almost immediate mood elevation (even w. low dose, i.e. 1/10th normal dose). With me, this continues into hypomania and further if I keep taking a "normal" dose regularly.
This is really interesting. This is the same response I get. The hypomania thing (experienced consistently with every AD) was what got my pdoc and me thinking about BP and hence Lamictal, which has been a Godsend, I must say.
> I doubt it's placebo, as the 1st one, Trazodone, caught me off-guard and made me feel "on top of the world" in 2 hrs. (rx'd to help me go to sleep, and "in a few weeks or so", help w. my depression).
Yeah, a very quick, intense response for me, too. I know I'm ultra med-sensitive to everything I've tried (which is a lot), not just ADs.
> My reaction is the same with every AD I've taken.
>
> My 2nd psychopharm. (and 1st insightful one) said, after my 1st week on Nardil @15mg./day, "you're feeling too good, too soon, on too low a dose - I think you're bipolar".
>
> This psychopharm. also told me that most of his patients "like me" (bipolar spectrum w. lots of anxiety features) did best on very low-dose SRI + mood stabilizer ("pediatric doses" he called them).What exactly is the pediatric dose for, say, Celexa? Do pdocs ever pulse ADs for kids??
> I know people who use Effexor "as needed", and break open a time release capsule to count out the # of sphere's to take (one person ranges from 6-20 spheres per day, 1-3 days per week, might skip a week, depending).
>
> The mode of action of AD's is not fully understood and is, at best, a work in progress.
>
> Individuals respond quite differently to psych. meds. - for more reasons than are understood.Yeah, all I can really go by is my own personal experience. I think I'm pretty (extremely) aware of the most minute feelings I experience (who on this board isn't?). I don't really know what to think when scientific studies and conventional experience don't match my own.
> My experience (and I know there are others like me) w. low-dose AD use, is that they can work, work almost immediately (not placebo), and can be used PRN.
>
> Everyone is different.
>
>Thanks for the input, everyone.
Budgie
poster:Budgie
thread:336019
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040412/msgs/336355.html