Posted by finelinebob on May 10, 2004, at 16:53:34
In reply to best first TCA to try, posted by linkadge on May 10, 2004, at 14:25:36
Nortriptyline.
Worked for me after disasterous trials with SSRIs. Tried desipramine -- didn't quite do it for me.
If I recall correctly, nortriptyline and imipramine have better side effect profiles than the other TCAs ... I'm certain about nortrip being one of those, not so certain about imipramine. I also believe imipramine has a better response for anxiety issues. Please, folks, chime in if you know any better!
Back to what I know for certain. Side effects to watch out for with nortriptyline are dry mouth, constipation, elevated heart rate and dizziness, and drowsiness. If you go on it, make sure you wear your sunblock.
For me, it was a really good match. No dizzies/racing heart, no constipation. Mild initial dry mouth. It knocked me out initially ... drowsiness went away pretty quick. While the dosage was still low, I made sure I took it an hour or two before bed. Right now I'm at 100mg/d, have been as high as 150mg/d -- I split my dosage. No side effects to speak of now that I've gotten used to it.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
flb
poster:finelinebob
thread:345436
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040510/msgs/345496.html