Posted by zeugma on September 25, 2004, at 18:14:47
In reply to im too scared to take nortriptyline, posted by LEST on September 25, 2004, at 17:21:29
> the side effects are insane... should i not worry?
> Abdominal cramps, agitation, anxiety, black tongue, blurred vision, breast development in males, breast enlargement, confusion, constipation, delusions, diarrhea, dilation of pupils, disorientation, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, excessive or spontaneous flow of milk, excessive urination at night, fatigue, fever, fluid retention, flushing, frequent urination, hair loss, hallucinations, headache, heart attack, high or low blood pressure, high or low blood sugar, hives, impotence, inability to sleep, inability to urinate, increased or decreased sex drive, inflammation of the mouth, intestinal blockage, itching, loss of appetite, loss of coordination, nausea, nightmares, numbness, panic, perspiration, pins and needles in the arms and legs, rapid, fluttery, or irregular heartbeat, rash, reddish or purplish spots on skin, restlessness, ringing in the ears, seizures, sensitivity to light, stomach upset, strange taste, stroke, swelling of the testicles, swollen glands, tingling, tremors, vision problems, vomiting, weakness, weight gain or loss, yellow eyes and skin
>
A conscientious list of all the 's/e' that have been noted by doctors whose patients were actually on placebo, during innumerable drug trials, would resemble this one... for example, 'stroke'? People have strokes who have never even heard of nortriptyline. I could link you to studies showing that nortriptyline is actually superior to SSRI's in depression in post-stroke patients. 'Weight gain or loss'? That happens to people who do not go near psychotropics. 'Increased or diminished libido'? Well, that's better than more modern AD's, which reliably diminish libido. Some of the more bizarre s/e's, such as galactorrhea (inappropriate secretion of milk) are actually associated with amoxapine, which combines neuroleptic and antidepressant activity. Amoxapine's side effects are generally thrown onto these lists of TCA side effects because it is structurally related to nortriptyline et al.
Nausea? I suffered from terrible, constant nausea until I went back on nortriptyline. And I am someone who gets nauseous from almost everything: Ritalin, Provigil, SSRI's, bad Chinese takeout. Panic? Nortriptyline is a potent antipanic agent. Of course it will not work as such for everyone. No guaranteee it'll work for you. Be sure to keep your doctor apprised of your concerns and watch your reactions carefully. That goes for therapeutic effects, as well as the nasty ones.-z
poster:zeugma
thread:394968
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040921/msgs/394984.html