Posted by zeugma on February 18, 2005, at 6:27:41
In reply to Re: nothing like a sedating TCA for anxiety/panic » zeugma, posted by Sarah T. on February 17, 2005, at 3:34:07
> Zeugma, thanks for your reply. I figured that TCA's couldn't be combined with stimulants safely. I was surprised to read that you took Provigil with Nortriptyline. Can you tell me how it helped the TCA? Did the Provigil simply keep you awake or did it help with cognition, focus, etc.? TCA's are just about the only AD's that have really helped my mood, but I'm a numbskull on them. That fellow who writes for the Biopsychiatry.com website refers to TCA's as "dumb drugs," and indeed they are just that, as far as I'm concerned. In addition to impairing my thinking and memory, they must be really bad for the heart. When I took TCA's, I would wake up with resting heart rates of over 100! That was my heart rate before I even got out of bed.
Hi, Sarah. I started taking Provigil to treat my severe ADD and possible narcolepsy. Provigil and nortriptyline actually remind me of each other, specifically in the slight cognitive 'slowing' both cause (Provigil is much stronger in this regard). For me, this action is actually anxiolytic and helps me cognitively. The Provigil helped with the anhedonia/energy aspects, and helped me to focus via the aforementioned 'slowing' (I would have to write a novel to explain why this helpful for me). On my third day of Provigil, I am noticing that it is easier for me to type, a sign that the Provigil is helping me to coordinate my thinking with my physical movements.
Nortriptyline by itself at 100 mg/day, or combined with up to 150 mg Provigil, had no cardiac effects whatsoever. I still need to have a cardiac workup done, as the combination of Ritalin and nortriptyline, which really helped some aspects of my ADD/sleep disorder but had numerous adverse effects, messed with my cardiac function in a major way. I am curious if you have any experience with desipramine and can compare it with nortriptyline, or can compare nortrip with any other TCA for that matter. I am going to a sleep clinic soon for a study, and I know that the TCA/stimulant combination is a classical treatment for narcolepsy, but comes with numerous hazards.
-z
poster:zeugma
thread:455142
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050217/msgs/459751.html