Posted by Susie Que on May 7, 2005, at 5:43:37
I began taking Effexor in 1998
. For the next three years, the drug was quite possibly a life saver. (Put another way, I could've been Terri Shiavo right now.) In addition, I take Adderall for ADD and have since before commencing with Effexor. Adderall is remarkably effective for ADD but did not abate underlying depression and bulimia, which is why the Effexor was added. After 21 years, I stopped being bulimic in 2000.IN 2001, I lost my job in the dot-com bomb and took up consulting. By 2003, I was blowing off gigs and not looking for work. I'd sit there in a fog, blandly thinking that with as much of my life slipping away as it was, I really ought to be more depressed. Then I'd just turn on Animal Planet. I floated along this way through most of '04. By this time I was up to 300 mg/daily as a strategy with my doctor to mitigate the sexual side effects, but by this time my husband had gotten so pissed at me that it was increasingly a moot point.
Then in early December, I missed a dose, either 150 mg or the whole 300. I then endured anengrossing dreamlike state, one where I was the star in a perpetually bad Lifetime movie. When I awoke, I was so cold it was all I could do to peel off my wet clothes, put on some new ones and crawl back in the bed, where the movie resumed. When I got up, finally, I thought it was the day before. I'd lost 48 hours, including missing my psych appointment.
In January we went away for a fantastic new year's eve, but I awakened screaming so loud it could've roused the entire place. Then in February, I dimly remember my husband yelling at me and the hideabed pulled out the next day. According to DH, I sleepwalked down the stairs, got some weird combination of carrots and something else to eat, put that aside and insisted on finding my mittens so I could go for a walk. This on one of the coldest nights in the winter. Oh, and along the way I opened a med bottle and took some.
That's when I decided to get off Effexor. I have been tapering down strictly according to doctor's orders and am now at 75. I'm actually making money and sending out resumes again. We're in marriage counseling. Now that I recognize the apathy of the past, I have hope for the future.
However, I am also realistic. Given my history, it is likely I will continue to need antidepressant augmentation. I want one that 1) isn't addictive in the way Effexor is and 2)won't dumb me down. The options so far:
Staying on Effexor, low-dose: After seeing what it can do, I'd rather not. I've never had a withdrawal experience like this and I don't have any such withdrawal from Adderall when I forget to take it for a day or a week or even longer. Frankly I don't see what the big deal with Adderall even is. In terms of safety, IME, the wrong drug's on Schedule II.
Tianiaptine (Stablon): This seems the most promising and unlike Survactor is actually on the market in Europe. Anyone know if this is in testing in the U.S. and if so in what stage? IOW, how long will the wait be?
Amisulfide: An atypical antipsychotic, this appeared to have some promise for depression/ADD in very low doses. Low dosing would also attenuate common side effects like weight gain, dyskensia, etc. Is this available/being tested in the U.S. and how long would the wait be? Are there other AAs on the U.S. market now that act in a similar fashion? (Note: I do not have bipolar I or II nor have I ever had psychotic features of depression.)
Buproprion/Ritalin: I took this for six years. Sort of worked but ended up making me sleepy and irritable. I took Buproprion for a short time some years later with no effect.
Reboxtine/Strattera: Frankly, these compounds sound like a Desipramine effect with the risk of an Effexor XR withdrawal. So I'm gonna wait on these to see if that bears out.
Nardil/Parnate/Marplan: Tried 'em all. They did alleviate the bulimia. I felt so sh*tty I can't even comment on the depression. I still remember the day the fire department came after I'd fainted and failed to get a blood pressure reading while I was assuring them I was indeed alive. And that was when I had youth on my side 20 years ago. Probably a badder idea now than then.
Desyrel/Prozac/Zoloft/Paxil: Made me feel like a zombie. Didn't work.
Imipramine/Desipramine/Amitryptaline/Triavil: Short-term memory deficits. They sort of worked but then again they were all there was at the time other than the MAOIs. And this is all that appears to be left now. Someone tell me this isn't true, unless it unfortunately is.
Any advice and insight appreciated.
poster:Susie Que
thread:494803
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050504/msgs/494803.html