Posted by blueberry on February 25, 2006, at 9:40:33
In reply to Fluanxol vs. Amisulpride?, posted by TomG on February 24, 2006, at 22:09:46
I don't know anything about fluanxol, but I do have personal experience using amisulpride.
Amisulpride is like everything else...it helps some people a lot and not at all in others. But if you feel your symptoms are related to hypodopamine function then it should help a lot.
During the first few days it can sort of feel like a mild amphetamine, stimulating dopamine release. I had an immediate antidepressant effect beginning the second day. Then tolerance to the extra dopamine sets in, and you are tempted to think it has already pooped out. But then with continued use, the extra dopamine somehow causes other brain adjustments to occur to where the true longterm antidepressant effect kicks in. That is at about 3 weeks or so.
In the first few days there can be an increase of anxiety or agitation from the increased dopamine. But at about 3 weeks, amisulpride has a very nice anti-anxiety effect. It is pro-social. You may find yourself more comfortable in a crowd, confident, and relaxed.
I had two side effects. One was disturbed sleep, especially early in treatment. I slept very light and had early wakings. The second was sexual dysfunction. Amisulpride can raise the hormone prolactin levels significantly, which adversely affects sexual desire. In men it can cause impotence. That may or may not happen.
The idea of using abilify with it is interesting. It would probably worsen sleep even more, cause more anxiety in the first week or two, but could counteract the increased prolactin levels. I saw in clinical studies where they used the dopamine agonist bromocriptine to lower prolactin levels in amisulpride or risperdal patients without affecting the therapeutic benefits of the drugs.
I started at 12.5mg and worked up to 50mg. If you get the 200mg tabs, that can last you a long time and save a bunch of money and you would only have to mailorder it infrequently.
poster:blueberry
thread:612982
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060219/msgs/613042.html