Posted by crabwalk on April 14, 2006, at 9:14:32
In reply to How to shut down the catecholamine rush?, posted by blueberry on April 13, 2006, at 19:59:12
Hi Blueberry,
Believe it or not your symptoms sound eerily close to mine. I've experienced the exact rush you describe pretty much at the same time in the morning (can vary depending on bedtime), this started two years ago and was only slightly alleviated by paxil and prozac. Terribly, prozac ultimately has made my life close to unbearable because it gave me SEVERE sexual side effects that have not improved a year after quitting (I'm 23, and my genitals feel withered and dead, completely numb, save for an on-and-off dull pain in my testicles, I have no libido). This has exacerbated my anxiety/depression beyond anything I ever had before antidepressants. I've had the cycles of fierce anxiety/terror a few times a day too. Right now I'm on a low dose of tianeptine (~10mg, 3x day, dissolved in water) which does help to control the awful sick/anxious feeling during the day somewhat, but not in the early morning hours, and I can't tell whether it's making my genitals even more numb. I just lost what may have been the love of my life to another man because of the permanent sexual/emotional numbness from prozac, and that has made me much worse. I'm thinking of trying emsam because it may raise dopamine, which I think may be a huge source of my problems in general, but I can't say for sure. Before tianeptine, benzos and sleep aids like ambien exacerbated the terrible feelings like crazy, at times I would lie on my bed and moan from the suffering. Now they are not quite as bad, but still exacerbate things a little.
Have you tried tricycics, can you tolerate them? I would try a sedating one, but I'm sure it would only further kill my sexual functioning, if it is still alive at all in there. I'm hoping for a miracle in that emsam will somehow help me sleep and return my old sexual functioning and drive, but that is a long shot.
Agomelatine looks interesting too, but won't be available in the US for years probably.
Wish I had more advice, but I am more lost than ever. Best of luck.
poster:crabwalk
thread:632837
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060412/msgs/633009.html