Posted by circusboy on July 14, 2006, at 21:32:34
In reply to My new list of symptoms for my doc, posted by jealibeanz on July 12, 2006, at 20:18:50
> OK, so I've got to update my doctor (family practioner, DO) on how I'm doing... not so well with the insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Actually, very badly.
>I've never experienced that kind of insomnia that wasn't clearly caused by circumstances (starting a new job, etc.). However, I've got the anxeity/depression thing covered.
Have you considered the possibility that the Strattera may be causing the depression directly? Over the last few months I've been experimenting with the stuff, and found that it does push me into a hole... I start feeling vaguely hopeless, like almost nothing is worth doing, much less smiling about. I'll actually feel a sort of weight on my face, like it would take an extraordinary effort to smile. When it gets really bad I'll withdraw from friends and coworkers, thinking I've got nothing worthwhile to add to their lives.
Still, Strattera is powerfully effective for my particular brand of concentration problems/executive dysfunction type stuff...so much better that Ritalin (which I still take as well). I'm trying again at 25mg twice a day (down from 40mg twice a day) and hoping.
Anyway, search for (especially) zeguma's posts on Strattera. She had an initially wonderful response and then came crashing down. Just like me, and perhaps you as well.
A possible substitute and an excellent antidepressant -- if you can tolerate it, which I couldn't -- is desipramine. It was probably the most effective and balanced AD I've ever taken. Unfortunately it gave me that classic sort of TCA insomnia: a sort of "Tell-Tale Heart" without the terror to make it interesting.
-cb
poster:circusboy
thread:666496
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060709/msgs/667167.html