Posted by Racer on June 3, 2007, at 13:53:24
In reply to Re: Prozac makes me manic at night, posted by rjlockhart on June 3, 2007, at 2:04:11
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> Because during the day sometimes i just feel i cant live without prozac im so depressed.
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> Is there anyhting better? now im just asking because during the day i just feel like sh*t, Prozac is for me right now i just wanted to know if there is a potenter antidepressant,OK, now you're becoming more clear. What I heard in the past was that you were feeling a sense of inferiority because you thought other people's drugs were "better" than what you were on. You didn't mention the part about Prozac not being effective for you.
If Prozac is not working well for you, then yes, there are plenty of other antidepressants to try. There's no real "potency" test for antidepressants, though. It's not like benzos, where a higher dose or shorter half-life affects performance. Antidepressants are more effective if they work for you, and less effective if they don't.
From what you've written here, if these are the only drugs you've tried so far, then you've tried two SSRIs, and one novel agent. That leaves all the other SSRIs, Effexor, Cymbalta, Remeron, the TCAs, and the MAOIs, as well as a few other random options. And, of course, there are no mood stabilizers listed. You haven't mentioned anything about how effective the other drugs were, or why you went off them, so I can't offer any direct advice about what might be helpful. Just as a guess, from having read your posts for a while, I'd say Lexapro would be a good option, and probably adding a mood stabilizer. I'd also suggest asking your pdoc about trying Strattera for the ADHD, as it might very well boost the effects of Prozac or Lexapro against your depression.
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> Ok, this is the last time im going to say this. Which i have said many times before.Careful, Matt. You may have tried to say some of that before, and you may not have communicated it as effectively as you may have wished. Also, if someone is taking the time to try to be helpful to you, it might be wise to think about how what you say comes across. I read some resentment in that, which may be my own bias, and I feel kinda bad, as if my offers of help are being rejected. Is that what you're trying to convey? Or is that just my reading?
The fact that you stay up late on a regular basis, and go with limited sleep, suggests that maybe the hospital diagnosis is correct. A reduced need for sleep is often characteristic of bipolar. The Zyprexa could, in theory, help with mood stabilization, but it wouldn't be my first choice. You say that your regular pdoc has you dx'd with unipolar, and the hospital dx'd bipolar. Has your regular pdoc accepted the dx of bipolar? Or is he still treating you for unipolar? If he's treating you for bipolar, than maybe swapping to a more effective mood stabilizer would be a good idea. I'd probably suggest starting out with Lamictal, just because it seems to help with depression and has a more favorable side effect profile than many of the others.
What are you going to ask him about next time you see him? Do you have a plan? If not, would you like help creating one?
poster:Racer
thread:760992
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070524/msgs/761044.html