Posted by Racer on September 11, 2008, at 17:04:57
In reply to Re: Melancholic depression - what med is the best choi, posted by hansi555 on September 11, 2008, at 10:41:07
Quick and dirty, because I gotta get out the door:
Scary things about Effexor -- most of the scary things about Effexor have to do with the discontinuation effects. ("Withdrawal.") My doctor considers it to be an "old faithful," because it works reliably for so many of his patients. If you are one of those it works for, it's no more "scary" than any SSRI, really. It has a broader range of action, so it may be more effective for you than the SSRIs.
Cymbalta is like Effexor Lite -- same mechanism of action, same drug class, but with a slightly different "feel" to it. Of the two, I found it more friendly, but it was not effective on its own for me. (Nota Bene: I was not in a place that ANY medication could have treated effectively at that time, AND have not had a remission for about six years now. DO NOT think that my experience has any real predictive value for you. It almost certainly does not.) It was very good for some things for me, and I took it for about a year and a half. The side effects I did experience were milder FOR ME with Cymbalta than Effexor.
Lamictal is an anticonvulsant often used to treat mood disorders. I can't remember if it's officially approved as a mood stabilizer or not, but it's also used to treat depression. MANY people here have found it helpful.
I'm happy to answer questions, but I just realized I'll give better answers if I'm not also watching the clock and kicking my butt to get out the door! If you see this and have questions, please ask, otherwise I'll try to get back later tonight.
poster:Racer
thread:851016
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080903/msgs/851545.html