Posted by softheprairie on October 6, 2009, at 12:42:16
In reply to What is the best drug for suicidal thoughts?, posted by delna on October 6, 2009, at 11:23:22
My psychiatrist has told me that the only two meds proven to decrease suicidality are lithium and Clozaril/clozapine. I'm sorry that that may not be what you wanted to hear. Also, I'm not sure if it is up to date. I bet there are others, but that companies are reluctant to do the testing to prove it, because it would be expensive to do trials with people who are actively suicidal. (That's just my guess.) Personally, I haven't tried either of those yet, but when hospitalized I was once given Zyprexa zydis, which is an immediate-release, dissolve-in-your-mouth, fast acting form of Zyprexa, and I was really impressed with the immediate power it had to calm me down. (And I wasn't manic or psychotic, just very depressed and I got a little peeved about the lack of therapy/treatment and lack of access to a doctor at the psych hospital, and when I cried out at the nurses' station something like "what do I have to do to get treatment here?," a technician (?) gave me the Zyprexa zydis.)
I had taken the non-immediate Zyprexa years before, and I think I reported feeling somewhat better with it, but now my memory is kind of murky from that time -- I'm not sure when I went over to Seroquel (or was it Seroquel before Zyprexa?) or why I stopped them -- I'm not sure if it was weight gain or tiredness, maybe? Zyprexa is terrible about causing weight gain and diabetes, but I firmly believe that if someone is actively suicidal, that the need justifies the use of Zyprexa, even tho long-term use has the weight and diabetes problems. Luckily, my mood has been much better recently, and I am pretty pleased with my med cocktail. If I am feeling bad now, I have permission to take extra perphenazine PRN.Are you being cautious about upping the MAO inhibitor due to side effects at the low dose? I think you need a higher dose to get antidepressant effect.
poster:softheprairie
thread:919942
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091001/msgs/919952.html