Posted by bleauberry on October 16, 2010, at 5:28:22
In reply to Effexor: is it worth it?, posted by orbital on October 16, 2010, at 0:06:40
I think a good approach would be to closely inspect what meds and combos you have done thus far, and then make choices that are not close repeats of those. For example, someone who has tried several SSRIs, but none of them in combination with Nortriptyline, Desipramine, or Ritalin, I think would have much better potential by doing that instead of taking on an SNRI like Effexor. Which with very little effect on NE really is a stretch to call it a SNRI anyway.
That said, Effexor does once in a while prove to be a magical drug for some people. Even the lowest dose of 37.5mg has worked great for some.Statistically speaking, effexor has no more of a chance of getting you well than anything else. You could pretty much flip a coin blindly. Some studies show it about the same as other meds, with some studies showing it a few percentage points better....either way, in the same ballpark as all the others. It's a risk/benefit choice.
If you have not had experience with the plants of the world, I would try Rhodiola Rosea, St Johns Wort, or SAMe (all three separately) before venturing deeper into the treacherous psychiatric world. Rhodiola or SAMe work especially fast, which is something you need. So you don't need to devote as much time to trials as you do on pharmaceuticals. All three of them have a multitude of other biological benefits to them, making them healthy depression choices.
If you want an SNRI (assuming you do since you are considering effexor), then instead do Zoloft+Nortriptyline.
The plants first.
Effexor last.
IMO.
poster:bleauberry
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20101009/msgs/965929.html