Posted by SLS on October 20, 2011, at 20:54:17
In reply to Re: Dropped desiprimine - trying Savella - anyone with » SLS, posted by Laney on October 20, 2011, at 19:51:56
> Scott,
>
> "If you pretend that you know nothing about these drugs, (first half of your sentence)
>
> What exactly do you mean by the above? I guess I'm kinda lost here.
>
> Thanks!
>
>
> Laney
Have you already tried Effexor?I think most of us are often tempted to operate under the premise that we can pick and choose drugs based upon the mechanisms of action that they are ascribed. There is still much yet to be discovered and understood before we can match drugs to individual patients. We are getting there, though. I think educated guesses can be made, but trial-and-error is still necessary in most cases. If we pretend that we know nothing about the pharmacology of these drugs, how would we go about evaluating their worth? Well, that's how things have been up until now. The brain is still very much a black box, and we don't really know how these drugs work. Why does someone respond to Prozac but not to Zoloft? Both drugs are SSRIs. We should really need only one SSRI if things were that simple. Venlafaxine and sibutramine are both SNRIs, yet sibutramine is ineffective as an antidepressant.
What is more important in choosing a drug to treat depression: presumed pharmacology and theory or clinical statistics and empirical observation?
Which antidepressant works more often, Effexor or Savella? I don't know for sure, but Effexor is a proven product. For as long as Savella has been around, it has not garnered much attention as a first-line drug for treating depression. Right now, I am not aware of any reason to try Savella before Effexor. I wouldn't exclude Savella from consideration, though.
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1000316
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20111016/msgs/1000357.html