Posted by FloydAS on August 19, 2015, at 11:48:35
Following several years of several dosage levels of Zoloft up to 200 mg max to deal with diagnosed generalized anxiety disorder, I went on about a 6 month SSRI hiatus.
In the interim, I've been on 50 mg twice a day of Topamax for migraine/headache treatment (quite successful with minimal side effects, including no real weight loss), 40 mg propranolol twice a day for essential tremor, xanax xr 0.5 mg up to twice a day as needed, focalin xr 10 mg once a day as needed for ADD.
That being said, my pdoc prescribed Brintellix 5 mg back in April 2015 due to treatment resistant anxiety disorder. The first two-three weeks were outstanding. Initial nausea side effects resolved relatively quickly. The best result was my mood was significantly elevated and I experienced levels of happiness and ability to be outgoing that I hadn't experienced in well over a decade. I was SO excited.
The initial bump I got from a mood and social/out-going standpoint leveled off after about 2-3 weeks. My dosage was increased to 10 mg at that time with no real difference in results. Side effects returned briefly.
My dosage was again increased to 20 mg this month (august) following a discussion on the above regarding the initial positive reaction and subsequent leveling off of effects. I've been on 20 mg for a week now. I would say I'm experiencing marginal benefits of the increased dosage to 20 mg.
The most impactful benefits included a significant reduction of the use of the xanax xr. Where I was taking the xanax xr for serious anxiety and panic issues to the tune of 30+ pills per month, I'm now going 2+ months without the need for a refill. This is a huge improvement. Also, there is a significant cognitive improvement as well - similarly my use of Focalin XR has been reduced by about half.
My only disappointment was the tease of the mood elevation during the initial two weeks. It appears I won't achieve that "happy state" again and for that I'm fairly disappointed and wonder if I have a bout of depression or other issue that is undiagnosed or if I should just forget about it altogether. The way I will put it, is that I felt myself during those two weeks and comfortable within my skin for the first time in a very long time and sad that it was so fleeting.
poster:FloydAS
thread:1081507
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20150806/msgs/1081507.html