Posted by Hugh on July 30, 2018, at 13:28:28
In reply to Re: If rTMS and ECT didn't work for me would Deep TMS?, posted by meltingpot on July 30, 2018, at 3:11:57
> Thanks Hugh. Maybe I will give deep TMS and neurofeedback a try. What medications are you taking?
I'm not taking any antidepressant medication now. I've tried about a dozen antidepressants. Generally, anything affecting serotonin or norepinephrine made me feel even worse. Dopamine makes me feel better, but I'm extremely sensitive to stimulants, so I tolerate them poorly.Here's a partial rundown of antidepressants I've taken:
Clomipramine made it very difficult for me to concentrate. Trazodone made me groggy. Nefazodone made me very irritable. Buspirone caused suicidal ideation. All of them made my heart race. Mirtazapine helped me sleep, and it lessened my depression and anxiety somewhat. I think this was because it's an antihistamine. Selegiline also lessened my depression somewhat, but I gave it up because it was overly stimulating.
I used to take Xanax for anxiety, as needed. I took lorazepam for insomnia for three years, and then I developed dependence and tolerance and I started to suffer from inter-dose withdrawal. Tapering off of benzos was hellish and took four months.
The prescription medication I had the best response to, by far, was the muscle relaxant baclofen. I was taking this for muscle spasms in my back, and it had the unexpected side effect of eliminating my depression and anxiety. This is probably because baclofen increases striatal dopamine levels. Unfortunately, after one week, the baclofen started to cause terrible insomnia, so I had to stop taking it. I've experimented with lower dosages of baclofen since then, unsuccessfully.
poster:Hugh
thread:1099974
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20180728/msgs/1100000.html