Posted by AnalyticalChemist on March 31, 2009, at 14:27:47
This post is a bit lengthy, but my medical history is somewhat convoluted, so please bear with me.
I am currently taking 10mg of Prozac (fluoxetine) along with 300mg of Wellbutrin XL (bupropion) for dysthymia. I have been on the Wellbutrin for over two years and the Prozac for ten months.
The Wellbutrin has treated me very well, with no noticeable side effects. I had taken this to alleviate problems with concentration and cognitive slowing, as well as to bring me out of my first major episode of depression in the fall of 2006. It has worked very well. For about six months I was only on 300 mg of the Wellbutrin.
Although out of the depressive episode and more mentally alert, at that time I was still socially anxious and withdrawn, as I had always been--my psychiatrist, myself, and others close to me toyed with the idea that I had mild Asperger's. A trial on Citalopram (standard starting dose) dispelled this, making me much more sociable, but left me lethargic during the day and sleeping 10+ hours per night.
I switched to Escitalopram (standard starting dose) after about 6 weeks, and although I was less tired during the day, I was still sleeping 10+ hours per night.
We then tried 20mg of Prozac (standard starting dose), and for a while I was back to sleeping a normal 7-8 hours a night. After several weeks I began to vary in my length of sleep from 7-11 hours a night, and slept VERY soundly (gunshot practically needed to wake me up on some days). My motion sickness (cars, buses, boats, etc.) also intensified. This was the situation for 7 months. I cut the Prozac dosage to 10mg, and I felt a bit more energetic during the day but still slept from 7-11 hours a night.
I should also mention that I had been on Paxil and Ritalin as a child and teenager, having been misdiagnosed for ADHD with comorbid obsessive compulsive disorder. The Paxil hammered me on my weight (50-60 pound weight gain), and I was off all medication it during my undergraduate years and for the first year of graduate school.
So, am I hypersensitive to SSRIs? Should I cut my Prozac to 5mg a day (switching to the liquid form), or should I try something else to normalize my sleep patterns? I have no plans to alter the 300mg of Wellbutrin XL that I am currently taking.
poster:AnalyticalChemist
thread:887907
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/neuro/20090129/msgs/887907.html