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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by scatterbrained on April 26, 2006, at 4:37:25
I had an awful reaction to strattera(ie anxiety, loss of appitite, no clearing up of head) when I tried it a few years ago. I read somewhere that desipramine is related. But, I've also read that desipramine is good for anxiety. Does a bad reaction to strattera = a bad reaction to desipramine? Why or why not?
Posted by SLS on April 26, 2006, at 7:24:37
In reply to Desipramine vs Strattera, posted by scatterbrained on April 26, 2006, at 4:37:25
> I had an awful reaction to strattera(ie anxiety, loss of appitite, no clearing up of head) when I tried it a few years ago. I read somewhere that desipramine is related. But, I've also read that desipramine is good for anxiety. Does a bad reaction to strattera = a bad reaction to desipramine?
No. Not necessarily.
It is true that both drugs inhibit the reuptake of norepinephrine (NE) without affecting serotonin. However, Strattera doesn't seem to be as effective when treating depression or anxiety. Another drug, reboxetine, displays properties similar to desipramine and Strattera. However, it exacerbated my depression, produced anxiety, and left me feeling profoundly suicidal. Yet, my best response to an antidepressant was to desipramine. The bottom line is that it is difficult to predict the effect a drug will have based upon the properties it displays in laboratory experiments.
Some people do show trends in the kinds of drugs they respond to. It is possible that you are not a responder to NE drugs, but you won't know until you try. I would still consider trying a tricyclic like desipramine or nortriptyline if you never have. I find nortriptyline to be smoother than desipramine in terms of anxiety. Most people respond to 75-100mg. Both drugs can be sedating at first, but that usually subsides.
I guess it is a gamble of sorts. You might be the type of person who displays a trend towards having NE drugs make their depression worse. However, I would not come to such a conclusion based upon your response to Strattera. I think it is worth trying one more time using a tricyclic.
What drugs have you tried in the past, and what were your reactions to them?
- Scott
Posted by scatterbrained on April 30, 2006, at 22:15:01
In reply to Re: Desipramine vs Strattera » scatterbrained, posted by SLS on April 26, 2006, at 7:24:37
I've tried all the SSRI's,
most of the stimulants,
Lamictal,
The atypicals,
Wellbutrin,
SAM-E,
Aricept,
Namenda,
And I'm sure a bunch of other things I can't recall.The trend is basically this, most of the medications I have tried have worked well the first day or two after I try them(some with a complete remission) but then they wear off after a few days and I never reach a consistent response.
Posted by SLS on May 1, 2006, at 7:51:47
In reply to Re: Desipramine vs Strattera » SLS, posted by scatterbrained on April 30, 2006, at 22:15:01
Hi.
> I've tried all the SSRI's,
> most of the stimulants,
> Lamictal,
> The atypicals,
> Wellbutrin,
> SAM-E,
> Aricept,
> Namenda,
> And I'm sure a bunch of other things I can't recall.
>
> The trend is basically this, most of the medications I have tried have worked well the first day or two after I try them(some with a complete remission) but then they wear off after a few days and I never reach a consistent response.Maybe there just isn't enough juice to keep the engine running. What about MAOIs?
- Scott
Posted by scatterbrained on May 1, 2006, at 19:22:26
In reply to Re: Desipramine vs Strattera, posted by SLS on May 1, 2006, at 7:51:47
I've never tried maoi's, been thinking about ensam though.
I don't know if it's that there isn't enough juice like you said or if I for some reason have developed a tolerance to these drugs like in the same way people develope tolerances to stimulants. The wierd thing is that I used to have a sustained effect from antidepressants prior to around three years ago and strangly at an abnormally low dose(relative to the profoundness of my depression). Like only 10mg of Paxil was very potent and consistent and any more of the stuff gave me anxiety.
I feel like maybe because I was so sensitive to psychotropics, somehow taking too much of them has been detrimental and sort of fried the receptors they were working on.
I haven't been on anything for 6 months and I feel awful and the cognitive problems are too profound to handle.but,aside from the innicial positive response, I felt awful on the medication as well and I never knew what was causing what. Were my symptoms coming from the medication or from the depression?
Before I go back into the world of psychopharmachology I feel that I have to look into every other possible reason for the symptoms I'm having because the cognitive problems just seem too extreme and atypical to only be depression. Doctors are too quick to assume that if you have a history of an affective illness that somehow that cancels out anything else being wrong. Little do they know, depression makes people more succeptible to other illnesses, after all, depression is a systemic illness.
So, that's where I'm ar right now.
Posted by ed_uk on May 2, 2006, at 14:23:33
In reply to Re: Desipramine vs Strattera » SLS, posted by scatterbrained on May 1, 2006, at 19:22:26
>only 10mg of Paxil
10mg Paxil isn't really that low. Paxil is a potent SSRI.
Ed
Posted by scatterbrained on May 6, 2006, at 4:16:37
In reply to Re: Desipramine vs Strattera » scatterbrained, posted by ed_uk on May 2, 2006, at 14:23:33
I agree 10mg wasn't that low, have tried it since though and doesn't do a thing. There is something organic going on with me as much as I would like it to be depression and nothing else
This is the end of the thread.
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