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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by linkadge on August 8, 2006, at 21:26:47
I thought about giving nortryptaline a try. Can people share their experiences with this drug ?
Linkadge
Posted by SLS on August 9, 2006, at 6:27:37
In reply to Is nortryptaline any good?, posted by linkadge on August 8, 2006, at 21:26:47
> I thought about giving nortryptaline a try. Can people share their experiences with this drug ?
>
> LinkadgeThe order of potency of TCAs is considered by some to be:
clomipramine
amitriptyline
imipramine
nortriptyline
desipramine
...Nortriptyline is the daughter molecule of amitriptyline and is found in the body as its metabolite. I like nortriptyline better than amitriptyline because it is not as anticholinergic and tends not be soporific. I prefer nortriptyline to desipramine because I find it smoother and more of a mood brightener. That being said, there are people who respond to desipramine whom don't respond to nortriptyline and vise versa. In fact, some doctors had thought that responsivity to the two drugs was almost mutually exclusive.
Dosing with nortriptyline is more critical than with other TCAs. Most people will respond to either 75mg or 100mg. There is a window of efficacy where dosages outside this range will fail to produce a response. Of course, individual differences in metabolism of the drug will have some people needing lower or higher dosages than those lying within this range. Dosage adjustments can be aided by monitoring blood levels. Therapeutic values are deemed to lie between 50 - 150 ng/ml.
- Scott
Posted by silvercoin on August 9, 2006, at 7:33:01
In reply to Is nortryptaline any good?, posted by linkadge on August 8, 2006, at 21:26:47
> I thought about giving nortryptaline a try. Can people share their experiences with this drug ?
>
> Linkadge
I found it to be intolerably sedating while also causing some cognitive difficulties, but probably most people would find it more tolerable than I did. I get a much stronger AD response from desipramine, which is also considerably more activating. I found nortriptyline to be far less prone to cause urinary hesitation than desipramine.Todd
Posted by mayzee on August 9, 2006, at 19:23:24
In reply to Re: Is nortryptaline any good?, posted by SLS on August 9, 2006, at 6:27:37
> The order of potency of TCAs is considered by some to be:
>
Scott, what do you mean by "potency"? ...AD efficacy?Thanks,
mayzee
Posted by SLS on August 9, 2006, at 19:58:07
In reply to Re: Is nortryptaline any good? » SLS, posted by mayzee on August 9, 2006, at 19:23:24
> > The order of potency of TCAs is considered by some to be:
> >
>
>
> Scott, what do you mean by "potency"? ...AD efficacy?Yes. Sorry.
I'm sure it's debatable.
- Scott
Posted by Racer on August 10, 2006, at 20:13:23
In reply to Re: Is nortryptaline any good?, posted by SLS on August 9, 2006, at 19:58:07
That was my first AD! Long ago, of course, and it had a few side effects for me that I wouldn't put up with now -- weight gain being the most awful for me, with constipation a close second -- and it wasn't great for me on its own, but my doctor recommended taking L-tryptophan, and once i started that -- whooee! That was probably the very best antidepressant response I've ever gotten.
I couldn't tolerate desipramine, because of my blood pressure, so I can't offer any comparison there, but I will say that nortriptyline was a life saver for me, despite the problems I had with it.
This is the end of the thread.
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