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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by meAgain on August 16, 2007, at 13:46:01
I am currently on Cymbalta, xanax and concerta. I have been on probably every antidepressant cocktail i can think of for the past 13 years. I am 26 yrs old and have had a long battle with anorexia/bulimia and major depression & anxiety. I am doing good for the most part but my weight is critically low and my doc is thinking about taking me off the concerta if i dont gain weight soon, the concerta has helped me so much and I want to gain weight but its been been really hard.. the cymbalta withdrawal effects have knocked me down too many times, when I missed just 1 dose I always end up in bed for 5 days with vomiting and dehydration and lose a lot of strength and weight. My general doctor told me I should lask my pdoc to take me off Cymbalta and put me on Remeron to help gain weight. Any one have feedback about this drug?
Posted by SometimesBlue on August 16, 2007, at 13:58:38
In reply to Remeron - Any body have input?, posted by meAgain on August 16, 2007, at 13:46:01
i have heard of sexual dysfunctions being linked to this drug...not sure if that's for men only. But you might want to do some research before switching over...Also, there are a lot of great posts regarding Remeron, so look around and see if anyone can help you out.
Good luck :)
SB
Posted by girlnterrupted78 on August 18, 2007, at 22:37:20
In reply to Remeron - Any body have input?, posted by meAgain on August 16, 2007, at 13:46:01
I only know 2 people who have been on Remeron, so this is simply anecdotal info.
One is my aunt (in her mid 50's) said she felt slightly better on it, and discontinued it because she felt she didn't need antidepressants any longer. She didn't have any problems with it (that I know of. At least nothing serious.)
The 2nd person is a 23-year-old guy friend who took Remeron for 8 months and as a result became sexually dysfunctional permanently. He hasn't recovered or made any progress in 2 years and still doesn't know what to do to recover. (You can check that thread all the way up, posted on 8/12/07. Scary story..)
So, I'd do some research, check statistics and as find much info as you possibly can. After hearing all these scary stories, I've decided to do an in depth investigation of any particular med before trying it. For example, I'd never try Paxil based on all the problems it's caused others (even though I actually tried it years ago, but discontinued it after only 2 weeks (thank god) based on side-effects!)
Good luck
Posted by headcheese01 on August 23, 2007, at 8:53:44
In reply to Re: Remeron - Any body have input? » meAgain, posted by girlnterrupted78 on August 18, 2007, at 22:37:20
Well, here's my experience with it...
First, just a suggestion, if Cymbalta works for you and you want to swap it out for something that might help you gain weight, I'd suggest not getting rid of what works for you, but rather adding Remeron to it to help with putting on weight.
I've had insomnia and depression for many, many years. Remeron was *the best* inducer of sound sleep that I've ever tried. The sleep was wonderful on it. It's not bad for depression either, though I never had much ambition to go do things while on it, but less depressed while staying at home (not ideal, but better than staying at home *and* being really depressed).
Now, about your weight. I was hungry ALL the time on Remeron. Most people are. I put on a good 8 pounds on it. Some people gain much more, but that is what you want anyway.
Bottom line, it sounds like a good add on to your regimen; not a replacement for Cymbalta, but that's just my opinion.
I know Cymbalta is supposed to be quite similar to Effexor, and one of the most potent combos is supposed to be Effexor and Remeron (per reknowned pdoc Stephen Stahl - He calls it California Rocket Fuel).
One more thing; unlike with SSRI's, I had no sexual problems at all while on Remeron (I'm male).
Everybody's different, so who knows, but it sounds like it'd be a sensible add on for you to try.
Posted by psychobot5000 on August 23, 2007, at 11:18:40
In reply to Re: Remeron - Any body have input?, posted by headcheese01 on August 23, 2007, at 8:53:44
I agree with headcheese--it seems a good idea to me. I was on Remeron for a something like a year, at varying doses, and it can be fairly sedating (diminishes with time, and varies by patient), but it dose help one sleep, and it definitely increased my appetite more than any other medication. As for sexual dysfunction, it can cause such problems, but is usually considered less likely to do so than SSRIs, cymbalta or tricyclics are.
It can be good for anxiety, as well as appetite and sleep, but the sedative effects were powerful enough to slow my mind down a little during the day, just to warn you. The concerta might counteract that, though. Just wanted to warn you. Still seems like a good idea to me.
It occurs to me that a tricyclic might act similarly to cymbalta (they're basically all SNRIs), while adding enough antihistaminic effect to increase your appetite. Maybe you could try one of them, if the Remeron doesn't work out. I don't know which one would be best.
Psychbot
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