![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 8:50:51
It is working fairly well.
Benefits:
Imrpoved mood, sleep and anxiety
Side effects:
Increased sweating
Always feeling drugged (out of it)
Cognative slowing / dulling
Linkadge
Posted by SLS on August 17, 2009, at 9:01:37
In reply to Nortriptyline update, posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 8:50:51
> It is working fairly well.
>
> Benefits:
>
> Imrpoved mood, sleep and anxiety
>
> Side effects:
>
> Increased sweating
> Always feeling drugged (out of it)
> Cognative slowing / dullingAll of those things should dissipate with the passage of time. The feeling drugged should disappear first. The cognitive stuff might resolve at the same time, if not soon afterwards. For these things, I think it will take no longer than a few weeks. The sweating might take longer.
I'm glad we finally got you back on a TCA. Since your mother is responsive to lithium, I would look at using it as an augmenter if you get "stuck" with a partial response. However, you won't be able to fully evaluate you response for a few months.
Good luck!
- Scott
Posted by Maxime on August 17, 2009, at 9:29:18
In reply to Nortriptyline update, posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 8:50:51
I'm glad you are seeing some benefits. That's a positive! I think the side effects you are experiencing will get better in a couple of weeks. I think it took me about two weeks to get over the drugged feeling once I got to my therapeutic dosage.
Good luck!
Posted by Phillipa on August 17, 2009, at 10:54:34
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update » linkadge, posted by Maxime on August 17, 2009, at 9:29:18
Link glad the nortriptalline is working for you ever do the interview you posted about? Phillipa
Posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 11:13:51
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update, posted by Phillipa on August 17, 2009, at 10:54:34
To be completely honest, I actually want off this stuff. It is such a dirty drug. I will be so far gone if I went up to theraputic doses. Clomipramine didn't make me this out of it.
Linkadge
Posted by SLS on August 17, 2009, at 12:08:57
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update, posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 11:13:51
> To be completely honest, I actually want off this stuff. It is such a dirty drug. I will be so far gone if I went up to theraputic doses. Clomipramine didn't make me this out of it.
>
> LinkadgeHang in there. It is possible that a few weeks from now, you will be grateful that you stuck with it. Take into consideration how many alternatives you have available to you that you have not yet tried. The list is growing shorter. You really need to give this stuff a fair chance of working.
- Scott
Posted by SLS on August 17, 2009, at 16:05:36
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update, posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 11:13:51
> To be completely honest, I actually want off this stuff. It is such a dirty drug.
I think dirty is in the mind of the beholder. Because I came along before the advent of Prozac, I was stuck with either TCA or MAOI. I "grew up" on TCA. Yeah, they produced side effects, but I became acclimated to the idea that such effects was as good as it gets. You learn that they are nuisances, but not really such a big deal. The pay-off is too great to act upon these nuisances.
If you don't want sexual side effects and apathy, nortriptyline might be the right drug for you.
- Scott
Posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 16:12:16
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update, posted by SLS on August 17, 2009, at 12:08:57
I feel discusting metabolicaly, I can't think clearly, my piano playing has gone down the tubes. I'm irritable and disgruntled. I feel much dumber. My sexual function is much worse. I feel more dysphoric and out of control.
This is just a bad trip and I am getting off now. Case closed.
Linkadge
Posted by SLS on August 17, 2009, at 16:25:37
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update, posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 16:12:16
> I feel discusting metabolicaly, I can't think clearly, my piano playing has gone down the tubes. I'm irritable and disgruntled. I feel much dumber. My sexual function is much worse. I feel more dysphoric and out of control.
>
> This is just a bad trip and I am getting off now. Case closed.
I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you. I was hoping it would.
- Scott
Posted by bleauberry on August 17, 2009, at 17:52:39
In reply to Nortriptyline update, posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 8:50:51
Hey link.
It sounds like Nort was both sweet and sour?
It was like that with me too. It started with a mostly sweet and a little sour, but after a few weeks it was mostly sour and very little sweet.
The things you described were pretty much what I felt too.
I noticed one person at a med-rating forum has done great for a long time with just 10mg. I can't help but wonder if the general trend to shoot for "supposedly" therapeutic doses is a strategy for backfire.
Geez, I found 5mg perfect. It wasn't until I went to 10mg, just because everyone said 5mg was too little, that I screwed it all up. Should have ignored everyone and stayed where I was. Screw it. Even the experts have no clue what they are blabbering, despite they are totally convinced they do.
Posted by Phillipa on August 17, 2009, at 20:51:27
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update, posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 11:13:51
Link I'm so sorry. Love Phillipa
Posted by TenMan on August 17, 2009, at 22:01:34
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update, posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 16:12:16
In the same day you went from:
"It is working fairly well."
to
"I feel discusting metabolicaly, I can't think clearly, my piano playing has gone down the tubes. I'm irritable and disgruntled. I feel much dumber. My sexual function is much worse. I feel more dysphoric and out of control.
This is just a bad trip and I am getting off now. Case closed."
That is quite a day you had there.
Posted by cactus on August 18, 2009, at 13:13:10
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update, posted by linkadge on August 17, 2009, at 16:12:16
My pdoc has that lined up for me if Edronax(reboxetine) doesn't work out. Have you tried it? It's not dulling like a TCA but the sweating, sexual side effects have settled down. It took a couple of weeks though. I don't want to go back to a TCA. I haven't tried one in over 15 years and the side effects from them are so much stronger in the sedation department. If you do give edronax a go, what out for some trippy sexual side effects, they do go away quite quickly, but then again you might not get them at all.
Posted by SLS on August 18, 2009, at 13:49:06
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update » linkadge, posted by cactus on August 18, 2009, at 13:13:10
Gosh, it still amazes me how differently people can react to the same drug.
> My pdoc has that lined up for me if Edronax(reboxetine) doesn't work out. Have you tried it?
Reboxetine put me in a severe, anxious, and suicidal depression.
> It's not dulling like a TCA
I have been on and off TCAs since 1982. The only one I feel was dulling was amoxapine. Perhaps this was due to DA receptor antagonism. Right now, I am taking 150mg of nortriptyline. It might as well be a sugar pill with respect to side effects. Only high dosages of imipramine made me feel a bit stupid. This is probably an anticholinergic effect. I should add, though, that I did experience many of the classic TCA side effects when I first started these drugs. For me, long term treatment seems to have allowed these things to mitigate greatly.
- Scott
Posted by ColoradoSnowflake on August 18, 2009, at 15:31:58
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update, posted by SLS on August 18, 2009, at 13:49:06
I have taken several different TCA's over the years and I never had as many side effects from them as I've had from SSRI's and SSNI's!
I think TCA's have gotten bad press from the Drug Industry, wanting to push their newest most $$ meds. I think some people remember their S.E.'s worse than they were. We were more naive then thinking the perfect drug was out there!
I have NO side effects from Parnate+Nortript except cotton mouth. No food cravings, no weight gain, no sexual stuff, no insomnia no headaches etc.
Yippee!!
Posted by cactus on August 18, 2009, at 16:00:04
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline update, posted by SLS on August 18, 2009, at 13:49:06
I'm sorry I should have added that I had much worse side effects from SSRI/SNRI's compared to TCA's. Yes scott you are SO right about different reaction for different people. My worst problem with TCA's was over sedation, but with SSRI/SNRI's the side effect list was way more extensive. I just really hate being over sedated to the point of ataxia, which for me involves anything that hits histamine receptors hard.
> Gosh, it still amazes me how differently people can react to the same drug.
>
> > My pdoc has that lined up for me if Edronax(reboxetine) doesn't work out. Have you tried it?
>
> Reboxetine put me in a severe, anxious, and suicidal depression.
>
> > It's not dulling like a TCA
>
> I have been on and off TCAs since 1982. The only one I feel was dulling was amoxapine. Perhaps this was due to DA receptor antagonism. Right now, I am taking 150mg of nortriptyline. It might as well be a sugar pill with respect to side effects. Only high dosages of imipramine made me feel a bit stupid. This is probably an anticholinergic effect. I should add, though, that I did experience many of the classic TCA side effects when I first started these drugs. For me, long term treatment seems to have allowed these things to mitigate greatly.
>
>
> - Scott
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.