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Re: Zoloft and Apathy--Sean

Posted by Sean on May 24, 1999, at 17:03:50

In reply to Re: Zoloft and Apathy--Sean, posted by ruth on May 24, 1999, at 15:21:19

> Sean,
>
> Yes, I can totally relate. My main beefs with the
> ssri's are weight gain and lack of sexual intensity/
> interest, but also, as you mention the apathy.
> I'm an artist too, and creativity is very
> important to me. I think the apathy and feeling
> that sort of internal numbness is also a part of
> what causes me to go off and on ad's so often.
> But unfortunately, I can't tolerate the depression
> very well either. So I go back on. Then I can't
> tolerate the apathy and other side effects, and
> go off. I can't tolerate either state very well.
> Umm....where am I going with this...I don't know..
> just to say I relates strongly to that struggle.
> Did you say you'd found a drug (amitriptyline?)
> that didn't cause the apathy? Or have you just
> decided to deal with your depression off medication?

I found amitriptyline to not cause the apathy. This
may be because it also tweaks on the dopamine/nor
epinephrine circuits along with the serotonin, but
I'm no doc, so this is just a subjective impression.
I have heart problems, however, so I can't really
take ami in the useful doses like I used to. It
does help with sleep though, which most SSRI's seem
to disrupt.

My strategy, which isn't really a strategy but a
response to meds, sounds like yours. I go on a med
until I can't tolerate it or it stops working. I've
actually been using zoloft as a way to shift my
sleep cycle for early mornings, for public performance,
and when I can use the mindless hypomania it causes
me. If I stay on it more than a month I'm pretty
much unable to sleep, smoking pot like it is going
out of style, and starting to meld into a manic
kind of state, which is all wonderful compared to
the black, brain-dead state of depression, but
pretty lame overall. I've also been on Li, but talk
about weight gain, sheesh! I'm now considering one
of the newer mood stabilizers, but to be honest,
I think even the low dose ami (50mg) is doing
something good for me- along the lines of mood
stabilization - without gnarly side effects and
the hassle of multiple meds.

Tis' complex is it not? Molecular free will...

Sean.


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poster:Sean thread:6389
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990501/msgs/6455.html