Posted by nhgrandma on August 31, 2000, at 12:12:17
In reply to Here we go again!, posted by bee on August 28, 2000, at 21:40:47
> I have been on Elavil for a long time and wanted to try something that still helped with sleep and anxiety. I have previously tried pretty well all the SSRI's which made me anxious, an insomniac and aggressive. I just tried a week of doxepin and it did not work (I know pretty soon if something is going to work or not).
>
> Any ideas? Trimipramine? Celexa? I need something that helps sleep and no anxiety. As my patient husband says, I need something that keeps me calm and not like I have had 30 cups of coffee.
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> Have I reached a dead end now?
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> What now?
Bee,
I was on Elavil for over a year and just slept great but had a very flattened affect. Changed to Effexor and needed doxepin to sleep (extreme dry mouth and constipation). Depression increased and Effexor was increased to 225 mg. Switched to cycles of depression and extreme anxiety and nightmares. Then the doctor added xanax. Then he added a mood stabilizer (Lamictal)for only 3 weeks. I had a bad reaction (worse nightmares and feeling overmedicated, increasing anxiety.) St. James recommended to me a longer acting benzo and I weaned off with Dr.'s blessing the effexor and switched to Klonopin. Now I sleep great, (it took 1-2 weeks to get over the initial weakness), and have no anxiety. It has made a world of difference. I need to keep a steady level and take .25 mg in am and .25 mg pm. It is the only med I am taking now and regardless of all the controversy of using benzos long term I am convinced that this is the med for me. The SSRI meds (Zoloft, Effexor, Luvox all gave muscle pain and increased anxiety.) Klonopin seems most like Elavil without the troubling side effects of weight gain, dull emotions, dry mouth, constipation, etc. I believe the SSRI meds were causing cyclothymia. (St. James) Do my conclusions seem valid? or helpful to Bee?
poster:nhgrandma
thread:43964
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000822/msgs/44160.html