Posted by JohnL on November 18, 2000, at 5:01:51
In reply to diet drugs and antidepressants, posted by ccass on November 17, 2000, at 15:21:55
> I was just reading about meridia and wonder if I should consider asking my doctor for it. I've been on celexa for 1 year and gained 40lbs. Does anyone know if its possible to take meridia with celexa? or can they suggest something else I should try?
Meridia is similar to Effexor, in that it is a reuptake inhibitor of serotonin, NE, and DA, in addition to whatever it does to block appetite. There are reports of people who have taken it and their longstanding depression disappeared. This hadn't even been considered, so was obviously a pleasant surprise.
Effexor has been combined with other SSRIs, in the field as well as with people here at babbleland. Even though it is theoretically contraindicated, it is done. Of course, the usual disclaimer follows the contraindication when it states "Do not take this medicine if you are taking XYZ without consulting with your physician". I see no reason why you could not combine Meridia with Celexa. Meridia or Effexor have been successfully combined with other SSRIs. Celexa should theoretically be safest due to its relative lack of drug-drug interactions compared to other SSRIs. The one concern would be a rare risk serotonin syndrome, which is always a possible risk when two serotonin medicines are combined. Starting with very low doses and increasing slowly would be the responsible way to approach it.
Other more common OTC diet drugs should probably be avoided. They typically cause more problems longterm than they fix short term.
As I see it Meridia is a fine choice. Another possibility to consider would be Ionamin. Some people find their depression improves when a stimulant is added to their antidepressant. Ionamin is a prescription diet drug in the stimulant class, and a few people have found that they like it better than other stimulants. It's an alternative to think about. These two would probably be the top two choices in my opinion. But if you had tried them and for some reason did not like them, other alternatives would include Ritalin, Adderall, Tenuate, and Wellbutrin.
John
poster:JohnL
thread:48983
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/49015.html