Posted by JohnL on September 1, 2001, at 6:55:33
In reply to Re: Meds In Mexico for U.S. Buyers Sal » JohnL, posted by SalArmy4me on September 1, 2001, at 6:25:49
Hi Sal,
I have no idea why Reboxetine has been so lousy to people who have tried it here at this board, including me. It sent me into a dramatic decline to a suicidal state very quickly. Not to mention the total impotence it caused.Serzone is another example. On paper it looks fabulous. I mean, antidepressant plus good sleep plus good sex all in one? Very cool. But in the real world, a significant portion of people instead experience a worsening of their depression, rage, and even suicidal thoughts. I personally never felt so bad in my life as I did on Serzone. I think the reason is because it blocks alpha-1 receptors, which by itself can cause depression. I think that's why I like Adrafinil so much, because it does just the opposite by turbocharging those same receptors. I tried them both at the same time once, hoping Adrafinil would competitively overcome the Serzone blocking, but Serzone ended up being the stronger one. Too bad. Neither my pdoc nor my GP prescribe Serzone any more, simply because they had so little success with it. Real world results did not jive with clinical study results.
I have no idea why drugs that look so wonderful on paper don't work so wonderful in the real world. I mean, for example, Buspar looks fantastic in literature. So does Pindolol. But in the last three years of coming to this board, I cannot recall one single person who tried them that found any long term benefit. I do recall Buspar being helpful to a couple people a long time ago, but it had a pattern of poopout and tolerance that eventually led to its discontinuance when the maximum dose had been exhausted. My pdoc says his results with Buspar or Pindolol were spotty at best. He doesn't prescribe them any more.
I would think that if it looks good on paper, it should work good in the real world. But that is often not the case. The three drugs that I consider to be all time duds are Buspar, Pindolol, and Reboxetine. Big time losers. Why, I have no clue. And why the esteemed Dr Stahl likes Reboxetine is a mystery. Maybe his population of patients is somehow different than the population here at psychobabble. Dunno.
Sometimes though what looks good on paper is indeed good in the real world. One of my favorites, Adrafinil, is an example of this. In literature it is said to increase memory. It does. It is said to make quiet reserved people become more outgoing and talkative. It does. It is said to relieve depression better than Prozac, in Europe at least. It does. It is said to increase motivation and interest in hobbies and activities. It does, big time. Mileage varies of course. There have been a small handful of people who tried it and found no benefit. But for the most part, people who have tried it seem to disappear from this board. They are too busy out having fun for the first time in a long time! So Adrafinil is one of the drugs that does actually work well in the real world as it is stated on paper.
Another of my favorites, Zyprexa, has mixed reviews on paper, but seems to work well for a lot of people in the real world. Half of the literature on Zyprexa doesn't look too good, while the other half looks fantastic. But at this board it has been great to a lot of people. Go figure.
Dunno. Interesting stuff to contemplate.
John> What is it with Reboxetine? I've never heard someone rave over it either as far as antidepressant effect is concerned. But maybe it does have that noradrenergic stimulant effect that people need, or its a fancy placebo. But Dr. Stahl, the famous psychotropic combination guru raves over it, even though it isn't approved in his country! I tried it for two days and then dropped it in order to go on moclobemide. I took 12 mg per day without side-effects.
poster:JohnL
thread:77179
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010828/msgs/77249.html