Posted by Elizabeth on January 23, 2002, at 13:53:44
In reply to Are tricylics safer than ssris?, posted by borderliner21 on January 19, 2002, at 19:00:25
> I need an anti-depressant badly. Although the ssris are very effective, I am intolerant to them now.(akatesia, dystonia, rash)
> Does anafranil sound like the next choice for me?Anafranil has some pretty bad side effects -- I'd avoid it if you can. Also, although this may not apply to Anafranil, there's evidence that at least some of the TCAs can make BPD symptoms worse. I think that Effexor or Wellbutrin is a better choice. Anticonvulsants might be helpful for you, too.
Can you describe your reaction to the SSRIs that made you stop taking them? Did it happen with both Paxil and Prozac? I think it might be worthwhile for you to try a different SSRI (or Effexor, which acts mostly like an SSRI at lower doses), since they worked so well -- or an SSRI in combination with other medication (e.g., benztropine (Cogentin), propranolol, Klonopin) to relieve the extrapyramidal side effects (if that's what they were).
It really isn't easy to predict what side effects a particular person will have from a particular drug, and maybe Anafranil would be right for you. Then again, maybe a different SSRI (Zoloft, Luvox, Celexa) would help you without causing intolerable side effects. I'd probably wait on trying Anafranil, if I were in your situation.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:90799
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020116/msgs/91270.html