Posted by DissTired on January 28, 2003, at 22:47:49
In reply to Re: atypical depression and antidepressants, posted by Shawn. T. on January 28, 2003, at 19:00:53
> Jack's advice is excellent. MAOI's are the treatments of choice for atypical depression with comorbid panic disorder. If SSRI's have not worked in the past, trying another would be unadvisable. A good way to know if you have a bipolar spectrum disorder is to determine if you do or do not experience mood reactivity. One definition of mood reactivity is the ability to reach 50% of a non-depressed mood (during an episode of depression). Mood reactivity has been associated with atypical depression in bipolar II or cyclothymia, but it has not been associated with unipolar atypical depression. The depression central page on atypical depression is http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.atypical.html ... if you want a more thorough list of research, see http://www.neurotransmitter.net/atypicaldepression.html
>
> ShawnThanks for the help. I checked out the pages you suggested. I'm not sure I understand this mood reactivity thing. Are you supposed to feel more or less the same amount of depressed every day? When I'm really badly depressed, I almost never feel good. I ache in my arms, and I am mainly depressed about feeling so bad. However, I can often get a lot of exercise and feel 50% better for a brief period. I have never completely lost the ability to enjoy good news, though it doesn't really affect the underlying depression. Also, I might have days where I am only 50% as depressed as other days. But I'm still depressed. However, I have never had any kind of euphoria or grandiose thinking I associate with cyclothymia. Not have I had any extra energy days, where I needed less sleep. I always seem to need too much sleep.
Right now I'm feeling only a bit of depression, but it's enough to scare me. I'm trying to take moclobemide but am unsure as of yet whether it will keep me in semi-remission. I have not had full remission since the parnate stopped working.
Any other tips on how to figure out if I have mood reactivity would be helpful.
Oh yeah, reading about atypical depression has been scary. I don't really want another disorder and it seems to be associated with both bipolar and with personality disorders.
poster:DissTired
thread:137818
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030125/msgs/138059.html