Posted by qbsbrown on March 13, 2004, at 15:55:09
In reply to Re: Alcoholism and SSRI Poop-Out/Link/Tolerance? » qbsbrown, posted by Tony P on March 12, 2004, at 14:05:35
> > --------------------
> I haven't been on SSRI's for any long periods, but from what I read here, poop-out is poop-out -- increasing the dose may help a little, but with diminishing effectiveness.
>
> Have you/your pdoc considered atypical antidepressants?
>
> If Serzone is still available where you live (not in Canada any more), it is a mild but effective atypical SRI and helps with sleep and agitation as well. However, it can cause liver damage, so liver function should be monitored, and you should avoid it within a few weeks of any heavy drinking. I never had any problem with liver toxicity even though my liver is borderline from old alcolholic hepatitis (although I did get liver symptoms with the older relative of Serzone, Trazadone).
>
> I am having quite good success with Lamictal (lamotrigine) for about 3 months now. It is gaining a reputation as both a mood stabilizer and an antidepressant at doses from 100-400 mg/day. Very low side effect profile. There are lots of recent postings here.
>
> BTW, Wellbutrin is best avoided for anyone with alcohol or benzodiazepine problems, in both my experience and according to a pdoc I saw once (her word was "disastrous", I wouldn't go quite that far). The dopamine boost and nervousness/insomnia can both be triggers for those of us with the above dependencies (recent or ancient), and anyway its effect on serotonin is slight.
>
> Tony PI'm actually not drinking any more, so that's not a concern. What class are Serzone and lamictal considered? I just started zoloft, but I can tell no luck. I did start topamax 3 weeks ago for migraines, that might help with mood stablization.
poster:qbsbrown
thread:323302
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040313/msgs/324004.html