Posted by Sad Panda on September 15, 2004, at 4:45:25
In reply to GAD/Dysthymia/Smoking: Buspar (or Cymbalta or ...?, posted by cache-monkey on September 15, 2004, at 0:13:10
> Hey all,
>
> For much of my life I've had what I think is GAD. Depression has sort of come and gone, most likely dysthymia, or maybe long-wave cyclothemia. My way of dealing with the anxiety has been through getting hooked on things like food, video games, relationships, aimless (and sometimes pointed and obsessive) web cruising, and cigarettes. So maybe symptoms within the penumbra of OCD.
>
> I'd like to stop smoking at some point, soon. (It really doesn't 'fit' with the generally healthy life I try to lead otherwise.) But every time I've tried to quit in the past, it's knocked me into deeper anxiety and brought the depression on. I see it now as essentially a form of self-medication. I've just been through a pretty bad depressive/obsessive episode precipitated by quitting smoking and some other stuff.
>
> I'm currently on BuSpar at 10 mg/day and recently ended the process of tapering off Serzone. The Serzone experience was horrible for me, I have to say. But somehow going through that and coming off of the Serzone, combined with some other life changes, I'm feeling alright as far as my underlying mood. What's left behind is a bunch of ill-focused anxiety that can be either apprehension or excitement depending on my underlying mood. Needless to say I'm smoking again.
>
> Right now, I don't feel like the BuSpar is taking all of the edge off the anxiety. I'm also interested in quitting smoking again and really worried about heading back into a depression.
>
> I know that Wellbutrin is the only clinically-proven AD that helps for quitting smoking. I went on it a couple of years ago and managed to almost get there. But WB ended up making me more anxious and obsessive. I added Celexa to it, but got complete anorgasmia and ended up gaining about 15 pound in the first 3 months on it. But, with that combination, I felt really good, although maybe a little hypomanic at times.
>
> Right now I'm thinking about what to do about my meds. The options I'm looking at are a) increasing my dose of BuSpar and b) adding on Cymbalta.
>
> I'm having a lot of trouble making a decision here.
>
> As far as BuSpar, I realize that I'm at a low dose and that it might be worthwhile to increase it to around 30 mg/day. A lot of people have posted some negative stuff about BuSpar's efficacy, which is making me a little leery. I'm wondering, though, are there any people with minor depression and anxiety who have had _positive_ experiences with BuSpar alone? Anybody try to quit smoking while just on BuSpar? Do you feel like it helped?
>
> I'm a little hesitant to go on Cymbalta because I'm worried about side effects. So, I'd like to know if any of the folks on Cymbalta have anything to report about weight and sexual SEs. Also, for any smokers on Cymbalta: have you noticed any reduction in your cravings?
>
> So, any info or experiences you can share would be much appreciated. Additional suggestions are always welcome.
>
> peace,
> cache-monkey
>
>Hi There,
You sound a lot like me. I spend an excessive amount of time in front of my PC, love playing Q2 & Toontown online, love binge eating & I used to smoke two packs a day. Firstly, cigarettes, I had switched to illegal pure tobacco & made my own for about twelve months & then I quit from there with relative ease. I would bet money that the tobacco companies add something a little extra to make cigarettes extra addictive. Wellbutrin is said to have some affinity for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors & doubles your chances of quitting compared to nicotine gums & patches. I chewed nicotine gum for six months & thought it to be somewhat helpful.
For AD's besides SSRI's, I would recommend a trial of the older TCA's as you might find them easier to tolerate(regardless of what SSRI marketers will tell you). Nortriptyline is a good one to try & can be added to some SSRI's & might provide you with some good anxiety relief.
Cheers,
Paul.
poster:Sad Panda
thread:390925
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040915/msgs/390978.html