Posted by Dinah on March 5, 2005, at 21:17:44
In reply to Re: Does Norepinephrine cause anxiety? » Dinah, posted by SLS on March 5, 2005, at 9:30:23
> Hi Dinah.
>
> > Does that mean I ought not to be so quick to rule out anything that acts on NE? I did very very badly on Effexor/Wellbutrin/Nortriptyline.
>
> Were your reactions to these 3 drugs exactly the same? If not, what were the differences? How long did you take each of these drugs?No, Wellbutrin was the worst. Probably because I was on it longest. It actually did help some so I kept trying to stick it out. But it nearly killed me. Literally.
Effexor and Nortriptyline had nearly the exact same effect as each other. Very shortly after starting them (too soon to officially work) I had a couple of days of feeling GREAT, too good really. Then I stopped sleeping for the most part, then I got that horrible electricity running through my skin feeling. I think I stuck out Effexor for a month, maybe less, and I quit Nortriptyline much quicker because it felt so similar. In the case of Effexor, I basically lost a couple of months of work and life.
>
> > So much so that I've come to view NE as poison for *me*.
>
> It indeed might be, but given the cost to you of not exploring new drugs, it probably make sense for us to act less like brilliant neuropsychopharmacologists and more like patients, although playing the part of the former is much more fun. Experimentation is a necessary evil here.
>
> > But are you saying there could be NE affecting drugs that don't send me to jittery, itchy-crawly, akasthesia h*ll?
>
> Yes.Oh lordy. It'll be hard for me to get over my NE phobia, if I try another. And it would have to be at a time of low workload, because I can't afford to lose a month of work. And I'm terrified of the idea.
>
> How does amphetamine (Dexedrine or Adderall) affect you?Never took it. Provigil made me feel speedy at first, not the same feeling as the Effexor, Nortriptyline, or Wellbutrin. Just a racy sort of feeling. But that wore off and now it barely works at all. I'm taking half what was prescribed and may go up to the amount prescribed, but I worry when I have to increase the amount of a drug to get the same effect. I'm a medication Puritan, I think.
>
> > Might Cymbalta or another tricyclic be ok?
>
> Arghhh! I don't know. :-( I wish I did. Sorry.
>
> I am disappointed to hear that nortriptyline gave you so much trouble. I would say that anxiety can be a passing side effect and generally resolves within a week or two. Toss Wellbutrin out for the moment. Effexor and nortriptyline both exert pro-serotonergic effects. Desipramine does not. It might be interesting to see how taking a drug that doesn't mix NE and 5-HT reuptake inhibition would affect you.
>
> Do you avoid entirely those drugs that have the potential to produce weight gain?
>
No, I'm already fat as a cow. And I'm on depakote. I don't think I'll gain any more, but I doubt I'll lose anything either.
> Which SSRI did you find to be the most helpful?
>
Luvox was the only one I took.> Whichever one it is, add Remeron and lithium to it and play with Lamictal if necessary.
>
> No way, huh?Sigh. Remeron put me to sleep for 36 hours with an additional 24 or so hours of intense grogginess. My doctor said that increasing the dose would help so he did, and it helped. I slept for 24 hours straight with another 24 of grogginess. :) It's in the cabinet of failed medication experiments.
>
> :-)
>
>
> - Scott
>Thanks Scott. I think half the problem is that I can't afford to take a long term view. Losing a couple of weeks of work would be disastrous at this point. Doing half-*ssed work is preferable right now, as long as they see me working.
Sigh.
poster:Dinah
thread:466710
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050304/msgs/467166.html