Posted by Racer on May 24, 2006, at 22:19:13
In reply to Re: What should I consider for long term treatment, posted by jealibeanz on May 24, 2006, at 19:27:37
> They all caused my to gain large amounts of weight (20 lbs on a small person!) in a short period of time. I was always very very active as an athlete and eat very well, so I know this is how my body reacts to the types of medications. That's going to make depression and anxiety worse for a female college student!
Yeah, you don't have to sell me on it -- you're preaching to the choir. Although, to put it in perspective for you, I gained OVER 50 POUNDS on virtually every AD I've taken. (So far, Wellbutrin doesn't seem to be doing it. Much.) And you're right -- there ain't no drug on earth that can make you feel OK if that happens.
There are drugs that can mitigate the weight gain, though. The two I've read about as being effective are Topomax and Metformin. Now, both have side effects, but they both work. I'd actually think about pointing you towards Effexor XR and Metformin to counter the weight gain, but I'm not a doctor, don't play one on TV, and try not to play one on Babble. That's just my take on what might be worth looking at.
How about this -- and this is coming from someone who is nuts when it comes to weight, and understands how frustrating it is to try to explain things to other people, and how easy it is to fly off into miseryville when someone suggests you rethink your priorities* -- how about you list your symptoms, rather than diagnosis, and let us know which are most problematic for you. Maybe that will help clear up that picture?
I suggest this because I was brought up short once, by a pdoc who asked, "What is your depression like?" Uh... I'd never thought about it -- I had depression, it had a name, it was like depression, right? But thinking about it kinda helped, at least in clearing my mind enough to think about which symptoms were most problematic for me, so that those could be addressed first. I hope that it might be a helpful exercise for you, and that it might lead to someone making a good suggestion for you.
*I've posted here that I will not take certain drugs again, and been told that I really need to get over that, it's worth it to gain the weight if I get over my depression, etc. And I've also had people tell me that it's a slap in the face for me to say that I won't take something that might work, because nothing works for them. Believe me -- I'm not suggesting you are wrong for feeling this way. I'm suggesting that if you look symptom by symptom, you might find something ala carte that wasn't included in the entree selections.
And I'll tell you right now that I agree that quality of life, which is what we're really talking about, does matter.
Good luck, and I hope something here helped, at least a bit.
poster:Racer
thread:647484
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060520/msgs/648165.html