Posted by Quintal on January 28, 2007, at 20:58:46
In reply to Re: AD suggestions? -my history w/ a few so far..., posted by randermin on January 28, 2007, at 20:13:13
>okay, but would you say lamictal is worse than ssri's in terms of its effects on emotional capacity?
No, SSRIs are the worst for me in terms of emotional blunting, as bad as antipsychotics but without the drowsiness. It supposedly has something to do with dopamine (the feel-good neurotransmitter) being downregulated by high levels of serotonin.
>It's hard for me to put it into words, but the idea really scares me, in the sense that I would be kind of internally institutionalized. (!)
I think I know what you mean and I remember worrying about that myself, but Lamictal just kept my mood rock solid and steady. I had more focus and felt calmer, I didn't feel that I was being restrained or flattened in any way. It's the idea of the 'Chemical Straightjacket' I think we fear, but Lamictal isn't like that.
>Ive taken seroquel on just one occasion as a treatment for insomnia, and it was terrible. I felt like I was being sucked into some kind of lifeless oblivion which I had to fight. I stayed up all night fighting against that kind of zombie state.
I had the same problem with Seroquel and trazodone - almost like I was having an anaesthetic and I didn't want to go under. They're very sedating but not relaxing, and they don't always help people sleep.
MAOIs, particularly Parnate, sound like the type of antidepressant you're looking for. They seem to enhance emotions rather than suppressing them. They do reduce (almost eliminate in fact) REM sleep though and insomnia is a common side effect.
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:725473
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070125/msgs/727602.html