Posted by Racer on May 15, 2008, at 13:12:48
In reply to Changing medication, posted by Hobbyhawk on May 15, 2008, at 12:49:44
Hm...
Well, you've been on two TCAs, one SNRI, one SSRI, and mirtazapine... That does leave a lot of ground to cover...
Cymbalta is related to Effexor, but in my personal experience a much friendlier medication. It was far easier in terms of side effects, and about equally effective. If Effexor was helpful for you, it might be worth trying Cymbalta.
Paroxetine is kinda like one end of the SSRI spectrum, with a lot of friendlier medications at the other end -- my favorite being sertraline (Zoloft), with fluoxetine coming in second. If you got any relief from either Effexor or paroxetine, it might be worth trying one of those.
Some of the other TCAs might be easiser on you -- desipramine and nortiptyline come to mind. They tend to come with more side effects than most of the newer medications, but many people find them much more effective. It might be worth trying.
Buproprion comes to mind, as a novel agent, although it doesn't work well for everyone. Many people consider it a much less robust medication, although I've taken it for some time and like it fine. (Although I admit it's not brought me to remission.) It might also be a good choice to add to another antidepressant.
All medications will have side effects. The best advice I can offer is to sit down and list the side effects you've experienced, which ones you can tolerate, which ones you simply can't tolerate -- and which ones you can tolerate if the medication is optimally effective for you.
Also, many side effects can be mitigated. It's worth discussing with your doctor what steps can be taken to mitigate the side effects you're experiencing, or may experience on a new medication.
I hope that's helpful. Good luck.
poster:Racer
thread:829240
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080510/msgs/829246.html