Posted by llurpsienoodle on July 23, 2008, at 15:10:00
In reply to AAP's comparison, posted by Bob on July 23, 2008, at 13:43:44
> Is anyone here familiar with the pros and cons of the various atypicals as an augmentation to antidepressants?
Only from my own personal experience...
>
> Here's what I think I know:
>
> Abilify can be somewhat stimulating and there's evidence (quite anecdotal at this point) of a "dose threshold" beyond which the drug becomes more calming and sedating. This drug caused insomnia and anger for me. It seems to be more weight neutral than some of the others.yep, weight neutral here too. I was taking 5, which was somewhat activating. when I increased to 10, it became more sedating, but only for a few hours after I took it. I have used abilify successfully with zoloft and wellbutrin.
>
> Zyprexa is more sedating, and is notorius for weight gain and risk of diabetes. I've heard this is the best drug for anti-suicidality, anti-anxiety, and may even offer some anti-obsessional benefits.
>
I was Rx Zyprexa for suicidal crises, prn (zydis, the freeze dried antipsychotic candy). It basically knocked me out for 10 hours, made me slur my speech for 15 hours, and eat big portions of ridiculously unhealthy food for the next 48 hours. But, hey, still here, huh?
> Risperdal I don't know much about. It seems to be somewhat depressogenic and sedating, but I've never taken more than one or two doses before quitting.never taken this one
>
> Geodon I know very little about also, other than it is probably the most stimulating. I once tried a single dose of the med years ago, and within a half hour had entered into an akathisic panic.Geodon. oh geodon. My pdoc said that ziprasidone would make me zippy. um. not quite.
I started with 60mg, then increased to 120 mg, split dose. It was a difficult drug for me to take because of the extreme sedation. I would take a dose and become stuporous for the next 3 hours. It was necessary to take provigil to counteract the sedation. I went up to 180 mg because I was a mess, then spent a miserable week on 240mg, split into 4 doses. When I wasn't lying down staring at the ceiling, I was sitting in a rocking chair wondering where my consciousness went. Staring off into space. I took geodon with cymbalta (120 mg) and later with zoloft (50mg)You forgot seroquel!
my first antipsychotic. sigh... (nostalgia). 25 mg knocked me out and got rid of the nagging little thoughts that were keeping me awake at night. Eventually I increased to a therapeutic dose of 300mg. It was tough for the first few weeks, but then the sedation was gone (except for the first 3 hours after my nighttime dose) -- sleepygirl and I were seroquel buddies at the time! and my head was CLEAR. unfortunately, couldn't stay on seroquel because of gaining a pound a week. yuck.>
> If anyone has other insights, I'd love to hear about them.me too
thanks,
-Ll
poster:llurpsienoodle
thread:841617
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080718/msgs/841634.html