Posted by yxibow on December 27, 2008, at 1:14:11
In reply to Re: xanax in a once daily dosage » yxibow, posted by mav27 on December 26, 2008, at 20:45:54
> Unfortunatly i've exhausted all ssri's snri's TCA,a and MAOI's, augmentations, and stimulants are out of the Question here is Australia. I've been on clonazepam for the last year but it wasn't quite strong enough, i've tried all the other benzos as well so xanax is a last resort.. it works it's just that it puts me to sleep for a short while even the .250mg doses.
I'm sorry to hear that you've been through a lot of agents. Is it at all possible to stay up through the Xanax by doing exercise, walking out the door, forcing yourself to stay up rather than getting into a possible cycle of sleep problems which may increase your SAD.
I know it sounds harsh and I have enough problems trying to do that but you can't beat everything with just medication.
Clonazepam is very subtle, Xanax has a slight stimulation to it so people interpret it as an antidepressant effect. In the long run though, other medications have to be a choice because habituation to Xanax is a reality, its just how long your system can take it, and that could be months to years.
I admit I'm on a high dose of benzodiazepines myself, I no longer "feel" Valium but it is still doing a fair bit to my treatment -- it has its pluses and minuses, and inbetweens, its very complex.
Strattera and Wellbutrin are available in Australia, they're not controlled, neither are they in the US. Provigil is also available from what I can see but not subsidized.
I realize there are stricter and arcane laws in Australia about stimulants but they are available at least in some states, in a restricted fashion.
When you say augmentations, have you tried all the worthwhile and available AEDs ? Is Lamictal readily available, as it is an antidepressant in its own right?And then there are neuroleptics, some which may be available in Australia and not in the US, such as Amisulpride.
There are agents of last resort, such as Clozaril to augment -- the registry is the same sort of blood test as in the US, but I don't know if it is restricted specifically to schizophrenia or whether it can be prescribed otherwise.
-- best wishes
-- Jay
poster:yxibow
thread:870854
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20081223/msgs/870981.html