Posted by ed_uk2010 on August 24, 2010, at 15:24:48
In reply to Re: I feel horrible, posted by Dima on August 24, 2010, at 10:54:34
> I tried Effexor for eight weeks with no effect and that page says they're pretty similar.
I don't think it does. If you look at his website, Dr. Gillman does not believe that Effexor is comparable to clomipramine. He believes that clomipramine is superior for severe depression. He indicates that Effexor is more similar to an SSRI.
So yes, I think it's worth a try. You must start at a fairly low dose (eg. 25mg at night) and increase in steps of 25mg. Dosage requirements vary considerably. Initiating treatment at a high dose is likely to cause a lot of side effects.
In the US, clomipramine (Anafranil) is approved as a treatment for OCD, not depression. This is entirely due to the fact that the manufacturer wanted to promote it as an anti-obsessional drug when it was first launched. In reality, it is effective both for depression and for OCD. In the UK and in most countries, it is approved for both conditions. It is at least as effective as other tricylic antidepressants for depression (and probably more effective than most).
What happened to the dopamine agonist that you started? Are you still taking it?
poster:ed_uk2010
thread:958455
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100821/msgs/959658.html