Posted by SLS on August 10, 2004, at 7:14:16
In reply to Re: immune system/ depression » SLS, posted by Emme on August 10, 2004, at 5:53:03
Hi Emme.
Regarding the use of doxycycline as a treatment for depression:
> Interesting concept. I presume you mean like a 7 to 10 day course to jump start some improvement?
No. Actually, you would want to take it for an extended period of time - months. If it is going to work, the improvements in depression sometimes come in waves on the way to remission. It is possible to feel a transient worsening before feeling an improvement. I am considering this treatment, but I can't decide whether or not to start it now or wait until I see what Cymbalta will do for me. I already have a prescription for doxycyline.
> I wonder if there are actually any psychiatrists who have tried it.
My doctor has used it with some success. I'm not really sure what his criteria are for choosing it for any given individual. He is big on treating Lyme disease and has an interest in the possible contributions of chronic inflammation processes to psychiatric syndromes. As disgusting as this is to contemplate, the number of microbes festering in your body outnumber your cells by a factor of 10.
> You're posting over on alternative. Are you considering some alternative ideas?
In the past, my experimentation with "supplementation" has been expensive and fruitless. However, I cannot logically exclude any alternative from consideration, and I try to keep an open mind. I can't help but to think my illness involves pathologies that are physiologically too severe an anomalous to be amenable to the alternatives discussed here. My doctor has recommended both inositol and omega-3 as things to try. I've got them, but haven't committed to a course of treatment at this point in time. I tried both separately a year ago without any improvement, but I don't think I gave either a fair chance as I didn't take them for more than a month or so. I'm sure they are healthy and otherwise benign, but... I don't know. Maybe after Cymbalta fails (I try to think this way so as not to become bitterly disappointed and perhaps suicidal should it really fail to work), I will consider revisiting some of these things. I've got quite a list of other things to try, though.
Thanks for your persistent concern about me. It feels nice. :-)
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:375393
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040718/msgs/375916.html