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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by bearfan on April 10, 2010, at 3:54:05
I am fed up with SSRIs, and while, SNRIs tend to work a bit better, they Effexor (ended sex), Cymbalta (Major Bloating and Wegiht gain), Pristiq (increase anxiety and agitation), Savella (not much relief on anxiety). Had side effects that didn't agree with me (It was like I was having all the SSRI side effects with the NE ones as well)
So I'm kind of stuck out of options. I could go back to an SSRI, but I wasn't really making much more progress on them, and they all had negative sexual effects (male)
It's not easy to get a doc to prescribe a MAOI,nor adhere to all the drug and food restrictions, so I was wondering about Tofranil PM. I tried another Tricylic, Pamelor (NE mostly), but it just made me sleep all day. Would Tofranil (SE + NE) be a decent choice to control depression/anxiety symptoms? I would definitely trade off some sedation or dry mouth if I was able to keep my libido and not gain much weight. Seems to be relatively safe and can be quite tolerable from what I read on user experiences.
Posted by SLS on April 10, 2010, at 9:01:38
In reply to Tofranil PM Anyone?, posted by bearfan on April 10, 2010, at 3:54:05
> Pamelor (NE mostly), but it just made me sleep all day.
For how long did you take Pamelor (nortriptyline)?
The first time I tried Pamelor, it made me sleep all day during the first week only. Thereafter, it had no effect on sleep at all.
Tofranil (imipramine) did not produce sexual side effects for me. I found that I was able to control my body weight through diet portion control.
- Scott
Posted by Phillipa on April 10, 2010, at 12:41:13
In reply to Re: Tofranil PM Anyone?, posted by SLS on April 10, 2010, at 9:01:38
I didn't know the three were the same pamelor l0mg same slept all day like plastered to the bed. That was also with benzos one of the times when insomnia was horrible. Stopped it as had too much to do to sleep all day. Phillipa
Posted by bearfan on April 10, 2010, at 16:37:01
In reply to Re: Tofranil PM Anyone?, posted by Phillipa on April 10, 2010, at 12:41:13
Did it have a noticeable anti-anxiety effect as well? How harsh were the start up effects?
Posted by ed_uk2010 on April 11, 2010, at 6:58:45
In reply to Re: Tofranil PM Anyone?, posted by Phillipa on April 10, 2010, at 12:41:13
> I didn't know the three were the same pamelor l0mg same slept all day like plastered to the bed. That was also with benzos one of the times when insomnia was horrible. Stopped it as had too much to do to sleep all day. Phillipa
A lot of people get tired at first PJ. It doesn't normally last though.
Posted by BlueM on April 14, 2010, at 18:08:38
In reply to Re: Tofranil PM Anyone?, posted by ed_uk2010 on April 11, 2010, at 6:58:45
Other than Nardil - Imipramine has worked very well for me - I'm only going off Imipramine now due to concerns of rapid heart rate - The first few weeks I had dry mouth, but gum took care of that - it instantly relaxed my stomach muscles which was a wonderful feeling.
Posted by bearfan on April 16, 2010, at 0:55:09
In reply to Re: Tofranil PM Anyone?, posted by BlueM on April 14, 2010, at 18:08:38
Can this med be compared to an other anti-depressant? My primary doctor said something about how less doctors prescribe it since it is more toxic in overdose than SSRIs.
Posted by ed_uk2010 on April 16, 2010, at 14:09:15
In reply to Re: Tofranil PM Anyone?, posted by BlueM on April 14, 2010, at 18:08:38
> Other than Nardil - Imipramine has worked very well for me - I'm only going off Imipramine now due to concerns of rapid heart rate - The first few weeks I had dry mouth, but gum took care of that - it instantly relaxed my stomach muscles which was a wonderful feeling.
The rapid heart rate which is so common with TCAs isn't generally of much importance. If you're concerned, you could always take 25-50mg of atenolol to slow it back down to normal (assuming that you are not asthmatic, in which case atenolol is best avoided).
Posted by bearfan on May 1, 2010, at 2:26:17
In reply to Re: Tofranil PM Anyone? » BlueM, posted by ed_uk2010 on April 16, 2010, at 14:09:15
Anyone know when the full effect of Tofranil PM takes over and what dosages are most common?
Posted by BlueM on May 2, 2010, at 5:19:57
In reply to Re: Tofranil PM Anyone?, posted by bearfan on May 1, 2010, at 2:26:17
I would say it took me around 4 weeks - I was on between 100mg and 200mg depending on my blood levels. I had some of the effects before 4 weeks, but at 4 weeks I was feeling pretty good, and the side effects were not as bad. I did not have any sexual side effects from this medication.
Posted by bearfan on May 2, 2010, at 20:23:46
In reply to Re: Tofranil PM Anyone?, posted by BlueM on May 2, 2010, at 5:19:57
Any reason why you stopped it and now taking nardil?
Posted by BlueM on May 3, 2010, at 5:59:22
In reply to Re: Tofranil PM Anyone?, posted by bearfan on May 2, 2010, at 20:23:46
Hi bearfan - I was having problems with a high resting heartbeat (which I understand can be a side effect), and this was making me nervous. I'm 46 years old, but never had problems with it when I was younger - I was on since October of 06 this time around. I've tried SEVERAL of the SSRIs which just made me worse, and the only other med I've been on in the past that worked was Nardil - which is why I'm now taking it. The first month on imipramine the anticholinergic side effects are very noticable, but they go away and that wonderful AD would just kick in. It's somewhat sedative for me and helped a great deal with anxiety. Let me know if you have any questions.
This is the end of the thread.
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