Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 8316

Shown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

What would be right for me?

Posted by Adam on July 5, 1999, at 19:31:52

I have suffered from OCD (specifically, body dysmorphia)
depression and social anxiety most of my life. It has
been so bad that I have had to be hospitalized and
recieved ECT. When I was in the hospital, doctors pre-
scribed Celexa, which caused complete anorgasmia. Later
it was suggested that I try parnate, but I resisted, not
wanting to deal with the dietary restrictions. I have
since tried a combo of Remeron and Zoloft, which seems
to have stabilized me. I do not, however, feel "good"
or joyful, if you will. Anhedonia seems a pretty good
description. I'm not in pieces, but I wonder quite
often "Is this as good as it gets?" Should I expect joy
out of life? Can self-esteem come from a pill? Do
these drugs really allow you to feel happy? I'm rather
disillusioned. The thought of trying Parnate scares me,
but I'm getting to the point where I think I might risk
trying something new, if that's advisable. I guess
that's what I need, good advice.

P.S. I've also been interested in reboxetine. Any idea
when it is supposed to be approved?

Thanks

 

Re: What would be right for me?

Posted by David K. on July 6, 1999, at 4:17:14

In reply to What would be right for me?, posted by Adam on July 5, 1999, at 19:31:52

Adam,

I've been on various meds too, with varying
degrees of success and side effects. I don't think
there is such a thing as a happy pill. There is
such a thing as a anti-sad pill. It is just a matter
of finding the right one.

BTW, look at the thread at the top of the page. ECT is
being discussed and I'm the one asking the questions.
I am considering ECT, and I'd like to know what it
was like for you.

 

Re: What would be right for me?

Posted by JohnL on July 6, 1999, at 5:43:22

In reply to What would be right for me?, posted by Adam on July 5, 1999, at 19:31:52

> I have suffered from OCD (specifically, body dysmorphia)
> depression and social anxiety most of my life. It has
> been so bad that I have had to be hospitalized and
> recieved ECT. When I was in the hospital, doctors pre-
> scribed Celexa, which caused complete anorgasmia. Later
> it was suggested that I try parnate, but I resisted, not
> wanting to deal with the dietary restrictions. I have
> since tried a combo of Remeron and Zoloft, which seems
> to have stabilized me. I do not, however, feel "good"
> or joyful, if you will. Anhedonia seems a pretty good
> description. I'm not in pieces, but I wonder quite
> often "Is this as good as it gets?" Should I expect joy
> out of life? Can self-esteem come from a pill? Do
> these drugs really allow you to feel happy? I'm rather
> disillusioned. The thought of trying Parnate scares me,
> but I'm getting to the point where I think I might risk
> trying something new, if that's advisable. I guess
> that's what I need, good advice.
>
> P.S. I've also been interested in reboxetine. Any idea
> when it is supposed to be approved?
>
> Thanks

Hey Adam, we ought to form club. The anhedonia club. Can sure relate to your post. OCD is usually treated with a serotonin drug like SSRIs and some TCAs. But they are notorious for sexual dysfunction of various descriptions and seem powerless to some of us in correcting anhedonia/apathy. For me the anhedonia actually becomes more pronounced, though in other ways I feel a bit better or at least stable. Some possible approaches: SSRI+Wellbutrin. SSRI+Naltrexone. SSRI+Ritalin or other psychostimulant. If interested in Reboxetine, you can get it mailorder, check posts on this page for possible sources. A few reports though say Rebox caused sex probs too. A French antidepressant called Amineptine might work great on anhedonia because it works exclusively on the dopamine system (drive, reward, etc) and not serotonin. It also is available overseas mailorder with or without a prescription depending on source. Might use it alone or with an SSRI. It is reported as having mild side effects, with no effect on one's sex life. Anyway, choices are many. Just wish there was a more concrete strategy to treat anhedonia. Keep trying, hang in there. JohnL.

 

Re: What would be right for me?

Posted by Adam on July 6, 1999, at 14:51:14

In reply to Re: What would be right for me?, posted by David K. on July 6, 1999, at 4:17:14

Hey, David,

ECT has its pluses and minuses, just like
everything else. It's a last resort intervention,
IMO. It really made me feel a lot better almost
immediately (I had six treatments, and started to
feel better after about three). But it's certainly
a lot more involved than taking a pill. And for
about three to four weeks my memory was terrible.
There are entire days that I just don't remember
anything that happened, almost as if those days
never occured. If I could have felt like I did
after the ECT indefinitely, I would have been quite
satisfied, but for me the improvement in mood only
lasted a couple of months. Since then it has been
a slow return to a depressive state, and I think
with ECT this is to be expected. It's not a long-
term fix. The idea is to get you stabilized and
onto a good antidepressant ASAP. So if you're
looking into it, I would caution that it's not a
permanent solution by any means, and it's not an
easy treatment to go through. You have to be
anesthetised, and after the treatments I'd say your
memory will be screwed up for at least a couple
weeks if not more. And events right around the
time of your treatments may very well be lost for
good. As good as it made me feel, I'm not hoping
for another course of ECT.


> Adam,
>
> I've been on various meds too, with varying
> degrees of success and side effects. I don't think
> there is such a thing as a happy pill. There is
> such a thing as a anti-sad pill. It is just a matter
> of finding the right one.
>
> BTW, look at the thread at the top of the page. ECT is
> being discussed and I'm the one asking the questions.
> I am considering ECT, and I'd like to know what it
> was like for you.


This is the end of the thread.


Show another thread

URL of post in thread:


Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ


[dr. bob] Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD, bob@dr-bob.org

Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.