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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by DL on November 27, 1999, at 21:28:37
Hi,
Anyone taking Zyprexa, NOT as an anti-psychotic, but for its antidepressant and mood stabilizing properties?? I'm curious since some studies are showing it has promise in thesse areas.
DL
Posted by Craig on November 28, 1999, at 1:51:24
In reply to Zyprexa, posted by DL on November 27, 1999, at 21:28:37
I'm Bipolar II and take 5 mg of Zyprexa at night. At first, I was reluctant to take it because I thought it was only an antipsychotic. I've been taking it for over a year now and am very satisfied with it. I'm also on Lamictal, Celexa, Wellbutrin, Klonopin, Synthroid and Cytomel. I don't have any problems with this mix.
Posted by saint james on November 28, 1999, at 4:58:05
In reply to Zyprexa, posted by DL on November 27, 1999, at 21:28:37
> Hi,
> Anyone taking Zyprexa, NOT as an anti-psychotic, but for its antidepressant and mood stabilizing properties?? I'm curious since some studies are showing it has promise in thesse areas.
> DLJames here....
All anti-psychotics have AD effects but I feel one should exhaust traditional AD's because all anti-psychotics have the potential for permanate
neurological damage with long term use. This effect is often hidden and happens late in the treatment and does not go away with discontinuation of the med. With schizophrenia these meds are clearly indicated but in depression there are too many meds with a much safer side effect profile.james
Posted by ChrisK on November 28, 1999, at 5:30:08
In reply to Zyprexa, posted by DL on November 27, 1999, at 21:28:37
I take 7.5 mg of Zyprexa at bedtime. I am very satisfied with it. I don't really know whether it is the AD aspect or the antipsychotic aspect that is doing the trick. I used to be very suicidal to the point that that was all I thought about. Within a week of taking Zyprexa I started coming out of that terrible place. I now take it with Nortrityline (my original AD), Celexa and Naltrexone. This has been the best winter I've had in 20 years.
Good luck with it.
Chris
Posted by saint james on November 28, 1999, at 15:59:05
In reply to Re: Zyprexa, posted by ChrisK on November 28, 1999, at 5:30:08
> I take 7.5 mg of Zyprexa at bedtime. I am very satisfied with it. I don't really know whether it is the AD aspect or the antipsychotic aspect that is doing the trick. I used to be very suicidal to the point that that was all I thought about. Within a week of taking Zyprexa I started coming out of that terrible place. I now take it with Nortrityline (my original AD), Celexa and Naltrexone. This has been the best winter I've had in 20 years.
James here....
I think it makes sence to use anti-psychotics in
hard to treat depressions and bi-polor conditions.j
> Good luck with it.
> Chris
Posted by Jane on November 29, 1999, at 17:52:49
In reply to Re: Zyprexa, posted by saint james on November 28, 1999, at 15:59:05
i have to agree with james about exhausting the options for antidepressants before resorting to newer methods of treating depression, namely those with antipsychotics. the reason is that you may not be 'hitting the right receptors' for depression using the antipsychotics, and sometimes you may create new problems for yourself as your brain adjusts to the med. also, as for all psychotropic meds, dont be surprised if you get side effects that are unexpected because brains work differently from person to person. one person who had bipolar disorder (type 1 which is the classical definition) took zyprexa and ended up hallucinating - complete opposite of what the drug was intended to do (as it is an antipsychotic) so again, expect the expected as well as the unexpected.
jane
Posted by saint james on November 29, 1999, at 22:17:03
In reply to Zyprexa, posted by DL on November 27, 1999, at 21:28:37
> Hi,
> Anyone taking Zyprexa, NOT as an anti-psychotic, but for its antidepressant and mood stabilizing properties?? I'm curious since some studies are showing it has promise in thesse areas.
> DLJames here....
We don't have many scitophrenics here on the list
but several have asked about anti-psychotics. They are brakes for the mind, they really slow down thoughts. Normies find them uncomfortable after a time. The primary consern long term is tardive dyskinesia , long-term neuroleptic patients can develop a largely irreversible, neurological disorder. The disease, even its mild forms, is often disfiguring, with involuntary movements of the face, mouth or tongue. Frequently
Posted by Refractory on December 2, 1999, at 23:58:17
In reply to Zyprexa, posted by DL on November 27, 1999, at 21:28:37
> Hi,
> Anyone taking Zyprexa, NOT as an anti-psychotic, but for its antidepressant and mood stabilizing properties?? I'm curious since some studies are showing it has promise in thesse areas.
> DL
Zyprexa is probably the safest anti-psychotic, but then again there is no such thing as a safe anti-psychotic. Zyprexa probably has the lowest chance of causing permanent neurological conditions like TD and EPS, the reason if probably because Zyprexa works more on serotonin than dopamine. Most anti psychotics work on dopamine however. There is literature out there suggesting Zyprexa can be used with serotonin acting antidepressants, especially the SSRIs, to create a more robust antidepressant effect. In fact, Zyprexa has been used with the SSRIs in treatment resistant depression even in cases of NON PSYCHOTIC depression! Yep, its true. And for antidepressant augmentation, small doses are generally used, thus decreasing the chance of neurological problems.That being said, yeah, you should always be very careful taking any of the atypical antipsychotics. My personal opinion is you should beware of a doctor who seems to want to put you on anti-psychotics just for "irritability." This is not always a good thing and could be just the doctor is worried you might do something and he is covering his own ass against potential lawsuits. Anytime a doc wants to put you on anti-psychotics for "irritability" you might want to get a second opinion. Antidepressants are usually more effective for irritability than antipsychotics by the way.
This is the end of the thread.
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