Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 10930

Shown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Serzone before work

Posted by Dee on September 2, 1999, at 13:00:13

After three weeks I am starting to notice some of the effects of Serzone (Or maybe I am just comng out of the hole anyway) I started a new job in the beginning of this week. My problem was that working 10-5, if I took the Serzone in the morning, all I want to do is to go back to sleep.
So I've tried this for a couple of days now: I set the alarm on 5 a.m. so I can take the med & have three hours to sleep the drowsiness off. Then I take the p.m. dose when I get off work. This works better than I dreamed possible - I feel none of the side effects while I am at work.
I hope this can help someone struggling with the same problem.
Dee

 

Re: Serzone before work

Posted by Yardena on September 2, 1999, at 14:27:53

In reply to Serzone before work, posted by Dee on September 2, 1999, at 13:00:13

It makes me drowsy, too, but not right away. I only take one dose, originally intended to be at night to help me sleep, but I take it around 5 pm so it is in action by bedtime and not so sedating by morning. Even with taking it earlier, it is very hard to wake up in the morning, and I am generally more tired than before being on Serzone. I don't mind much, tho, because it counteracts that internal "overactive" feeling from the effexor.

 

Re: Serzone before work

Posted by Yardena on September 2, 1999, at 14:33:23

In reply to Serzone before work, posted by Dee on September 2, 1999, at 13:00:13

P.S.

Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better, Dee. And starting work. Way to go, and good luck.

 

Re: Serzone before work

Posted by Cindy on September 2, 1999, at 21:44:15

In reply to Re: Serzone before work, posted by Yardena on September 2, 1999, at 14:33:23

Dee, congrats on starting work! I agree with you and Yardena that Serzone can be sedating...I take l50 mg in the morning and l50 mg/night. I too take it very early (5 am) so it wears off a bit before work (8 am) and take it about 7 pm at night. It really helps with lifting my mood! Am also taking Luvox, but haven't been on it yet to tell what it will do (is for OCD).--Cindy


 

Re: Serzone before work

Posted by Dee on September 2, 1999, at 21:44:28

In reply to Re: Serzone before work, posted by Yardena on September 2, 1999, at 14:33:23

Hey Yardena... Always makes me feel good to see you're around.
Here's the strangest thing with me and Serzones. In the morning (when I am still kind of slow, half-sleepy) it puts me straight asleep. If I take it in the evening, it has the opposite effect, makes me restless and I cannot sleep. I used to take Melatonin which eventually would put me to sleep. HOwever the time between taking it and falling asleep (30 min - 1 hour) I feel quite anxious. Also, I read that although there is no real research on it, there are indications that taking melatonin may worsen depression. Just started taking Desyrel instead.

 

Re: Serzone before work

Posted by Dee on September 2, 1999, at 22:06:36

In reply to Re: Serzone before work, posted by Cindy on September 2, 1999, at 21:44:15

Hi Cindy... I guess we were writing exactly @ the same time, I didn't mean to ignore you when I responded to Yardena, just didn't know you were there?
I've been on 150 mg x 2 for a week now, and I think I am feeling that that the depression and anxiety may be lifting a bit. In any case, I am participating in my life - making plans on how to get the bills paid, the laundry clean, my apartment cleaned... maybe I should see if I can afford a plant or something, just to mark the change and to remind myself that things are getting better.
How long have you been on Serzone? My dr said that eventually the side effects will go away (I've had much less of them than I expected, I am grateful for that) How long did it take before you felt the effects of serzone?

Just when I mentioned that, I stopped to listen to the pain that I have felt all my life, just to check where I am with all this. Just for now, it wasn't there.


 

Re: Serzone before work

Posted by Cindy on September 3, 1999, at 21:42:45

In reply to Re: Serzone before work, posted by Dee on September 2, 1999, at 22:06:36

> Hi Cindy... I guess we were writing exactly @ the same time, I didn't mean to ignore you when I responded to Yardena, just didn't know you were there?
> I've been on 150 mg x 2 for a week now, and I think I am feeling that that the depression and anxiety may be lifting a bit. In any case, I am participating in my life - making plans on how to get the bills paid, the laundry clean, my apartment cleaned... maybe I should see if I can afford a plant or something, just to mark the change and to remind myself that things are getting better.
> How long have you been on Serzone? My dr said that eventually the side effects will go away (I've had much less of them than I expected, I am grateful for that) How long did it take before you felt the effects of serzone?
>
> Just when I mentioned that, I stopped to listen to the pain that I have felt all my life, just to check where I am with all this. Just for now, it wasn't there.

Dee, glad to hear the Serzone is diminishing the pain you had before. I have been taking it for about 4 weeks now. The first week, I didn't think I could keep taking it because it made me feel really irritable and angry and tense. But that went away after a couple of days. The good effects started in the second to third week. Now I have decreased the dosage (from l50 mg in the morning and 300 mg/night) to l50 2x/day, and my psychiatrist has added Luvox l50 mg/day. I don't feel the same great feeling I felt on Serzone, but am hoping the Luvox will diminish the obsessions and compulsions that I have that make me depressed in the first place! Best wishes!--Cindy

 

Straying away from the subject

Posted by Dee on September 4, 1999, at 0:48:34

In reply to Re: Serzone before work, posted by Cindy on September 3, 1999, at 21:42:45

I had exactly the same reaction my first week in Serzone. A Saturday night I almost got violent, people just seemed to be coming from all over the places and closing me in - I was panicking and just had to get away from the street. I am hearing that lots of us have had the same initial reaction, strangely (?) there is no mention of it in the sheet that Upjohn supplied.
The slogan on that sheet is, by the way, "Serzone - For depressed patients anxious for relief."
I guess it is there to remind us that these inserts are not to be taken seriously.

I just read a thread about how a med manufacturer is delaying a new AD, because they can not agree with the FDA about the wording of the package insert. Could it be that FDA wants them to disclose some adverse effects that we can *really* expect when we take it.
We are very fortynate to have sites like this, where we can get some *real* information.
Dee

 

Re: Straying away from the subject

Posted by Dee on September 4, 1999, at 17:31:24

In reply to Straying away from the subject, posted by Dee on September 4, 1999, at 0:48:34

Correction -Serzone is made by Bristol-Mayers Squibb, not Upjohn as I wrote

 

Re: how to stop serzone

Posted by m renner on September 8, 1999, at 21:34:34

In reply to Re: Serzone before work, posted by Dee on September 2, 1999, at 21:44:28

I want to stop taking serzone but am afraid to just stop --- has anyone done this & could tell me how to stop it?

 

Re: how to stop serzone

Posted by JohnL on September 9, 1999, at 7:16:56

In reply to Re: how to stop serzone, posted by m renner on September 8, 1999, at 21:34:34

Hi m renner. Quitting Serzone abruptly could cause some problems...rapid return of depression, short-lived hypomania and then a crash, and most likely some harsh flu-like side effects as your body readjusts to not having the drug. The best way is to drop the dosage about 50mg every 4 to 5 days or so. When you get around the 50mg-100mg range, start going down in increments of 25mg. You can split the pills as needed. This should avoid any harsh withdrawal side effects. Once completely off, you can expect several days of very mild flu-like symptoms. Perhaps some excessive tiredness and weakness. It's short-lived and mild as long as you drop the dosage slowly in increments. Quitting abruptly usually feels harshly lousy.

 

Re: how to stop serzone

Posted by m renner on September 11, 1999, at 8:39:24

In reply to Re: how to stop serzone, posted by JohnL on September 9, 1999, at 7:16:56

> Hi m renner. Quitting Serzone abruptly could cause some problems...rapid return of depression, short-lived hypomania and then a crash, and most likely some harsh flu-like side effects as your body readjusts to not having the drug. The best way is to drop the dosage about 50mg every 4 to 5 days or so. When you get around the 50mg-100mg range, start going down in increments of 25mg. You can split the pills as needed. This should avoid any harsh withdrawal side effects. Once completely off, you can expect several days of very mild flu-like symptoms. Perhaps some excessive tiredness and weakness. It's short-lived and mild as long as you drop the dosage slowly in increments. Quitting abruptly usually feels harshly lousy.

Thank-you John L for the advice. I had been taking 300 mg a day for about a year and have been taking 150 mg a day for the last 2 weeks. I have noticed some flu-like symptoms but attributed that to the fact that the flu has been going around in out town. Maybe I will start on 75 mg a day now and see what happens. I am going to a medical doctor soon that treats disease the "natural" way as well as chemically. Anyway thanks for the info.

 

Flu symptoms from taking serzone?

Posted by Pam on January 11, 2000, at 8:15:53

In reply to Re: how to stop serzone, posted by m renner on September 11, 1999, at 8:39:24

I noticed many people speak of flu symptoms from discontinuing AD's, but has anyone heard of getting them from starting or upping your dose of an AD? Whenever I try to boost my Serzone dose the glands under my throat swell and I feel like I can't swallow. I love the med, but can't get my dose high enough for theraputic effect. Any thoughts? Pam


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