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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Mary on March 24, 2000, at 10:14:46
Hello all. A friend of mine (male) went to see his doctor yesterday re: depression and his doctor suggested Serzone and gave him some samples.
Because we are both "green" regarding this medication, I began searching the internet today for info. on the medication and ran across this site.
I was reading through the posts and am confused about a few things I was hoping you could clear up for me. jd and Cindy W, could you please
elaborate on what you mean when you said Serzone made you feel "serotonergic?" I'm not sure what that means. Also, what is the abbreviation,
"NE" and what does that mean? It also seems there are different ideas about the effects of Serzone on libido. I hope you can clear these
issues up for us since we're trying to find out about this medication, and what better way than from others who have used it! Thanks for the
information posted on here and for your response! Sincerely, Mary
Posted by Cindy W on March 24, 2000, at 11:01:20
In reply to A few questions/request for information., posted by Mary on March 24, 2000, at 10:14:46
> Hello all. A friend of mine (male) went to see his doctor yesterday re: depression and his doctor suggested Serzone and gave him some samples.
> Because we are both "green" regarding this medication, I began searching the internet today for info. on the medication and ran across this site.
> I was reading through the posts and am confused about a few things I was hoping you could clear up for me. jd and Cindy W, could you please
> elaborate on what you mean when you said Serzone made you feel "serotonergic?" I'm not sure what that means. Also, what is the abbreviation,
> "NE" and what does that mean? It also seems there are different ideas about the effects of Serzone on libido. I hope you can clear these
> issues up for us since we're trying to find out about this medication, and what better way than from others who have used it! Thanks for the
> information posted on here and for your response! Sincerely, Mary
Mary, people have had very different reactions to Serzone. I took it to reduce OCD and depression, and unfortunately it helped greatly with the depression but not the OCD. "Serotonergic" just refers to having an effect on nerve cells sensitive to serotonin (Cam can explain it much better than I can).Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (chemical that helps carry messages in your brain). NE refers to "norepinephrine." Antidepressant medications affect different neurotransmitters (chemicals that cross from one nerve cell to another; the sending cell fires, causing chemicals to cross a gap between cells, and the receiving cell is then activated). Again, ask Cam to explain this; he's much better at this. Anyway, with Serzone, I felt weird for about two weeks (mood swings, dizziness, fatigue) then felt just GREAT. Unfortunately, it didn't affect OCD(obsessive-compulsive disorder). It did greatly decrease my social anxiety, which I liked.Best part: Serzone is known for NOT interfering with sexual desire or ability to experience orgasm. Lots of other drugs (esp. SSRI's like Prozac) do. In that regard, Serzone was really great. Hope this helps.--Cindy W
Posted by Scott L. Schofield on March 24, 2000, at 14:14:31
In reply to Re: A few questions/request for information., posted by Cindy W on March 24, 2000, at 11:01:20
> Anyway, with Serzone, I felt weird for about two weeks (mood swings, dizziness, fatigue) then felt just GREAT. Unfortunately, it didn't affect OCD(obsessive-compulsive disorder). It did greatly decrease my social anxiety, which I liked.Best part: Serzone is known for NOT interfering with sexual desire or ability to experience orgasm. Lots of other drugs (esp. SSRI's like Prozac) do. In that regard, Serzone was really great. Hope this helps.--Cindy W
Hi Cindy.
It sounds like Serzone is doing a great job with the depression. I also experience social anxiety. I had never considered pursuing Serzone because my doctor didn't think it was a good candidate for treating my type of depression. I have no energy, have no motivation to do anything, sleep too much, eat too much, have poor concentration and memory, and anhedonia.I was hoping you might describe the other symptoms of your depression and how Serzone has helped with them.
How long has it been working for you? Did you experience any weight gain?
Are you taking another drug to help with the OCD? What about adding an SSRI like Paxil or Luvox? Whenever combining two serotonergic drugs, there is always the risk of developing serotonin syndrome, but the occurrence is very infrequent. Other than that one major caveat, it seems like it might be worth looking into.
- Scott
Posted by Cindy W on March 24, 2000, at 20:59:24
In reply to Re: A few questions/request for information., posted by Scott L. Schofield on March 24, 2000, at 14:14:31
> > Anyway, with Serzone, I felt weird for about two weeks (mood swings, dizziness, fatigue) then felt just GREAT. Unfortunately, it didn't affect OCD(obsessive-compulsive disorder). It did greatly decrease my social anxiety, which I liked.Best part: Serzone is known for NOT interfering with sexual desire or ability to experience orgasm. Lots of other drugs (esp. SSRI's like Prozac) do. In that regard, Serzone was really great. Hope this helps.--Cindy W
>
>
> Hi Cindy.
>
>
> It sounds like Serzone is doing a great job with the depression. I also experience social anxiety. I had never considered pursuing Serzone because my doctor didn't think it was a good candidate for treating my type of depression. I have no energy, have no motivation to do anything, sleep too much, eat too much, have poor concentration and memory, and anhedonia.
>
> I was hoping you might describe the other symptoms of your depression and how Serzone has helped with them.
>
> How long has it been working for you? Did you experience any weight gain?
>
> Are you taking another drug to help with the OCD? What about adding an SSRI like Paxil or Luvox? Whenever combining two serotonergic drugs, there is always the risk of developing serotonin syndrome, but the occurrence is very infrequent. Other than that one major caveat, it seems like it might be worth looking into.
>
>
> - Scott
Scott, Thanks for your questions. My depression symptoms included suicidal thinking, feelings of hopeless, poor sleep, overeating, extreme fatigue, and depressed mood (life sucks, focusing on the negative instead of positives). Tried Prozac for about l0 years, Luvox for a couple of months, Zoloft for a month (sex? why bother?). Serzone was great for depression, but did nothing for OCD. For a brief time, I combined Serzone (at a much lower dose) with Effexor-XR, but as the Effexor-XR started helping, and I increased the Effexor-XR to an OCD-range dose (375 mg/day), I stopped the Serzone (which I was just taking at night to help with sleep). From what I've read, it is safe to combine SSRI's and Serzone as long as the dose doesn't go too high for either drug (to avoid the serotonin syndrome you mentioned). Effexor-XR made me antsy and very nervous, for a couple of weeks, but now I just feel "normal" (not euphoric and not depressed, just somewhere in the middle). I don't feel any emotional flatness. There is some interference with sex (slower response time, takes longer to reach orgasm) with Effexor-XR, but it has really helped with the OCD.--Cindy W
Posted by Mary on March 26, 2000, at 17:05:42
In reply to Re: A few questions/request for information., posted by Cindy W on March 24, 2000, at 20:59:24
>Here's the sort of depression my friend is experiencing: no motivation to do ANYTHING, even if it will make his life better, has a hard time sleeping,
and no energy. He also has ADD. This is only evidenced by a difficulty remembering things. From what I've read, Serzone may make this trait worse, am I
right? Scott, has Serzone worked for you? Cindy and Scott, what dosage are you taking of Serzone that works for you? I have read a lot of responses on different internet sites
and tried to get a "median" idea of the effectiveness and side effects of Serzone by sort of adding everyone's responses and I realize that the one bit of
info. missing from a lot of their responses (which would allow me us to make an "educated guess") is the dosage each person took (and the "depth" of their
depression. (Like have they suffered through it every day or had a few rough months and then some good ones?) Since everyone is different, it's hard to
decide which is the best choice. Also, have you heard of anyone who took the medication for a while and weaned themselves off successfully and had no
"relapses?" Thanks for your help and responses. Sincerely, Mary
This is the end of the thread.
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