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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by karmstr1 on June 2, 2000, at 21:36:57
I have been on Serzone 150mgs 2x day for about 1 year.(For mood swings/depression) Psychiatrist upped it to 150mgs 3x day and added BuSpar 30 mgs a day (for anxiety and fits of rage) (all at once at nite)...couldn't afford the p-doc...my insurance wouldn't pay for very much of his visit. BuSpar was giving me really bad side effects, dizziness, cold sweats, I didn't like it. So i went back to my general practionier. He dropped the BuSpar to 5mgs 3x day and the Serzone back to 150mgs 2x day, but I still am getting the nasty side effects from the BuSpar and my moods seems to be getting worse. (as one friend puts it, I am a miserable BASTARD at times)... My G.P. is not versed enough in using anti seizure drugs as mood stabilizers...so where do I turn, should I continue to take the BuSpar and "sweat" it out or should I seek help elsewhere?
Posted by Noa on June 3, 2000, at 12:02:46
In reply to Serzone and BuSpar (side effects) , posted by karmstr1 on June 2, 2000, at 21:36:57
My first question is: do you notice anything good from the buspar? My second question is: If not, why continue to take it? My third question is: Did you have the chance to see how the 3x/day dosing of serzone worked and felt before adding buspar?
Posted by dari on June 3, 2000, at 14:05:01
In reply to Serzone and BuSpar (side effects) , posted by karmstr1 on June 2, 2000, at 21:36:57
> I have been on Serzone 150mgs 2x day for about 1 year.(For mood swings/depression) Psychiatrist upped it to 150mgs 3x day and added BuSpar 30 mgs a day (for anxiety and fits of rage) (all at once at nite)...couldn't afford the p-doc...my insurance wouldn't pay for very much of his visit. BuSpar was giving me really bad side effects, dizziness, cold sweats
I am not sure about serzone, having never tried it. But, I can sure relate to your problems with Buspar. I also take it and hate it. I also get dizziness, nauseau and cold sweats. I had taken benzos for anxiety and panic but, have since detoxed off them (very high doses that actually made my panic worse.) I have yet to find something that works for anxiety and panic, any suggestions? I've tried paxil, buspar, klonopin, and adavan with little success because of either terrible side effects or little effectiveness.thanks in advance. dari (new to this bulletin bd)
Posted by Orin on June 4, 2000, at 0:06:38
In reply to Serzone and BuSpar (side effects) , posted by karmstr1 on June 2, 2000, at 21:36:57
karmstr1:
First, I wonder what benefit you received from the nefazodone. (I used it for 12 weeks with no benefit, but many side effects including anxiety, irritability, etc.) Second, I'd like to know what symptoms the psychiatrist was aiming at by your using it, and how happy s/he was with the progress.
If you are mostly depressed, I'd talk to your psychiatrist about going off nefazodone cold (I did from 450 mg/day and felt physically better as my body got rid of it), staying with the buspirone dose, and adding in one of the chemically cleaner wide-spectrum ADs, like venlafaxine.
Posted by dari on June 4, 2000, at 12:35:31
In reply to Re: Serzone and BuSpar (side effects) , posted by Orin on June 4, 2000, at 0:06:38
Would someone out there tell me a bit about venlafaxine if you have a moment? thanks, dari
Posted by Zannah on June 4, 2000, at 16:10:42
In reply to What is venlafaxine?, posted by dari on June 4, 2000, at 12:35:31
> Would someone out there tell me a bit about venlafaxine if you have a moment? thanks, dari
Hi Dari,
Venlafaxine HCL is the generic name for Effexor. I took Effexor for only 3 weeks or so. It made me extremely sleepy, and I could not take sleeping 18-20 hrs. a day for more then about 9 days. I wanted to keep going, but, I finally thru in the towel on that particular AD. I only got up to 37.5mgs. daily. I tapered off for several days, but I still had my worst depressive period ever, when I came off that drug. It may just be coincidence, who knows? I actually tried it out during the holidays, not smart, but I was sooooo in need at the time. The black episode lasted about a week, then diminished a bit, thank god.I am taking Remeron now, for about 3 1/2 weeks, at 30mgs. once at bedtime. It has promoted the best sleep I have had in years--no more Ambien popping necessary, I hope. It has relieved some anxiety and helped me stay level, in a rather subtle way. It has helped greatly with altering my usual a.m. awakening 'fear of leaving my bed' anxiety, and that is a blessing.
My mom is taking Buspar for the past 3 weeks. Her doc believes she may have PTSD, in reaction to the recent death of my too wonderful for words father. She tried low-dose Elavil (amytriptline) which was also ineffective after 6-7 wks. She doesn't have bad side effects from the Buspar, however, just no success.
I have used Klonopin w/success, but I understand you wanting to steer clear of benzos.
Congrats on your detox from the benzos. I know that was probably a tough thing to go through. Did it take very long-did you taper for ages, or try to supplant the offending benzo with another drug? Just wondering.
I'm pretty new to this forum, but I read it often, so full of 'I've been there' experience + lots of book smarts, too.
Hope you find what you need for anxiety soon,
Zannah
Posted by Zannah on June 4, 2000, at 16:27:41
In reply to Serzone and BuSpar (side effects) , posted by karmstr1 on June 2, 2000, at 21:36:57
opped the BuSpar to 5mgs 3x day and the Serzone back to 150mgs 2x day, but I still am getting the nasty side effects from the BuSpar and my moods seems to be getting worse. (as one friend puts it, I am a miserable BASTARD at times)... My G.P. is not versed enough in using anti seizure drugs as mood stabilizers...so where do I turn, should I continue to take the BuSpar and "sweat" it out or should I seek help elsewhere?
Hi Karmstr,
If it were me, I'd try the Serzone by itself for a couple weeks, get the Buspar out of your system. If you still feel rotten, it's time to dump those drugs for a new strategy.
Where to start is hard, but at least there are SSRI's, tri-cyclics, tetracyclics, SNRI's, and so on. You might have to educate yourself about these groups, and then start w/one at a time. Unfortunately these drugs have to pass your personal audition, and you may have to try out several before anything 'clicks'.
If your finances are low, you can try your local public mental health center. You do need a 'pro', probably, not just your g.p., guiding you through.
I have a friend who goes to our clinic in my city. He has received 10-30 mgs. of Prozac allowance daily and 1 hour appt. monthly w/a real-live therapist, accredited and all, for about 5-10 bucks a month. That's not a lot of therapy, but, in the 3 1/2 years he has been going there, he has received a great deal of help for his OCD, mostly in the form of his daily med.Let us know what you do~best of luck~Zannah
Posted by Cindy W on June 6, 2000, at 8:56:28
In reply to Re: What is venlafaxine? » dari, posted by Zannah on June 4, 2000, at 16:10:42
> > Would someone out there tell me a bit about venlafaxine if you have a moment? thanks, dari
>
> Hi Dari,
> Venlafaxine HCL is the generic name for Effexor. I took Effexor for only 3 weeks or so. It made me extremely sleepy, and I could not take sleeping 18-20 hrs. a day for more then about 9 days. I wanted to keep going, but, I finally thru in the towel on that particular AD. I only got up to 37.5mgs. daily. I tapered off for several days, but I still had my worst depressive period ever, when I came off that drug. It may just be coincidence, who knows? I actually tried it out during the holidays, not smart, but I was sooooo in need at the time. The black episode lasted about a week, then diminished a bit, thank god.
>
> I am taking Remeron now, for about 3 1/2 weeks, at 30mgs. once at bedtime. It has promoted the best sleep I have had in years--no more Ambien popping necessary, I hope. It has relieved some anxiety and helped me stay level, in a rather subtle way. It has helped greatly with altering my usual a.m. awakening 'fear of leaving my bed' anxiety, and that is a blessing.
>
> My mom is taking Buspar for the past 3 weeks. Her doc believes she may have PTSD, in reaction to the recent death of my too wonderful for words father. She tried low-dose Elavil (amytriptline) which was also ineffective after 6-7 wks. She doesn't have bad side effects from the Buspar, however, just no success.
>
> I have used Klonopin w/success, but I understand you wanting to steer clear of benzos.
>
> Congrats on your detox from the benzos. I know that was probably a tough thing to go through. Did it take very long-did you taper for ages, or try to supplant the offending benzo with another drug? Just wondering.
>
> I'm pretty new to this forum, but I read it often, so full of 'I've been there' experience + lots of book smarts, too.
>
> Hope you find what you need for anxiety soon,
> ZannahDari, I take Effexor-XR 375 mg/day for depression and OCD. It makes me feel energized, instead of tired. In fact, it makes it hard for me to sleep, sometimes, so I take Serzone 40 mg at night, since that makes me sleepy. It acts on more than one receptor (Cam can explain this to you), so it is different from the SSRI's. When I took just Serzone, at a larger dose, I felt almost no social anxiety, so you might want to ask your pdoc about taking Serzone for anxiety. --Cindy W
Posted by Cari on June 7, 2000, at 19:39:51
In reply to Re: Serzone and BuSpar (side effects) » karmstr1, posted by dari on June 3, 2000, at 14:05:01
Dari,
If you have those dizziness & cold sweat effects from Buspar, I suggest you STOP taking it immediately!!! I had the same effects and an incompetant doctor who told me to keep taking it. Well the effects never went away, and only got worse. Upon quitting the Buspar, it took another 3 wks for the junk to get out of my system. Please read my posting near the top about Buspar. As for Effexor, it made me shake constantly like I'd just had too many cups of coffee. Check out Remeron. It's newer, pretty much helps everyone sleep and seems to be a very effective anti depressant.
This is the end of the thread.
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