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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by J.Lester on January 19, 2001, at 22:42:50
Hello :
There was a similar question here long time ago, without a clear answer though, but anyway I want to repeat it again. Has anybody personally tried dopamine agonists for depression ? Any success ? These drugs are antiParkinsons that means their intended purpose is to alleviate Parkinson disease. They affect (stimulate ?) D2 and D3 dopamine receptors which is believed to be beneficial for dopamine depleted depressive folks.
They include :
bromocreptine (Parlodel)
pramipexole (Mirapex)
amantadine (Symmetrel)
pergolide (Permax)
ropinirole (Requip)
cabergoline (Dostinex)The drugs are approved in the US and thus seem particularly attractive. My own internet research revealed some contradictory information :
1. they do not help depression at all
2. they work only for a short period of time several months then stop
3. they work only in combination with other more conventional antidepressants
4. they have serious side effects and therefore not advisedCan anybody clear the situation ? Personal experience would be most valuable.
Thanks a lot,
J.L.
Posted by SalArmy4me on January 19, 2001, at 23:43:53
In reply to Any success with dopamine agonists (Minaprex etc)?, posted by J.Lester on January 19, 2001, at 22:42:50
I tried Amantadine for my unipolar depression, and all I got was psychosis from it. There is little evidence to suggest that these drugs do anything besides help with Parkinson's and Restless Legs Syndrome.
Posted by AndrewB on January 20, 2001, at 8:56:08
In reply to Any success with dopamine agonists (Minaprex etc)?, posted by J.Lester on January 19, 2001, at 22:42:50
Hi,
I think Mirapex and possibly Requip are the real thing. The studies I've read on Mirapex indicate that it is an effective mood enhancer and its effect does not fade with time. It seems especially effective as an adjunct to SSRIs but NatG's Jan 10th posting under the thread 'Anergia' is an example of it working robustly on its own. It does cause transient nausea as you increase the dosage as NatG has noted. I found this effect to fade away rapidly though. It is important though to titrate slowly up in dosage in order to let the nausea subside at each dose. For example, start at 1/4 mg. per dose, 3 times per day and expect to stablize the dosage at 1.5mg.s to 2mg.s three times a day. Domperidone, blocks peripheal dopamine receptors and thereby prevents the transient nausea. It can be purchased inexpensively overseas. (Can be purchased inexpensively from xxx without an Rx).AndrewB
Posted by ChrisK on January 20, 2001, at 13:40:40
In reply to Any success with dopamine agonists (Minaprex etc)?, posted by J.Lester on January 19, 2001, at 22:42:50
I've been taking Mirapex for about two weeks now and feel that it is making a difference in my outlook. I have been very med-resistant in the past and am encouraged by my reaction to Mirapex. i am hoping that it keeps up because it has made the biggest differnce in my depression since I added Zyprexa.
Here's a link to one article:
xxxI didn't have time to do it myself, but do a search through www.metacrawler.com and you will find an article about AD testing on people. It basically says that there was a significant reduction in depression on patients using Mirapex. The higher the dose (up to 5 mg/day) the better the reaction but the high dosage caused too many side effects for all of the participants to complete the study.
I did all of my reseaarch on the internet and handed it to my pdoc at our last meeting and he was very willing to give it a try. We were worried that the Zyprexa and Mirapex would cancel each other out but that hassn't happened yet.
Like I said, it's only been two weeks but it has helped so far.
Chris
This is the end of the thread.
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