Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 63948

Shown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

NEFAZODONE(serzone)

Posted by gp on May 22, 2001, at 23:07:32

Okay, whats the deal with people complaining about serzone? The theory of a 5HT2A antagonist along with serotonin reuptake blockade makes perfect sense to me.
This would/should reduce the undesired actions of 5HT at the 5HT2A receptors (sexual dysfunction, insomnia, and anxiety) while retaining the positive effects of 5HT at the 5HT1 receptors (antidepressant and anxiolytic action) Also, it is alleged not to suppress REM sleep. So what's the deal with not hearing many success stories. I would really like to get some feedback on this. Thanks

 

Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone)

Posted by CraigF on May 23, 2001, at 7:44:04

In reply to NEFAZODONE(serzone), posted by gp on May 22, 2001, at 23:07:32

You've got to take a more Gestalt (sp?) look at the drug, beyond receptors and neurotransmitters. Personally, I can't put my finger on why I didn't like the drug (aside from the sedation and rage that would frequently occur) I felt somewhat insulated from my life, living at a low-level hum with no noticeable joy or vitality.

I also found the drug to be very tempermental with regard to theraputic doseage.

I miss having a sex life (now on Celexa), but my problem, overall, is that Serzone just didn't work well in lifting my depression and anxiety.

 

Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone)

Posted by Bill L on May 23, 2001, at 8:14:17

In reply to Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone), posted by CraigF on May 23, 2001, at 7:44:04

I have also been on Serzone in the past and am currently taking Celexa. Serzone didn't seem to do much for me, but maybe I didn't stay on it long enough or on a high enough dose.

I have seen other posts discussing the disparity between the theoretical merits of Serzone, and actual results. So I know that other people are asking the same questions that you are. On the positive side, I have read of some success stories with Serzone. Sometimes with Serzone alone. And sometimes with Serzone to help with sleep when taken in combination with a different AD.

> You've got to take a more Gestalt (sp?) look at the drug, beyond receptors and neurotransmitters. Personally, I can't put my finger on why I didn't like the drug (aside from the sedation and rage that would frequently occur) I felt somewhat insulated from my life, living at a low-level hum with no noticeable joy or vitality.
>
> I also found the drug to be very tempermental with regard to theraputic doseage.
>
> I miss having a sex life (now on Celexa), but my problem, overall, is that Serzone just didn't work well in lifting my depression and anxiety.

 

Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone)

Posted by Mary Ann on May 26, 2001, at 16:31:20

In reply to Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone), posted by Bill L on May 23, 2001, at 8:14:17

I was on Serzone for several months and was plagued with just the oppposite effects that most everyone else gets. I had terrible insomnia and felt like I was speeded up a lot of the time. Other drugs, such as Vicodin, have the same effect on me. Serzone really didn't do much for me at all, and the insomnia was really the main killer for me, along with headaches and a growing sense of irritability.

Now I am taking Zoloft and feel much better. I agree that there aren't many positive things to say about Serzone, and if you look in Dr. Bob's archive about Serzone, it isn't widely prescribed in the U.S. anymore because of its ineffectiveness.

 

Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone)

Posted by mair on May 26, 2001, at 22:18:46

In reply to Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone), posted by Mary Ann on May 26, 2001, at 16:31:20

> I thought Serzone sounded great - a drug that didn't affect your libido or make you gain weight. Unfortunately it just didn't work for me. I had a tough time getting the drug up to a level my pdoc wanted because the side effects were so awful and came about every time I increased the drug. When I was trying to take it 2x per day, like Mary Ann, I had horrible insomnia. This lead to intense fatigue, which contributed to a deepening depression and heightened (very) feelings of wanting to commit suicide. It's remarkable to me how much better things got when i started dosing only 1x per day (at night). My sleep got alot better, and I stopped dragging around so much during the day. However, the bottom line is that I don't think I've responded positively to the drug, and I feel that the drug gives me much protection. I'm still taking it, but probably only temporarily until my life calms down enough for me to feel up to a meds switch. Mair

 

Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone)

Posted by Noa on May 27, 2001, at 14:36:00

In reply to Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone), posted by Mary Ann on May 26, 2001, at 16:31:20

I am one who continues to take serzone and benefit from it. Yes, it makes me very drowsy, but that is ok, as that is a desired effect for me, since Effexor xr makes it hard for me to sleep. I take 500 mg, all at night, so the drowsiness isn't a problem. The combo of serzone and effexor is a good one for me in treating my depression.

 

Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone) » Noa

Posted by mair on May 28, 2001, at 17:39:41

In reply to Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone), posted by Noa on May 27, 2001, at 14:36:00

>Noa - I think I've asked you these questions before but please indulge me. I think you wrote once that you started feeling the effects of serzone after about a month or so. At what dosage were you at when it started to kick in? How long did it take you to get up to 500 mgs? Do you take it because the effexor was not helpful enough when taken by itself. I'm trying to decide whether to kick the serzone habit. I'm at 300 mgs with alot of wellbutrin thrown into the mix which I have taken for years. I've learned to mostly tolerate the serzone side effects so that is no longer an issue, altho it is a tough drug when it comes to weathering side effects any time I've increased the dose. My issue is its lack of effectiveness. However, I do want to give it a fair trial. I can't figure out if the fact that it's been pretty ineffective so far, is a firm indication that it won't be helpful at a greater dosage. Thanks

Mair

 

Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone)

Posted by gilbert on May 28, 2001, at 20:32:34

In reply to Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone) » Noa, posted by mair on May 28, 2001, at 17:39:41

Serzone was the first drug I tried because it was supposed to not effects yor sex life.....guess waht I had anorgasmia on serzone just like prozac. Plus I felt sick on it....I hope it works for you not everyone has a bad reaction to it....like Cam says you gotta try it to see.

Gil

 

Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone)

Posted by Sunny on May 29, 2001, at 13:51:18

In reply to Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone), posted by gilbert on May 28, 2001, at 20:32:34

Hi All,
I've been on Serzone for several months now & I find it very effective for me. There's always a trade-off (until they build the perfect med) and for me, the choices were easy to make. When I first went on medication, I had several requirements: I didn't want my libido to be affected; I didnt want to gain tons of weight; I didn't want anything that would remain in my body for weeks after taking a single dose (as I have a very sensitive system).
I've tried paxil & wellbutrin - both had intolerable side effects (paxil=anorgasmia; wellbutrin=horrible stomach aches & forgetfulness).
So far, Serzone has been the only med I've found that helps stabilize me, with managable side-effects (and meets all my requirements). I've been very happy with the theraputic effects of Serzone - though it's taken time (a long slow taper up) and dilligence (to find the right dose).
I have to agree about the sleepiness/sedation being a difficult side-effect to handle. However for me, I wouldn't trade the serzone side-effects for another drugs' potential benefits.

-Sunny (a Serzone Fan)

> Serzone was the first drug I tried because it was supposed to not effects yor sex life.....guess waht I had anorgasmia on serzone just like prozac. Plus I felt sick on it....I hope it works for you not everyone has a bad reaction to it....like Cam says you gotta try it to see.
>
> Gil

 

Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone)

Posted by Noa on May 29, 2001, at 17:15:01

In reply to Re: NEFAZODONE(serzone) » Noa, posted by mair on May 28, 2001, at 17:39:41

Mair, I started out slowly, and worked up to around 225 mg, which was my dose for over a year. The first month was hard, but then a lot of the side effects faded. I also started to notice the AD effect around then. I think that was when I was at about 100-150. I had gone up very slowly, having started at 25 mg, I think.

Sometime in the past year, I increased the Serzone to 300, then to 350. This was when I had lowered my Effexor dose because it was causing a lot of muscle twitching, etc. The reversal of the effexor:serzone ratio worked. Then, a couple of months ago, I lowered the effexor again because of bladder problems. After a few weeks, I started to feel some depression creeping back in, so we decided I would raise the serzone to 500, instead of going back up on the effexor.

The serzone's main side effect is sleepiness, but for me, it is a desired one, as long as I take the serzone at night, which I do. This is because the effexor causes insomnia. By morning, the sleepiness of the serzone wears off. In fact, I now wake up before my alarm clock, and am pretty much able to wake up and get out of bed without much trouble (compared to all those years of sleeping through alarms, etc.).

So, although I don't remember the details, I would estimate that I was on 100-150 when I started to feel the AD effects. But these things do affect us all differently.

Good luck.


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