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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by geno on April 5, 2002, at 16:25:07
Hey 3 beers, i was reading up on some alternative approaches to augment with my meds. I just dropped paxil. Staying of remeron due to the great sleep i get off it. Im thinking of adding a high dose of sam-e. Why? Because i read it boost seratonin and dopamine. This may couteract the sedation from remeron, and boost more seratonin properties, thus elevating mood.
The other alternative as you know is to get zoloft up in the 100mgs to kick in some dopamine.
Then take 1-2mg of klonopin a day. and drop desipramine.worth a try?
geno
Posted by 3 Beer Effect on April 5, 2002, at 21:34:45
In reply to Social phobia MEDS, 3 beers?, posted by geno on April 5, 2002, at 16:25:07
Since insurance doesn't pay for it the only standardized brand that is proven to work, I think it is Nature Made Sam-E is ridiculously expensive. It is probably more expensive than generic Prozac. Plus being on too many serotogenic meds at once can give you serotonin apathy or serotonin syndrome which can kill you.
Plus, i'm kind of skeptical of herbs- most of them seem to not work as well as prescription drugs & are an unregulated & often unsafe ripoff. Ginseng actually prevents the actions of amphetamines yet it is promoted as a stimulant. St. John's Wort can cause defects in a males reproductive ability, so if you ever have children the kid might have two heads! Ma Huang Ephedra is weaker but more dangerous than the synthetic ephedrine hcl in primatene asthma tablets.
I'm not sure what to make of SAM-E, most of the studies that showed improvement in depression used anywhere from 400-1600 mg which would take multiple 200 mg pills that almost no one can afford. I forget exactly how much SAM-E costs but it is somewhere in the range of $1.50-$2.00 per pill + tax, even at discount warehouses like Costco.- There is no tax on prescription drugs! Zoloft is probably about the same price or less per pill (check the walgreens.com website for drug prices), & way cheaper if you have medical insurance.
I would just do a Zoloft, Remeron, Klonopin combo like Zoloft 75-100 mg, Remeron 15 mg at bedtime & 1 mg of Klonopin in the day. Zoloft does have very slight dopamine reuputake inhibition properties (the most pro-dopaminergic of the SSRIs).
If you get insomnia from the Zoloft just cut the Remeron to 15 mg which is more sedating than the 30 mg tablets.
3 Beers
Posted by Ron Hill on April 8, 2002, at 14:08:30
In reply to SAM-E is too expensive, posted by 3 Beer Effect on April 5, 2002, at 21:34:45
>I forget exactly how much SAM-E costs but it is somewhere in the range of $1.50-$2.00 per pill + tax, even at discount warehouses like Costco.
----------------3BE,
My most recent purchase of an 80 count box of 200 mg Nature Made SAM-e at Costco cost $34.99. That's less than fifty cents per 200 mg tablet. That's still expensive for patients who require higher doses, but for me, since I only require 200 mg/day, my SAM-e costs less than a can of soda pop a day.
-- Ron
This is the end of the thread.
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