Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 474445

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Re: Stablon (tianeptine) stopped working again » sukarno

Posted by Declan on September 1, 2005, at 15:06:56

In reply to Stablon (tianeptine) stopped working again, posted by sukarno on September 1, 2005, at 12:20:05

The CYP2D6 thing. I can't remember if you've talked about this before. Is your response to Prozac the main reason for thinking that enzyme is low in you?
Good luck, Paul
I hadn't realised you were feeling so dreadful.
Declan

 

Re: Stablon (tianeptine) stopped working again

Posted by sukarno on September 2, 2005, at 22:14:31

In reply to Re: Stablon (tianeptine) stopped working again » sukarno, posted by Declan on September 1, 2005, at 15:06:56

I think Ed mentioned that I should be tested to see if I am a poor metaboliser. All of the drugs I've tried in the past which were metabolised by CYP2D6 seem to have affected me so strongly even in the lowest doses. I remember venlafaxine (Effexor) at doses of 1/4 tablet (6.25mg) gave me tachycardia, high blood pressure and severe headache. Imipramine at 25mg and nortriptyline at 10 or 25mg (can't remember which) gave me irregular heartbeats and other side effects. Desipramine (Norpramin) at 10mg made me feel faint all the time.

Dextromethorphan makes me feel like I'm under the influence of something much stronger. I should get tested for that enzyme problem unless that is expensive. I remember taking codeine with my friend when I was a teenager and it didn't even affect me but my friend said he could feel it. Then I read the other day that codeine is a prodrug which is converted by CYP2D6 to morphine and if you are a poor metaboliser, it won't convert over to morphine very much, if at all.

I really wonder if I am a poor metaboliser. It could be, or it could be that I'm just very sensitive to medications.

It does seem that I am tolerant of medications which aren't metabolised by that enzyme such as benzodiazepines and tianeptine, etc. I could build up quite a tolerance when I used to drink.

I took two tianeptine last night. At first I couldn't sleep and then felt quite strange. My lips and fingers felt numb and I felt a bit fuzzy headed, but that could have been anxiety.
Even now I still feel fuzzy headed and have a bit of dry mouth, but not depressed at this time.

Tianeptine feels too short-acting. I wish they could make an extended release formulation to avoid the interdose problems.

 

Heart palpitations and irregular beats (Stablon?)

Posted by sukarno on September 16, 2005, at 4:59:16

In reply to Developing side effects to tianeptine (Stablon), posted by sukarno on March 25, 2005, at 5:30:58

I have been having increasingly frequent heart palpitations and some episodes of irregular beats.

Servier claimed initially that tianeptine is not cardiotoxic and is devoid of cardiac effects.

However, I have learned it does cause dry mouth which is an anticholinergic effect if I'm not mistaken.

The medications I am on currently besides tianeptine are:

famotidine (Pepcid) 40-60mg with every meal and at bedtime
diazepam (Valium) 10mg twice a day

I recently increased famotidine so maybe that is the culprit?

I have had heart palpitations prior to taking tianeptine, but now they are increasing in frequency and severity. I'm going to a cardiologist this evening at a clinic to have an ECG and possibly a blood count to find out what is responsible for it.

It really scares me because today I got up to get some water and I felt dizzy and faint along with shortness of breath until I sat down. I'm only 33 and had a full cardiac workup in 1993 which only turned up "premature beats" which were not serious. I hope this isn't serious this time.

I am under quite a bit of stress though. I hope it is only stress so I can try to relax. Everytime my heart pounds in my chest it makes me more worried.

 

Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID)

Posted by sukarno on September 30, 2005, at 5:16:41

In reply to Developing side effects to tianeptine (Stablon), posted by sukarno on March 25, 2005, at 5:30:58

Stablon is working quite well. I gave it some more time without raising the dose and it seems that keeping the doses closer together increases the efficacy. My psychiatrist said the half-life is short (approx. 6 hours) so it must be dosed at least 3 times per day.

I had an ECG and it was normal so I suspect the high dose famotidine regimen I was taking. I lowered famotidine down to 20mg QID and supplemented with calcium carbonate antacids...now my heart palpitations are relatively rare (once or twice a day at most instead of dozens of times).

I'm still on Valium 10mg BID. Overall my panic attacks, anxiety and depression are well-controlled. I hope this keeps up.

I do have amineptine as a last resort, but haven't taken any of it yet. Expiration date on amineptine is July 2007, so it is still "fresh". :)

If anyone else here is taking Stablon, please report on your experiences. :) Thanks! :)

Paul

 

Re: Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID)

Posted by sukarno on September 30, 2005, at 5:23:27

In reply to Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID), posted by sukarno on September 30, 2005, at 5:16:41

Sorry for the double, but I forgot to mention that I still lack motivation. This lack of motivation began about 18 months prior to my first panic attack, so I am sure it is pathological.

I'm not sure how to treat that. I've complained to the psychiatrist about it and he just said to take Stablon.

I'm thinking a dopaminergic would be in order for that.

Is it possible or safe to supplement amineptine along with Stablon (tianeptine)?

It's strange to feel in a good mood, but yet at the same time are amotivational. Stablon does enhance emotion instead of blunting it as SSRIs do, and there are no sexual side effects either. That's good, but the lack of motivation really interferes with my life.

What would you do if you were me?
*confused*

Thanks! :)
Paul

 

Re: Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID) » sukarno

Posted by ed_uk on September 30, 2005, at 15:16:15

In reply to Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID), posted by sukarno on September 30, 2005, at 5:16:41

Hi Paul,

>Stablon is working quite well.

:-)

>I had an ECG and it was normal

:-) !

>Motivation

I've never taken a drug which has motivated me. I doubt anything would motivate me to do things I don't enjoy!

>I'm still on Valium 10mg BID.

Do you prefer it to Xanax? Are your liver enzymes normal?

Kind regards

~Ed

 

Re: Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID)

Posted by sukarno on October 2, 2005, at 14:55:18

In reply to Re: Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID) » sukarno, posted by ed_uk on September 30, 2005, at 15:16:15

Hi Ed! :-)

How are you doing? Still taking citalopram?
I hope all is well.

I asked a psychiatrist if it would be ok to take amineptine along with Stablon and he said it is ok, so I might give it a try at a low dose.

I should get my liver enzymes checked as it's been 2 1/2 years since the last test. I hope nothing is wrong. My appetite is still good though.

Valium, even at a much lower dose of 20mg (relative to 5mg Xanax) is much more effective. I feel much better and I haven't felt this good in a few years. :-)

No ups and downs on Valium. Easy enough to take twice a day (every 12 hours). Xanax sometimes precipitated my anxiety and I would get rebound symptoms and panic attacks at night. At first I thought this was just part of the panic disorder, but after getting on Valium this no longer happens.

It's a big relief to say the least. :-)

I cut back on famotidine to 20mg in the morning before breakfast and 40mg at night. I take calcium carbonate as an antacid with meals during the day to keep the acid down.

I'm thinking of starting a PPI (e.g. omeprazole), but I've heard of people having anxiety and tachycardia as adverse reactions, so I'm not sure if it is a good idea or not. I do have a bottle of omeprazole here. They are 20mg capsules and I was thinking of emptying out half the capsule so I'd be taking roughly 10mg. I'm terribly afraid of the side effects of PPIs, but need something stronger to keep the GERD at bay.

I'm not sure if I'd do better on amineptine. I've read it affects the adrenergic system, so it is possible it could exacerbate my anxiety although I feel very calm most of the time. My main problem now is lack of motivation and that makes me depressed at times. I don't really have motivation to do anything... I struggle with it and try to tough it out. Stablon mostly just keeps the depression away and sometimes puts me in a pleasant mood, but still feel lazy to perform even simple tasks.

A lot of this could be due to my living situation. I really don't like Indonesia and am planning to move back to Malaysia one of these days. That's a very nice country...much less to worry about over there and very clean and organised.

Take care and keep in touch! :-)

Best wishes,
Paul

 

Re: Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID) » sukarno

Posted by ed_uk on October 2, 2005, at 15:29:14

In reply to Re: Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID), posted by sukarno on October 2, 2005, at 14:55:18

Hi Paul,

>How are you doing? Still taking citalopram?

I'm ok thanks, still on citalopram 60mg. My anxiety is mild atm but seems to be getting worse. I'd like to increase the citalopram to 80mg.

>Valium, even at a much lower dose of 20mg (relative to 5mg Xanax) is much more effective.

IMO, diazepam is usually a better long-term benzo than alprazolam. The inter-dose withdrawal symptoms are just too much of a problem with alprazolam.

>I'm terribly afraid of the side effects of PPIs..........

I don't think you should be. The side effects of PPIs aren't usually any worse than the side effects of famotidine. PPIs are widely agreed to be the most effective treatment for GERD.

There is some evidence that omeprazole might interact with diazepam. Rabeprazole, another PPI, does not appear to interact with diazepam.

PPIs can reduce vitamin B12 absorption, this might lead to psychiatric symptoms. Supplementation could be helpful, not sure.

>A lot of this could be due to my living situation. I really don't like Indonesia and am planning to move back to Malaysia one of these days. That's a very nice country...much less to worry about over there and very clean and organised.

Why don't you like Indonesia?

Kind regards

Ed

 

Re: Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID)

Posted by sukarno on October 12, 2005, at 7:46:49

In reply to Re: Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID) » sukarno, posted by ed_uk on October 2, 2005, at 15:29:14

Hi Ed! :-)

Yeah, Indonesia for me is quite stressful.. the constant threat of terrorism and having trouble becoming fluent in the language. I feel a sense of culture shock, which is masked by the drug cocktail I'm taking. Stablon has helped most with this.

I began a Valium taper yesterday. I have 300 2mg tablets and some 5mg tablets, so I decided to taper from 20mg to 19mg and taper by 1mg every month. That should be slow enough to avoid any significant withdrawal symptoms eh? I hope so. :-)

Benzodiazepines tend to exacerbate anger when I'm in a situation where someone is making me angry. Sometimes I feel a sense of rage. I've maintained my calm despite that, but it is disturbing. I never had this problem prior to benzos. Perhaps it is due to disinhibition or a paradoxical reaction? For the most part, Valium makes me feel calm and sleepy. Xanax was a much worse offender when it came to irritability.

I slept better when I was off benzos in that it felt like a more "natural" sleep. I would wake up feeling more refreshed instead of groggy. I've been on benzos since 1989/90.

Stablon has helped my anxiety a lot but the results didn't occur for a few months. Stablon seems to work better in the long term for anxiety.
:-) My goal is to discontinue or stay on the lowest dose possible of Valium and hope Stablon will control the panic attacks by itself.

I can't find rabeprazole here in Indonesia. Perhaps I could empty out half the omeprazole capsule to make it an approximate 10mg and take that?

I did manage to lower my famotidine dosage to 60mg/day (20mg in the morning and 40mg at night) and just yesterday I only took 20mg at night. My leg pain/inflammation has disappeared. (It had been hurting and swelling a bit for months but right after I drastically lowered the dose of famotidine it vanished!) :-)

I read later that famotidine can cause inflammation of the blood vessels. That's definitely not a good thing I suppose.

Is it legal to import Stablon into the UK? I know that in the US it is illegal to import any drug which is not FDA approved, irrespective of whether or not it is a scheduled drug.

Have a good day..

Best wishes! :-)
Paul

 

Re: Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID) » sukarno

Posted by ed_uk on October 12, 2005, at 14:28:26

In reply to Re: Stablon is working well (12.5mg QID), posted by sukarno on October 12, 2005, at 7:46:49

Hi Paul

>That should be slow enough to avoid any significant withdrawal symptoms eh?

I agree :-) Keep us up to date on how it goes.

>Benzodiazepines tend to exacerbate anger when I'm in a situation where someone is making me angry.

I find that. I can't control my temper if I've taken a benzo!

>I can't find rabeprazole here in Indonesia.

Are you sure? The brand name is Pariet.

>Is it legal to import Stablon into the UK?

I think so. The law is 'fuzzy' on this one though.

Kind regards

~Ed

 

Taking Stablon (tianeptine) with amineptine

Posted by sukarno on October 24, 2005, at 14:38:13

In reply to Developing side effects to tianeptine (Stablon), posted by sukarno on March 25, 2005, at 5:30:58

Has anyone here taken Stablon with amineptine?

I just tried small amounts of amineptine, starting with 1/8 of a tablet and then worked my way up to 62.5mg tonight.

The effects I noticed were an increased ease in movement (less stiffness in the joints) and some dizziness and an "off-balance" (ataxia?) type of feeling.

I still take 12.5mg Stablon four times a day and have reduced diazepam since 12 October to 19mg/day from 20mg/day. I plan to reduce diazepam by 1mg every month to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

I hope my good response to 7 months on tianeptine means that I won't have any negative liver side-effects on amineptine since both are metabolised in a similar fashion. They have similar metabolites if I'm not mistaken, so good hepatic response to tianeptine should predict good response to amineptine, but I could be wrong.

I need some motivation because my lack of motivation interferes with my quality of life and is quite severe at times. Even though I don't experience major depression since being on Stablon, I still feel amotivational. Basic activities are a burden for me. Mostly I just want to sleep all the time or just sit at my computer and listen to music.

I don't like being this way and no drug but Pamelor (nortriptyline) has worked for this, however I can't take that anymore due to the large number of side effects I experienced...especially cardiotoxicity (e.g. arrhythmias, rapid heartbeat).

I developed an amotivational syndrome when I was 15 years old, approximately 18 months prior to my first panic attack. The amotivational syndrome coexisted with depression.

 

Amineptine's delayed effect

Posted by sukarno on October 24, 2005, at 16:54:39

In reply to Taking Stablon (tianeptine) with amineptine, posted by sukarno on October 24, 2005, at 14:38:13

Just 3 1/2 hours after I took the last dose of amineptine I can feel a different effect...somewhat like the activating feeling one gets from Prozac.

I feel a bit "wired" and the adrenaline is flowing but it is somewhat of a relief because I feel some motivation now to get up and do something. I don't think this is a placebo or psychological effect. It definitely cannot be ignored. At first I thought it was just adrenaline due to hypoglycemia, but I ate and still feel it.

I think I'll lower the dosage - or if I'm still nervous tomorrow - I'll skip it.

I can't take my 4th dose of tianeptine either. Perhaps amineptine in a low dose is all I'll need to augment tianeptine.

I'm hitting DA, NE and 5-HT now. I hope nothing disastrous occurs. I'll go to sleep now and hope for the best.

Just a bit nervous is all and some "inner tension".

 

Re: Amineptine's delayed effect » sukarno

Posted by ed_uk on October 25, 2005, at 14:41:09

In reply to Amineptine's delayed effect, posted by sukarno on October 24, 2005, at 16:54:39

Hi P,

>I hope my good response to 7 months on tianeptine means that I won't have any negative liver side-effects on amineptine since both are metabolised in a similar fashion. They have similar metabolites if I'm not mistaken, so good hepatic response to tianeptine should predict good response to amineptine, but I could be wrong.

Have you had a liver function test while you've been on Stablon?

As a side note, I was wondering how you'd respond to a combination of reboxetine + atenolol.

~ed

 

Re: Amineptine's delayed effect

Posted by sukarno on October 25, 2005, at 22:34:48

In reply to Re: Amineptine's delayed effect » sukarno, posted by ed_uk on October 25, 2005, at 14:41:09

Hi Ed! :-)

How is everything going? I did some reading about citalopram and apparently it does not rely exclusively on CYP2D6 so it might be worth a try for me if I ever discontinue Stablon... although I'm afraid of the emotional numbing of SSRIs. Prozac made me feel quite numb and indifferent to everything around me, yet I was in a great mood. :-)

I haven't had a liver function test since starting Stablon, but from what I've read, the liver damage supposedly only occurs in those who are genetically susceptible and occurs straight away (usually within 30 days) along with symptoms of rash, itching, fever and abdominal pain.

Have you heard of any cases of people who had hepatic injury after taking it for the long term?

I really should get a liver function test. Valium tends to raise my GGT and ALT enzymes so that might skew the results so I won't know if Valium or Stablon (or Survector) are doing any damage.

Last night I developed stomach pain and some nausea, but that happened after my usual calcium carbonate dosage...not sure if that was a sign of toxicity from Survector.

I took only 25mg amineptine prior to bed last night and woke up feeling refreshed.... no grogginess upon awakening but I feel so weak when I get up to walk around...unusual weakness.

My appetite now is fine though.

I promise you (and myself) that I'll get that LFT done the first week of November and post the results here.

I don't understand why some people abuse amineptine... I didn't feel "high" when I took it... just an usual ease of movement..that's it.. then I felt nervous and very uncomfortably so.
Just like Prozac! hehheh. Nasty.

Take care and keep me updated on the citalopram. Does it have any action on NE? It seems that NE (and also DA) are key to motivation.

Best wishes! :-)
Paul

 

Re: Taking Stablon (tianeptine) with amineptine

Posted by sukarno on October 26, 2005, at 7:40:57

In reply to Taking Stablon (tianeptine) with amineptine, posted by sukarno on October 24, 2005, at 14:38:13

ugh...I'm getting dull stomach pain after eating now. This never happened prior to taking amineptine 2 days ago. :-(

I read this is rare and precedes hepatitis. I hope not.

Is this a normal side effect? It's hard to come by information on either Stablon or Survector on the internet. An abundance of information is there for Prozac, but not for the European meds. :-(

 

Re: Taking Stablon (tianeptine) with amineptine

Posted by sukarno on October 26, 2005, at 9:38:41

In reply to Re: Taking Stablon (tianeptine) with amineptine, posted by sukarno on October 26, 2005, at 7:40:57

I took Pepcid 20mg and it seems to have helped. I have cut back on Pepcid a lot in the past few weeks and the acid reflux has come back like it was before. Unless I'm sitting straight up at all times I'll get tons of acid coming up into my chest and throat.

I still can't find rabeprazole here. I looked on an Indonesian drug registry and it isn't listed, but they do have omeprazole, lansoprazole, esomeprazole and pantoprazole.

I remember after taking amineptine the first time I felt a lot of heartburn.. jeez.
Perhaps the excipients or fillers in the tablet aren't very good. Amineptine has a foul smell too. I only found the date of expiry on one strip of tablets and it said "Jul 07", but the rest look very old....the style of print appears to be old.

I know of someone who takes selegiline with amineptine, even though MAOIs are contraindicated.

I'd do anything to get my motivation back again...except I won't take Pamelor again. That was dangerous. Smoking is probably safer. hehheh.

 

Quitting amineptine

Posted by sukarno on October 27, 2005, at 8:00:00

In reply to Taking Stablon (tianeptine) with amineptine, posted by sukarno on October 24, 2005, at 14:38:13

I decided to quit amineptine because each time I take it, about 12 hours later my stomach will feel as if there is a lit match inside it... a burning feeling and dull pain that isn't relieved by antacids.

The good thing I can report about amineptine is that is does indeed increase libido (markedly in my case) and reduces worrysome thoughts. You wake up in the morning refreshed too. Too bad that I have to quit it.

Or maybe I could try PPI + amineptine?

I guess I'll try to explore the use of various FDA-approved Parkinson's medications since they are dopaminergic and dopaminergics are usually pro-sexual and pro-motivation.

Stablon makes me feel good, but it is a lazy type of mood elevation. Imagine feeling good or even euphoric, but lazy. :-(

It is an excellent anxiolytic though. In fact, I would say, the longer you take Stablon, the more anxiolytic power it seems to possess. I think it is better than Valium and hence I am going to quit Valium one of these days (in less than 20 months anyway. hehheh).

 

Re: Amineptine's delayed effect » sukarno

Posted by ed_uk on October 28, 2005, at 14:25:14

In reply to Re: Amineptine's delayed effect, posted by sukarno on October 25, 2005, at 22:34:48

Hi P,

>I did some reading about citalopram and apparently it does not rely exclusively on CYP2D6 so it might be worth a try for me if I ever discontinue Stablon... although I'm afraid of the emotional numbing of SSRIs.

I think you'd find citalopram too numbing to be honest. Also, I don't think you'd like the sexual side effects.

>Take care and keep me updated on the citalopram. Does it have any action on NE?

It doesn't inhibit the reuptake of NE at all, it's a very selective SSRI.

Kind regards

~Ed

 

Re: Quitting amineptine » sukarno

Posted by ed_uk on October 28, 2005, at 14:27:28

In reply to Quitting amineptine, posted by sukarno on October 27, 2005, at 8:00:00

Hi P!

>Or maybe I could try PPI + amineptine?

:-( I think you should quit the Survector. You could still take a PPI for your acid reflux though.

~ed

 

Breaking news regarding Stablon (tianeptine) :-)

Posted by sukarno on November 1, 2005, at 14:49:05

In reply to Developing side effects to tianeptine (Stablon), posted by sukarno on March 25, 2005, at 5:30:58

Stablon restores neurotrophic factor gene expression

http://www.servier.com/pro/Neurosciences/general/Publication_gene.asp
A recent article entitled “Regulation of hippocampal gene expression is conserved in two species subjected to different stressors and antidepressant treatments” , published in Biological Psychiatry by Alfonso J et al, confirms that the expression of numerous genes involved in the control of neuroplasticity, and particularly of genes coding for neurotrophic factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) are significantly decreased in animals submitted to a paradigm of depression.

The authors measured the effect of a chronic (3 weeks) treatment with STABLON on the expression of genes involved in the regulation of neuroplasticity. The most remarkable finding was that STABLON is able to restore the expression of the genes for the neurotrophic factors BDNF and NGF (Figure 1).


These findings are in line with:

* the neuroplasticity hypothesis of depression according to which depression may result from alteration of neuroplasticity in brain areas involved in the control of mood and emotions.

* and with previously published data showing that STABLON has a unique impact on neuroplasticity. These new findings contribute to a better understanding of STABLON’s ability to restore neuroplasticity, and lend further support to its antidepressant efficacy.


Reference: Alfonso J, Frick LR, Silberman DM, Palumbo ML, Genaro AM, Frasch AC. Regulation of hippocampal gene expression is conserved in two species subjected to different stressors and antidepressant treatments. Biol Psychiatry. Epub; October 2005

 

Stablon is anticholinergic? Mildly hallucinogenic

Posted by sukarno on November 2, 2005, at 12:22:19

In reply to Developing side effects to tianeptine (Stablon), posted by sukarno on March 25, 2005, at 5:30:58

I increased the dosage of Stablon to 5 tablets a day for just two days and experienced in the early morning a definite euphoria. However, it was followed by a sensation of everything being in "slow-motion".

I felt as if I was in a state of derealisation, but not panicky... very relaxed and euphoric.

Is this, perhaps, signs of anticholingeric psychosis?

Servier marketed Stablon as being devoid of anticholinergic effects, but Ed showed me that it does indeed have some effects similar to amitriptyline in that it can cause dry mouth, etc.

The only side effects I feel in the higher doses besides the short-lived euphoria is dry mouth and thirst.

Is this a dangerous side effect? I love the mood elevation as it is very nice to be free of depression, but that distortion of perception frightened me and reminded me of marijuana intoxication.

 

Re: Stablon is anticholinergic? Mildly hallucinogenic

Posted by katekite1 on November 2, 2005, at 16:46:55

In reply to Stablon is anticholinergic? Mildly hallucinogenic, posted by sukarno on November 2, 2005, at 12:22:19

Hi,

With a dose increase maybe it suppresses the inhibitory action of serotonin on dopamine neurons, just making this up as I go along practically.

I wonder if that is sort of related to the visual disturbances people get during ssri withdrawal.

I wouldn't up the dose any further until the effect goes away.

I tried Stablon for a week or so, gave me dry eyes and insomnia, and cold toes (something to do with altered vascular tone).

Glad to hear you are getting a pleasant feeling from it.

Kate

 

Re: Stablon is anticholinergic? Mildly hallucinogenic

Posted by DavidH44 on January 9, 2006, at 11:00:29

In reply to Re: Stablon is anticholinergic? Mildly hallucinogenic, posted by katekite1 on November 2, 2005, at 16:46:55

Just posted this on another thread, repeating it here.

No one has mentioned price. When I left Chile Stablon was about $1/pill. Taking 3x/day is out of my price range. How much does it cost wherever you are taking it?

And I'm really sorry to hear that Survector was discontinued in Brazil.

======== repeat post==========
I took aminemptine (Survector) for several years in Chile in the 1990's and it worked great. If it is still available in Brazil (where I visit) or anywhere else I'd love to know. (Don't worry, I won't import it . . .)

I did some research when it was withdrawn, supposedly for abuse, but all the studies I found showed low abuse statistics -- and it was the most widely prescribed out-patient med in Europe for many years. The head chemist at the Chile firm that produced it under license said it had been withdrawn only because the French patent holder had a new drug (Stablon, tianeptine) that they expected to be more profitable.

I have not tried Stablon. As to its action, the chemist told me that they believed its mechanism was that REDUCING serotonin caused the brain to INCREASE dopamine, therefore producing an effect similar to Survector by a different method.

When I returned to the US no one knew about either drug so I tried Welbutrin since it was the only anti-depressant with a dopamine enhancer, and it was terrible for me: I had seriously uncontrollable episodes of rage that lasted for months even after I stopped taking the drug. Scared the hell out of me and my family.

I've tried a variety of things since then, and what seems to work best is something the docs say shouldn't work at all: a combination of low doses of zoloft and celexa, with amantadine (a dopamine enhancer prescribed for Parkinsons)

Just shows: people are different, and what works for one doesn't work for another. Psychiatric pharmacology is mostly flying blind, trial and error, not customized to the individual. Where's Timothy Leary when we really need him?

Good luck to all.

 

Re: Stablon is anticholinergic? Mildly hallucinog » DavidH44

Posted by rod on January 9, 2006, at 12:58:09

In reply to Re: Stablon is anticholinergic? Mildly hallucinogenic, posted by DavidH44 on January 9, 2006, at 11:00:29

> Just posted this on another thread, repeating it here.
>
> No one has mentioned price. When I left Chile Stablon was about $1/pill. Taking 3x/day is out of my price range. How much does it cost wherever you are taking it?
>
Hello there... vianna calling

0,44 USD / pill

I didnt have a good response to this drug at all..

bye

 

Re: Stablon is anticholinergic? Mildly hallucinog

Posted by sukarno on January 10, 2006, at 13:32:26

In reply to Re: Stablon is anticholinergic? Mildly hallucinog » DavidH44, posted by rod on January 9, 2006, at 12:58:09

Stablon is available in Indonesia for 50 cents (US) per tablet at the least expensive pharmacy.

Survector (amineptine) is $2.00 (US) per tablet.


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[dr. bob] Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD, bob@dr-bob.org

Script revised: February 4, 2008
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