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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by bipolarspectrum on February 3, 2006, at 19:58:25
Hi,
I'm on lithium and seroquel and its working alright... im not down but im not really happy either... i was wondering if anyone uses lexapro with some success to help the mood?
bps
Posted by greywolf on February 3, 2006, at 22:32:51
In reply to any BIPOLARS use LEXAPRO??, posted by bipolarspectrum on February 3, 2006, at 19:58:25
I've tried Lex. Made me too lethargic and had sexual SEs.
Posted by Phillipa on February 3, 2006, at 22:35:26
In reply to Re: any BIPOLARS use LEXAPRO??, posted by greywolf on February 3, 2006, at 22:32:51
I'm not bipolar I don't think but lexapro wired me. I wish it had made me tired. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by 4WD on February 3, 2006, at 22:36:20
In reply to any BIPOLARS use LEXAPRO??, posted by bipolarspectrum on February 3, 2006, at 19:58:25
> Hi,
> I'm on lithium and seroquel and its working alright... im not down but im not really happy either... i was wondering if anyone uses lexapro with some success to help the mood?
> bpsLexapro sent my anxiety and fear through the roof. It also made me wake up too early. I don't think it's a good med for a bipolar especially if you've had any kind of hypomanic reaction to SSRIs in the past.
Marsha
Posted by blueberry on February 4, 2006, at 4:46:49
In reply to any BIPOLARS use LEXAPRO??, posted by bipolarspectrum on February 3, 2006, at 19:58:25
It's so hard to predict which meds will do what since we all respond so differently. That being said, I doubt lexapro will bring you the happiness you are looking for. But that's just opinion. Basically I think all serotonin meds are emotional anesthetizers. That is, they tend to dull out the depressive feelings but they also dull out the happy feelings, kind of like squashing the entire emotional spectrum into a steady flat line. I've seen people report here hundreds of times, and it includes myself, about how ssri's make them feel apathetic and emotionless.
Those happy feelings you are looking for are more likely to be found in dopamine and/or norepinephrine mechanisms. But even with those, it is like throwing the dice each time you try a med that you think might be good.
But to be fair, there have been reports now and then from people who feel great on lexapro or other ssri's.
Of all the ssri's, it is my personal experience that prozac is the least dulling of all and the most likely to help restore happy feelings, probably because it has significant activation of norepinephrine and dopamine that the others do not have. But it seems to be better at this at low doses ranging from 10mg or 20mg a day to 10mg or 20mg twice or three times a week. At higher doses the serotonin effect becomes too strong and the dulling effect takes over.
Wellbutrin maybe. People seem to feel really good on wellbutrin and they feel it pretty quickly, or they feel really bad and they feel it pretty quickly.
DL-Phenylalanine might be a quick cheap simple test. 500mg once a day, though in some books they actually go as high as 3000mg a day. Or take it just once every 2 or 3 days. It naturally increases the feel-good endorphins, norepinephrine and dopamine, but mostly the endorphins. One book claims that the elevated endorphin levels stay elevated for a few days after a single dose. In my own personal trials that seems to be true for me.
Anyway, just some opinions and some ideas to play with.
Posted by JESSsMom on February 6, 2006, at 9:24:36
In reply to Re: any BIPOLARS use LEXAPRO??, posted by blueberry on February 4, 2006, at 4:46:49
> It's so hard to predict which meds will do what since we all respond so differently. That being said, I doubt lexapro will bring you the happiness you are looking for. But that's just opinion. Basically I think all serotonin meds are emotional anesthetizers. That is, they tend to dull out the depressive feelings but they also dull out the happy feelings, kind of like squashing the entire emotional spectrum into a steady flat line. I've seen people report here hundreds of times, and it includes myself, about how ssri's make them feel apathetic and emotionless.
>
> Those happy feelings you are looking for are more likely to be found in dopamine and/or norepinephrine mechanisms. But even with those, it is like throwing the dice each time you try a med that you think might be good.
>
> But to be fair, there have been reports now and then from people who feel great on lexapro or other ssri's.
>
> Of all the ssri's, it is my personal experience that prozac is the least dulling of all and the most likely to help restore happy feelings, probably because it has significant activation of norepinephrine and dopamine that the others do not have. But it seems to be better at this at low doses ranging from 10mg or 20mg a day to 10mg or 20mg twice or three times a week. At higher doses the serotonin effect becomes too strong and the dulling effect takes over.
>
> Wellbutrin maybe. People seem to feel really good on wellbutrin and they feel it pretty quickly, or they feel really bad and they feel it pretty quickly.
>
> DL-Phenylalanine might be a quick cheap simple test. 500mg once a day, though in some books they actually go as high as 3000mg a day. Or take it just once every 2 or 3 days. It naturally increases the feel-good endorphins, norepinephrine and dopamine, but mostly the endorphins. One book claims that the elevated endorphin levels stay elevated for a few days after a single dose. In my own personal trials that seems to be true for me.
>
> Anyway, just some opinions and some ideas to play with.Hi--everything above seems right on target to me and I, unfortunately, have had firsthand experience with, actually, ALL of the SSRI's, and many others.
Prozac is definitely the least "dulling" but blueberry, you are saying, at low doses, it affects dopamine and norepinephrine? This I didn't know, but I sure hope you are right. It is my next resort if these Wellbutrin headaches don't cease. I've tried it before but was too anxious at the time to benefit from any mood lifting effects. At the time it was aggitating and too activating for me.
Like I said, I've tried the SSRI's, many TCA's, Effexor, and Wellbutrin. The side effects of some still make me feel upset.
For instance, anyone want to control anxiety with an SSRI? Take Paxil. You'll stop crying and being constantly anxious but you'll also never smile or laugh--complete flatness of ALL emotions--great, deep sleep at night, bouts of drowsiness during the day, and an insatiable appetite.
Actually, I know better than to expect others to have the exact same experience as me but I've honestly not read/heard of many positive remarks from Paxil users.
Lexapro did absolutely nothing for me but I have read about people being pretty pleased with it.
Also have a friend on a low (10mg) dose of Prozac who says it's changed her life for the better.
Go figure.JESSsMom
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