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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jerrympls on April 2, 2006, at 3:23:22
I've looked through my past med history, journals, etc and found that I never had a trial of Remeron! Actually, I was put on it when it first came out but I stopped it after 3 days because I had bad nightmares.
Perhaps this would be a good option for me? It would help me sleep - so I could get rid of the Seroquel - and I'm assuming it would help with anxiety too. I know a major side effect is weight gain - but it can't be as bad as the weight gain caused by the evil Seroquel!
I'm going to talk to my doctor about this. Anyone out there have any opinions? SLS? Med? Ed? Anyone?
Thanks
Jerry
Posted by Sarah T. on April 2, 2006, at 4:23:20
In reply to Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/GAD?, posted by jerrympls on April 2, 2006, at 3:23:22
Hi Jerry,
I've read that Remeron is an excellent antidepressant. The main drawback, as you mentioned, is the weight gain. As you said, you gained weight from Seroquel, but Remeron has numerous advantages over Seroquel. The most important advantage is that it's an sntidepressant. It targets several neurotransmitters, and I'm starting to believe that is essential to long-term efficacy. Zeroing in on only one neurotransmitter, as the SSRI's do, seems to create more problems.
At least one study indicated that Remeron lowers cortisol. I don't know whether elevated cortisol is a problem for you, but it is for many depressed patients.When you got nightmares in the past, how many milligrams did you take? If you decide to try Remeron, why don't you start with a very low dose and work your way up slowly?
If it weren't for the weight gain, I think Remeron would be a very popular antidepressant.
Posted by TylerJ on April 2, 2006, at 10:38:43
In reply to Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/GAD?, posted by jerrympls on April 2, 2006, at 3:23:22
> I've looked through my past med history, journals, etc and found that I never had a trial of Remeron! Actually, I was put on it when it first came out but I stopped it after 3 days because I had bad nightmares.
>
> Perhaps this would be a good option for me? It would help me sleep - so I could get rid of the Seroquel - and I'm assuming it would help with anxiety too. I know a major side effect is weight gain - but it can't be as bad as the weight gain caused by the evil Seroquel!
>
> I'm going to talk to my doctor about this. Anyone out there have any opinions? SLS? Med? Ed? Anyone?
>
> Thanks
> Jerry
Remeron is an excellent AD. Next to the MAOI's it's my favorite. It worked very well for me for about 5 yrs. For me it was a far superior med than the ssri's-which I've grown to dislike very much. Yea, I gained some weight on it, but lost it when I stopped taking it. If you give it some time it'll definitely help you sleep as well. Overall, a good drug for Dep/anx. Good Luck.Tyler
Posted by ed_uk on April 2, 2006, at 14:07:59
In reply to Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/GAD?, posted by jerrympls on April 2, 2006, at 3:23:22
Hi J :)
It certainly sounds like you should give Remeron another chance. Not so sure that is would cause any less weight gain than Seroquel though :(
Regards
Ed
Posted by Racer on April 2, 2006, at 14:22:48
In reply to Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/GAD?, posted by jerrympls on April 2, 2006, at 3:23:22
I've read that the weight gain is worse at lower dosages, so by the time you titrated up to therapeutic levels, that might be minimized. And there's always taking it with Topomax or metformin. Worth talking ot your doctor about, at any rate.
I wish you the best of luck on it, too. You've been hurting a long time, and it would be good to see you find some relief.
Posted by SLS on April 2, 2006, at 15:32:08
In reply to Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/GAD?, posted by jerrympls on April 2, 2006, at 3:23:22
I say go for it. If you prepare yourself mentally for the startup side effects (nightmares), perhaps it will make it easier to get through them. If you tolerate the drug well, you might then consider adding a serotonin reuptake inhibitor if your response is inadequate. Remember, though, it will take as long as 6 weeks at the right dosage for you to see a pronounced effect.
One step at a time. Keep us posted on a daily basis. With the support to be found here, it might prevent you from bailing-out on this drug prematurely.
Which drugs have you had the most success with in the past?
- Scott
> I've looked through my past med history, journals, etc and found that I never had a trial of Remeron! Actually, I was put on it when it first came out but I stopped it after 3 days because I had bad nightmares.
>
> Perhaps this would be a good option for me? It would help me sleep - so I could get rid of the Seroquel - and I'm assuming it would help with anxiety too. I know a major side effect is weight gain - but it can't be as bad as the weight gain caused by the evil Seroquel!
>
> I'm going to talk to my doctor about this. Anyone out there have any opinions? SLS? Med? Ed? Anyone?
>
> Thanks
> Jerry
Posted by SLS on April 2, 2006, at 15:34:43
In reply to Re: Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/G, posted by Racer on April 2, 2006, at 14:22:48
> I've read that the weight gain is worse at lower dosages, so by the time you titrated up to therapeutic levels, that might be minimized. And there's always taking it with Topomax or metformin. Worth talking ot your doctor about, at any rate.
I am seeing metformin being mentioned more frequently as an antidote to drug-induced weight gain.
- Scott
Posted by rubenstein on April 2, 2006, at 17:56:51
In reply to Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/GAD?, posted by jerrympls on April 2, 2006, at 3:23:22
It has been working for me, especially in areas of sleep. I am really concerned about weight gain so I just have started exercising more and watching what I eat. SO far so good...
hope that helps
rachel
Posted by joslynn on April 3, 2006, at 14:02:58
In reply to Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/GAD?, posted by jerrympls on April 2, 2006, at 3:23:22
Hello! I am on remeron and have posted about it before. Try searching under Remeron and my posting name.
I take 15 mg at night and an SSRI in the morining. I feel very good emotionally overall on this combo, and I have had recurrent severe depression in the past before meds. (Note: I have never been on just Remeron alone. I have, however, been on just an SSRI alone.)
As for the weight gain...I know many people have gained a lot, but as for me, it wasn't too bad. About 10 pounds...which does bother me because I am short, but overall, that is not a huge amount. I am still not what you would call fat, but I went from hovering around 120 to hovering around 130. Not the end of the world.
Give it a try and see how it works for you...Good luck!
Posted by Caedmon on April 3, 2006, at 20:07:33
In reply to Re: Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/G, posted by SLS on April 2, 2006, at 15:34:43
Give it a shot. Remeron seems, to *me*, to be probably one of the better of the "new" antidepressants. It's usually a question of tolerability of side effects, but I'd probably go with it over Seroquel.
Re: metformin. Yeah, I hear about people using this for weight gain side effects. It makes some sense if you're on atypical antipsychotics, or Prozac - something that messes with your blood sugar and stuff. I don't know about the rest though.
- C
Posted by Racer on April 4, 2006, at 1:07:22
In reply to Re: Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/G, posted by Caedmon on April 3, 2006, at 20:07:33
>
>
> Re: metformin. Yeah, I hear about people using this for weight gain side effects. It makes some sense if you're on atypical antipsychotics, or Prozac - something that messes with your blood sugar and stuff. I don't know about the rest though.
>
> - CSome of the other ADs also mess with blood sugar regulation, although you don't necessarily hear about it as much. Effexor, for instance, will {ahem} run with scissors around your endocrine system. I'd bet that that's true of more than just those, though. I've had trouble with glucose regulation after each of the ADs that I've been on, and I think it's at least partly related to the weight gain I've had from them.
I can't remember where I found the articles about metformin and topomax being used to counter the weight gain from ADs, but it's out there. Those are the two drugs recommended in a couple of big studies. Maybe something new will come of it all? Like, oh, an effective AD that maybe helps stabilize blood sugar, while being truly weight neutral?
Then again, maybe Meridia would be helpful -- it does selectively inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, after all...
Posted by CEK on April 4, 2006, at 9:42:48
In reply to Re: Remeron for treatment-resistant depression w/G » Caedmon, posted by Racer on April 4, 2006, at 1:07:22
I've read on body building websites about body builders using Metformin to help lose weight by keeping their blood sugar regulated when they eat the carbs that they need for energy preventing weight gain. I know diabetics take it. They also use cycles of T3 along with it to promote weight loss. There are some crazy things that they take to do this. These aren't my suggestions, just things that I have read. When on Effexor my doctor advised me not to take ANY diet pills. She said they would counteract the effects of the AD. For some reason she would never prescribe me Meridia even before the ADs. She said it was dangerous. I know that I have taken Phentermine (against her orders) along with the Effexor and she was right. It would keep me from eating and I would have a wonderful euphoric feeling while taking it(before it would wear off, then I would crash and feel horrible)but by day three of taking it, the depression was worse than ever! I could never take it for long. I did it for the month of June last year and lost 15lbs but started to get chest pains and had to stop. I just delt with the depression during that time. Topamax was wonderful when I took it a couple months ago with Lamictal. Food did not taste as good and I lost the compulsive urge to constantly feed my face even though not hungry. As a woman when I eat chocolate it gives me an euphoric feeling that spreads through my body. (like some sort of drug and I would need it to get a fix) My husband says that when he eats chocolate which he does all the time, he doesn't get this feeling. From what I've read in articles women get this responce from it. They say it mimics the same feeling you get when you are first in love. Well anyway, Topamax took away this feeling. When I ate chocolate or any foods that seemed to ease my anxiety,there was no good feeling or rush. I had no desire to eat like that anymore because instead of feeling good, I'd feel stuffed and want to throw up. I loved it for that part. It was kind of sad for me though, because once eating didn't work for me, there was nothing left to give me that good feeling. I just felt bad all the time. But I had to deal with this because I had gained 40 lbs since August and couldn't go on this way. The psychiatrist that I started seeing last month took me off of the Topamax when he added Zoloft and Seroquel to my cocktail.(he has since stopped the Zoloft) I don't know why he didn't want me to take it anymore. I believe that if your pdoc knows weigh gain is an issue for you and you hate looking like a barn yard animal, he'll prescribe you something that's known to make you fat and take away the things that prevent it. That's my experience.
This is the end of the thread.
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