Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 747625

Shown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

antidepressants working for a few days then stop?

Posted by shift on April 6, 2007, at 17:01:19

I suffer from treatment resistant depression. I have been on several antidepressants, antipychotics (Zyprexa)and lamotrigine. After only a few days, each one of these medications will work for me and I will be 100% better but this will only last a few days and then they stop working and my brutal depression comes back and they never work again. Has anyone experienced this and/or does anyone have some advice for this.

thanks Shift

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?

Posted by bassman on April 6, 2007, at 17:52:37

In reply to antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by shift on April 6, 2007, at 17:01:19

When I initially take an AD, I often feel energized for a couple days, followed by agitated-type depression. If I continue to take the AD, it may work after a few weeks. I'm sorry, I don't have any suggestions.

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st » shift

Posted by Racer on April 6, 2007, at 18:24:29

In reply to antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by shift on April 6, 2007, at 17:01:19

When you say that the meds work after taking them for a few days, do you mean that your response happens a few days after initially starting the medications? If so, that's a placebo response, because there really aren't any anti-depressants which begin working in that time frame.

And when you say that they don't work again, how long have you stayed on the drugs? It usually takes four to six weeks AT A THERAPEUTIC DOSE for antidepressants to work. What a therapeutic dose is will vary a fair amount, with some people requiring a bit more and others a bit less. That's why there are algorithms doctors often use for making antidepressant decisions. The standard is six weeks on a medication, then evaluate. If there's no response whatsoever, change to another drug. If there's any improvement whatsoever, increase the dose or add another medication to augment. That's why it can take so long to find an effective treatment.

It would help a lot to know your exact diagnosis and what medications you've tried so far.

Good luck.

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st » Racer

Posted by Phillipa on April 6, 2007, at 22:45:18

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st » shift, posted by Racer on April 6, 2007, at 18:24:29

Very true. Love Phillipa

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st

Posted by shift on April 7, 2007, at 0:49:12

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st » Racer, posted by Phillipa on April 6, 2007, at 22:45:18

Thanks for the responses. My diagnosis is agitated treatment resistant Major Depression. I stay on each medication I try for over two months with no response; However my brutal depression literally like a switch coming on, goes completely away after a few days on the medication and lasts for a few days; at which time the switch goes off and I am back in the pain and darkness and the switch never comes back on. There is no way this is a placebo response. It is to profound a change and has not happened with all medications. Would love any advice.
shift

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?

Posted by greywolf on April 7, 2007, at 3:01:27

In reply to antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by shift on April 6, 2007, at 17:01:19


That's an interesting response to ADs. In all of my experiences with ADs, it took weeks for most of them to have any beneficial effect. I think trazodone worked more quickly than other ADs, but that was just about it.

Have you spoken to you doctor about this? What does he or she say?

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?

Posted by shift on April 7, 2007, at 10:48:42

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by greywolf on April 7, 2007, at 3:01:27

Greywolf, my Doctor has no answers and finds it strange.

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?

Posted by ttee on April 7, 2007, at 11:17:01

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by shift on April 7, 2007, at 10:48:42

I have a similiar experience when starting most AD's. Although, when starting some, I don't get much of a temporary uptick. It can be extremely frustrating to get a taste of depression relief, only to find yourself worse off after a few weeks at it. Many of the pdocs in acedemia have seen this and explain it as being a aytipical form of bipolar. Initially the AD makes you feel really good (hypomanic), but like most people with bipolar, AD's push the person toward cycling and increased depression. In any event, no one really knows what causes depression, nor how exactly the meds seem to help a certain percentage of those that take them. Best to keep in touch with your doc and try to stick them out as long as you can. Sometimes the getting worse will turn into getting better after giving the med a full 8 weeks. The Star*D study found that some people didn't respond till week 13, so some people require much longer than most. Good luck.

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st

Posted by Honore on April 7, 2007, at 11:40:03

In reply to antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by shift on April 6, 2007, at 17:01:19

Hi, Shift.

When you were on the ADs and lamotrigine, etc, were you on them in combination, or as monotherapy?

it seems to be becoming more accepted that those with TRD need to go beyond monotherapy. You might benefit from some combinationsof ADs, or maybe ADs with an anti-anxiety or energizing APS, or other drugs like benzos or perhaps a mild stimulant (if your pdoc is comfortable with that)--depending on whether anxiety or enervation are more problematic.

I'm not a pdoc, so I'm not really make concrete suggestions there-- just kind of examples of various possibilities that I've tried.

If lamotrigine and zyprexa didn't help, it could be that something else, even lithium (which my pdoc thinks is still a pretty useful drug) could be used to augment whichever Ad seems the most helpful.

Have you tried MAOIs, or any tricyclics, wellbutrin, remeron, or other less first-line ADs-- alone, or, more importantly, with an augmenting agent or agents?

It may take a fair amount of experimenting, and tweaking, but it's not good to stop trying without giving these other options a chance.

Good luck.

Honore

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st

Posted by Phillipa on April 7, 2007, at 19:39:50

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st, posted by Honore on April 7, 2007, at 11:40:03

I hear the serzone I've started is in some way the same class of ad's as trazadone? Anyone know anything about that? Love Phillipa

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?

Posted by shift on April 7, 2007, at 22:53:33

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by ttee on April 7, 2007, at 11:17:01

Thanks Ttee, that was a very helpful response.
Shift

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st

Posted by shift on April 7, 2007, at 22:55:37

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st, posted by Honore on April 7, 2007, at 11:40:03

Thanks Honore that is a helpful piece of advice. I have tried several combinations to know avail but have to keep trying.

Shift

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?

Posted by metalblade on April 9, 2007, at 9:45:38

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by shift on April 7, 2007, at 22:53:33

Shift, You might want to look into trying lithium. I had the same problem until I realized I was bipolar. I use to take paxil alone and it was like riding a roller costar. When I would initially take the medication, I would feel good. My depression would lift and so would my social phobia to a great degree. That would last for a day or two and then I would get depressed. The interesting thing is that abrupt disconsolation of the paxil for a few days would bring that feeling back. What I was feeling was a hypo manic response induced by the paxil.

When antidepressants act as a switch, bipolar disorder should be suspect.

The first time I took Lithium I felt a response immediately. I could actually feel it pulling me out of the depression I was in. Now that I take it regularly, Depression is a thing of the past for me, and I can even take the paxil now for anxiety with out the ups and downs.

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st

Posted by elanor roosevelt on April 9, 2007, at 23:06:15

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by metalblade on April 9, 2007, at 9:45:38

i have had success with ssri' for several months at a time and then crash and burn
sorry you only get a few days
it's a cruel fate
let me know if you find something that helps the ssri's kick in better. I dream of having celexa or lexapro last long-term. but they don't and have a nasty turnaround

good luck and please keep me posted if you find a good solution
or need someone to listen

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?

Posted by shift on April 10, 2007, at 0:29:53

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by metalblade on April 9, 2007, at 9:45:38

Thanks that is helpful, but unfortunately I tried Lithium and it didn't work.

Shift

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st

Posted by shift on April 10, 2007, at 0:56:17

In reply to Re: antidepressants working for a few days then st, posted by elanor roosevelt on April 9, 2007, at 23:06:15

Thanks Elanor that is very nice of you.

 

Re: antidepressants working for a few days then stop?

Posted by squeekyCat on April 11, 2007, at 13:20:09

In reply to antidepressants working for a few days then stop?, posted by shift on April 6, 2007, at 17:01:19

I had the exact same response to lamotrigine, Shift. I attributed it to the placebo effect and stopped taking it.


This is the end of the thread.


Show another thread

URL of post in thread:


Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ


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

Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.