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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by deniseuk190466 on October 14, 2007, at 14:33:14
Hi,
When my depression/anxiety resurfaced six years ago, this time with suicidal ideations, I tried lots of different medications and the SSRIs increased my anxiety and suicidal ideations. Then two years later high dose Seroxat seemed to work then two years later pooped out.
I've since tried adding buspar, thyroid hormone, lamictal to no avail. Then I came off Seroxat and felt awful. Last Christmas I was seriously contemplating suicide as I'd just about had enough.
This year, I have tried lexapro and lexapro and buspar and although it lifted my mood a bit I felt physically uncomfortable on it,alsoo sleeping way too much.
I'm now back on Seroxat and although I feel better than I did off it, I'm sort of tired and restless during the day and then exhausted in the evening. At about 7pm in the day I get sooooo tired even though I got up at 10.00am today.
The SSRIs used to make me more anxious and now although they are helping with the anxiety and depression (slightly) I'm just working, sleeping, working, sleeping etc.
I think I'm going to give this another five years and then I am just going to throw in the towel because I'm getting so sick of not having a life.
Has anyone got any suggestions on what I should do next. I was thinking maybe I should add small dose selegeline, or should switch to zooloft or add a more stimulating tricyclic to the Seroxat or add Effexor to Seroxat.
I tried adding Wellbutrin about a year or two ago and it didn't seem to do anything but then I had ordered it off the web and thought that perhaps maybe it wasn't the real thing.
I tried Mirtazapine on it's own and with the Seroxat and on it's own it didn't help. It helped a little with the Seroxat.
I don't know what to do or try anymore.
I'm also taking Rhodiola Rosea.
Denise
Posted by Netch on October 14, 2007, at 14:43:22
In reply to Sleeping too much and getting tired too early, posted by deniseuk190466 on October 14, 2007, at 14:33:14
If you are bipolar light lamictal might help you. It's mood stabilizer most effective on bipolar depression.
/Netch
Posted by Phillipa on October 14, 2007, at 17:49:13
In reply to Re: Sleeping too much and getting tired too early » deniseuk190466, posted by Netch on October 14, 2007, at 14:43:22
know the feeling no Emsam in the Uk yet is there? As that is supposed to be stimulating. How bout providgil? Phillipa
Posted by bleauberry on October 14, 2007, at 18:08:46
In reply to Sleeping too much and getting tired too early, posted by deniseuk190466 on October 14, 2007, at 14:33:14
It may be that rhodiola is complicating the picture. You might want to get through a rough couple of days stopping it and then see how you do over a period of 2 weeks without it.
Rhodiola slows down the cortisol response. That is not a good thing if your cortisol is sub-normal. I have low cortisol and rhodiola is not good to me when I try it. Feels good at first, but then the fatigue, sleepiness, with weird anxiety mixed in with it all, creeps up on me and it takes me a while to figure out it is the rhodiola doing it. My doctor had me increase my dose at one time and within 2 days I was crying and sobbing I just wanted to die, and the whole time I was just sleepy yet wired with anxiety. So weird.
You can order a 4 sample per day saliva cortisol lab test online. It would be good to know what yours is, just so you would have a better idea of what herbs to consider, which to avoid, which meds to consider or avoid, and what foods to eat more of or avoid.
Posted by Polarbear206 on October 15, 2007, at 11:03:40
In reply to Sleeping too much and getting tired too early, posted by deniseuk190466 on October 14, 2007, at 14:33:14
> Hi,
>
> When my depression/anxiety resurfaced six years ago, this time with suicidal ideations, I tried lots of different medications and the SSRIs increased my anxiety and suicidal ideations. Then two years later high dose Seroxat seemed to work then two years later pooped out.
>
> I've since tried adding buspar, thyroid hormone, lamictal to no avail. Then I came off Seroxat and felt awful. Last Christmas I was seriously contemplating suicide as I'd just about had enough.
>
> This year, I have tried lexapro and lexapro and buspar and although it lifted my mood a bit I felt physically uncomfortable on it,alsoo sleeping way too much.
>
> I'm now back on Seroxat and although I feel better than I did off it, I'm sort of tired and restless during the day and then exhausted in the evening. At about 7pm in the day I get sooooo tired even though I got up at 10.00am today.
>
> The SSRIs used to make me more anxious and now although they are helping with the anxiety and depression (slightly) I'm just working, sleeping, working, sleeping etc.
>
> I think I'm going to give this another five years and then I am just going to throw in the towel because I'm getting so sick of not having a life.
>
> Has anyone got any suggestions on what I should do next. I was thinking maybe I should add small dose selegeline, or should switch to zooloft or add a more stimulating tricyclic to the Seroxat or add Effexor to Seroxat.
>
> I tried adding Wellbutrin about a year or two ago and it didn't seem to do anything but then I had ordered it off the web and thought that perhaps maybe it wasn't the real thing.
>
> I tried Mirtazapine on it's own and with the Seroxat and on it's own it didn't help. It helped a little with the Seroxat.
>
> I don't know what to do or try anymore.
>
> I'm also taking Rhodiola Rosea.
>
> Denise
Hi,I would really look into trying effexor. I had the same problems with the SSRI's esp. Paxil. I alternated with anxiety and lethergy. I take Effexor and lamictal. Works great for me. The best combo I've been on.
PB
Posted by Phillipa on October 15, 2007, at 12:16:33
In reply to Re: Sleeping too much and getting tired too early, posted by Polarbear206 on October 15, 2007, at 11:03:40
Polarbear must have read wrong thought you were in the bipolar spectrum do you really thing effexor helps with anxiety and sleepiness even with fluctuating widely thyroid? Phillipa
Posted by Dr. Bob on October 17, 2007, at 20:13:20
In reply to Re: Sleeping too much and getting tired too early, posted by bleauberry on October 14, 2007, at 18:08:46
> It may be that rhodiola is complicating the picture...
Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to redirect follow-ups regarding rhodiola to Psycho-Babble Alternative. Here's a link:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20070923/msgs/789835.html
Thanks,
Bob
Posted by rgb on October 20, 2007, at 14:33:07
In reply to Sleeping too much and getting tired too early, posted by deniseuk190466 on October 14, 2007, at 14:33:14
Hello Denise,
you mention the possibility of switching to sertraline. This might be worth a try since sertraline is a minor (but not tooo minor) dopamine reuptake inhibitor.
Your mileage /will/ probably vary, but FWIW my experience:
I seem to wake up a bit more quickly in the morning on sertraline. Duration of sleep is roughly unchanged, I think.
I do sometimes - during the day - get the desire to lay down over the desk or in my bed if possible, but I do not usually fall asleep during these bouts (actually that would be an achievement, since I have trouble falling asleep ;)). On the other hand, motivation is increased if anything.
I seem to remember reading some studies that sertraline is more beneficial for attention than paroxetine, I might be wrong here though.
I wish you good luck.
Posted by deniseuk190466 on October 22, 2007, at 16:18:26
In reply to About switching to sertraline (Zoloft) » deniseuk190466, posted by rgb on October 20, 2007, at 14:33:07
Hi,
I had tried Sertraline prior to the Seroxat and it hadn't worked that well although years ago it worked as well as Seroxat which was very well. Nothing seems to work that well over the past six years.
I might ask my psychiatrist about trying it again when I see him tomorrow but I doubt he'll want to. They seem to like to keep you on the same drug for at least 3 months here in the UK on the NHS.
I'm sort of at my wits end.
The Seroxat is keeping me from really going down but I just feel so flat and sort of nothingy on it now. Emotionally numb.
Thanks anyway for the suggestion.
Denise
Posted by psychobot5000 on October 26, 2007, at 14:07:37
In reply to About switching to sertraline (Zoloft) » deniseuk190466, posted by rgb on October 20, 2007, at 14:33:07
> Hello Denise,
>
> you mention the possibility of switching to sertraline. This might be worth a try since sertraline is a minor (but not tooo minor) dopamine reuptake inhibitor.
>
>I respectfully disagree concerning sertraline's dopamine reuptake - my understanding is that is it very small indeed. However, I wouldn't be surprised if sertraline were better than paroxetine for attentiveness, because paroxetine is anticholinergic, which can be good for mood, but bad for thinking. ...anyway, a friend of mine taking sertraline has great difficulty with sleepiness (though possibly a little less than with lexapro), so beware.
The answer some have suggested to me (on this board and from docs) to prevent sleepiness on SSRIs (which I think was one of your problems?) was either to switch to prozac or luvox, which would apparently be somewhat more energizing (for many people, at least), or else adding provigil, which my friend found works very well to knockout sleepiness, but is expensive.
Switching to an activating tricyclic like desipramine or nortriptyline does seem like a good idea to me.
Best,
PB
Posted by Phillipa on October 26, 2007, at 19:47:19
In reply to Re: About switching to sertraline (Zoloft), posted by psychobot5000 on October 26, 2007, at 14:07:37
Luvox is the only ad that is sedating for me???? And I csn tolerate. Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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