Posted by JohnL on July 6, 1999, at 5:43:22
In reply to What would be right for me?, posted by Adam on July 5, 1999, at 19:31:52
> I have suffered from OCD (specifically, body dysmorphia)
> depression and social anxiety most of my life. It has
> been so bad that I have had to be hospitalized and
> recieved ECT. When I was in the hospital, doctors pre-
> scribed Celexa, which caused complete anorgasmia. Later
> it was suggested that I try parnate, but I resisted, not
> wanting to deal with the dietary restrictions. I have
> since tried a combo of Remeron and Zoloft, which seems
> to have stabilized me. I do not, however, feel "good"
> or joyful, if you will. Anhedonia seems a pretty good
> description. I'm not in pieces, but I wonder quite
> often "Is this as good as it gets?" Should I expect joy
> out of life? Can self-esteem come from a pill? Do
> these drugs really allow you to feel happy? I'm rather
> disillusioned. The thought of trying Parnate scares me,
> but I'm getting to the point where I think I might risk
> trying something new, if that's advisable. I guess
> that's what I need, good advice.
>
> P.S. I've also been interested in reboxetine. Any idea
> when it is supposed to be approved?
>
> ThanksHey Adam, we ought to form club. The anhedonia club. Can sure relate to your post. OCD is usually treated with a serotonin drug like SSRIs and some TCAs. But they are notorious for sexual dysfunction of various descriptions and seem powerless to some of us in correcting anhedonia/apathy. For me the anhedonia actually becomes more pronounced, though in other ways I feel a bit better or at least stable. Some possible approaches: SSRI+Wellbutrin. SSRI+Naltrexone. SSRI+Ritalin or other psychostimulant. If interested in Reboxetine, you can get it mailorder, check posts on this page for possible sources. A few reports though say Rebox caused sex probs too. A French antidepressant called Amineptine might work great on anhedonia because it works exclusively on the dopamine system (drive, reward, etc) and not serotonin. It also is available overseas mailorder with or without a prescription depending on source. Might use it alone or with an SSRI. It is reported as having mild side effects, with no effect on one's sex life. Anyway, choices are many. Just wish there was a more concrete strategy to treat anhedonia. Keep trying, hang in there. JohnL.
poster:JohnL
thread:8316
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990628/msgs/8327.html