Posted by vega on March 17, 2000, at 1:39:57
In reply to medication poop-out/reply to KarenB, posted by Elizzy on March 13, 2000, at 18:57:06
> Whoa -- a lightbulb just went off in my head when I read your message. I've been on SSRIs -- and they work great for about three months, then they stop working and we increase the dose and the blues dissolve again after two weeks. Then three months later the meds poop out again. (Repeat that process till I reach the max dosage of Zoloft, Celexa, whatever, then switch to a new SSRI.)
>
> Recently my dr. switched me to Effexor (Wellbutrin had no effect), and while I don't feel like crying 24/7, I do still feel apathetic, lazy and like Human Slug Girl.
>
> Have you (or anyone else?) had similar reactions? How do you know what the problem is? The seratonin stuff works for a while, but eventually gives out, so do you think there's another brain feel-good thingy that's out of whack?
>
> Thanks for your help :) This board is really great.
> lizzyI have never found a single antidepressant to be
adequate. Wellbutrin alone is activating for the
first week or so, as is Prozac, but any AD
activity it may have is insufficient. I have
taken Elavil and Wellbutrin; Prozac and Wellbutrin;
Celexa and Wellbutrin; Paxil and Wellbutrin;
Serzone and Wellbutrin; Remeron and Wellbutrin and
Ritalin; Remeron and Wellbutrin and Ritalin and
Adderall;and now Celexa and Wellbutrin and Ritalin
and Adderall. I have a personal scale from 0 to
10. 0 is dead. 1/2 is very heavily contemplating
suicide, steering yourself in a surreal way
through the day. A full 1 is just dragging
yourself through the day. Normal for the
"nonpathological population" is 4,5,6; 7 is high
energy, productive, generally satisfying. Most
people at 7 would play their hand. 7 and 8 are
the levels of hypomania. Someone once said that
the goal, in terms of mood and productivity, is a
controlled hypomania. At 8 symptoms of mania may
start to appear. You're walking on the edge.
9 is frank mania at its most controlled level.
The structure of your life is crumbling, you may
loose everything. At ten you are either under
control in a hospital or prison or swiftly heading
toward death.
Without any AD I am usually at a 1. A serotonin
active drug takes me to 2. Add Wellbutrin, I'm up
to a 3, the bottom of my 3,4,5 personal range. Top
that with Ritalin and/or Adderall, and I'm generally
content to play the hand at 4 or 5. EXCEPT for the
sexual effects of the serotonergic drug. Orgasm
becomes extremely difficult. So I switch to Remeron
and Wellbutrin, Ritalin and Adderall, and function
at a 4 or 5 for about 3 months, when I crash, start
taking Celexa, Wellbutrin, Ritalin and Adderall,
and SAM-e, and if I catch it early, in a few days
I'm on my way up.
poster:vega
thread:26793
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000312/msgs/27291.html