Posted by johnturner77 on May 30, 2000, at 8:49:39
In reply to Re: Double Depression, posted by Noa on May 27, 2000, at 10:59:21
I'm not a Doctor(should be obvious!! 8>) ) but if the SSRI's make you sleepy, it seems to imply that you are getting plenty of Serotonin activity, possibly too much. The fact that you respond so poorly to Ritalin implies a resistance to Dopiminergic stimulation. The Prozac has considerable depressive effects on Dopamine, even causing Parkinsonism in some people. Dopamine is closely connected to the reward system in the brain. If this system isn't working correctly, the resulting apathy may resemble depression. IMHO, if someone doesn't respond well at the upper range of standard doses adding another with a similar mode of action, seems inadvisable.
Why not keep the Ritalin levels up while cutting out most of the SSRI type meds? This might ease the trip through the valley of the shadow while you get yourself cleaned out for a trial of the MAOs.
The dietary restrictions necessary with MAOs are all because of of the "A" receptor. Instead of adding more stimulants, would it work for some people to add some MAO-B selective drug like Deprenyl to the Parnate? This might reduce the effective dose of Parnate. ??
The more I read of the research the more cautious I become. A few more Research papers and I will probably burn my soap box. 8>)
poster:johnturner77
thread:34807
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000526/msgs/35200.html