Posted by Tony P on April 22, 2001, at 0:59:46
In reply to Re: amytriptiline, and anger » tina, posted by SLS on April 22, 2001, at 0:19:47
I think Buspar gets an unnecessary bad press, for some reason. It has worked very well for me for several years. I take it with Serzone, which helps to keep my endogenous all-the-time depression under control. The Buspar seems to help with the anger and depression that come from stress. I took 10mg twice a day initially, currently usually 10mg once a day, 5mg when things are going really well.
The first thing I noted with Buspar was that I stopped yelling at my kids as soon as I came home from work, so for at least one person it helps with that out-of-nowhere anger. The strange thing is, it also makes me more energetic and assertive. Obviously, it doesn't work for everyone, but I've talked to a couple of people who have discovered the same combination (Serzone+Buspar) works for them.
Re the increase in anger, I think many A/Ds have the potential to bring out anger, for several different reasons, a couple of which have been mentioned. And while some of it may be buried anger surfacing, I am convinced that some of it is purely artificial, chemically induced. I'm no expert, but I suspect some of them cause an imbalance in some hormones (norepinephrine would be one) which are directly associated with anger and fight-orflight response.
On a more personal level, my wife took Prozac for some time, and became ridden with rage. After switching to Zoloft and gaining some perspective, she described Prozac as the "mad drug" and Zoloft as the "sad drug". BTW, after a while on Paxil, she has now been medication-free for a couple of years.
Tony P.
> Hi Tina.
>
> > Does anyone know if irritation, intolerance and anger are associated with an increase in tricyclic dose? I've noticed my mood getting nastier and bitchier lately. It is hard to go to work. I work with the public and sometimes I just can't stand them and have wonderful fantasies about killing them in slow, agonizing ways. I'm also very short tempered and the anger doesn't fade away, it just gets bigger. Door slamming, kicking things, just generally annoyed all the time.
> > If I can't handle something, I used to withdraw or cry, ow I bite off heads and throw things. Almost like a tantrum but I'm outside of myself, watching like I have no control over this alter-ego. it's creepy.
>
>
> I found a citation that Cam W. offered in a post about a year ago. The study seems to have focused on patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). That you used the word "tantrum" causes me to wonder if you have been diagnosed with BPD.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------
>
>
> Am J Psychiatry 1986 Dec;143(12):1603-5 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut
>
>
> Paradoxical effects of amitriptyline on borderline patients.
>
> Soloff PH, George A, Nathan RS, Schulz PM, Perel JM.
>
> A paradoxical increase in suicide threats, paranoid ideation, and demanding and assaultive behavior occurred among 15 borderline inpatients receiving amitriptyline in a double-blind study. This pattern differed significantly from that of 14 nonresponding patients receiving placebo.
>
> Publication Types:
> Clinical trial
> Controlled clinical trial
>
> PMID: 3538914 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
poster:Tony P
thread:59178
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010417/msgs/60740.html