Posted by Snuffy on July 12, 2001, at 11:50:36
In reply to is everything a sign of underlying dep???!!! , posted by delna on July 10, 2001, at 11:28:25
> LONG
>
> Hi
>
> I was wondering what u make of this:
>
> I am on 300mg effexor and am totally fine.
> I mean I used to have severe depression, sleep all day(20hrs at least), never leave the house and had no future plans and was perpetually suicidal . had no job, life, friends for years and no desire to even get a life. SSRIs didn’t help much- I felt less anxious and self destructive but I had no enthusiasm- so I continued the same lifestyle.
> With effexor I love doing stuff eg working making friends and am full of life and plans. I am enthusiastica
> The only crippling problem is feeling sleepy all day. I have always had this prob with sleepiness and hypersomnia which is certainly not being caused by the venlafaxine.
> Overall the drug has changed my life- I feel normal.
> But so sleepy. But I don’t sleep excessively like when I was depressed. I still jump up to go to work in the morning. I just feel sleepy at work and not 100% alert.
> My psych insists that the sleepiness indicates that the depression (atypical) is still there and wants to switch me to parnate. The doctor believes that the parnate should deal with this sleepiness ( although it is sedating in some people- probably me! ) This is a scary process as it involves withdrawing from effexor (which is tough) and going on a drug that may improve the depression as well as effexor but not help with the sleepiness infact it may sedate me more.
>
> I argued that I have no signs of atypical depression any more. I’m sleepy but I am not lethargic, apathetic, tired, sad etc anything. And also when provigil kept me awake those few days that it worked ,I was 100% good. Efficient and functional
>
> I know I don’t have narcolepsy as the symptoms don’t quite match but I feel that if the low mood, apathy, depressive symptoms have gone and I am happy and raring to go, how can he say that the sleepiness is a sign of unresolved depression??
>
> Shouldn’t he just add stimulants to effexor to control the sleepiness?
>
> Thanks for listening
> Any views welcome
> delna
Boy, can I really relate to your situation!!! I am on 300mg effexor, 450mg wellbutrin and 200mg seroquel. I live each day in a "brain fog" (like Elizabeth mentioned). I have been asking my pdoc for something that would clear up my head and get rid of the sleepiness. Like yours my pdoc said that my sleepiness is likly a sign that the depression issue has not been resolved.Based on some research on this web sight and others I suggested Adderall. She said we will try ritalin sr because it is short action and adderall is long lasting and she did not want to interupt my sleep ha ha. I have just started today and can't give any report if it works or not yet. Also I discovered that my insurance will only pay for it if it is perscribed for people through 14 years old. So, I paid $96 for one month of 2x20 mg per day. Add that to my copays for everything else (including blood preasure meds) and I'll go broke long before I get "normal".
poster:Snuffy
thread:69599
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010708/msgs/69844.html