Posted by Ritch on May 10, 2002, at 21:28:09
In reply to Re: Antidepressants and sedation, etc., posted by old pro on May 10, 2002, at 21:17:27
> > > My recurrences of depression are unpredictable. There is no pattern to them. The periods between my episodes of depression vary between a few months to a few years. In your post to me you asked "Are the recurrences predictable?"
> > >
> > > old pro
> >
> >
> > I suppose it might have been clearer to ask something like: "Do they have a seasonal pattern or do they occur in a cyclic fashion (more often than once annually)?". Apparently you "like" the sedative AD's. You probably ought to give Remeron a try. BarbaraCat (another poster here) has had very good success with Remeron and Lithium. Since your major d's recur, you might consider that kind of combination. You might find the Lithium "protects" you from recurrence, who knows? It might be worth a try. One thing for sure, getting a supply of lithium isn't going to break your bank account!
> >
> > good luck,
> >
> >
> > Mitch
>
> I did take Remeron for a few days within recent weeks, but it resulted in my having severe insomnia. I soon discontinued the drug. I know it is paradoxical but the same drug can cause some persons to experience insomnia and others to be sedated.
>
> For several months I did take Eskalith, which is a member of the lithium class of drugs, along with doxepin. I think that the Eskalith helped relieve my symptoms of depression some. But, I discontinued taking it when my symptoms of depression went away. I discontinued it, because I didn't think I needed it. However, I did continue to take doxepin in hopes that it would prevent a recurrence of depression. Unfortunately it didn't prevent the recurrence.
>
> old proHi,
It sounds like you might want to revisit the lithium again, and stick with it after the depression goes away the next time. What dose of lithium were you taking? Just from personal experience, I didn't need any more than 600mg/day for a decent antidepressant response. Even 300-450mg/day taken as a long-term regimen wasn't that bad. Interesting that the Remeron aggravated insomnia for you. I found that 7.5mg knocked me on my ass for 12 hrs straight (no matter how long I took it), and 15mg pretty much did the same thing, however when I increased to 30mg I noticed some nighttime awakenings (lucid dreams), that may have contributed to my daytime drowsiness the following day. Maybe that is why the *brain fog* never lifted during the day with increasing doses of Remeron (it was actually *waking* me up at nite!). Tricyclic antidepressants like doxepin, etc. tend to diminish REM sleep stages, so maybe that is where your trouble lies. If you haven't done so already, you might consider getting a polysomnogram (sleep study) with EEG to rule out a sleep disorder (sleep apnea, etc.). I would retry the lithium and just keep taking it, IMO.
Mitch
poster:Ritch
thread:105496
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020510/msgs/105936.html