Posted by Ilene on August 16, 2004, at 15:50:19
In reply to Questions about long term TCA (esp desipramine), posted by Racer on August 15, 2004, at 15:22:37
I've read that *all* ADs are subject to poop-out. It's certainly happened with everything I've taken.
I took desipramine for a year or so. I stopped when I was trying to conceive. I was depressed during my pregnancy, and when I started the desipramine again it didn't work. I don't know what would have happened if I had not stopped taking it. I tried it again last year and it didn't work. It might have been different if my pdoc had augmented it with Cytomel (T3), which is what we finally did with the MAOI I'm currently taking.
I don't think it affected my weight. The side effects were constipation (easy to deal with), postural hypotension (again, easy to deal with if you are used to it--just get up slowly and grab a piece of furniture), and dry mouth (this was the hardest to deal with, but now I know to carry sugarless hard candies with me).
I had good experiences with Prozac for several years, until I was under significant stress. I don't think I ever returned to that level of functioning.
I'm taking Florinef for another reason. I haven't experienced any side effects from it. It helps, but not completely. Sugarless electrolyte solution helps, too. I started having dizzy spells with a slightly higher dosage of Marplan (MAOI) but I think I am more acclimated now. I want to go higher again but I have to wait until I can see a new pdoc.
I think the dizzy spells were more of a problem for my pdoc than for me. I never passed out. I was just uncomfortable. I don't think my pdoc would have prescribed Florinef on her own. In my experience pdocs aren't very sophisticated with drugs.
I don't know if TCAs have a better track record in terms of effectiveness. They're not as safe as the SSRIs. I've read that MAOIs are better for atypical depression.I don't think there's any way to know ahead of time how a given drug is going to affect you. I actually find the side effects of an MAOI easier to deal with than other drugs I've taken. Dry mouth doesn't sound so bad, but it's with you all the time and can affect your teeth. My biggest problem is that I miss eating cheese. I had a cheeseless pizza last night and it was awful.
I reconciled myself to being on drugs for the rest of my life years ago. I just wish they worked better.
poster:Ilene
thread:377967
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040811/msgs/378319.html