Posted by lars1 on January 11, 2005, at 12:58:41
In reply to Re: Dopamine is taboo in the UK... to lars, posted by ed_uk on January 10, 2005, at 12:17:40
> Bupropion is available in the UK in the form of Zyban. It is approved for smoking cessation but not depression. Psychiatrists do not use it, it is generally considered to be a very dangerous drug in the UK. It has recieved a LOT of bad press.
This is really unfortunate. As I just mentioned in another thread, its bad reputation appears to be undeserved. There is an article at http://bupropion.com/wonderwell/ that talks about some of the history. Wellbutrin XL is getting a big marketing push in the U.S. right now, with ads on prime-time TV.
> Only a very small minority of UK pdocs ever prescribe stims. There is this dumb idea that they are only safe in children.
It probably doesn't help that the ICD doesn't make the same distinction between "Predominantly Inattentive Type" and "Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type" of ADD that the DSM makes. From what I hear, hyperactivity often improves as kids grow up, while inattention often persists. The ICD mostly focuses on the hyperactivity aspect, so it tends to miss the ADD problems of adults. You do use ICD in the UK, don't you?
>
> If, like me, you suffer from hypersomnia, poor concentration, poor attention, fatigue, low motivation etc. They want to give you an SSRI! They don't even accept that SSRIs can worsen/cause drowsiness and amotivation.
>
> My life is a mess.You sound like the perfect candidate for dopaminergics. Not only do your symptoms match up, but the severity is such that you aren't able to proceed with your education. The only way they could be more severe is if you were actively suicidal. It's hard to understand why your pdoc won't take a more aggressive approach in treating you. (By the way, this is in no way meant as a criticism of you, only of your pdoc.)
All of the symptoms you mention can be symptoms of depression. I wonder if you would get anywhere with the argument that you have depression which is clearly not being adequately treated by the meds you are on and therefore you need to switch to or augment with something new, such as Wellbutrin or a MAO inhibitor. (MAOI's do boost dopamine, don't they?) Actually, anything that improved your depression would probably help with those symptoms, so maybe the new drug wouldn't even need to be directly dopaminergic.
Lars
poster:lars1
thread:439402
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050108/msgs/440663.html