Posted by Emme on December 14, 2005, at 8:13:58
In reply to Re: Lamictal, memantine, abilify - breakfast of champs » Emme, posted by blueberry on December 14, 2005, at 6:48:41
Hi.
> Could you please tell me more about memantine? Why did you choose that med?Well, my pdoc brought it up and made a good case for trying it. She said it was showing promise and was generally well tolerated.
> What benefits has it provided for you?
Antidepressant effect. Clear antidepressant effect. My doctor has had some really good results with some of her other patients as well.
> Second, it has been theorized to be a possible treatment for tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Apparently part of its NMDA antagonist effects are directly on the hair cells in the hearing system.
Interesting. That would be nice if it did double duty for you.
> I was hoping you could share with me your comments and experiences with it.
Memantine has stayed helpful for about 10 months so far, though it's limited by my inability to tolerate much medication. I get overmedicated at the drop of a hat.
I've had to feel my way with the dose. At 10 mg, I felt very loopy and numbed and experienced a lot of derealization. And it caused a foggy sensation in my head. It was helping depression, but I just didn't feel well. As I dropped the dose, those symptoms lessened. Now with Abilify on board I am taking 1.25 mg and it's fine.
Now YMMV of course. Trail and error. You may tolerate/need a higher dose.
emme
poster:Emme
thread:588606
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051211/msgs/588936.html