Posted by addinbc on April 10, 2006, at 18:15:05
Hi there;
Well, I'll try to make a very long story short. I suffered from severe anxiety along with depression from the time I was very young (8 or 9 yrs old). Much of this was helped with the use of SSRI's and I have basically been on an SSRI for the last 13 years or so (I'm 29).
Then, last June (2005) I was diagnosed with inattentive ADD. That was the last piece of the puzzle that I had been looking for for a VERY long time. Everything finally fit and made sense.
In July of last year, I was put on Strattera (while at the same time taking a low dose - 50mg - of Zoloft). After a number of weeks wading through the side effects, I finally reached the 40mg mark.
WOW!! It was like putting glasses on my brain!! It was WONDERFUL!! Not only was my ADD improved, but I finally had ENERGY (I basically have NO energy - ever - getting out of bed is a struggle), my mood improved, my confidence improved, my social anxiety lessened (I could finally focus on what people were saying to me), and .... I could go on and on and on.....
This lasted (for the most part) for about 3 1/2 months or so. Then, after the Christmas break (I am working on my Masters), I noticed it wasn't working well anymore. And over the last couple of months, it has basically pooped-out completely. I have been absolutely DEVASTATED! It was the best I can EVER remember being!
I did some research and discovered a drug called Reboxetine, which is another Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor on the market (apparently very similar to Strattera). It seemed logical to me that since Strattera had been such an amazing success, the best thing to do would be to try the drug most similar to it. As Reboxetine is not available in North America, my doctor and pharmacist helped me to order it from England.
The Reboxetine arrived with no trouble, and I have been titrating my dose gradually over the last 3 weeks.
However, shortly after starting the Reboxetine, I noticed that I could not take my 50mg of Zoloft with it. The two together made me unbearably irritable and grumpy (wanting to rip to shreds anyone and anything) - it was horrible!
So, in order to give the Reboxetine a good try, I have had to come off the Zoloft very quickly (almost cold turkey). The thing is, I was only taking 50mg of the Zoloft, but regardless, I have had some noticable withdrawal effects (minor brain zaps, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, giddyness, strange dreams, weepiness, emotionality, etc...).
I have not taken any Zoloft for approx. 4 days now. I've noticed over the last few days, I have been feeling pretty down (not at all like myself), and today, I have been feeling particularly depressed. I'm really very concerned that this is a relapse, but it would seem to me very likely that it is a rebound depression of sorts, as my system is so used to having an SSRI in it.
Is there any way to tell the difference between a withdrawal-related depression rebound and a relapse?
In determining whether this is rebound or relapse, how long do I give it before I can clearly say this is one or the other?
I apologize for the long post! Any insights would be most appreciated!
Best wishes to you all!!
poster:addinbc
thread:631502
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060408/msgs/631502.html