Posted by SLS on April 26, 2006, at 7:24:37
In reply to Desipramine vs Strattera, posted by scatterbrained on April 26, 2006, at 4:37:25
> I had an awful reaction to strattera(ie anxiety, loss of appitite, no clearing up of head) when I tried it a few years ago. I read somewhere that desipramine is related. But, I've also read that desipramine is good for anxiety. Does a bad reaction to strattera = a bad reaction to desipramine?
No. Not necessarily.
It is true that both drugs inhibit the reuptake of norepinephrine (NE) without affecting serotonin. However, Strattera doesn't seem to be as effective when treating depression or anxiety. Another drug, reboxetine, displays properties similar to desipramine and Strattera. However, it exacerbated my depression, produced anxiety, and left me feeling profoundly suicidal. Yet, my best response to an antidepressant was to desipramine. The bottom line is that it is difficult to predict the effect a drug will have based upon the properties it displays in laboratory experiments.
Some people do show trends in the kinds of drugs they respond to. It is possible that you are not a responder to NE drugs, but you won't know until you try. I would still consider trying a tricyclic like desipramine or nortriptyline if you never have. I find nortriptyline to be smoother than desipramine in terms of anxiety. Most people respond to 75-100mg. Both drugs can be sedating at first, but that usually subsides.
I guess it is a gamble of sorts. You might be the type of person who displays a trend towards having NE drugs make their depression worse. However, I would not come to such a conclusion based upon your response to Strattera. I think it is worth trying one more time using a tricyclic.
What drugs have you tried in the past, and what were your reactions to them?
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:637126
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060423/msgs/637143.html