Posted by med_empowered on February 24, 2007, at 0:39:22
In reply to Neurontin? Lyrica? Cymbalta? or?, posted by MidnightBlue on February 24, 2007, at 0:21:27
The only real difference between lyrica and neurontin is potency--lyrica is a lot more potent. Also, Lyrica is a schedule V controlled substance, so you'll have to deal w/ your doc more in getting refills.
If you have high blood pressure, cymbalta really shouldn't be on the table. It can raise blood pressure at therapeutic doses.
Can you take a benzo? For mixed anxiety/depression like yours, xanax would be good, or maybe Klonopin plus ((antidepressant, anticonvulsant, possibly Provigil).
Back in the day, Phenobarbital was used in cases of anxiety w/ hypertension. I doubt its all that common now, but since pheno can also help gastrointestinal issues...maybe its an option?
Anyway, like I said--I think the Benzo-type tranquilizers should be your first line of attack. They're very safe and non-toxic, cheap, a relatively predictable. Plus, they're really good in terms of drug-drug interactions, which might be an issue. Also, if you were to add in some propranolol, you could get more tranquilizing action PLUS blood pressure reduction. Antidepressants kind of suck, really--they interact with other meds, they don't work that well, they can cause unusual side effects, and weight gain is pretty common.
Lyrica I guess would be kind of close to benzos, but its expensive and new, so really don't see why you can't just give a BZD a try. Xanax even comes in a fun new XR flavor.Good luck.
poster:med_empowered
thread:735608
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