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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by racer on December 30, 1998, at 19:08:17
The other day I saw a nurse at the county mental health service. She's going to try to get me some better care, but there's still only the one doctor available to me. Since we obviously are not a good match, I'd like to ask the question here, too:
This nurse will be presenting my case to the "team" there, and thinks that the suggestion of adding Trazadone will come up. She says that it helps relieve the sleeplessness and so on that I've been having on serzone, and that it may help with the ineffectiveness of the serzone.
Now, mind you, I'm a pain in the ass as a patient, because I do know my medical history, and I do know my medication history, and I am very very wary of trying new drugs. The bad effects that I've had from anti-depressants in the past have certainly put me in the catagory of patients who would rather have root canals daily than stay on most for any length of time. Drugs in general worry me a lot, I don't even take anti-biotics without discussing them with the doctor. So, that said, can anyone offer any thoughts on this combination? The serzone is better than any other a/d that I've been on, but it's not as effective, and I am having these other problems because of it. (Including that "just stuck my finger in a light socket" feeling.)
So, serzone and trazadone? Good, bad, indifferent? Clinical, anecdotal, empirical? Anything noncommercial would help.
Thanks again
Posted by saint james on December 30, 1998, at 19:41:59
In reply to last ?? for a while (I hope!): trazadone?, posted by racer on December 30, 1998, at 19:08:17
> This nurse will be presenting my case to the "team" there, and thinks that the suggestion of adding Trazadone will come up.
Trazadone, brand name Desyrel is an atypical AD seems to work thru 5-HT (serotonin precursor)It is very sedating and I found it only worked at higher doses (300mgs) Side effects that are sig. greater than placibo are dry mouth, lightheadness/dizzy. For males there is a rare problem: priapism...prolonged erection often requiring surgical intervention (1/3 of cases reported)A quick search of internet and PDR did not mention the incidence of this side effect but my doc reported it to be small. If priapism happens requiring surgical intervention there is a fair chance of lasting disfunction of erection (impotance) Sugest you search the net under generic and brand names to see what the incidence or this really is. I was put on trazodone because we had run thru all the TCA's and the other AD's at the time (early 80's) and when Effexor came out I moved to that and have been a happy camper since. I had no problems with priapism (don't know if racer is a male person but StJ is !)
james
Posted by Kris on December 31, 1998, at 13:50:54
In reply to last ?? for a while (I hope!): trazadone?, posted by racer on December 30, 1998, at 19:08:17
I don't know about trazadone w/ serzone. However, I take it w/ Zoloft & Buspar as a sleep med. it works very well for me, but I tend to tolerate meds in general fairly well. I take only 50 mg at bedtime and it makes me drowsy enough to fall asleep (after a lifetime of insomnia). then again, I suspect that I could by now sleep w/out it if not for the other anti-d's, but I have found that I can't. a.m. grogginess can be a problem, but I find this preferable to sleeplessness. I have to say that I take a deeply sensual pleasure in falling asleep without effort, which is something that I have never before been able to do.
Why not give it a try if it's recommended? It shouldn't be a big problem to just stop taking it and try something else.
isn't the priapism effect potentially serious but rare?
Good luck.
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