![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Clarice on June 21, 2000, at 8:06:30
I have been given some samples of Serzone by my doctor to try out before she starts writing a prescription.
I've tried Paxil (coma) and Zoloft (coma and a lack of affect and effect :)). My libido is beyond low thanks to them, hence her recommendation of something new.
I've been off everything for about a month and a half now ( the cleansing period went longer than necessary because I was hoping to not need anything anymore). Obviously it's not time to give up drugs just yet. The crying at least once a day has gotten VERY old. Plus my libido has gone from low to nonexistent.
Any thoughts?
I'm tired of being a zombie on drugs and tired of my joy being numbed as much or more as my depression.
How have any of you reacted to Serzone?
Is there something better???
Posted by Cindy W on June 21, 2000, at 9:15:43
In reply to Serzone, posted by Clarice on June 21, 2000, at 8:06:30
> I have been given some samples of Serzone by my doctor to try out before she starts writing a prescription.
> I've tried Paxil (coma) and Zoloft (coma and a lack of affect and effect :)). My libido is beyond low thanks to them, hence her recommendation of something new.
> I've been off everything for about a month and a half now ( the cleansing period went longer than necessary because I was hoping to not need anything anymore). Obviously it's not time to give up drugs just yet. The crying at least once a day has gotten VERY old. Plus my libido has gone from low to nonexistent.
> Any thoughts?
> I'm tired of being a zombie on drugs and tired of my joy being numbed as much or more as my depression.
> How have any of you reacted to Serzone?
> Is there something better???Clarice, check out the archives for lots of posts about Serzone (everyone reacts differently!). I loved Serzone, after the first two weeks (the first two weeks, I had labile, constantly changing, moods, with anger for no reason, and dizziness). After that, I felt great! BTW, Serzone doesn't interfere with and even boosted my libido (unlike SSRI's).
Posted by Angela5 on June 21, 2000, at 14:36:51
In reply to Serzone, posted by Clarice on June 21, 2000, at 8:06:30
Serzone actually didn't effect my libido, which was great. However, it made me want to sleep constantly, and my muscles ached (flu-like, kind of) all over. I could also only experience either a "calm" mood or a sad one, I wasn't able to feel happy at all. I began to cry over everything again, which I hadn't done on Prozac. This is, of course, just my experience - many posters here seem to have been really helped by it.
Angela
Posted by Marie Smith on June 21, 2000, at 19:06:17
In reply to Re: Serzone, posted by Angela5 on June 21, 2000, at 14:36:51
I have been on Serzone for 13 days now(samples also from the Dr.)I have been dizzy all day but the last 2 days have been better. I had nightmare the first 10 days.And headache the first 9-10 days too. But I am going to stick it out to see what happens. I am taking it for my angry problems. I was on Zoloft 50 mg and I lost my sex drive. SO I wanted to change. I always posted one on Serzone last week. On the 17th if you want to check it out. Thanks Marie Smith >
Posted by noa on June 22, 2000, at 6:21:02
In reply to Re: Serzone, posted by Marie Smith on June 21, 2000, at 19:06:17
I take 300 mg at around 6 pm. Around 30-60 minutes after dosing, I feel a bit drowsy, but it eases up significantly within 30 minutes after that. Then, around 4 hours later, I am ready for a good night's sleep. By taking it at 6 pm, the effect then wears off enough by 6 am, so I am able to get up easily, even a few minutes before the alarm, which, given my sleep history of the past 5 years, is nothing short of amazing!
The serzone was added to my mix of meds for two reasons: 1) to counter the insomnia and fidgitiness caused by effexor, which is effective for me in treating the main depressive symptoms, but which, at higher doses, causes me to have intolerable tic-like effects and agitation, and 2) to provide more antidepressant effect, and augment the effexor's potency. It seems to be doing both quite well.
For a number of months, I took a much higher effexor:serzone ratio (375:225). A couple of months ago, I evened the ratio out (300:300). This combo seems to suit me better. I sleep better, am less fidgity, anxious, and "tic-ky", and feel more calm.
Initially, serzone made me very emotional. I felt rage and was tearful a lot during the first 3 weeks or so. Also, initially, I had coordination problems and in the hours after dosing, was quite groggy. Both of these problems wore off within a month. When I raised the dose from 225 to 300, the drowsiness and coordination effects came back briefly and more midly. If you experience these initial negative effects, it might be worth your while to wait them out. It can be hard, though. And, if you have these types of negative effects lasting beyond a month or so, I would be wary of continuing with it.
Also, initially, I dosed before bedtime, as I had with trazodone. But I found trazodone and serzone to be different in the following ways: Trazodone takes effect more quickly--within an hour I would be very sedated. Serzone seems to take longer (except for the initial 30-60 minutes post dosing drowsiness that wears off after 20-30 minutes). Trazodone also wore off more quickly. If I took it at bedtime, it was gone by morning. Serzone, when I took it at bedtime, was still sedating in the morning and made it hard to wake up. Trazodone, for me, seems to have a more intense sedation effect. Within an hour of taking it, I was fairly useless if not asleep. Serzone, much less so. I don't feel sedated when I go to bed, but I am able to fall asleep within 20 minutes, often less (I know this because I experimented with a sleep timer on my radio to see how long it took me to fall asleep--I based it on whether I remember hearing a certain radio show end or begin, etc. (using talk radio on local NPR station). Finally, with Trazodone, I was not taking enough of it (the amount used for sleep is small) to add any antidepressant effect, whereas with Serzone, it serves both purposes. So, after a few weeks, I began experimenting with taking the Serzone dose earlier in the evening. I finally settled on around 6 pm. I sometimes take it a bit later, especially if I know I would be driving during that post-dose drowsiness period if taken at 6-ish. On weekends, I tend to take it a bit later, although I generally try to keep it fairly consistent.
BTW, whenever I mention changes I made, or dosing times I experimented with, I did consult with my pdoc about these. After working with him for a number of years, he has expressed trust in me to initiate these changes, but the trust includes the expectation that I let him know about them right away.
As they say, YMMV (your mileage may vary), but I hope my story helps you as you gather info.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.