Posted by zeugma on July 28, 2004, at 17:45:02
In reply to Stimulants as an Antidepressant » zeugma, posted by sedona on July 28, 2004, at 16:30:14
I've had reasonable success with nortriptyline, and that is the only AD that has done anything at all for me- I've tried less than some here, but more than I wish I had. I do have a sleep disorder of some kind, but I tend more to insomnia, with bouts of compensating hypersomnia. I have serious fatigue issues as well as pretty drastic ADD issues. The TCA's generally work more for insomnia-predominant depression, but there is some evidence that they can regulate sleep cycles- I was never able to either fall asleep or wake up at a predictable time before I got to a therapeutic dosage of nortriptyline. Some find nortriptyline stimulating. Desipramine would be the most stimulating TCA with a good side effect profile (protriptyline is more stimulating still but is supposed to have some nasty side effects).
I'm trying a stimulant myself: as you can see from the thread immediately below. My dilemma is that I either feel half-asleep while awake, or I can't sleep at all, while remaining completely fatigued. Nortriptyline makes my sleep feel more 'normal', and it is easier to wake up these days.
poster:zeugma
thread:371725
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040724/msgs/371780.html