Posted by med_empowered on December 22, 2005, at 23:24:54
In reply to Re: Stay on it, posted by Mimi on December 22, 2005, at 20:49:14
It seems like lots of psychiatric meds induce apathy. SSRIs, antipsychotics, benzos--you name it, one of the main effects is a sort of sedated apathy.
Seroquel's apathetic effects are, I imagine, caused both by its antipsychotic action (which I would think would be minimal at 25mgs/day) and by its pronounced sedation.
The first choice for severe anxiety would probably be a benzo, for me at least. Ativan might be cleaner than Klonopin; it tends to just cause sedation and/or kill of anxiety, while Klonopin also has effects on mood. If you keep the dose low, and use it strictly as needed, then you could probably minimize apathy.
Effexor could also be causing some apathy for you..I know that SSRIs tend to make me much more apathetic, and I've noticed it in my friends as well.
I'm kind of concerned that so many people are on antipsychotics for anxiety. Antipsychotics can help with anxiety--this was one of their primary uses from the 50s-70s, before concerns about TD,NMS, and other issues became a big deal-- but given the cost and side effects, it would seem most prudent to use them **only** in psychosis or cases of unresponsive mood disorders.
I think you might want to try a benzo, such as ativan. BuSpar is an option. Its kind of antipsychotic-ish, and higher doses make me feel strangely "unnerved" (low-grade akathisia?) and somewhat dysphoric but...lower doses I imagine could be helpful without causing too many problems.
Some people swear by Lyrica, the super-Neurontin that just got released. However, given Neurontin's shady history in the psychiatric realm, I think it might be a good idea to put off using it until it has a good track record (assuming this happens).
poster:med_empowered
thread:591095
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051221/msgs/591473.html