Posted by Racer on July 12, 2008, at 1:38:32
In reply to Re: Off Effexor - compulsive crying and grief, posted by satsumas on July 11, 2008, at 19:47:17
> ... am wondering how much it will really help me with the core problems ... if it doesn't touch serotonin at all.
When you say that, is it because you've had good response to SSRIs in the past? Or is it based on an idea that serotonin imbalance is the root cause of depression? At this stage, despite the glib talk about serotonin being too low when someone is depressed, that's almost more hypothesis than theory -- no one has shown that that's the cause of depression, nor even that it is the serotinergic actions of antidepressants that create their benefits. Truly there's only the basic information -- these medications affect these receptor types; these medications improve symptoms of depression for many people.
If you've had good responses to SSRIs in the past, then it might be worth trying another SSRI instead of going the TCA route. If the Effexor was helpful, but pooped out, it might be worth giving Cymbalta a try -- for whatever it's worth, I found Cymbalta the friendlier drug. If none of the SSRIs worked well, and the Effexor wasn't helpful for you, then trying a new class of medication -- like TCAs -- makes a lot of sense. I'd give desipramine a good chance, because despite the benefits many people here on this site have reported with Nardil, the STAR*D study showed that MAOIs had a very high drop out rate because of intolerable side effects. It may help you, of course, and it's worth trying, but if I were to offer advice, it would be to make sure desipramine isn't going to be your friend before moving on to a medication which may not be as tolerable for you.
Best luck.
poster:Racer
thread:839250
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080706/msgs/839393.html