Posted by papillon on January 23, 2011, at 10:07:30
Hello,
I am new to Psycho Babble and wanted to introduce myself and brainstorm options for a new anti-depressant. There is a lot of first-hand knowledge and empathy in this group, which is something that doctors and our non-suffering friends/family can't offer.
I have major depression and am S-L-O-W-L-Y tapering off Effexor XR. After working pretty well for 6 years (excellent milleage) it "pooped out" about 6 months ago = relapse. I'm currently on 375mg, down from 450mg.
I also take Epilim (Sodium Valporate) which was added in an attempt to boost / salvage the Effexor. Unfortunately it didn't have that effect, but my pdoc wants me to stay on it for the time being.
It's been suggested that I go on Cymbalta or Amitripyline once I'm off Effexor. Cymbalta since it's another SNRI, amit. as I haven't tried a tricyclic before. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Any experiences with the above meds that you'd be willing to share? Noting of course that everyone reacts differently.
Without knowing my baseline, I'm after something activating that will specifically target fatigue, poor concentration and brain fog / woolliness. SSRI's are out of the question - they work well for some but for me they either don't work or make me worse.
I know a new AD is a long way off thanks to Effexor's withdrawal hell, but researching makes me feel like I'm at least doing SOMETHING. That and it's somewhat of a distraction from worrying about coming off Effexor and not finding anything that gives some relief.
Anyway, enough about me. How are you? Please drop in and say hello.
poster:papillon
thread:977739
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110115/msgs/977739.html