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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by LEST on September 25, 2004, at 17:21:29
the side effects are insane... should i not worry?
Abdominal cramps, agitation, anxiety, black tongue, blurred vision, breast development in males, breast enlargement, confusion, constipation, delusions, diarrhea, dilation of pupils, disorientation, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, excessive or spontaneous flow of milk, excessive urination at night, fatigue, fever, fluid retention, flushing, frequent urination, hair loss, hallucinations, headache, heart attack, high or low blood pressure, high or low blood sugar, hives, impotence, inability to sleep, inability to urinate, increased or decreased sex drive, inflammation of the mouth, intestinal blockage, itching, loss of appetite, loss of coordination, nausea, nightmares, numbness, panic, perspiration, pins and needles in the arms and legs, rapid, fluttery, or irregular heartbeat, rash, reddish or purplish spots on skin, restlessness, ringing in the ears, seizures, sensitivity to light, stomach upset, strange taste, stroke, swelling of the testicles, swollen glands, tingling, tremors, vision problems, vomiting, weakness, weight gain or loss, yellow eyes and skin
Posted by zeugma on September 25, 2004, at 18:14:47
In reply to im too scared to take nortriptyline, posted by LEST on September 25, 2004, at 17:21:29
> the side effects are insane... should i not worry?
> Abdominal cramps, agitation, anxiety, black tongue, blurred vision, breast development in males, breast enlargement, confusion, constipation, delusions, diarrhea, dilation of pupils, disorientation, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, excessive or spontaneous flow of milk, excessive urination at night, fatigue, fever, fluid retention, flushing, frequent urination, hair loss, hallucinations, headache, heart attack, high or low blood pressure, high or low blood sugar, hives, impotence, inability to sleep, inability to urinate, increased or decreased sex drive, inflammation of the mouth, intestinal blockage, itching, loss of appetite, loss of coordination, nausea, nightmares, numbness, panic, perspiration, pins and needles in the arms and legs, rapid, fluttery, or irregular heartbeat, rash, reddish or purplish spots on skin, restlessness, ringing in the ears, seizures, sensitivity to light, stomach upset, strange taste, stroke, swelling of the testicles, swollen glands, tingling, tremors, vision problems, vomiting, weakness, weight gain or loss, yellow eyes and skin
>
A conscientious list of all the 's/e' that have been noted by doctors whose patients were actually on placebo, during innumerable drug trials, would resemble this one... for example, 'stroke'? People have strokes who have never even heard of nortriptyline. I could link you to studies showing that nortriptyline is actually superior to SSRI's in depression in post-stroke patients. 'Weight gain or loss'? That happens to people who do not go near psychotropics. 'Increased or diminished libido'? Well, that's better than more modern AD's, which reliably diminish libido. Some of the more bizarre s/e's, such as galactorrhea (inappropriate secretion of milk) are actually associated with amoxapine, which combines neuroleptic and antidepressant activity. Amoxapine's side effects are generally thrown onto these lists of TCA side effects because it is structurally related to nortriptyline et al.
Nausea? I suffered from terrible, constant nausea until I went back on nortriptyline. And I am someone who gets nauseous from almost everything: Ritalin, Provigil, SSRI's, bad Chinese takeout. Panic? Nortriptyline is a potent antipanic agent. Of course it will not work as such for everyone. No guaranteee it'll work for you. Be sure to keep your doctor apprised of your concerns and watch your reactions carefully. That goes for therapeutic effects, as well as the nasty ones.-z
Posted by King Vultan on September 25, 2004, at 20:51:21
In reply to im too scared to take nortriptyline, posted by LEST on September 25, 2004, at 17:21:29
The drug has been around for 40 years and has probably been taken by millions and millions of people--that is a long time to accumulate long lists of unbelievably rare and in some cases bogus side effects, as some of the side effects listed may not even have had anything to do with the drug, being from some other condition the person might not even have been aware of. I've taken nortriptyline myself and noted these side effects: constipation, dry mouth (minor), orthostatic hypotension (minor), tachycardia (minor), and excessive sedation. As a plus, it also wiped out my tinnitus and chronic headaches, as well as the minor urinary hesitation/retention problem I typically have in an unmedicated state.
Todd
Posted by Racer on September 25, 2004, at 23:01:24
In reply to im too scared to take nortriptyline, posted by LEST on September 25, 2004, at 17:21:29
I took nortriptyline a long time ago, and my list is pretty similar to King Vultan's. Not only that, but I'm very sensitive to any drug that lowers blood pressure -- with low/normal BP to begin with, and idiopathic hypotension -- and it wasn't a problem for me. I was a bit sedated, had a bit of dry mouth, was constipated, and did gain weight.
But it was a pretty effective AD. If you need an AD, it's one of the two most benign TCAs out there, and it's got some benefits over SSRIs.
Don't let that list of side effects scare you off. First off, that sounds like a list of *all* the side effects of *all* the TCAs, rather than a list of those specific to notriptyline. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, everything that could possibly be connected to a drug really does get listed in those things -- because if they didn't, the company making it exposes itself to legal liability, which might cost them a good chunk of change. Therefore, if three people in a study suddenly develop ingrown toenails during the time they're on the drug, but no one on placebo does, the side effects will list "ingrown toenails."
Besides, just because something is listed as a known side effect, does not mean that everyone will get it. For that matter, it might mean that one person in 100,000 might get it. Just keep track of what *you* are experiencing, without checking that list, and talk to your doctor about it.
Best luck.
Posted by LEST on September 26, 2004, at 0:09:54
In reply to Re: im too scared to take nortriptyline, posted by Racer on September 25, 2004, at 23:01:24
j/w
Posted by karaS on September 26, 2004, at 0:50:43
In reply to did you experience sleepiness or insomnia on it?, posted by LEST on September 26, 2004, at 0:09:54
A lot of people have used it successfully to help help them sleep. For me, it was very stimulating, raised my heart rate and decreased my appetite. I'm probably in the minority on this one though.
Posted by Sad Panda on September 26, 2004, at 8:33:29
In reply to did you experience sleepiness or insomnia on it?, posted by LEST on September 26, 2004, at 0:09:54
Most people sleep better on it, but it won't knock you out like some of the other TCA's do. Start it at a very low doseage since you are combining it with Paxil.
Cheers,
Paul.
This is the end of the thread.
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