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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 BradD on January 10, 2005, at 14:56:47
I'm just wondering - does Zoloft affect dopamine more than other SSRIs do? And what about side effects of Zoloft - are they worse than other SSRIs?
Posted by tensor on January 10, 2005, at 15:54:42
In reply to Is Zoloft the most dopaminergic out of SSRIs ?, posted by BradD on January 10, 2005, at 14:56:47
Hi,
Yes it is a weak inhibitor of dopamine reuptake thus, it's not an SSRI :-)
The side effects it's not so bad at 50mg(i can't really pin-point any s/e that's related to zoloft), which i currently take, but i was up to 150mg awhile ago. Higher dose gave me annoying headache, anxiety and akathisia. That, of course, is highly individual.Best wishes,
Mattias
Posted by lunesta on January 10, 2005, at 19:27:17
In reply to Is Zoloft the most dopaminergic out of SSRIs ?, posted by BradD on January 10, 2005, at 14:56:47
Your answer is yes, it has the most effect on dopamine of all SSRI, and it is indeed included in the SSRI category. Nearly all SSRI's touch the other transmitters (norep,dop) its just based on percentage.
Celexa & Lexapro are the most serotongenic, in fact, they are amost 100% focused on serotonin unlike all other AD's.
Zoloft being dopamine & serotonin enhancing has vary profiles based on your chemistry but diarehha, weight changes, and anxiety during startup are common for it specfically.
Otherwise, the side effects are generally the same as the other SSRIs.
If you are looking for dopamine, wellbutrin is the best available legally.
lunesta.
Posted by darkhorse on January 11, 2005, at 5:49:51
In reply to Re: Is Zoloft the most dopaminergic out of SSRIs ? » BradD, posted by lunesta on January 10, 2005, at 19:27:17
>
> If you are looking for dopamine, wellbutrin is the best available legally.
>
> lunesta.
>
>
And may I add Selegiline at 5-10mg a day.Dark Horse.
Posted by CareBear04 on January 12, 2005, at 2:26:33
In reply to Is Zoloft the most dopaminergic out of SSRIs ?, posted by BradD on January 10, 2005, at 14:56:47
hey brad-- i don't know about the dopamine percentage or anything, but i can say that zoloft is the only SSRI that has worked for me. lexapro almost killed me from such severe akathisia and psychotic symptoms it induced. paxil made me a depressed zombie. prozac i haven't really given a fair trial, but i can say that zoloft worked for me. i think it has pooped out at 50mg, but it's really hard for me to increase the dose. it took months for me to work up from 12.5 to 50mg, and every time i try to push the dose higher, i get anxious and jittery and my thoughts get a lot faster. and i've always been on a mood stabilizer with zoloft. it could definitely make sense that zoloft is dopaminergic because i've responded well to dopamine agonists (?) like adderall and ritalin. interesting...
Posted by King Vultan on January 12, 2005, at 13:00:42
In reply to Re: Is Zoloft the most dopaminergic out of SSRIs ? » BradD, posted by CareBear04 on January 12, 2005, at 2:26:33
> hey brad-- i don't know about the dopamine percentage or anything, but i can say that zoloft is the only SSRI that has worked for me. lexapro almost killed me from such severe akathisia and psychotic symptoms it induced. paxil made me a depressed zombie. prozac i haven't really given a fair trial, but i can say that zoloft worked for me. i think it has pooped out at 50mg, but it's really hard for me to increase the dose. it took months for me to work up from 12.5 to 50mg, and every time i try to push the dose higher, i get anxious and jittery and my thoughts get a lot faster. and i've always been on a mood stabilizer with zoloft. it could definitely make sense that zoloft is dopaminergic because i've responded well to dopamine agonists (?) like adderall and ritalin. interesting...
From your symptoms, particularly those indicating racing thoughts, anxiety, etc., it sounds as if you would very likely benefit from a drug that blockades serotonin-2A receptors, such as an atypical antipsychotic, or perhaps a drug like trazodone or Remeron. The dopamine D2 receptor blocking abilities of an atypical AP would also help to neutralize any psychotic symptoms that might surface from taking other drugs. If desired, the amount of D2 blockade can be limited by using an atypical AP that is relatively selective for the 5-HT2A receptor at low dosage, such as Risperdal, Geodon, or Zyprexa.Todd
Posted by CareBear04 on January 12, 2005, at 13:30:45
In reply to Re: Is Zoloft the most dopaminergic out of SSRIs ? » CareBear04, posted by King Vultan on January 12, 2005, at 13:00:42
hi todd-- thanks for your response. surprisingly or not, the list of antipsychotics that i've tried is longer than any other category. here's what i remember-- risperdal, seroquel, zyprexa, abilify, trilafon, haldol. i think that's it, but there may be others, especially if you count D2 blockers that help with nausea like reglan or phenergan. i'm not sure what category they officially fall under. of all the APs, i've found haldol most useful. one dr suggested that maybe an SSRI + an atypical put me in serotonergic overdrive. the combo definitely made me more jumpy than with haldol, especially abilify, which is more activating. i haven't tried geodon, which is an option i've been considering for awhile now. i've heard mixed things. from most pdocs, i've heard that it's pretty worthless. from one psychopharmacologist who has used it in the larger population of a public clinic, i heard that he has had some impressive results with it. i'm not sure, but i think i heard that geodon might have cardiovascular side effects. i'm having a bit of heart wackiness right now, so my pdoc is holding off on geodon and tricyclics since they might affect the heart. do you know about this?
thanks for responding!
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