Posted by bleauberry on May 14, 2008, at 16:33:50
In reply to mnilnacipran now (2007), posted by maree on May 13, 2008, at 22:57:11
I'm not sure what your doctor meant, because IXEL and Milnacipran are one in the same. Different names for the same drug.
Weight gain is very uncommon with it according to literature. In FM clinical trials it had about the same effectiveness of just about anything...50%-60% response rates, some complete remissions, and some failures.
I've read a lot about it at various forums and blogs from users in those clinical trials. Probably the more frequent side effect that caused people to stay at a lower dose than they wanted or to have to stop was increased blood pressure. Despite the literature that claims it is without side effects, some people have lots of side effects and some have none. In that regard, the term "mileage varies" applies and I think the literature is a little bit skewed on the optimistic side.
My experience with Ixel/Milnacipran. Well, first understand that just about any psych drug, even ones that used to be ok with me, make me feel a lot worse really fast. Ever since failed ECT I have been very sensitive and almost 100% prone to paradoxical reactions. When I tried Milnacipran I was of course hesitant and scared of yet another visit to the drug-induced dark place. Imagine my surprise when within one week I was not getting worse, but instead feeling a lot better. Cooking, shopping, housework, day job, socializing, watching TV, thumbing through magazines...all of these things started to improve and I couldn't believe it. I actually had some interest in life.
I was not on it long enough to say anything about pain relief. What it did do...fast antidepressant response even at a low dose; cut the loudness of my tinnitus in half; really good sleep after two nights of worsened sleep at the start; excellent anti-anxiety after two days of feeling revved up at the start; total elimination of this weird racing paranoia scaredness nervousness that I have woken up to every morning for a few years; and more interest in everyday life.
I had to stop because of one of its less frequent side effects...urinary hesitancy. I constricted my bladder/prostate so bad I could barely pee it was dangerous and mighty uncomfortable. The manufacturer's info says that side effect can be countered with Flomax, so I am thinking about that.
Some of the clinical study people said that the FM benefits took as long as 8 months to become fully evident. They said most people quit the drug long before its true benefits came to be.
poster:bleauberry
thread:828999
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080510/msgs/829106.html