Posted by ChicagoKat on February 7, 2013, at 13:46:22
In reply to Re: Hospital over, but med. advice seriously needed » ChicagoKat, posted by gpznos on February 3, 2013, at 5:54:47
> > I was put on Lithium once. It did squat for me. And I experience mood swings too: depressed to anxious, back to depressed, to - and this is the best one of all - depressed and anxious at the same time. So fun!
> > Please excuse my sarcasm. My day today has been pretty bad. But 8wks seems long enough to give a med a chance. I would think if it's not working by now, it's not gonna. And seriously, don't take Lithium unless you need to or if it does help. It can have some pretty bad side effects.
> >
> > As far as a different TCA as well as Wellbutrin...well, I think it would probably be smartest to try Wellbutrin on its own first, give it a few weeks to see if it kicks in, or if you can't tolerate it, before I would add a second new agent. That way, you'll know for sure what is helping and what isn't. Just my opinion, of course. But if you are one of the lucky ones who doesn't get anxious on Wellbutrin I'm willing to bet it will really help you. Good luck!
> > Kat
>
> Hi Kat
> Hope you are doing better now?
> Thank you so much for your inputs. I am very much in doubt about in which direction to go. This change of medicine should have been done while I was at the hospital, they just added Lithium and gave me ECT.
> I am due to start working part time in 2 weeks time (part time first) and I have to choose right the first time if possible. This is my third seek period with depression, I am hoping to keep my job. And therefore I am not to keen on taking too many chances and making clean cuts from one drug to the next.
> Right now I am considering Wellbrutin, another TCA (than Nort) or Marplan as new main drug.
>
> Do you know how many of my current meds I should discontinue to try Wellbrutin? Can Wellbrutin be taken together with a TCA? SSRI? Lithium? Please forgive me all these questions but it seems you know so much about Wellbrutin...Hi gpznos,
I apologize for the delay in my reply; I was unable to sign on for a while, then medical issues took over limiting my time here on PB.
You could definitely take Wellbutrin with either an SSRI or a TCA, b/c Wellbutrin does not act on serotonin...I'd be more cautious about using an SSRI with a TCA b/c they both increase serotonin in the brain and together they could potentially cause serotonin syndrome. Sorry, my memory is bad, did you say that you've been on Lithium for 8wks (9 by now I suppose) and it hadn't been helpng at all? If that is indeed the case, frankly I'd drop the Lithium like a hot potato. a. If it hasn't had any efficacy for you by now, it ain't gonna b. Why take a drug that is not efficacious that has some potentially pretty bad side effects.
I seem to remember also, weren't you the guy whose Nortriptyline had pooped out on him? If you go with a TCA, definitely go with a different one than that. But do a TCA + Wellbutrin or an SSRI + Wellbutrin. I wouldn't do all three. And, fyi, a lot of people do great just on Wellbutrin alone. Every case varies.
Oh, and with Marplan, you're gonna need to do a washout for 2wks, longer if you're on Prozac before you can start taking it.
Again, sorry for late reply; maybe you've already made up your mind and are doing well with something new. Anyways, I wish you luck!
Kat
On a steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin
-Green Day
poster:ChicagoKat
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