Posted by SLS on November 29, 2015, at 20:00:00
In reply to Re: Prozac lesser effective than other AD's » SLS, posted by herpills on November 25, 2015, at 15:17:38
> > >I'm sure you know that SSRIs often don't work as well when they are discontinued and restarted too many times.
> >
> > - Scott
>
> Hi Scott- Is this something that is unique to the SSRIs or do you think this applies to other psych meds as well?
>Hi.
It is not unique to SSRIs, but seems to occur more often with them. Paxil is probably the worst offender. I sometimes wonder if Paxil ruins the ability of other SSRIs to work well. This would be an example of cross-tolerance. It's just a thought. I have not come upon anything in the medical literature indicating this.
For me, a combination of Parnate (MAOI) and desipramine (TCA) lost its potency after the drugs were discontinued and restarted. Nardil is also known to do this. My impression is that TCA and SNRI are less likely to poop-out, but I don't know to what degree they lose their therapeutic properties if they are discontinued and restarted. Overall, I don't think that "pulsing" antidepressants makes much sense.
I think the bottom line is that one must evaluate the rate of recurrence or chronicity of depression in order to determine the need for indefinite treatment. If you find something that works well and is tolerable, you should consider continuing with it until there are scientific breakthroughs that allow for a completely different treatment paradigm - or even a cure. Perhaps you can think of your current treatment as being a temporary bridge to the future.
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1083100
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20151119/msgs/1084284.html