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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 Andy on September 22, 1999, at 8:59:39
I have gotten enormous benefit from prozac, but it makes me very edgy and causes insomnia. Added buspar with good result. Prozac 20mg then pooped out and I need 40mg, with which I continue to get great result. Problem is the buspar can't contain the side effects at the 40mg. dose. I'm already at the max for buspar (60mg). I was thinking perhaps drop back to 20mg prozac and top it up with another SSRI (Celexa, Zoloft?). I'd hate to switch completely since the benefits of prozac are considerable for me, but the side effects are getting to be a problem and if it poops out again I will not be able to tolerate a higher dose.
Any thoughts?
Posted by jamie on September 22, 1999, at 18:13:12
In reply to Prozac and another SSRI, posted by Andy on September 22, 1999, at 8:59:39
Never heard of prozac with zoloft paxil or celexa. I dont think thats a good idea. Some people do combine with effexor though. But I REALLY think you should go back through this whole page and previous months too. Look for all postings about naltrexone. Look for all postings by WayneR. Naltrexone is supposed to be a poopout preventer and works best with prozac and has an excellent chance of working better than the prozac ever did by itself. Someone at 80mg prozac can drop all the way down to 20mg when adding 25mg naltrexone. I think you should look into that before anything else.
Posted by Andy on September 23, 1999, at 12:21:15
In reply to Re: Prozac and another SSRI, posted by jamie on September 22, 1999, at 18:13:12
> Never heard of prozac with zoloft paxil or celexa. I dont think thats a good idea. Some people do combine with effexor though. But I REALLY think you should go back through this whole page and previous months too. Look for all postings about naltrexone. Look for all postings by WayneR. Naltrexone is supposed to be a poopout preventer and works best with prozac and has an excellent chance of working better than the prozac ever did by itself. Someone at 80mg prozac can drop all the way down to 20mg when adding 25mg naltrexone. I think you should look into that before anything else.
Thanks. Spoke to my doc yesterday. He said it's all empirical, had no experience with combining, but was open to suggestion. Your post is helpful
Posted by Bob on September 23, 1999, at 14:12:04
In reply to Re: Prozac and another SSRI, posted by Andy on September 23, 1999, at 12:21:15
If you do look back, you'll a lot more than naltrexone (tho it's been getting rave reviews). Other common options that I've seen for SSRIs on this board include wellbutrin, effexor, lithium, thyroid ... am I the only one on an SSRI and a TCA? I can't recall anyone else mentioning that combo. I'll stay away from the MAOI combo's ... having been on SSRIs from the start, all the MAOI names sound like a foreign language to me! (Of course, in case you don't know (and you should, if you've read the product information about your meds!), you should *never* mix an SSRI or TCA with an MAOI.) Bottom line is that there are a variety of strategies. Heck, I've even heard that SOME people take Ritalin to augment an AD ... imagine that! So, if your pdoc doesn't have any particular druthers, like jamie said, look back through some older threads for Prozac or some other SSRI plus another med and see what the discussion was about. Do some background research.
Good luck!
Bob
Posted by Racer on September 23, 1999, at 18:28:30
In reply to Re: Prozac and another SSRI, posted by Bob on September 23, 1999, at 14:12:04
I'm on Effexor and Prozac. It's working great for me.
The side effects of SSRIs have always been killers for me, but the Effexor alone didn't fix the depression. Ergo, Effexor for its lack of side effects, and a low dose Prozac to augment. Works a treat!
Posted by Andy on September 24, 1999, at 8:55:43
In reply to Re: Prozac and another SSRI, posted by Racer on September 23, 1999, at 18:28:30
> I'm on Effexor and Prozac. It's working great for me.
>
> The side effects of SSRIs have always been killers for me, but the Effexor alone didn't fix the depression. Ergo, Effexor for its lack of side effects, and a low dose Prozac to augment. Works a treat!Racer, what doses? And did prozac alone cure the depression and the combo is just a side effect management thing, of do you need both for the depression?
Posted by Racer on September 27, 1999, at 4:18:50
In reply to Re: Prozac and another SSRI, posted by Andy on September 24, 1999, at 8:55:43
I'm on 225mg Effexor XR and 10mg of Prozac. The Effexor was the original drug, and it helped a lot with very few side effects of any sort, but it wasn't fixing the depression. The addition of Prozac was enough augmentation to push me up over the edge to recovery.
I'd had good responses to SSRIs in the past, but horrendous side effects. The idea here was that switching from a fairly benign but only marginally effective drug to a more effective but toxic drug was not a good idea, especially since it had been a year of trying to get help and I was in worse shape than when I started. So, adding the Prozac was a sort of last gasp effort. Thankfully, it seemed to be enough.
Good luck to you, and remember: if you're still depressed, the drugs aren't working. With all the choices out there today, there's a good chance of effective treatment for everyone, and no one need feel that bad again.
Love and light to you, Andy. Get better!
This is the end of the thread.
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