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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by shelby on July 28, 2001, at 10:19:47
I am currently taking 25 mg. nortriptyline in the a.m. and 60 mg. elavil at night. Is it worth it to keep taking the nortrip. as I have read the there is a small "window" for the effectiveness.
I'm having a bitch of a time with meds - 10 years - and I have to keep coming back to elavil. I find at low doses of elavil I get really irritable. My psy. doc. wants me to try neurontin at night along with elavil.
Any input??
thanks.
shelby
Posted by SalArmy4me on July 28, 2001, at 12:41:51
In reply to 25 mg. nortrip. worth taking?, posted by shelby on July 28, 2001, at 10:19:47
I think you are only causing yourself extra side-effects with no appreciable antidepressant gain by taking only 25 mg of nortriptyline. The therapeutic dose window is about 25 mg 3-4 times daily to a max of 150 mg/ day.
I wish you could substitute venlafaxine for Elavil, but you probably have already tried that.
> I am currently taking 25 mg. nortriptyline in the a.m. and 60 mg. elavil at night. Is it worth it to keep taking the nortrip. as I have read the there is a small "window" for the effectiveness.
>
> I'm having a bitch of a time with meds - 10 years - and I have to keep coming back to elavil. I find at low doses of elavil I get really irritable. My psy. doc. wants me to try neurontin at night along with elavil.
>
> Any input??
>
> thanks.
> shelby
Posted by Mitch on July 28, 2001, at 20:18:47
In reply to 25 mg. nortrip. worth taking?, posted by shelby on July 28, 2001, at 10:19:47
> I am currently taking 25 mg. nortriptyline in the a.m. and 60 mg. elavil at night. Is it worth it to keep taking the nortrip. as I have read the there is a small "window" for the effectiveness.
>
> I'm having a bitch of a time with meds - 10 years - and I have to keep coming back to elavil. I find at low doses of elavil I get really irritable. My psy. doc. wants me to try neurontin at night along with elavil.
>
> Any input??
>
> thanks.
> shelbyShelby,
Thumbs up on the Neurontin suggestion. Oh BTW, if you are taking Elavil(amitriptyline)+nortriptyline you may be in the "therapeutic window" for nortrip because the amitriptyline metabolizes in your body to nortriptyline. Nortrip generally has less drowsiness than Amitrip. You could ask for an NT blood level-and see if you are in the "range".
Mitch
Posted by JohnL on July 31, 2001, at 4:16:44
In reply to 25 mg. nortrip. worth taking?, posted by shelby on July 28, 2001, at 10:19:47
> I am currently taking 25 mg. nortriptyline in the a.m. and 60 mg. elavil at night. Is it worth it to keep taking the nortrip. as I have read the there is a small "window" for the effectiveness.
>
> I'm having a bitch of a time with meds - 10 years - and I have to keep coming back to elavil. I find at low doses of elavil I get really irritable. My psy. doc. wants me to try neurontin at night along with elavil.
>
> Any input??
>
> thanks.
> shelby
Just my opinion, but when someone goes many years struggling with antidepressants, it is high time to jump ship into whole new categories of medications. My favorites, the ones I believe hold the highest potential for success, are Zyprexa, Risperdal, Adrafinil, Ritalin, Adderall. I personally would not go the mood stabilizer route until all of these had been tried first. And if you haven't tried Prozac, that one in my opinion is still the leader of the pack after all these years. It is especially promising when combined with Zyprexa.
John
Posted by Else on July 31, 2001, at 6:49:49
In reply to Re: 25 mg. nortrip. worth taking?, posted by JohnL on July 31, 2001, at 4:16:44
Come on John. The question was not about Zyprexa or Prozac. Not everything is.
> > I am currently taking 25 mg. nortriptyline in the a.m. and 60 mg. elavil at night. Is it worth it to keep taking the nortrip. as I have read the there is a small "window" for the effectiveness.
> >
> > I'm having a bitch of a time with meds - 10 years - and I have to keep coming back to elavil. I find at low doses of elavil I get really irritable. My psy. doc. wants me to try neurontin at night along with elavil.
> >
> > Any input??
> >
> > thanks.
> > shelby
>
>
> Just my opinion, but when someone goes many years struggling with antidepressants, it is high time to jump ship into whole new categories of medications. My favorites, the ones I believe hold the highest potential for success, are Zyprexa, Risperdal, Adrafinil, Ritalin, Adderall. I personally would not go the mood stabilizer route until all of these had been tried first. And if you haven't tried Prozac, that one in my opinion is still the leader of the pack after all these years. It is especially promising when combined with Zyprexa.
> John
Posted by JohnL on July 31, 2001, at 18:04:00
In reply to Re: 25 mg. nortrip. worth taking? » JohnL, posted by Else on July 31, 2001, at 6:49:49
Alrighty then. Good point Else. No, 25mg Nortrip is not worth taking. If one is to seriously take Nortriptyline and expect good results, I do not believe that is the way to do it. Sorry for getting off track.
John> Come on John. The question was not about Zyprexa or Prozac. Not everything is.
>
>
> > > I am currently taking 25 mg. nortriptyline in the a.m. and 60 mg. elavil at night. Is it worth it to keep taking the nortrip. as I have read the there is a small "window" for the effectiveness.
> > >
> > > I'm having a bitch of a time with meds - 10 years - and I have to keep coming back to elavil. I find at low doses of elavil I get really irritable. My psy. doc. wants me to try neurontin at night along with elavil.
> > >
> > > Any input??
> > >
> > > thanks.
> > > shelby
> >
> >
> > Just my opinion, but when someone goes many years struggling with antidepressants, it is high time to jump ship into whole new categories of medications. My favorites, the ones I believe hold the highest potential for success, are Zyprexa, Risperdal, Adrafinil, Ritalin, Adderall. I personally would not go the mood stabilizer route until all of these had been tried first. And if you haven't tried Prozac, that one in my opinion is still the leader of the pack after all these years. It is especially promising when combined with Zyprexa.
> > John
This is the end of the thread.
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