Posted by Cindy W on August 30, 2000, at 9:04:50
In reply to Re: Is Serzone evil?, posted by JohnL on August 30, 2000, at 5:18:14
> > Has anyone ever had any positive results with Serzone? It seems that either no one has, or only the people who hate it post here.
> > I have a bottle of Serzone sitting on my desk, but the more I read about it, the less comfortable I feel about taking it.
> > Please, any input will be appreciated.
> > J
>
> Luke,
> It does seem hard to find anyone doing well with Serzone, doesn't it!? But in reality, there are actually people doing very well with it. They pop up from time to time here at this board. I've seen various success stories with Serzone. They do exist!
>
> I once talked with a doctor who was experiencing an unusual degree of success with Serzone among his patients. He shared with me his secret. Very simply, it involves 'slow and low'.
>
> Specifically, this is how he achieves success with Serzone...
> 1)He starts patients at 25mg a day. If that goes well, then 50mg a day is fine as soon as the next day. Dosing time is late afternoon or at dinner. (Bedtime is too late.)
> 2)The patient is to remain at that 25mg or 50mg for 4 to 7 days.
> 3)Then increase by another 25mg. Stay there for another 4 to 7 days.
> 4)Continue the same way in 25mg steps. Remain at a certain dose a little longer if needed...do not increase dose until the patient is comfortable with the current dose.
> 5)When the patient reaches 300mg and more increase seems needed, then begin split dosing...300mg in late afternoon/dinner, and an additional 25mg at lunch. Continue the same 25mg step increase at 4 to 7 day intervals, adding the new dose at lunchtime.
>
> Advantages: The patient adjusts much smoother to the medication.
> Disadvantage: It takes more time. If someone is very depressed, they may need additional counseling, coaching, and support to help them persevere and stay committed until higher dose levels are achieved.
>
> For some kwirky reason, Serzone can be finnicky. If dose is increased too much or too fast, or started at the normal 100mg level, all kinds of weird reactions (like the ones you've read about at this board...anxiety, anger, tension, oversedation, increased depression, etc) can happen. Not sure why. But it can mostly be avoided with the above mentioned low-n-slow method.
>
> Another thing about Serzone is that it can have a very narrow therapeutic window. Too little won't work, and too much won't either. A difference of 25mg in one direction or the other can make all the difference in the world. This is another advantage of increasing in 25mg steps...so we don't accidentally blow right past our magic but narrow therapuetic window. We don't know ahead of time what dose will be our magic dose, but it will be pleasantly obvious when it occurs. Don't want to accidentally miss it.
>
> The long trial could be worth it, because Serzone is known for providing good sleep and good sex.
>
> One clue I've noticed over time that can predict whether Serzone is right for you or not is this...If it gives you tinnitus (loud ringing in the ears), then it isn't the med for you. Don't even bother continuing. Tell the doc it gives you bad tinnitus and try something else instead. If there's no loud ringing in the ears, that's a good sign. These are not documented predictors, but rather observations I've noticed over the years.
>
> So regardless of the instructions your doctor gave you, try the above method instead. It is another doctor's method, one who is experiencing good success rates with Serzone.
> John
Luke, I took Serzone for several months, and really felt it helped and liked the way it made me feel. The first couple of weeks were hard (I had a lot of mood swings and felt kind of weird) but after that, I felt really great. My social anxiety was down, I slept great, it didn't interfere with sexual feelings, and my depression dissipated. I'd still be taking it if it also helped with OCD. Now I'm on Effexor-XR but don't have the sense of well-being I had on Serzone.--Cindy W
P.S. Noa posted some great information about Serzone in the past and how it worked for her.
poster:Cindy W
thread:44037
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000822/msgs/44059.html