Posted by JohnL on December 30, 2000, at 17:12:08
In reply to Need info on Ritalin, Cylert, Provigil, etcetera., posted by PhoenixGirl on December 29, 2000, at 12:12:39
> I have tried around 8 different ADs, and none of them has kept me from feeling depressed for no reason and fantasizing about suicide. They have an effect, but my quality of life is still crap. I've tried combining antidepressants, adding lithium, and adding thyroid hormone. I am considering adding a stimulant like Ritalin, Cylert, or Provigil because other things are not working well. Please tell me any info you have, and especially experiences you or someone you know have with these drugs. I'm concerned about loss of appetite and tolerance. I'm not very concerned about addiction because I already know that I will need medical treatment for depression for the rest of my life. So I want something that allows me to enjoy life and doesn't cause intolerable side effects like loss of libido and stomach pain. I am so tired of trying new meds, and I refuse to continue living this way. I've already lost 10 years to this disease, starting at age 12. This isn't living.
Hi Phoenix Girl,
Well, my hat's off to you for hanging in tough as you have. I can sure relate.Since you have pretty well ruled out antidepressants as being the appropriate drugs to correct whatever chemistry problem you have, stimulants definitely make a lot of sense at this point as I see it. Ritalin and Adderall are probably the top two choices. Usually though they work better with an SSRI, so you might also consider restarting at a low dose whatever SSRI you liked the best overall. No need for big doses. The minimum, or even half the minimum, would probably be just right.
If a stimulant isn't helping in one week, I think you can reasonably ditch it and move onto another. You might consider planning this strategy in advance with your doctor. Try one for a week, another the next week, and a third the following week. If they are to work, they will do so in anywhere from day one to 72 hours. No sense wasting time after that.
If the whole stimulant thing proves worthless, top choices would be antipsychotics like Risperdal or Zyprexa (small doses) or a benzodiazepine like Klonopin or Xanax. Try two from each class to search for a best match. Again, these trials can be fairly rapid, unlike antidepressants typically.
But of course I can't end this post without mentioning my two favorites for people like you and me who have been so disappointed for so long with antidepressants...Amisulpride and/or Adrafinil. It's a different ballgame, but these two meds for me are just a million times better than anything else I've ever tried, with probably only 5% of the level of side effects from all other drugs. Just something to keep on the back burner in case you're interested.
John
poster:JohnL
thread:50556
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001130/msgs/50586.html