Posted by Ame Sans Vie on April 3, 2004, at 13:23:54
In reply to Re: Ultram for SA, posted by TheOutsider on April 3, 2004, at 6:06:37
I've had an extensive personal experience with Ultram prescribed for both social phobia and depression. Excepting the medication combo I take now (Klonopin 8mg, Adderall 60mg, Prozac 40mg), Ultram was (for a time) the best thing that ever happened to me. In my opinion, it has a *MUCH* more powerful effect on serotonin/norepinephrine than anyone gives it credit for. I say this because withdrawal from it was pure hell -- many times worse than my withdrawals from Paxil and Luvox, but with the exact same symptoms.
Anyway, my social anxiety is very severe, and Ultram worked so great at a dose of 100mg three times during the day and 100mg before bed. The Problem: After a few months, it paradoxically worsened my already severe fibromyalgia pain. So I just quit taking it, and the withdrawal set in. I tried several times to quit... both cold-turkey and tapering. The withdrawal was too horrible for me to bear, so, as one would do with Effexor/Paxil (Seroxat) withdrawal, I asked my doctor to switch me to Prozac because of its ultra-long half-life. And whaddya know, it worked beautifully. There were no opioid-withdrawal effects, and I've been on and off Prozac at different doses since then.
Bottom line is, I'd absolutely recommend giving it a try (though it seems a bit warped to me that a U.K. doctor would prescribe a combination narcotic/SNRI but would shun the idea of clonazepam...). Just take it slow, as it can cause nausea and some other very opioid-like side effects in the beginning, and remember that Prozac is practically a must should you ever decide to discontinue it.
poster:Ame Sans Vie
thread:331860
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040402/msgs/332103.html