Posted by cache-monkey on September 15, 2004, at 13:39:25
In reply to Re: GAD/Dysthymia/Smoking: Buspar (or Cymbalta or ...? » cache-monkey, posted by alesta on September 15, 2004, at 2:41:08
<< of course, if you want to give the buspar and cymbalta a try, by all means go for it...i haven't heard great things about buspar overall >>Thing about BuSpar is that I'm on a pretty low dose, so maybe it makes sense to go higher before trying anything else. There's some evidence that BuSpar in higher doses could benefit high-anxiety smokers in quitting.
<< and cymbalta affects mostly norepinephrine and serotonin, right? (if i am incorrect and it affects dopamine substantially, too, someone please let me know!) that isn't going to help your cigarette cravings or your anxiety much. >>
Well, according to the Cymbalta PI:
"Preclinical studies have shown that duloxetine is a potent inhibitor of neuronal serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake and a less potent inhibitor of dopamine reuptake."
So it seems basically like Wellbutrin mixed with an SSRI.Also, in study published in the Journal of Neurochemistry, Prozac, Cymbalta and Buspar were administered to rats. When each was administered individually, this led to increases in dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NAD) for all three. Prozac and Cymbalta also increased serotonin (5-HT), while BuSpar lowered 5-HT.
When they administerd BuSpar along with Prozac or Cymbalta, it lead to even larger increases in DA and NAD (stronger for Cymbalta), with no change the increase in 5-HT.
So there might be something to be said for this combination...
<< plus, if cymbalta is anything like effexor, you might have weight gain and other side effects (as you mentioned) and horrible withdrawal symptoms..something to consider. i'm not trying to scare anyone from taking effexor or cymbalta, but there are people who wish they had never taken effexor, so i'm just giving you a heads-up, just in case..plus, there are many other things to try, but i'll leave it at this for now..:) >>
Yeah, so this is where it breaks down for me. The side effects are a real concern. (I'm less worried about withdrawal since I found out it's possible to divide the gelcaps.) Right now I actually feel alright and am managing to cope with the background anxiety. I am worried, though, that it's all going to come crashing down again at some point either because of a quit attempt for smoking or for no good reason.
I guess I don't have to do anything drastic right away, but in the mean time I'll look more into the l-theanine. Thanks for the info on that.
peace,
cache-monkey
poster:cache-monkey
thread:390925
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040915/msgs/391130.html