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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sk85 on March 20, 2012, at 12:58:09
I wasn't really expecting this from this new "wonder" drug. The first 3-4 days were without much effects. Then the circus started: heavy feeling in the body and mind, very drowsy during daytime, thinking is blurred (spaced out), occasional pains all around the body...actually, I know it has totally different mechanism of action compared to SSRIs etc, but some of the stuff it gives feels very much like something that a serotonin increasing drug would give. Anyone else got this in the beginning? I'm on day 8 at the moment, really difficult to continue. Would this subside or will it continue with this one. Sleep is great though.
-Ikaros
Posted by sigismund on March 21, 2012, at 0:38:29
In reply to Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects, posted by sk85 on March 20, 2012, at 12:58:09
No afternoon anxiety?
Anyway I would lower the dose a little.
How much are you on?
If I had my time over again with agomelatine I would stay on 12.5 for much longer.
The calming effect tends to poop out first, I think, but the long term dopaminergic thing lasts longer.
What this means is that the beneficial effect on sleep may not last.
Posted by sk85 on March 21, 2012, at 11:07:42
In reply to Re: Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects » sk85, posted by sigismund on March 21, 2012, at 0:38:29
Thanks for the reply.
No, I don't seem to be experiencing much anxiety from it at all. I'm also on 50 mg Seroquel, that might be blocking it.
I already started on the 25 mg per day since day 1.
My biggest issue is the tiredness (and it isn't from the Seroquel, I'm completely tolerant to that already).
Would you suggest stepping it back to 12,5 mg, or does the tiredness/sluggishness go away on its own with this one. Odd enough is that I read agomelatine is supposed to be stimulating.
I'd ask for modafinil, but it isn't available where I live. Would low dose amisulpride be stimulating?-Ikaros
> No afternoon anxiety?
>
> Anyway I would lower the dose a little.
>
> How much are you on?
>
> If I had my time over again with agomelatine I would stay on 12.5 for much longer.
>
> The calming effect tends to poop out first, I think, but the long term dopaminergic thing lasts longer.
>
> What this means is that the beneficial effect on sleep may not last.
Posted by tensor on March 21, 2012, at 12:43:43
In reply to Re: Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects, posted by sk85 on March 21, 2012, at 11:07:42
> I'd ask for modafinil, but it isn't available where I live.
It isn't available here either but I have it imported with a licence. Maybe you can do the same?
Posted by SLS on March 21, 2012, at 13:58:34
In reply to Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects, posted by sk85 on March 20, 2012, at 12:58:09
> I'd ask for modafinil, but it isn't available where I live.
What about adrafinil?
> Would low dose amisulpride be stimulating?
It definitely can be. So, too, can low doses of Abilify be energizing.
I would reduce the dosage of Valdoxan to 12.5 mg/day and wait until you accommodate to it before returning to 25 mg/day. I would say that your reaction to valdoxan is atypical.
- Scott
Posted by sigismund on March 21, 2012, at 15:09:48
In reply to Re: Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects, posted by sk85 on March 21, 2012, at 11:07:42
>Would you suggest stepping it back to 12,5 mg, or does the tiredness/sluggishness go away on its own
I was wondering if the net effect from agomelatine might be more helpful and more pleasant for you at a lower dose?
The tiredness does go away. This wasn't good for me because I found the tiredness calming. I *think* we are talking about the same thing. At any rate I could have had more mileage out of it if I had jacked up the dose more slowly. I took it for a couple of years.
Agomelatine is stimulating in a hard (for me) to define way.
It's also a bit toxic. You may have heard about a patent for a sublingual version? The dose for that is microscopic. In the process of investigating that I tasted the stuff.....just terrible....acrid. Might have something to do with the liver thing.
Posted by sk85 on March 21, 2012, at 15:31:08
In reply to Re: Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects » sk85, posted by sigismund on March 21, 2012, at 15:09:48
>It isn't available here either but I have it imported with a licence. Maybe you can do the same?
I tried that, it's price came very high (around 500 dollars for 30 pills) to the point that I disregarded this as plain robbery. Also tried ordering it "without a prescription" over the internet, but the pills were confiscated on the border. Adrafinil is now being discontinued by the manufacturer, as I understand.
Posted by sk85 on March 22, 2012, at 3:52:18
In reply to Re: Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects, posted by sk85 on March 21, 2012, at 15:31:08
And all of a sudden Valdoxan is no longer helping me sleep either...this is already the second night with constant waking up and very light sleep, daytime tiredness is now compounded by this. This drug is really beating me up, although I do notice minor improvements in temperament, such as less irritability and improved imuplse control.
There's so little data on these side-effects (or are these permanent effects)...>The tiredness does go away. This wasn't good for me because I found the tiredness calming
Sigismund, are you suggesting that it wrecked your sleep regime aswell?
Posted by SLS on March 22, 2012, at 7:18:33
In reply to Re: Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects, posted by sk85 on March 22, 2012, at 3:52:18
Serotonin 5-HT2c antagonism can produce agitation, especially at first. Valdoxan is somewhat like Prozac in this respect.
- Scott
Posted by sigismund on March 22, 2012, at 14:07:39
In reply to Re: Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects, posted by sk85 on March 22, 2012, at 3:52:18
>Sigismund, are you suggesting that it wrecked your sleep regime aswell?
Not to begin with, it helped my sleep then. But tolerance to the melatonin thing developed before tolerance to the 5ht2 thing, from which point on it was not helpful.
Posted by sk85 on March 24, 2012, at 8:12:42
In reply to Re: Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects, posted by sigismund on March 22, 2012, at 14:07:39
I lowered the dose to 12.5 mg and my sleep has improved. I'm only thinking is there really a point taking this at this lowered dose to help with depression issues, as the "working" doses are 25-50 mg.
-Ikaros
Posted by sigismund on March 24, 2012, at 18:11:47
In reply to Re: Valdoxan/agomelatine start-up side effects, posted by sk85 on March 24, 2012, at 8:12:42
>I lowered the dose to 12.5 mg and my sleep has improved. I'm only thinking is there really a point taking this at this lowered dose to help with depression issues, as the "working" doses are 25-50 mg.
It is something you will have to find out for yourself. I don't know about working doses though. Just see if you can make it at all helpful. It was helpful for me, but if I had my time over again I would go up more slowly.
This is the end of the thread.
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