Tricyclics

[News]

Underdiagnosed?
It took me 18months of SSRI's, SNRI's and the supposed "last resort" Nardil
an MAOI.
At this point I'd never given a Tricyclic a shot, it never entered my pdocs
mind. I started Anafranil and within 3 weeks I was feeling 100% better,
better than any other AD I'd tried.
I think that pdocs shouldn't waste time trying every "new age"
neurotransmitter drug on the market and give a Tryciclic a go immediately.
I have no doubt that they are the only type of AD's that have any effect on
my affliction.
And I know there must be many of you out there who have been prescribed
Zoloft, Effexor, and of course Prozac, and the like and had no benefit. Ask
your doc for a prescription of Anafranil or another Tricyclic because it
seems there could be a trend here that hasn't been addressed.

Input welcomed,

Russ.

[John Hanley]

I took a tricyclic [nortriptylene] for several years from 1989 to 1995. It was
effective but had a bad side effect of very dry mouth. So an m.d. suggested I
try Zoloft which I did for a couple of years with ok success. When my most
recent downhill depression began about 9 months ago, I have been on a variety
of a.d.'s with indifferent success. About a month ago, my current pdoc put me
back on nortriptylene on the strength of it working for me years ago, and in
hopes that might halt my downwards slide...however, I still have had the
morning despondent crying periods. There is more to the story which I will
write in another posting. Btw, I have never been on an MAOI.
John [age 63]

[Matt]

I guess I'm sort of a TCA groupie too. They've done well for me for the
most part. I've done particularly well with a small dose of TCA + an
SSRI.

Matt

[Robert O'Regan]

SSRIs et al are supposed to have less side effects that TCs. Hence the doctors
reluctance to try many of them.
My sister was never 'better' on a TC, but is way better after a period on
prozac and is now off everything and is flourishing after returning to
employment outside the home after 18 years.
Says how little we know about depression that some people do better on TC, some
people do better on MAOI and some people do better on SSRI/SNRI.

Helen

[UniVerSity]

Well, the tricyclic amitriptyline is still considered the "gold
standard" of antidepressant efficacy; no other drug has been proven
more effective.

In article <9679156...@ns2.1earth.net>,
"News" <suc...@myplace.com> wrote:

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

[LostboyinNC]

In article <9679156...@ns2.1earth.net>,
"News" <suc...@myplace.com> wrote:

-- I know what you mean when you feel like the Pdocs dont try to do the
things that will help their patients. Unfortunately, there are several
reasons why Pdocs dont like to prescribe TCAs if they can get away with
it. The first reason is because TCAs can be used to committ suicide if
taken in quantity in an overdosage. SSRIs on the other hand, cant cause
suicide no matter how many you take. Pdocs love the fact you cant
committ suicide with your own meds and this takes their ass off the
hook.

Another reason Pdocs try to avoid TCAs is due to the nasty anti-
cholinergic side effects they have. Brain fog, increased resting heart
rate, cardio toxicity, severe weight gain and severe dry mouth are all
typical anti-cholinergic side effects from TCAs.

But TCAs are very effective for some people. To each his own.

Eric

Eric's Depression advice webpage
http://hometown.aol.com/speedstrength/myhomepage/profile.html

Steroids caused my depression...prednisone should be used conservatively

[Mykstor]

I may as well chime in, too, as desipramine has really been the only truly
effective AD for me.. BUT, I keep trying to find a way to reduce, combine it or
eliminate it altogether because after some years of use, I have gained about 30
pounds. Also, I constantly look like I just got a moderate sunburn.. (People
are always asking about that.).. Sun sensitivity and body heat regulation seems
to be an increasing problem over time with its use. I often feel overheated or
have hot flashes, etc.
Eric stated the biggest problem very well. If a pdoc doesn't know you and your
constitution well, he/she's not going to want to give you a bottle of something
lethal to keep on your nightstand. However, if you establish a relationship
with a pdoc over time... and prove to be stable enough... you might ask him/her
at that point to let you give one of the older but very good ADs a try if you
are not having success with your present med. The main thing you will need with
them is a daily dose of Metamucil and lots of water.