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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Squigglatrix on May 2, 2003, at 8:20:52
Hello everyone,
The last time i posted concerned my friend's
unhappy, numerous trials at ADs for treatment
resistant, severe, unipolar depression.Many drugs of different classes and types have
been tried unsuccessfully, including most SSRIs
and an MAOI, with imipramine being the best of
the worst.The last one-- Serzone-- has proved to be too weak
for this kind of depression, leaving anxiety
and insomnia in its wake.In doing some net hunting here and Dr. Ivan Goldberg's
site, i noticed that Remeron is good for alleviating
anxiety and insomnia and has a pretty impressive
low side-effect profile. At first, my friend took
30mg and it really knocked her out, so i suggested
to her that she halve it, and 15mg turns out to be
just right. As this is only the 5th day on it,
we can only hope that the good result continue; if
it turns out to be too low, it can always be raised when
she sees her dr. to report the results.I hope i am not jumping the gun, but i think
this is *it* guys. Remeron is in the class
called NASSA of drugs, and i have read that
its mechanism of action is not as well known.
This is the case with lithium, which i have
been taking over 20 yrs. with excellent results.
I hate to sound cynical - ok - i like to sound
cynical, but i told my friend that I trust that
this drug will be the one precisely because
they don't know how it works. :-)Cheers,
Squigglatrix
(aka Squiggles - trouble registering)
Posted by charlie12 on May 2, 2003, at 14:38:33
In reply to Serzone too weak - Remeron may be *it*, posted by Squigglatrix on May 2, 2003, at 8:20:52
I would be very happy to compare notes with you, as I have just started using Remeron myself, ie, into it four days now.
My first two days were at 15mg/nite, and my second two days have been at 30mg/nite.
My doctor instructed me to raise my dosage immediately due to the heavy sedation that I had experienced at 15mg/nite.
I am now supposed to hold steady at 30mg/nite for 2-3 weeks.
I can report that today it seems that the sedation is starting to diminish somewhat, and also that the depression is starting to slightly diminish somewhat.
I also learned today that there is evidently some kind of significant treatment efficacy difference between using the Remeron SolTabs versus using the regular Remeron tabs; my doctor wants me to specifically use the SolTabs.
Previously I have been using Paxil on and off for 10 years, and I want to eliminate/replace the Paxil entirely. I have been using only low doses of the Paxil (avg. 5mg/day) because it has been too sedative for me. I have also tried other A-D's without success, as I am typically too intolerant of their side effects.
I am being treated for straight depression with some anxiety/OCD, and I am only using Remeron.
You might also like to check out my thread here,
"Period for Remeron's benefits to kick-in?" -
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030429/msgs/223661.html
regards,
Charlie
Posted by Squigglatrix on May 2, 2003, at 14:50:01
In reply to Re: Serzone too weak - Remeron may be *it* » Squigglatrix, posted by charlie12 on May 2, 2003, at 14:38:33
Hi Charlie,This is a nice coincidence. Bare in mind that i
am reporting indirectly for someone who cannot
use the net, but i have direct observation of:
> I would be very happy to compare notes with you, as I have just started using Remeron myself, ie, into it four days now.
>
> My first two days were at 15mg/nite, and my second two days have been at 30mg/nite.
>
> My doctor instructed me to raise my dosage immediately due to the heavy sedation that I had experienced at 15mg/nite.Yes, in my research on the drug, I noticed that the
lady (sorry to forget the name) who reviewed this
drug for the FDA reported that a higher dose was
paradoxically less sedating than a lower dose. This has
not been the case with Miss X, nor with the reports i
have read in:
http://www.neurotransmitter.net/index.htmlNor has there been severe sedation after the 3rd
day in this case - infact the sleep could be more
but was ok on 15mg and is steady now at that;
possibly things will change. But the initial 30 mg
was a knock-out, and there were headaches and
severe sedation. Perhaps one has to get on this
drug gradually, but if 15mg gets rid of anxiety
and insomnia, as it has so far (day 5) then there
would be no sense in raising it (the minimax principle).
>
> I am now supposed to hold steady at 30mg/nite for 2-3 weeks.
>
> I can report that today it seems that the sedation is starting to diminish somewhat, and also that the depression is starting to slightly diminish somewhat.
>
> I also learned today that there is evidently some kind of significant treatment efficacy difference between using the Remeron SolTabs versus using the regular Remeron tabs; my doctor wants me to specifically use the SolTabs.
>
> Previously I have been using Paxil on and off for 10 years, and I want to eliminate/replace the Paxil entirely. I have been using only low doses of the Paxil (avg. 5mg/day) because it has been too sedative for me. I have also tried other A-D's without success, as I am typically too intolerant of their side effects.
>
> I am being treated for straight depression with some anxiety/OCD, and I am only using Remeron.
>
> You might also like to check out my thread here,
>
> "Period for Remeron's benefits to kick-in?" -
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030429/msgs/223661.html
>Thanks - i hope it works for you; my friend has
suffered many years in experimenting with one
AD after another - i think the number over 15 yrs.
has been 18 or so, with much insomnia and anxiety.
It is, as you probably know, very difficult to live
a tolerable life under these conditions as the
stress of the drug itself is a problem.take care
and i will keep you posted, and you do too, ok?
tx
Squiggles
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