Non-responders to SS/NRIs?

[Barbarannamated]

Did anyone else here NEVER RESPOND positively to SS/NRIs, even briefly? I read of many having some initial response, then poopout or feeling dulled by SS/NRIs. I never had even a partial or temporary response and tried several, then just about every "augmenting" drug and mood worsened dramatically over the years.

 

Im just curious if anyone else had this experience of total non-response and kept trying new drugs on top of SS/NRIs.

 

Thanks.

[meistersinger]

Did anyone else here NEVER RESPOND positively to SS/NRIs, even briefly? I read of many having some initial response, then poopout or feeling dulled by SS/NRIs. I never had even a partial or temporary response and tried several, then just about every "augmenting" drug and mood worsened dramatically over the years.

 

Im just curious if anyone else had this experience of total non-response and kept trying new drugs on top of SS/NRIs.

 

Thanks.

 

If it is in my signature, I've been on it and have had problems with it. I've been on antidepressants on and off since 1995. I'm still trying to get off Viibryd. Don't ask.

[Barbarannamated]

Meistersinger,

Did anything help you, even briefly? (I apologize, I'm on mobile and cant see signature)

[annej]

Hi Barb,

 

I never had any positive response to SSRI's/SNRI's. If any response, it was a very, very brief "placebo" effect. The only thing that "helped" was when I was rx'd Provigil(non-amphetamine stimulant, FDA approved for narcolepsy or shift-work sleep disorder) for depression that was "treatment resistant" (now that's utter BS diagnosis, IMO) and later rx'd Adderral (dextroamphetamines, FDA approved for ADD/ADHD). My response to both stimulants was hypomania which felt great, but caused me great harm due to the consequences of my actions (gross over-spending and overall poor judgment), followed by a 2 week episode of "rapid cycling" (horrific) after stopping the Adderral due to tolerance and then resuming them 3 weeks later (doctor's "orders").

 

My initial episode of depressed mood was situational in nature, and resolved on it's own when I took action to correct the situation - about 2 months after starting Effexor. By this time, I was already addicted to the Effexor (and all the other AD's that I was switched on and off of). Hugs, Annej

[meistersinger]

Meistersinger,

Did anything help you, even briefly? (I apologize, I'm on mobile and cant see signature)

 

Back in 1995, while I was working at the Pentagon, the GP I had at the time put me on Prozac. (My insurance did not include mental health at the time.) I turned more aggressive than a cornered raccoon after 3 weeks. Same GP c/t me on Prozac and put me on Effexor. Effexor gave me severe tinnitus and nearly wrecked my voice. Same GP c/t off Effexor and put me on amytriphalene. Amytriphalene gave me a hangover (something you don't want when delivering pizza). Lost the job at the Pentagon in 1999, and had to switch doctors to a community clinic.

 

Said community clinic was part of an osteopathic hospital a block and a half from the house. Dr at clinic, (who was a doing residency here, and had her bachelor's degree from the same college where I earned my master's (ditto her husband). Was taken off amytriphalene c/t. This doctor, as well as other D.O. I have dealt with in the past, did not believe in antidepressants. I was off antidepressants until 2007, when I had to switch doctors again, after losing my job with Apple Computer in 2004.

 

In 2007 I melted down in my GP's office, since I was hearing voices telling me to kill myself. The doctor's office is one the same campus as the other hospital here in town. She immediately had me taken down to E.R., where I was evaluated by a shrink, then sent home after 3 hours. The set me up with the hospital behavioral health unit, where my current psychiatrist, put me on Celexa and Buspar. I gained a ton of weight, as well as could not keep my blood sugars under control. In 2011, I melted down in the GP's office again. My psychiatrist, after getting the notice from FDA about Celexa and qt interval on doses greater than 40 mg (I was on 60 mg), titrated me off Celexa and put me on 10mg Viibryd in September 2011. I was fine until mom died in November, which is when all the hell started, with the severe reaction I had back in march. The psychiatrist tried to take me off c/t. I decided to cut the pills to 5 mg and notified the psychiatrist. I'm now down to 2.5 mg and holding.

[Barbarannamated]

Thanks Anniej and Meistersinger for your input.

 

I'm one of those "treatment-resistant, atypical depressives" too - complete and utter bullsh*t!

 

I'm not sure if I'm angrier at myself for buying into that program for nearly 20 years or at the medical establishment.

 

Anniej, your clinical picture sounds similar to mine, although you saw the light far sooner. I'm interested in how stimulants differ pharmacologically from amphetamines and also dopaminergics for Parkinsons, RLS, Cushings, wakefulness, etc. I assume it has to do with where and how they act (reuptake inhibitors, agonists, presursors, releasers). I've tried to research and have not found why some have addiction potential. I understand the "reward circuitry" is implicated. My endocrinologist prefers i not be on Vyvanse, but others didn't help.

I hesitate to embark on that slippery slope of ascribing effects to one neurotransmitter or class but trying to function with least harm for now.

 

The lack of efficacy (and dangerous effects) with SS/NRIs sure sells alot of polypharmacy.

[aza]

Hi Barb,

 

I was in an experimental trial with Prozac in the early 1980's after a trial with xanax as a result of the prozac my anxiety went through the roof in 2 days on the prozac, I called the doctor who was in charge of the trial and related my anxiety which was through the roof to him, he begged me to stay on the Prozac for 1 more day assuring me that the anxiety would subside, I agreed to give it one more day.

 

That night was a night mare as I could not sleep the whole experience was like a wakeful nightmare. I called the Doctor back the next day and told him no more and that was the end of it for me.

 

Mid 1989 I was put on an other SSRI Don't remember what it was but the effect of this SSRI was as if I was on a placebo, it felt as if the drug had no effect on me what so ever. In less than 2 weeks I stoped taking this drug.

 

Mid 1990's an other Doctor put me on Paxil, and after about a week it seemed as if my whole life experienc was shut down. I simply could not continue with my daily routine. I contacted my doctor and told him no thankyou and stoped taking the Paxil without any additional explanation except to say that I was disapointed and maybe I didm't verbalize this part but I was thinking to myself WTF is this as I couldn't imagine my life without the every day enjoyments we all experience which makes life worthwhile.

 

The doctor was imformed enough about SSRI's to say to me that their experience with SSRI's was that if after trying 3 different SSRI's with no positive results that the best course of action was to avoid SSRI's and look for non-SSRI alternatives.

 

So that is what I have done and now 30 years later I begin to understand why!

 

This is a good topic i'm really pleased that I was able to relate my story about the treatment with SSRI's and how I reacted to them.

 

In the Prozac trial I'm sure the doctor was disapointed about the Number of people that left the trial very early, in the first week or just servral days and I wouldn't be surprized to learn that this was never reported to the FDA as I doubt that my experience was that much different than others in the same trail, although I have only anecdotal evedence to support this claim, my experience with Prozac with the amount of anxiety I experienced was one of the worst drug experiences in my life and I am really glad my body reacted so violently and discontinued early as other wise I might be experiencing SSRI WD syndrome.

 

And I have read enough about that to understand that I escaped a very painful life experience.

 

I wish you well.

[Barbarannamated]

 

This is a good topic i'm really pleased that I was able to relate my story about the treatment with SSRI's and how I reacted to them.

 

In the Prozac trial I'm sure the doctor was disapointed about the Number of people that left the trial very early, in the first week or just servral days and I wouldn't be surprized to learn that this was never reported to the FDA as I doubt that my experience was that much different than others in the same trail, although I have only anecdotal evedence to support this claim, my experience with Prozac with the amount of anxiety I experienced was one of the worst drug experiences in my life and I am really glad my body reacted so violently and discontinued early as other wise I might be experiencing SSRI WD syndrome.

 

Aza,

 

Thanks for relating your experience and very different responses to different SSRIs. Your experience alone demonstrates how different they .are. No surprise that the withdrawal experiences are so different.

I believe that one of the early trials for Prozac approval had a significant number of people put on Xanax for the anxiety caused by Prozac. Good for you for exiting the trial early on. I wish i had recognized that my severe bruxism and TMJ stared shortly after Zoloft. My life would be very different now.

.

I'm sure your doc did all he could to keep you in the trial. Some clinical trials at that time paid $50,000 PER PARTICIPANT.