![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by maggiemae on September 11, 2011, at 15:00:12
last year my pdoc tried to get me to try the maoi emsam. i was not ready, so i ended up on lexapro/remeron. now i am having the side effects i had feared, that i had on zoloft and effexor - the detached apathy and lack of libido and passion.
so, he wants me again to reconsider emsam. would love some words of wisdom from those of you who have successfully switched from a ssri or snri for these reasons. i also have chronic pain and headaches, and he says it would help better with that as well.
change is scary. apathy is self perpetuating. how do i get off the zombie merry go round and take a chance (and put myself through the withdrawal hell) to give it a try?
tia
Posted by creepy on September 11, 2011, at 16:37:52
In reply to EMSAM vs Lexapro/Remeron to address apathy??, posted by maggiemae on September 11, 2011, at 15:00:12
Lexapro at higher doses turned off my irritability as well as my desire to do anything.
It was a lot easier on my sexual function than zoloft.
You could ask your doc about adding wellbutrin or desipramine to lexapro. desipramine is good on pain and wellbutrin can help with sexual dysfunction and libido.
Im not sure what effect emsam has on pain, but desipramine was good stuff for me.
Im not sure how you can escape the apathy from SSRI's. Every one of them does it to me, but the depression only responds to serotonin.
Maybe try serotonin receptor antagonists like nefazodone or the AAP's?
Posted by Phillipa on September 11, 2011, at 16:43:43
In reply to Re: EMSAM vs Lexapro/Remeron to address apathy??, posted by creepy on September 11, 2011, at 16:37:52
I always thought that emsam was a lot more stimulating than emsam? Phillipa
Posted by maggiemae on September 11, 2011, at 16:54:42
In reply to Re: EMSAM vs Lexapro/Remeron to address apathy??, posted by creepy on September 11, 2011, at 16:37:52
thank you. we did talk about trying wellbutrin, either adding it or replacing the lexapro. but it would not address the pain. he seems to think emsam would help with everything. adding wellbutrin just seems like i am starting up the crazy polypharmacy trainwreck, so common with fm...
can't tolerate the tricyclics so desiprine is out. nortryptiline at even tiny doses was a disaster - poor metabolism it seems. the cardiac side effects were intolerable. but it worked like a charm for the pain - it was ironic and frustrating.
> Lexapro at higher doses turned off my irritability as well as my desire to do anything.
> It was a lot easier on my sexual function than zoloft.
> You could ask your doc about adding wellbutrin or desipramine to lexapro. desipramine is good on pain and wellbutrin can help with sexual dysfunction and libido.
> Im not sure what effect emsam has on pain, but desipramine was good stuff for me.
> Im not sure how you can escape the apathy from SSRI's. Every one of them does it to me, but the depression only responds to serotonin.
> Maybe try serotonin receptor antagonists like nefazodone or the AAP's?
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.