Hello all,

          There is a small problem a friend of mine is experiencing and I
would appreciate any help at all with it.

My friend has been diagnosed as having a severe case of depression requiring
antidepressants for a cure. The main problem is the side effects of these.
So far she has been prescribed Prozac, Aurorix, and tryptanol all with
different but unbearable side effects.

The Prozac gave very bad anxiety/jitters and insomina, it was impossible to
sit still for more than a minute or so.

The Aurorix whilst having a calming effect, all feelings were lost and the
body co-ordination was similar to a drunken person. Her brain was clouded
over.

The tryptanol gave tremors in the legs and panic attacks along with unco-
ordination occurred. She did not know what she was doing as her brain was
"closed down".

Has anyone had similar problems and/or have any suggestions as to the next
step?

Thankyou in advance.

Gordon Taylor

I tried Prozac a few months ago, and had some insomnia from it, but no
anxiety or jitters.  I probably could have lived with the insomnia if the
Prozac had done any good, but it only provided a tiny benefit.  Maybe
because the person who prescribed it didn't know much and gave up after a
20mg dose didn't work.

Now I'm seeing a psychiatrist who has put me on Zoloft (another serotonin
reuptake inhibitor like Prozac).  One pill/day (50mg) seemed to help some.
Now I'm trying 100mg/day.  Zoloft has fewer and milder side effects than
Prozac.  I think my doctor said that only 4% of the people taking Zoloft
have to discontinue it because of side effects.  The only problem I'm
having is some minor GI distress, but nothing too annoying.  Hopefully the
Zoloft will work.  Maybe your friend should try this one next.

My psychiatrist's strategy seems to be to first try one of the serotonin
{*filter*}, usually Prozac.  If that works, great.  If it works but has too many
side effects, try Zoloft or maybe Paxil.  If the serotonin {*filter*} don't work
at all, try one of the tricyclics like desipramine.

Having a doctor who knows something about antidepressants can make a big
difference.  My psychiatrist claims that most GPs and FPs don't have much
experience in this area, and from what I've seen I'm inclined to believe
him.  I think I know more about antidepressants than the people at my
family practitioner's office.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor; what I know about this comes from talking to
my psychiatrist and reading sci.med.  

--

UC Berkeley School of Education      510-596-5868