serotonin junkie Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 Hey there, It's been on my mind that some kind of anti-depressant might be beneficial for me, for bipolar depression. My Lamictal up until this point hasn't been enough to keep all my depression at bay. When I have an episode I really do have a severe one with deep deep depression. Horrible as. Thing is I am VERY sensitive to ADs. The last one I tried was lexapro. I've also tried prozac, aropax, luvox, aurorix. They all have a habit of sending me into mania, or rapid cycling that goes on and on. Does anyone know the best ADs for bipolar depression, and for sensitive brains like mine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Just to list some drugs but not speak to their potential effectiveness, Wellbutrin doesn't touch serotonin and is sometimes used with bipolar folks. Strattera or Reboxetine would be worth a look. Desiprimine is a TCA which works only on NA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isis Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 i also feel that lamictal isnt cutting it for me!! prozac gave me psychotic symptoms, and i tried edronax (reboxetine), which worked better... didnt send me off onto a loop like prozac did, but did make me feel a bit edgy. but, yeh, definitely a possibility! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serotonin junkie Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 thanks guys! I've made a list and I'm taking it to my pdoc wednesday morning - at like 8:30am blah, I'll have to get up early to get there. Hopefully these ADs will be on our PBS so it doesn't cost the earth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isis Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 hey i am in australia also. edronax is on the pbs, but wellbutrin (known as zyban here) is only on pbs for smoking cessation, not depression (as far as i know). you can look it up on the website actually, www.pbs.gov.au if you want to look up other drugs. you can see what they are approved for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serotonin junkie Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 hello fellow Aussie! I had a go at the PBS website. Strattera is on there also. I would like to have a go a bupropian (zyban). I wonder if they would prescribe it for depression. They would probably have to pull a bodgy to get it on PBS prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isis Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 yes i think so, it might be the one i try next - if my doc suggests an AD. but my doc is pretty good at 'lying' so to speak. not exactly...just.... kinda. do you smoke? cos that would be a huge help. haha. umm... otherwise, im sure you could find a doc who'd prescribe it on pbs prices for you anyway. most docs know its worked well overseas for depression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serotonin junkie Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 naa I haven't smoked for 5 years! Maybe I could be a "heavy smoker" from now on. My pdoc is pretty cool. She might just prescribe it on PBS. She does what she can to make my meds as cheap as possible. Shame you can't pull a bodgy on lamictal. Lying and saying your patient has epilepsy when they don't is a bit of a stretch, especially come audit time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isis Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 i dont smoke at all! haha. my doc is extra cool - lamictal at pbs price. well....epilepsy was vaguely considered, at one point.....i do twitch strangely sometimes. but yeh, i have no money, so he has saved my life for the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serotonin junkie Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 oh shit! How did he pull that off if you don't mind telling. I might be able to get my doc to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isis Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 i dont know!! he just informed me that he was lying and that if caught it would be his fault not mine. i had to agree to be compliant in the lie. i was like...sure thing! best thing ever. when they prescribe you a drug they just have to select the condition you are taking it for. i think... for some anyway. but yeh... i dont know! i just beg! edit: oh the other way my other doc did it was to prescribe it through the hospital pharmacy. cos he used to be part of hospital services, so i would just go there and get it like an outpatient - get it for pbs price then too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serotonin junkie Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 aaah i c! Well i'll be taking this to my pdoc on wednesday. See what she says. Will make such a HUGE difference to my income, as you would know. I'll beg if I have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isis Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 yes...its definitely expensive!! edit: good luck with this!! i'll be thinking of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiaB Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I second the suggestion of wellbutrin/zyban - it's worked well for me so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serotonin junkie Posted April 22, 2008 Author Share Posted April 22, 2008 Looks like if I'm going to go for zyban I'll have to pay the full price of $170. And that's pretty crappy. To get the wonderful PBS price of $5 you have to enter a counselling program for smoking, and it's an authority script so it has a limit on the number of scripts you can get filled. Bummer. Well, if I was to take 150mg a day it would last me 3 months. Anyhow, I actually have to discuss this with my pdoc don't I?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serotonin junkie Posted April 22, 2008 Author Share Posted April 22, 2008 Strattera: Can't get this one on the PBS either. This is the deal: Initial treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosed between the ages of 6 and 18 years inclusive, by a paediatrician or psychiatrist according to the DSM-IV criteria. Hmm I just miss out at age 30. Price: $220.20 Great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isis Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Strattera is similar to Edronax - which you can get. so, it wouldnt be too bad to use Edronax instead of Strattera yeah? http://www.pbs.gov.au/html/consumer/search...orm-type=simple you'd get that no problem. if you look on the crazymeds site they have info on strattera and edronax also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serotonin junkie Posted April 22, 2008 Author Share Posted April 22, 2008 Yes Edronax is on the PBS! Reading the crazymeds site I can see Strattera and Edronax are similar. I think it's Edronax that I'll put forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serotonin junkie Posted April 23, 2008 Author Share Posted April 23, 2008 well I went to see the pdoc and she liked the idea of Edronax, so I start it today. yay! I start on baby doses, just to be safe, 2mg in the morning, 2mg at midday. Divided this way because if has a short half-life, and it's too activating to take before bed, according to pdoc. Total money spent: $5 Also I got the Lamogine brand of lamotrigine today and it's $97 compared with the $136 of Lamictal. That's a rather significant saving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isis Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 well done yes, i take Lamogine also - generics are cheaper. i like lamogine better than Seaze too, because it doesnt dissolve as quickly so you dont get icky metallic blackcurrant stuck in your mouth. beware - edronax has a less than lovely taste - might want to follow with something sweet to eat/drink yes i took it all in the morning, it did seem to be activating. hope it helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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