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Alternative to an AAP?


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Has anyone been on an AD + AAP and successfully gone off the AAP and found an AD or combo that works for them? I'm sick of all the weight gain and metabolic side effects from Abilify but it really helps when added to Lexapro.  Rather than being a Guinea pig and trying a bunch of different AAPs, I'd really like to find a good antidepressant that works for me. Zoloft was side effect free but not good enough on its own. Prozac was too activating for me. Wellbutrin was a bad experience as well. Any ideas?

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I went through all the antidepressants until we discovered that I just don't respond to most antidepressants. Since then, AAPs and anticonvulsants have been the most important meds in my cocktail. ADs do help me with anxiety though.

So, in my case, there really is no alternative to the antidepressant + anticonvulsant + atypical antipsychotic cocktail. I couldn't imagine getting rid of Abilify.

However, that is me. If you haven't tried all the ADs yet then maybe you can find one that works wonders for you. Also, I'd like to throw out to you Rexulti which is an AAP very much like Abilify but is said to have fewer side effects. Not sure if you'd be willing to give it a try, but perhaps you might want to talk it over with your doctor.

Edited by jt07
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3 minutes ago, jt07 said:

I went through all the antidepressants until we discovered that I just don't respond to most antidepressants. Since then, AAPs and anticonvulsants have been the most important meds in my cocktail. ADs do help me with anxiety though.

So, in my case, there really is no alternative to the antidepressant + anticonvulsant + atypical antipsychotic cocktail. I couldn't imagine getting rid of Abilify.

However, that is me. If you haven't tried all the ADs yet then maybe you can find one that works wonders for you. Also, I'd like to throw out to you Rexulti which is an AAP very much like Abilify but is said to have fewer side effects. Not sure if you'd be willing to give it a try, but perhaps you might want to talk it over with your doctor.

My pdoc gave me a sample of Result, however, same problem. It's nearly $1000 since there's no generic yet. Maybe in a couple years . . . Thanks though.

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I was on SSRIs + Seroquel for a long time.  SSRIs never did much for me and Seroquel was great for my anxiety and mood instability but the weight gain was horrific.  Next I tried Lamictal, which is a mood stabilizer, and it did great things for my depression and was weight neutral for me.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Lamictal is sometimes effective for treatment resistant unipolar depression.

 

Other ADs you could try include adding Remeron to your current AD. Many people combine this medicine to their current regimen and have good results. Another medication to consider is Trazodone, which is effective for depression/anxiety with comorbid insomnia. Additionally, it sounds like you haven't tried an SNRI (Effexor, Prostiq, Cymbalta). Those might be a logical next step if an SSRI isn't enough. 

Edited by mjs190
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