44 replies to this topic

[MichaelTheAnhedonic]

The biggest problem is to convince my stupid docs for this combo....

[jaiho]

You can just get an SSRI from your doc and buy the nortriptyline online. quite cheap here

https://www.pharmacy...80&cat=0&page=1

 

 

[Hana]

It should be noted here - both Registered and PeaceAndProsperity both have Schizofrenia-spectrum-disorders - Registered in particular have classic, full-blown Schizophrenia, while PeaceAnd has a more atypical, mild form of the disorder.

 

What they describe as anhedonia and flat affect may not necessarily be true for others - the cognitive and emotional effects of schizoidal disorders are diverse and poorly understood.

 

 

Now then, the fact that your sister has Schizophrenia is a bit alarming though - could YOU also have some form of mild symptoms of schizoid behaviour? What you might want to try out, is a combo of a something activating and something inhibiting - have you considered to change your Lamotrigine (lamictal) to either Aripiprazol (abilify) or Brexpiprazol? Both are of the activating type of atypical antipsychotics - what is also known as SDAM's - Serotonin Dopamine Activity Modulator.

If Brexpiprazol is available in your area, that, in particular, could be useful.

 

Next, you could also consider going on a combo of Quetiapine and MODAFINIL.

Or, Quetiapine and REBOXETINE - along with staying on your Paroxetine. You may need a potent Norepinephrinergic effect to get out of this rut.

 

 

And finally, I KNOW you don't think a Dr. will prescribe you a MAOI, but it's worth a shot to at least ask, to pleed that you think you need this - Phenelzine, is a very good option, as such - highly proven in social anxiety - it has serious risk for antihypertensive crisis, if you eat Cheese and other such tyramine-rich products - but if you get rid of them, then the risk is very low.

 

Don't give up!

 

There are tons of options out there - work with us here, tells us how you feel and let us know more about you - specifically, the country you're in! If we know that, then we may be able to help you find a Dr. who has experience with severe cases and prescribing unusual medications.

With a bit of help you CAN beat this! = )

 

 

"People with schizoid personality disorder also tend to be distant, detached, and indifferent to social relationships. They generally are loners who prefer solitary activities and rarely express strong emotion." That describes my sister perfectly but not me (I didn't know there was a term for it. I thought schizophrenics in general tend to be this way?). I mean I don't like to be friendless. If I don't talk to people then that's because I'm feeling anxious. 

 

Tbh, antipsychotics scare the crap out of me fsr. I just can’t bring myself to take them. But I’m thinking of trying Amisulpride if everything else failed. At low does, I heard it’s very effective for anhedonia. Thank you for your suggestions. Unfortunately, MAOIs do not exist where I live (Turkey). Do you know if it's possible to buy Phenelzine online? Does it require a prescription? 

 

Edited by Hana, 02 January 2017 - 11:57 AM.

[Hana]

I forgot to mention that I take Wellbutrin XL 150mg. This is the third week. Moodiness and loss of appetite the first few days. That went away. No improvement for my symptoms stillI. I’m gonna increase the dose to 300mg. 

 

 

[Sara91]

You can just get an SSRI from your doc and buy the nortriptyline online. quite cheap here

https://www.pharmacy...80&cat=0&page=1

This site does not ship to the frigging Middle East. Do you know of any other trusted pharmacy sites that ship worldwide? Btw, what about other TCAs like Imipramine, Clomipramine, Amitriptyline (these are available in my location)? Do they also help with anhedonia? 

 

Have you personally tried SSRI+TCA? If yes, did it completely get rid of anhedonia or only slightly? Also, does Nortriptyline require a prescription? 

 

I'm sorry for asking too many questions.

[jaiho]

 

You can just get an SSRI from your doc and buy the nortriptyline online. quite cheap here

https://www.pharmacy...80&cat=0&page=1

This site does not ship to the frigging Middle East. Do you know of any other trusted pharmacy sites that ship worldwide? Btw, what about other TCAs like Imipramine, Clomipramine, Amitriptyline (these are available in my location)? Do they also help with anhedonia? 

 

Have you personally tried SSRI+TCA? If yes, did it completely get rid of anhedonia or only slightly? Also, does Nortriptyline require a prescription? 

 

I'm sorry for asking too many questions.

 

 

You'll have to use a shipping forwarder like shipito.com

not too expensive.

 

You could try Clomipramine. It's a punchy SNRI, but might have more side effects.

[pamojja]

 

You can just get an SSRI from your doc and buy the nortriptyline online. quite cheap here
https://www.pharmacy...80&cat=0&page=1

 
This site does not ship to the frigging Middle East.

 

You better don't! You risk many years of punishment:

 

https://www.fairtria...stances-in-uae/
 

[FunkOdyssey]

 

 

You can just get an SSRI from your doc and buy the nortriptyline online. quite cheap here
https://www.pharmacy...80&cat=0&page=1

 
This site does not ship to the frigging Middle East.

 

You better don't! You risk many years of punishment:

 

https://www.fairtria...stances-in-uae/
 

 

 

And that's besides the fact that antidepressants worsen long-term outcomes and increase the chronicity of depression and vulnerability to relapse.  Many years of punishment indeed.

[pamojja]

Indeed, know at the moment 2 acquaintances trying to stop antidepressants prescribed by GPs for trivial stuff, like a divorce and the loss of a beloved one years ago. The withdrawal symptoms were full blown depression, anxiety and other wired stuff, they didn't experience at all for being prescribed anti-depressants. Scared, they're back on, probably for the rest of their lives. What a business-model. Even totally legal.

 

A life sentence then?

[Sara91]

omfg. Thanks for telling me. What a shitty place for a mentally ill to live! 

[Hana]

Indeed, know at the moment 2 acquaintances trying to stop antidepressants prescribed by GPs for trivial stuff, like a divorce and the loss of a beloved one years ago. The withdrawal symptoms were full blown depression, anxiety and other wired stuff, they didn't experience at all for being prescribed anti-depressants. Scared, they're back on, probably for the rest of their lives. What a business-model. Even totally legal.

 

A life sentence then?

 

Exactly! That was my experience too. I had bone crushing depression, anxiety, extreme mood swings along with other weird symptoms, and because I had them for more than 3 months, I got told (by clueless people and doctors who have never tried meds) that I actually have these mental disorders: depression, anxiety, mood disorder, etc when I didn’t have any of these before. I found myself going through the exact same withdrawal stages (the symptoms are also similar) as those coming off opiates (which are used as pain or recreational drugs mostly by normal

non mentally ill people). Fun fact: They experience anhedonia upon opiate cessation as well.  

 

I’m back on ADs but as you can see, they did not resolve all of the symptoms (one being anhedonia). But I’m on a quest to find one that does. It really feels like a life sentence.

Edited by Hana, 10 January 2017 - 10:30 AM.

[Hana]

“Anhedonia is known to follow cocaine, amphetamine, tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and especially opiate substance use disorders, though according to SAMHSA its occurrence and intensity does vary from person to person. It is also documented to be long-lasting, though how long is uncertain. A study (2008) of 102 people diagnosed with alcohol use disorders found that anhedonia persisted for the duration of their 12 month study.” http://www.cognichoi...t-of-addiction/

 

If quitting such mind altering substances can result in anhedonia, what makes antidepressants any different? not acknowledged for the simple fact that it gets mistaken for other mental illnesses (seeing the patient has a history of mental illness even a simple or mild one as situational social anxiety. suddenly being  told to have depression, etc. Yeah, right). Psychiatry is a joke! 

 

 

[PeaceAndProsperity]

The problem with psychiatry is that they have hundreds of disease model laid out in literature for various diseases, as well as tens of biomarkers for diseases, yet they only test 1 or 2 out of those hundreds of disease models and mostly they test no biomarkers at all. You have depression? Try an SSRI! It doesn't work? Try another! You have schizophrenia? Try an atypical antipsychotic! It doesn't work? Try another! Luckily every drug is different and has offtarget effects and these offtarget effects make some of the SSRIs or atypical antipsychotics work while others don't. 

So in fact psychiatry COULD cure many psychiatric diseases, they're just too ignorant, incompetent or unwilling to do so. 

[pecanpie]

It's kind of a crapshoot what works and what won't. But Paxil as one of the ultra short half life antidepressants will probably give you gnarly discontunuation syndrome symptoms should you stop. I'm not sure if you are aware of this but one or two capsules of Prozac will alleviate the symptoms. I believe the technical reason is that Prozac inhibits the enzymes that metabolize Paxil so you will extend it's half life greatly by just a single dose of Prozac. Prozac itself has a very long half life.

 

http://www.dr-bob.or...iscontinua.html

 

But regarding anhedonia, I've found that all the SSRI's and SNRI's produce anhedoniia. Not sure why that is but if one SSRI does it others probably would as well so attacking the problem from a different angle ( or an additional angle)  would seem to make sense.

 

[vader]

It's kind of a crapshoot what works and what won't. But Paxil as one of the ultra short half life antidepressants will probably give you gnarly discontunuation syndrome symptoms should you stop. I'm not sure if you are aware of this but one or two capsules of Prozac will alleviate the symptoms. I believe the technical reason is that Prozac inhibits the enzymes that metabolize Paxil so you will extend it's half life greatly by just a single dose of Prozac. Prozac itself has a very long half life.

 

http://www.dr-bob.or...iscontinua.html

 

But regarding anhedonia, I've found that all the SSRI's and SNRI's produce anhedoniia. Not sure why that is but if one SSRI does it others probably would as well so attacking the problem from a different angle ( or an additional angle)  would seem to make sense.

 

I think bad withdrawal on paxil is mostly from the anticholingergic action, not serotonin reuptake inhibition. Luvox for example has similar half-life and doesn't have much of a withdrawal at all.