LymeNet Flash: HELP - antidepressants that work?

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Posted by lymeyinok (Member # 5817) on :

My daughter, like the rest of my family, is suffering from Lyme disease. She is 23, and is having a hard time dealing with it.

Many of you have posted that you take antidepressants or medications that help you cope with mood swings, etc.

Can you please share what has worked for you?

Thank you so much - don't know how I myself would cope without reading all the wonderful posts here - support really helps!

Posted by lymie tony z (Member # 5130) on :

I've been on one kind or another thru this battle and the one that suits me is lexapro.
Since starting the Ketek I had to increase the dose to 30 mgs a day but it seems to keep me from going to the deep depths to the manic highs and stems my rage.
I had panic attacks when on prozak, and wellbutrin and paxil did'nt seem to help all that much.....like all of us the right one for your daughter may take some experimentation but there should be a right one out there for her......good luck and God bless...........................zman

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Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :

I use trazodone. I have trouble sleeping, and it helps with that too. Sorry to hear that she is suffering from depression. It stinks! I don't know how anybody with lyme can do without anti-deps.

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oops!
Lymetutu

Posted by auntybiotic1499 (Member # 2998) on :

Please be very careful with SSRI antidepressants and antibiotics. The Biaxin is contra indicated in any SSRI usage, Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft Effexor and Celexa because it increases the level of the antidepressant to toxic levels due to the c450 enzyme.

Rifampin reduces the levels of SSRI in the bloodstream so you will experience SSRI discontinuation syndrome while on antibiotics, Rifampin and antidepressants. Very dangerous especially if you do not know what the new discontinuation symptoms are caused by.Electric shocks in head, anxiety, severe aggression, rage, stomach pain, blurry vision, vertigo and many others.

Ketec is utilized 50% by the P450 enzyme which would affect your levels of lexapro ( and other SSRIis absorbed. It is a very dangerous and deadly interaction that my daughter is suffering thru due to our many doctors ignorance.

Lexapro is one of the MOST ADDICTIVE of the SSRI's, similiar to Paxil and Efferxor if taken at 20 Mg or higer for a month or more.

Stopping these SSRI's will be hell as my daughter is experiencing and although many doctors are quick to write a RX NO ONE is able to help wih the withdrawal effects that could go on for years.

I know Depression is very evident with Lyme Disease but ANTIDEPRESSANTS, especially the SSRI's are DEADLY!!!!!!!! My daughter has ben suffering the last month just trying to taper her dose by 1 mG. I wish she was never RX a SSRI antidepressant. This is the beginning of a serious withdrawal battle that could last years.

The combination of antibiotics with the SSRI's is playing a toxic game in your brain and liver. STAY AWAY FROM ANTIDEPRESSANTS if you are on antibiotics!!!!!!!!! Please learn form my daughters extreme pain and our many doctors ignorance.

aunty

[This message has been edited by auntybiotic1499 (edited 06 February 2005).]

Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :

Note: Trazodone is not an SSRI. Thank goodness.

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Lymetutu

Posted by lymeyinok (Member # 5817) on :

Thanks for the responses. I am thinking everyone in my family needs something! Trazadone sounds like maybe it is the answer.

I am curious Lymetoo if your MO LLMD prescribed it for you?

Posted by Lyddie on :

My daughter has been on Paxil, Trazadone, and then Zoloft for her Lyme headache, not for depression.

Trazadone had horrible side effects for my daughter: weakness, bizarre and rapid weight gain, modd swings. She went from that to Zoloft which caused diahrrea, more weight gain and mood swings. Getting off, she had electric zaps in her head and all kinds of weird experiences resembling visual halluncinations, panic attacks etc.

I used ot passionately defend the choice to use antidperessants, because Paxil gave my daughter 6 months in which she could function w/tehe edge off the pain.

But at this point, I think they are Russian Roulette, as you don't know which ones will affect you with bad side effects or withdrawal.

Their use really muddied the picture as we had trouble sorting out what was Lyme, what was herxing, what was side effect, and what was withdrawal.

Auntybiotic's warning about mixing Biaxin and SSRI's is absolutely correct. Howeover, some abx are okay, including zithromax, eventhough it is in the same class as Biaxin,

Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :

I have tried antidepressants also and found that they depress me.

The power chair that was donated to me is the best pill I could ever have for helping me cope with this.

The stray cat that showed up when I started on IV Rocephin also has been very comforting.

I know antidepressants help some, but I have wondered about those who are younger taking them and being able to tell whether they help or harm.

I heard Dr. Piccone (sp?) talk about a study he did with diet vs antidepressants. The people on the diet actually did better than the people on the antidepressants.

I recently purchased his book but have yet to read it. I know fresh veggies, certain fish, fresh fruit, etc. were mentioned.

Posted by DawnE (Member # 3155) on :

I found elavil very helpful when I suffered from depression in the beginning. It also helped tremendously with my sleep disturbances. It was very easy to get off of but I don't know if it is in the class that is dangerous with abx as discussed here. I was on biaxin and then IV Rocephin at the time and had no problems with it.
The only drawback was weight gain but I was so relieved to feel better I didnt care, the weight eventually came off when I was better.
Hope you find something to help her.

DawnE

Posted by paulscha (Member # 6334) on :

This may not apply at all, or maybe it does.

My Lyme symptoms include horrific sensory overload and two types of seizure: petit-mal, absence seizures and myoclonic.

So I was prescribed Gabatril by my LLMD. It is helpful not only with seizure but with sensory overload and anxiety - has a 'cooling effect' that helps avoid getting caught in negative emotional reactions to what's happening to me.

It has NO stated or suspected value against normal depression. But I suspect that in Lyme part of the problem is that the mental space we need to effectively cope with the emotional challnges of the disease is filled with nervous system cross-talk. That is something that Gabatril has helped me with.

It also helps to change the pain response in positive ways.

Posted by hopeful123 (Member # 3244) on :

Sorry about your daughter's depression.

Over the years, I have taken a lot of different drugs, and currently none.

Lexapro did the most and had the fewest side effects. For me, I got tired of not being able to feel, so I went off of them recently.

I think I'm okay. Not all that much different than being on them. But, I do this off and on thing since it doesn't take that long (less than a week) to kick in.

I have tried walking on the treadmill for ten minutes a day whenever I can. not every day, but that helps some.

Also, I try to stay away from sweets as much as possible (which you should do anyway with Lyme) so that I don't go up and down in mood.

Good luck to you and your daughter...it never hurts to try something....ya never know

hopeful123

Posted by Health (Member # 6034) on :

Hello,

Glad I saw this post, especially Auntybiotics. I was thinking that this may happen.

I am very down, and was thinking to go on one, an antidepressant. I am tyring to stay up, but it is sooo tough.

I was on the St Johns Wort, and it did WONDERS for me... but I then found out that it can cause drugs to be less effective, was a study done recently and posted on the net.

It was to do with St Johns Wort and a study being done wiht it and a cancer drug, and the people that were NOT on St Johns Wort, and on the cancer drug, got well.

Those on St Johns Wort, and the cancer drug did not get well. St Johns wort did something to the liver enzymes, making the
cancer drug less effective.

ANYWAYS! I was on the St Johns Wort all along, and was recently swtiched to Doxycycline. I saw this research frontpage actually on the net about 1 month after I had been on Doxy, and thought I should stop the St Johns Wort...

I did not really want to because my mind was so much better on the St Johns Wort. I ended up stopping it, and the Doxy worked SO! much better.

Within on week I was on the jogger slowly for one min, then by the end of the week, 10 mins on the jogger. My lungs are really affected and the Doxy got more into the lungs... when I stopped the St Johns wort.

The bad news is that I am still struggling with depression.

GOOD NEWS though, is that I have found that part of my depression was from candida overgrowth, and have increased the nysatin to 3 pills a day.

For me, candida overgrowth can cause depression, but I still do have some depression from being chronically ill.

WONDERING though if rubbing the St johns wort on my wrists would help. I wonder if it would then not go through the liver....

I read that you can do this sometimes, rub
oils on the wrists and it will still give you the desired results... it is easier on you as it does not go through the liver.

Maybe then if you rub it on your wrists...
it would not cause the drugs to be less effecitve cause it does not go through the liver?

anyone know?

I am afraid to take a chance. I am trying to find some essential oils to smell daily a wiff in the AM and PM to help wiht depression. It is tough to deal with depression without meds, or even herbs.

Trish

Posted by Nancy-OH (Member # 3567) on :

I tried darn near them all and they all had adverse side-effects.

Wouldn't mess with them again....try 5-HTP from the health food store. Bottle of 60 is like $13.99.

No adverse side-effects and everyone I've told about this raves about the stuff.

Thanks to Frenchbraid for turning me on to this one!

--Nancy

Posted by cigi (Member # 6600) on :

I'm not sure if this helps,but I was in the hospital recently with a really low sodium problem. They told me that what I have is SIADH. Not sure in English what this means, but SSRI's can produce this, it somehow robs your body of sodium. I'm not sure if my being on zoloft for 4 months gradually did this, maybe my IV rocephin, but I am restricted to 26 oz of fluid a day so my body could retain the sodium. I was taken off the zoloft cold turkey (should be gradual for anybody thinking of getting off the stuff already on) but due to my condition, they just stopped it. I recently started lexapro, but that too is an ssri. I'm on a trial basis. If my sodium doesn't drop, I can stay on that. I'm on 10 mg. I've taken 5HTP before and had no problem, except my doctor isn't a strong supporter of supplements and I'm trying to do exactly what she says because I have alot of complications and the different variety of medications I'm on. I heard celexa is one directly linked to SIADH. Lexapro is one of the least. Just something to keep in mind. I have such severe depersonalization, I don't think any pills are helping me. People and things that are familiar seem like strangers as far as emotion goes. I don't know - that's the hardest thing to cope with for me. Everyone is affected differently.

Good luck - if there's a psychiatrist that understands lyme, that would help. They know interactions, can prescribe meds and are more sympathetic knowing how bad this disease, physically and mentally is.

Cigi

[This message has been edited by cigi (edited 09 February 2005).]

Posted by artbyjessie2 on :

Hi there
I have been hestitating to go on one of these due to the weight gain. I know, how shallow. But i don't have much and what I do have is a very nice slim figure! In my twisted little head i'd rather be depressed than fat.

I have heard that there is one anti-depressant out there that actually makes some people LOSE weight. Does anyone know which one this might be?