Was hoping to gain some insights to your experiences.

My docs and I have been discussing the idea of tryinging antidepresent and anti-anxiety meds to my treatment.

It is just hard to know what one is treating. I have energy for nothing and interest in even less.

I have lesions on my brain and abnormal spinal tap results. All considered consistant with severe Lyme.

So this fatigue or depression c;early has got a physical origin. I am in no way suicidal. Just wondering if anyone has had good experiences using these treatments with Lyme.

It seems the folks at SSDI would want to see some type of treatment for the mental effects of this illness. Clearly having no idea of how Lyme works.

If you have what has worked for you?

Aligondo Bruce has the funniest post on this thread.

Oh yea......... I'm in love with him.

it is an antidepressent that has minimal side effects and it is also used to treat fibro (in Europe), diabetic peripheral neuropathy, ideopathic pain disorders and anxiety (in Europe).

It has been the BEST thing for me - the neuropathy has almost disappeared completely, my energy is up, my anxiety is down and I feel better equipped to handle everything that I have going on with lyme. My daily pain level has gone from an 8/9 to a 4/5 on most days.

The only side effect is urinary hesitancy - they actually use it in Europe to treat incontinence - but it hasn't been approved by the FDA yet in the US for this condition.

Side note: I have a looooooong history with depression, anxiety, etc and I spent many years treating depression with Wellbutrin, Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft, Paxil, Effexor - nothing worked and generally the side effects were so extreme that I could not stay on the medication.

Three months of antibiotics and the depression lifted but Cymbalta has been amazing for "keeping me sane" from all of this lymieness.

I just realized that you are in MA.

If you are interested in entering the Lily study for Cymbalta, please email:

[email protected]

She is the coordinator for the study which takes place at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA.

The study involves getting the drug for 6 months and then after 6 months 50% will get placebo and %50 will continue to get the drug.

My shrink today DX'd me as having major depression and ADD. This is all bad enough but SSDI needed more. He did qualify it by saying Lyme may be the axis of it all.