Posted by Elizabeth on March 26, 2002, at 21:46:53
In reply to Re: Anybody else hate tricyclic antidepressants? , posted by OldSchool on March 22, 2002, at 21:36:46
> > How high did your BP get, BTW?
>
> Not very high. But too high for my taste and comfort.So, not dangerously high, but unpleasant? I always would get this prickly feeling on my scalp about 30 minutes after I took each dose of Parnate (10 mg). It turned out that my BP was rising, though not as much as it had when I was taking 20 mg at a time.
> My family doc says I have "low tolerance for pressure" and I agree. If my BP even gets on the low end of high I feel it. Chest tightness and pain, that sort of thing. The best I felt cardio wise anytime recently was when I took Amantadine...chest tightness was GONE and BP DROPPED.
That's interesting, I didn't know that amantadine would do that. Did it help with the pseudoparkinsonism at all?
> Unfortunately I cant take Effexor now cause of BP probs, otherwise Id be back on that drug in a flash.
Did it make your BP go up when you tried it before? I'm taking 375 mg and mine is unchanged.
> Remeron is a bit too sedating for me these days. But its good, I agree.
It didn't seem to do anything for me. No sedation, no weight gain, no mood effects, nothing.
> I just get a more "real world" AD effect from plain old SSRIs than tricyclics. Tricyclics I feel like Im loaded on benadryl or something all the time.
They have a lot in common with Benadryl (most of them anyway) -- the anticholinergic/antihistaminic stuff, that is. That's responsible for a lot of their side effects, too.
> Nah, thats OK. Even desipramine is a TCA and does have some mild anti-cholinergic side effects. Milder than Pamelor but still there.
Did you try it, though? And did you ever have your serum levels checked when you were on TCAs? That can cause a lot of side effects, not to mention serious danger. Although I do get the impression that you're generally sensitive to side effects, given that you've been having a hard time finding something that works for you it might be worth considering. Of course I hope the ECT works, but are you thinking about having maintenance ECT if it does?
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:99075
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020322/msgs/100420.html