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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ethel basset on January 4, 2004, at 20:27:27
Hi everybody;
I will try to make a long story short. I have been taking Meridia for weight loss. It does not have an anorexic or stimulant effect on me, but rather an anti-depressant effect. I have not lost weight nor has my appetite abated. But I feel so much better when I am taking it. I feel normal and not depressed or weepy as I feel when I don't take an anti-depressant (or even when I do take an anti-depressant).
I know that Meridia was originally developed as an anti-depressant, but supposedly was only effective as an anti-obesity drug. The Pharmaceutical company obtained approval and started marketing it as an anti-obesity drug.
Well, guess what, it acts as an anti-depressant for me. It doesn't make me feel hyped up or drugged or sleepy, just normal and light hearted.
I have been able to quit taking the Celexa.
Okay, the question is, is there another anti-depressant that is comparable to Meridia?
My insurance company considers Meridia to be a weight control drug and does not pay for it, therefore it costs big bucks to fill a prescription (over $60.00 with a discount coupon that my doctor obtained for me). Besides the fact that it is expensive, I would like to take a drug for what it is designed to do. I don't know the mode of operation of Meridia if there are any other drugs that work similarly. BTW, Wellbutrin does not agree with me, so I hope that isn't the drug that has similar action.
Thanks for listening and thanks in advance to anyone who has any information on this subject.
Posted by zeugma on January 5, 2004, at 3:09:03
In reply to Meridia as anti-depressant, posted by ethel basset on January 4, 2004, at 20:27:27
Here's some info on Meridia that you might find interesting:
http://www.psychotropical.com/notes/850.htmlI know that a company is trying to develop a metabolite of Meridia that is a triple reuptake inhibitor: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Logically that would be a VERY powerful antidepressant.
There are other anomalies within the AD field, like the fact that LUvox is only approved for OCD in the US, when logically if serotinin reuptake inhibition is resposible for AD effect it should be just as good for depression as Prozac; or Strattera, which is similar in pharmacology to desipramine, one of the most widely-studied and attested antidepressant drugs, but which supposedly failed when tested as an AD over a decade ago. Again, this is a paradox if norepinephrine reuptake inhibition is truly desipramine's mechanism of action. Personally, I find Strattera to have a strong antidepressant effect, regardless of its official indication.
Posted by SLS on January 5, 2004, at 11:47:58
In reply to Meridia as anti-depressant, posted by ethel basset on January 4, 2004, at 20:27:27
Hi Ethel.
> It does not have an anorexic or stimulant effect on me, but rather an anti-depressant effect.
What depressive disorder are you diagnosed as having? Can you describe your depression? I have not responded well to antidepressants in the past, and I am considering giving Meridia a try.
> But I feel so much better when I am taking it. I feel normal and not depressed or weepy as I feel when I don't take an anti-depressant (or even when I do take an anti-depressant).
When taking Meridia, would you say that your depression is completely gone? Would you be happy to take Meridia alone if it were provided to you or do you feel that there is still something missing?
> Okay, the question is, is there another anti-depressant that is comparable to Meridia?
It is usually difficult for doctors to predict exactly which drug a patient will respond to. Unfortunately, it often ends up being a process of trial-and-error. The first antidepressant that comes to mind as being similar to Meridia is Effexor (venlafaxine). Several of the tricyclic drugs like imipramine might also be effective. What these drugs have in common is that they all inhibit the reuptake of the same two neurotransmitters - serotonin and norepinephrine. In addition, both Meridia and Effexor inhibit the reuptake of dopamine, although it is to a lesser degree.
Why can't your doctor continue to prescribe Meridia for obesity and have your insurance company pay for it?
Good luck.
- Scott
Posted by Laree on January 5, 2004, at 14:45:32
In reply to Meridia as anti-depressant, posted by ethel basset on January 4, 2004, at 20:27:27
I say if something works for you for your depression & is safe, it doesn't matter if it is used for an "off-label" use (many meds are), as long as you've got the ok from your doc! you're not alone, either; i have heard others have obtained relief from their depression with meridia. Good for you!!! :)
Best,
L.> Hi everybody;
>
> I will try to make a long story short. I have been taking Meridia for weight loss. It does not have an anorexic or stimulant effect on me, but rather an anti-depressant effect. I have not lost weight nor has my appetite abated. But I feel so much better when I am taking it. I feel normal and not depressed or weepy as I feel when I don't take an anti-depressant (or even when I do take an anti-depressant).
> I know that Meridia was originally developed as an anti-depressant, but supposedly was only effective as an anti-obesity drug. The Pharmaceutical company obtained approval and started marketing it as an anti-obesity drug.
> Well, guess what, it acts as an anti-depressant for me. It doesn't make me feel hyped up or drugged or sleepy, just normal and light hearted.
> I have been able to quit taking the Celexa.
> Okay, the question is, is there another anti-depressant that is comparable to Meridia?
> My insurance company considers Meridia to be a weight control drug and does not pay for it, therefore it costs big bucks to fill a prescription (over $60.00 with a discount coupon that my doctor obtained for me). Besides the fact that it is expensive, I would like to take a drug for what it is designed to do. I don't know the mode of operation of Meridia if there are any other drugs that work similarly. BTW, Wellbutrin does not agree with me, so I hope that isn't the drug that has similar action.
> Thanks for listening and thanks in advance to anyone who has any information on this subject.
>
>
Posted by ethel basset on January 6, 2004, at 22:55:38
In reply to Re: Meridia as anti-depressant, posted by Laree on January 5, 2004, at 14:45:32
Thanks for the responses everybody.
Good luck to y'all, too.
I guess I will stick to the Meridia for now.
I can't stand SSRIs. To their credit, they did keep me from being institutionalized due to the depression caused by culture shock when we moved to the mid-west from California, but the side effects are very bad. I gained over 30 pounds on Paxil and then went to Celexa. Being a size 16 is minimally better than having a nervous breakdown (for a woman).
I would prefer not to have to take anything, but for now I need to keep my sanity.
God Bless
Ethel
Posted by ethel basset on January 7, 2004, at 0:00:24
In reply to Re: Meridia as anti-depressant, posted by zeugma on January 5, 2004, at 3:09:03
By the way, zeugma
I forgot to thank you for the reference to the article on Meridia. I just read it and it is excellent. It contains some very enlightening information about Meridia
Thanks!
Ethel
> Hi everybody;
>
> I will try to make a long story short. I have been taking Meridia for weight loss. It does not have an anorexic or stimulant effect on me, but rather an anti-depressant effect. I have not lost weight nor has my appetite abated. But I feel so much better when I am taking it. I feel normal and not depressed or weepy as I feel when I don't take an anti-depressant (or even when I do take an anti-depressant).
> I know that Meridia was originally developed as an anti-depressant, but supposedly was only effective as an anti-obesity drug. The Pharmaceutical company obtained approval and started marketing it as an anti-obesity drug.
> Well, guess what, it acts as an anti-depressant for me. It doesn't make me feel hyped up or drugged or sleepy, just normal and light hearted.
> I have been able to quit taking the Celexa.
> Okay, the question is, is there another anti-depressant that is comparable to Meridia?
> My insurance company considers Meridia to be a weight control drug and does not pay for it, therefore it costs big bucks to fill a prescription (over $60.00 with a discount coupon that my doctor obtained for me). Besides the fact that it is expensive, I would like to take a drug for what it is designed to do. I don't know the mode of operation of Meridia if there are any other drugs that work similarly. BTW, Wellbutrin does not agree with me, so I hope that isn't the drug that has similar action.
> Thanks for listening and thanks in advance to anyone who has any information on this subject.
>
>
> Here's some info on Meridia that you might find interesting:
> http://www.psychotropical.com/notes/850.html
>
> I know that a company is trying to develop a metabolite of Meridia that is a triple reuptake inhibitor: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Logically that would be a VERY powerful antidepressant.
>
> There are other anomalies within the AD field, like the fact that LUvox is only approved for OCD in the US, when logically if serotinin reuptake inhibition is resposible for AD effect it should be just as good for depression as Prozac; or Strattera, which is similar in pharmacology to desipramine, one of the most widely-studied and attested antidepressant drugs, but which supposedly failed when tested as an AD over a decade ago. Again, this is a paradox if norepinephrine reuptake inhibition is truly desipramine's mechanism of action. Personally, I find Strattera to have a strong antidepressant effect, regardless of its official indication.
>
>
Posted by SLS on January 7, 2004, at 7:06:01
In reply to Re: Meridia as anti-depressant, posted by ethel basset on January 7, 2004, at 0:00:24
How well does Meridia work as an antidepressant? Does it relieve your depression 100%?
Posted by ethel basset on January 7, 2004, at 20:39:44
In reply to Re: Meridia as anti-depressant » ethel basset, posted by SLS on January 7, 2004, at 7:06:01
I have only been taking Meridia for a while, but it seems to do as well or better than the Celexa that I was taking, without the side effects of Celexa. I have weaned myself off of Celexa while I have been on Meridia.
My depressive symptoms were due to a combination of my own body chemistry and depressive disposition, combined with the circumstantial problems of living in an environment which I find depressing (native Californian who was transferred to the Midwest at middle-age). I was very hyper-sensitive and cried alot. If someone looked at me side-ways I would cry. I had a very negative outlook on the future and myself.
The Meridia just makes me feel normal and not so negative. I enjoy being around people and little things don't bother me like they used to. The world isn't gloom and doom anymore. The Celexa seemed to have that effect, too, but it also made me sleepy and puffy and tired and a little spacey...
The best thing about Meridia is that I don't feel drugged or "unreal" as I have on other anti-depressants. I feel like my "normal" self (an oxymoron?)
It could be the placebo effect, but I don't think so. The article another poster referenced
(See http://www.psychotropical.com/notes/850.html)
also talked about Meridia as having an anti-depressant effect.
Another interesting thing that the article mentioned was that anti-histamines can cause depression. I sometimes take the anti-histamine benadryl at night to help me sleep, which I have since discontinued because of that.
I am not a psychiatrist; I just know how I have been affected by this medication. Hopefully, this has helped you. I know many of the posters on this site have helped me with their insights.
Good Luck!
=================================================The questions you asked was:
"How well does Meridia work as an antidepressant? Does it relieve your depression 100%?"
Posted by zeugma on January 8, 2004, at 19:03:25
In reply to Re: Meridia as anti-depressant, posted by ethel basset on January 7, 2004, at 0:00:24
This is the end of the thread.
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