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03/23/2005 Archived Entry: "More on mood alterererererering drugs"

MORE ON MOOD ALTERERERERERERING DRUGS. I got a good-natured chiding from TCFers for having popped that doggie pill Monday evening. It was indeed not the brightest thing I ever did, and my brain and body paid for it for the next 30 hours. Never again, I can tell you.

Some folks suggested that the magnitude of the side-effects was directly related to the fact that I didn't have the condition the med is intended to treat. Very possibly so. But I still doubt the claims that the new antidepressants have fewer side-effects than the old. Got the following from somebody who did have the condition a drug was prescibed for. His side-effects were doozies:

I've always suffered horrible bouts of winter/seasonal depression. Never did anything other than wait them out. In January it got so bad my wife ordered me to the doctor's office. He convinced me to go on Wellbutrin "just for 6 or 8 or so weeks till it gets warm again". OMG. It worked unbelievably well. Incredibly! Within short period of time I was having no trouble doing anything at all. Plenty of energy and enthusiasm. Happy as a clam, work work work, exercise, creativity, etc.. all good!

But I couldn't sleep at all. I spent most nights in a weird, half sleep. Had HORRIBLE nightmares, and at least one really good hallucination - watched my office doorknob melt and fall to the ground.

BUT, I felt good! Didn't care that it was cold and icy. Didn't even care that I couldn't sleep. Wanted to get laid all day long, too. Remarked to my wife that "this is what it felt like to be a 16 year old boy - not go for more than a minute without thinking of sex) More than once she requested I ask the doc if increased libido was a side effect - it is. I was even going to a local strip club several times a week just to bide time in between sessions with my wife (all that does is produce frustration though). But I was happy!

But then we had a warm snap and I decided to stop. HORRIBLE withdrawl symptoms - like the worst flu and headaches you can imagine. Lasted about a week.

I'm fine now, and the weather is warmer. The strangest part about the whole thing is that I didn't even care that I couldn't sleep. I'm usually a total freak about getting 7-8 hours per night.

I won't touch that sort of stuff ever again. I guess there's a price for everything - felt good but couldn't sleep. It'll catch up with you either way.

Posted by Claire @ 09:34 AM CST
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