Misc severe depression not responding to antidepressants

[Lopez]

I've been on citalopram, 20 mg for over a month, bupropion 200 mg, and mirtazapine 15 mg for about a month... i've already been through many other meds with no success. my depression has lessened somewhat but I still feel extremely anxious all the time and I'm still suicidal (walking time-bomb type, just waiting for the opportunity). I know that compared to most people, I've had a pretty traumatic life... but this has gotten completely ridiculous. my depression has become severe to the point that I've become sluggish and catatonic most of the time.

I think it's worth mentioning that the only time my depression nearly completely subsides is when I'm on my medication + smoking a joint of cannabis. a few months ago I was self medicating (with great success) with synthetic cannabinoids, but I had to quit because my tolerance became so ridiculously high that I'd smoke over a hundred dollars worth of spice within less than a week and cannabis no longer had ANY discernible effect other than easing the horrid withdrawals.

is there any supplement/drug that I can take WITH my meds to see if I feel any difference? after my last encounter with benzos, they're out of the question. I was thinking maybe phenibut but it's almost as addictive as benzos in good sized doses.

and I would smoke cannabis again, however my clinic likes to issue drug tests and I couldn't afford to be kicked out of their program and hence run out of meds.

 

[Rybee]

I'm sorry to hear you suffer. You can increase the Citalopram to 40mg.

I tried the whole lot for treating depression but it never alleviated any symptoms, so I sought alternate therapy.

 

[f33lg00d]

This really isnt the right subforum for this sort of thing. Just remember medication is only one part of treating mental illness.

 

[Lady Codone]

Been there myself. Tried every antidepressant under the sun (SSRIs, SNRIs, atypicals, tricyclics, etc) with very little benefit.

You might be interested in ALKS-5461, an antidepressant containing the opioid buprenorphine. It's had great success in early trials and is slated to come out in 2016. I'm hoping to try it myself, as opiates are the most effective treatment for my depression/anxiety/Asperger's.

As for supplements you can take WITH antidepressants, I'm not so sure. SAM-e, tianeptine and 5-HTP are the only ones I'm familiar with, and I don't think 5-HTP can be taken with serotonergic drugs.

 

[adrenalinerushes]

Been there myself. Tried every antidepressant under the sun (SSRIs, SNRIs, atypicals, tricyclics, etc) with very little benefit.

You might be interested in ALKS-5461, an antidepressant containing the opioid buprenorphine. It's had great success in early trials and is slated to come out in 2016. I'm hoping to try it myself, as opiates are the most effective treatment for my depression/anxiety/Asperger's.

As for supplements you can take WITH antidepressants, I'm not so sure. SAM-e, tianeptine and 5-HTP are the only ones I'm familiar with, and I don't think 5-HTP can be taken with serotonergic drugs.

wow to hear about the possible release of that anti depressant in 2016 sounds really interesting, i'll have to look more into that. i could see that benefiting so many people, myself included. what more do you know about it or where did you do your research? am i correct in saying that it's currently an RC that you can buy from a source online? have you personally tried it before? sorry for all the questions, never heard anything like this but it makes me happy...

 

[adrenalinerushes]

have you tried amphetamines for your depression? my doctor prescribes vyvanse to me and it really, really lifts the fog and awful moods and tiredness.

don't lose hope, it takes a while to find the right medicine or combo of meds. it's taken about five years for me at some points in my life. like an above poster said, medication is only part of mental illness. cetain therapies and such have proven to be extremely helpful for some cases.

i like massage therapy, idk if that counts really though... still, it's something that does help me, along with chelated Magnesium, hydration, vitamin and mineral intake, etc. The herb Ashwagandha is pretty well known and I use it daily. Fish oils or Omegas are also said to be beneficial.

i live in a state where marijuana is legal so maybe you could consider relocating if you're able to or seek out a lisence from your doctor.

the meds can take a couple months to work. also depends a lot on what you're expecting out of a medication. it won't completely fix everything, you have to put in effort as well. as i said, do not give up. there are many things to try, depression is a complex thing, which maybe you already know.

 

[Felonious Monk]

Have you ever tried just cannabis? Do you live in a state where you can access medical cannabis? It's ridiculous that a clinic giving you those kinds of drugs would drug test for cannabis..

 

[f33lg00d]

That ALKS-5461 is really interesting, personally I find bupe and bupropion the best medication for my depression. I think buprenorphine would lack a large part of its antidepressant effects if its partial mu-agonism was block.

To the person asking if ALKS-5461is availble as an RC, id say no because its a combiniation of two medicines one being bupe which is controled everywhere ik of.

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

good luck trying to convince your doctor to put you on stimulants for depression, been there, doesn't work.

 

[paranoid android]

Have you tried Tricyclic anti-depressants like Amitriptyline, Imipramine or Trimipramine or adding a atypical anti-psychotic such as Seroquel or Abilify to your anti-depressant? Lamictal and even Lithium are also sometimes added to anti-depressants to make them work better. I find that Lamotrigine (trade name lamictal in most places) to have anti-depressant properties all on it's own. So does Seroquel in my experience but i have bipolar depression which is abit different then unipolar depression.

Amphetamines can help depression in low doses but the problem is keeping the dose to a low level everyday. I find Dexedrine to be quite moreish and can end up taking ridiculous amounts of it. Getting all spun and fucked in the head from using too much speed does not exactly help with depression in the long run. But using small doses of say Dexedrine everyday may cheer you up quite abit. I know people who have been prescribed Dexedrine or Adderall XR (Vyvane is new and not covered by many drug plans here and Adderall IR's or generic Adderall aren't available here )along with a mood stabilizer like Lamotrigine or Lithium. Sometimes they prescribe them right along a anti-psychotic such as Risperidone, Quetiapine or Aripiprazole and as Risperidone is a very strong Dopamine antagonist i could see it dumbing down the effects of Amphetamines quite abit.

 

[silas GUY]

meth works great for my depression ! trick is you have to keep the dose really low 1x 2x a day and you have to eat and sleep for it to work !

 

[adrenalinerushes]

good luck trying to convince your doctor to put you on stimulants for depression, been there, doesn't work.

in certain cases where people don't respond to the typical AD meds, it can be possible. i know of a handful of people prescribed stimulants for depression. i guess it depends on your situation and what doctor you're dealing with. i'm sure if you go in once and ask for speed for depression that's obv not gonna work, but working with a doc over a long period of time and building a trustworthy relationship, seems to be the more favorable way to go about it.

it's possible and can work.

that's not what i think OP should do, but to explore other options would def bring this up as a solution to depression that won't respond to meds. of course though it'd be at much lower doses than usual. i'm not positive but it's not impossible

i've even heard of one person being prescribed percocet for depression! now that seems impossible. lol

 

[adrenalinerushes]

That ALKS-5461 is really interesting, personally I find bupe and bupropion the best medication for my depression. I think buprenorphine would lack a large part of its antidepressant effects if its partial mu-agonism was block.

To the person asking if ALKS-5461is availble as an RC, id say no because its a combiniation of two medicines one being bupe which is controled everywhere ik of.

that makes sense, thanks for answering my question. i'd stock up if i could lol

 

[phatass]

An antidepressant combined with Modafinil has been proved in sudies to be far more effective at treating depression, than just the A-D... (i hink his is menioned on the "modafinil" wiki page), you can google "Modafinil for treaing depression" and will probably come up with more info.

Also here Ritalin can be prescribed off label for severe depression that doesn't respond to "normal" anti depressants, but this is rarely done. (We don't have amps on the market here, but they in theory would allieviate depression...) However Ritalin and amps have abuse potenial, are narcotics, etc. wherea Modafinil has litle or no abuse potential, is not narcotic, so probably "safer", but maybe no as effecive.

The only SSRI that's worked for me is Zoloft (sertraline) for minor depression and anxiety, it's a poppular one as satistically it's one of the most effective and has fewer side effects han many other A-D's...

 

[Captain.Heroin]

It sounds like pot is an antidepressant for you. Ever consider moving to a legal or medicinal state?

 

[kayaker318]

I've been on citalopram, 20 mg for over a month, bupropion 200 mg, and mirtazapine 15 mg for about a month... i've already been through many other meds with no success. my depression has lessened somewhat but I still feel extremely anxious all the time and I'm still suicidal (walking time-bomb type, just waiting for the opportunity).

If you're suicidal I really hope you're seeing a psychiatrist - as opposed to a general doctor. I don't know how long you've been testing out medications but it does take awhile to find the right combination. And given how you're currently feeling I really hope you talk to someone for support.

I would try Lexapro - the flip side of Celexa. Celexa never worked for me but Lexapro did. As a last resort you may want to look into ECT. Its come a long way from the old days and supposed to be very effective for treatment resistant depression.

Small doses of Modafinil have helped me to jump start the lethargy of depression. Best to cycle on/off. And yes doctors will give stimulants for depression but again it has to be the right type of doctor ie. psychiatrist. Or even some pain clinics do - mine did.

 

[jennifercline]

I am so sorry, I don't know how to post yet where this is relevant. I have an emergency. I have been on a doctors script for 60mg of methadone and my doctor retired and I found a new doctor who initially said she would keep everything the same. Now it's time for a refil and she refuses to write the script (says her nurse). I am terrified. I have about nine days worth of 6/day and decided I would start to detox myself. I thought 4 days on 5 then 4 days on 4 and 4 days on 3 and so on...I talked to the one rehab/detox in the area and they would detox me totally in only 2 to 3 days and it would be painful and difficult. I see this jerk of a doctor on tuesday the 23rd (?) and I have a nurse from a rehab facility who will talk to her by phone if she allows it to try and persuade her to let me detox at home. I have always been successful with getting off things but methadone is a whole new thing. Is my plan doable? Is it safe? PLEASE help me.

 

[phatass]

I am so sorry, I don't know how to post yet where this is relevant. I have an emergency. I have been on a doctors script for 60mg of methadone and my doctor retired and I found a new doctor who initially said she would keep everything the same. Now it's time for a refil and she refuses to write the script (says her nurse). I am terrified. I have about nine days worth of 6/day and decided I would start to detox myself. I thought 4 days on 5 then 4 days on 4 and 4 days on 3 and so on...I talked to the one rehab/detox in the area and they would detox me totally in only 2 to 3 days and it would be painful and difficult. I see this jerk of a doctor on tuesday the 23rd (?) and I have a nurse from a rehab facility who will talk to her by phone if she allows it to try and persuade her to let me detox at home. I have always been successful with getting off things but methadone is a whole new thing. Is my plan doable? Is it safe? PLEASE help me.

make a new thread, and i will happilly give my input

 

[slightlyaddicted]

As someone who suffers from major depressive disorder and an anxiety disorder, as well as having many suicide attempts and hospitalizations, I know the struggle you feel with the meds. I've been on literally everything. Lithuim, bupropion, Prozac, Zoloft, cymbalta, etc. I know that feeling of hopelessness. Just know that I am hoping for the best for you, and I believe you can make it through the struggle.
With that said, unfortunately the depression medication creates a sort of tolerance to a lot of other prescription drugs. The only thing I've ever had success with while I was actively taking my depression meds was an oxycodon syrup for pain.
Sorry I couldn't be more of a help. Hope you can overcome your struggle.

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

this thread makes me want to try getting treatment again. I don't think I will go back to therapy though, the process of finding a good therapist is too frustrating to go through again. hope you find something that helps.