Prescription Drug Experience

[Crankin]

Thanks for the info, Oakleaf. I suspect the weight gain (only 5 lbs., so not critical) is from the Elavil. Problem is, I had lost some weight when I was sick and was told to gain. I got back to my regular weight right around the time I started taking the Elavil, and I really upped the intensity of my exercise then, too. I noticed the scale going up even more about 3 weeks ago and said that's it. I had a doctor appointment last Thursday and got the go ahead to stop the medication. My jeans were starting not to fit and that's when I get nervous. Plus, with the cycling season starting, I don't want to be lugging any extra fat up the hills!
I take a cautious approach to medication, but in this case, I really did need to take it. Thankfully, it was only for 2 months. And it got them off my back about taking Lyrica... too many side effects for me to even try that.

[Zen]

SUIs are commonly given for sleep related disorders that are sometimes secondary to other conditions.

As is the case here.

I take it to help me sleep. It makes me thirsty and it takes a little longer than usual to get clear headed in the early morning.

What is your dosage? She only gave me 50mg, maybe it won't be so bad.
I'm hesitant to take any more meds than I already have to.
I knew I wasn't the only one!

[kmcmoobud]

I take a 50mg pill when needed. The bottle says take one or two...but one always works for me.

[Possegal]

The label for Desyrel(R) - trazodone hydrochloride, does say that it selectively inhibits serotonin. I see it referred to as a selective inhibitor in a few places. A very quick search of some journal articles shows me that it acts differently than the average SSRI but I don't think this is a non-selective one. It is often referred to as an atypical antidepressant. The typical serontin inhibitor (like prozax or zoloft) act to block the uptake of serontonin back into the cell after it has been released. Trazodone appears to act by blocking a serotonin receptor rather than inhibition of its uptake. And yes, 'less picky' would be one way of putting it if one is called non-selective. Non-selective serontonin uptake inhibitors will also act to inhibit other neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and/or dopamine. Also keep in mind that all drugs have a myriad of actions. In my opinion, no drug is truly selective, but it is a matter of degrees.

Don't know if that helped any, but thought I would try and answer the 'selective' versus 'non-selective' issue.

And as others have said, everyone's reactions to drugs are very different and so it is worth trying a few different ones. If you aren't happy with one drug, another may work just fine for you. I know several people who swear by Paxil and also several who found it very difficult to take.