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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Eloy on February 9, 2002, at 13:08:31
i'm in my early 40's and suffer with social anxiety and intermittent periods of depression, and i also have a chronic liver disease. i've been on Serazone for a few years with very good results and minimal weight gain. But now learning of the liver damage that Serzone can cause, the Dr. is weaning me off of it and prescribed Remeron, but after reading up on Remeron lastnight- No Way! Because of my age (and my liver impairment), i already have a natural slow metabolism (ie: heart rate, cellular growth, and rate to burn off food), therefore i should not take a medicine that would cause constipation and weight gain of 15 to 20 pounds. i think not, because then i'd be overweight which would ironically increase my depression rather then help my condition, and not to mention causing a host of additional problems which stem from becoming overweight, like blood pressure issues and diabetes and the increase chance of heart attacks, etc. (i also believe, though long term follow-up research is lacking, that the sexual dysfunction side effect commonly attributed to many anti-depressants will increase the risk of testicular cancer for long-term using males, which are maintained on these particular anti-depressants associated with this side effect). No i'm not going to take this new Remeron, it's my body and my health and i don't want to carelessly damage it. i'm going to see if the Dr. will prescribe Wellbutrin (known not to cause an increase in weight) together with a Anti-anxiety medicine (one that doesn't cause harmful side effects) and cause any irreversible health damage in the long run. i use to take Ativan years ago, i wonder if this medicine would be safe for me.
Does anyone know of any Anti-anxiety medicine that does not cause weight gain or sexual dysfunction or is too hard for the liver to metabolize?
Posted by Chloe on February 9, 2002, at 21:42:45
In reply to Weight gain side effect, posted by Eloy on February 9, 2002, at 13:08:31
> Does anyone know of any Anti-anxiety medicine that does not cause weight gain or sexual dysfunction or is too hard for the liver to metabolize?Eloy,
You may want to look into Neurontin, a drug that is primarily metabolized by the kidneys. I suggest you do a search of the archives, as there are tons of posts about neurontin for anxiety, depression, social phobia, etc. It tends to have mimimal side effects for most.Having computer toubles or would elaborate more...
Chloe
Posted by TSA West on February 10, 2002, at 2:02:09
In reply to Weight gain side effect, posted by Eloy on February 9, 2002, at 13:08:31
Dear Eloy,
Remeron 4 you: Remeron is a noradrenergic and serotonergic antidepressant, with a unique profile, and proven efficacy and safety. Remeron has demonstrated clinical effectiveness in the treatment of moderately and severely depressed patients. In addition, mirtazapine was found to be equally effective as clomipramine (Anafranil) in the treatment of severely depressed, hospitalized patients. The overall improvement with mirtazapine is seen after 1 week of treatment and is sustained throughout the treatment period. Because of its unique pharmacologic profile, mirtazapine is virtually devoid of anticholinergic, adrenolytic, and serotonin-related side effects. The most frequently reported adverse event was transient sedation.
Consider it again for your overall emotional wellness, under your doctor's supervision.
The Calming Influence of Christ,
TSA West: ______________________Founded by General William Booth_____________________
Posted by Eloy on February 11, 2002, at 2:13:26
In reply to Re: Weight gain side effect » Eloy, posted by TSA West on February 10, 2002, at 2:02:09
TSA West:
"One man's medicine is another man's poison."
Thank you very much, but i recently finished a course of interferon and rebatron chemical therapy last year which really depleted my blood cells, so i really am reluctant to consider Remeron for the reason that i don't want to get leukemia from it's known risk of agranulocytosis, because of this, and mostly for the reason that i don't want to become overweight which would be a given if i took Remeron. i will consult with my psychiatrist about starting Welbutrin in conjunction with a small dosage of Ativan or Traxene. i should be prudent about safety and my long term health, for i have a older brother who is obese now (about 300 pounds or more) and had one or both of his testicles surgically removed because of cancer, and i very highly suspect the potent psychotropics he took over the years as the main contributer for his health damage. Thanks again very much for your advice.
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