Antidepressants and ECA's

[Audacious1]

I am on Zoloft (an antidepressant) and on all the bottles of ECA's that i have seen it says don't take or consult a physician if you have history of depression before taking? Anyone know why? I asked my physcian and she said she can't tell me one way or another on taking it (what the hell does she get paid for ) I have been taking Adipo while on my zoloft and don't notice any side effects but then again Adipo isn't a true ECA (am i right with that?)

I also wanted to know to those of you who are taking or have ever taken an antidepressant, noticed a sudden surge of energy that lasts all day long and an increase in weight loss and decrease in appetite. I know i took Zoloft a few years back and lost 30lbs, then went off it and gained some weight, and now that i have been on it again for almost a month, i have lost 10lbs.

 

[Raina]

I think each antio-depressant effects each person differently. For some people prozac is like a mega appetite suppressant and for other sit makes them put on weight. I can relate to the bursts of energy. Especially if I've been off of them for a while and then go back on. It's like someone gives me a shot of "time to be productive and just about hyper".

The only thing I notice about taking ECAs is that they have a tendancy to make me kind of nervous/paranoid. I asked my dr if I could take them together and also got a somewhat half-asses resonse. As I've taken them together for a looong time and haven't died or anything yet, I'm assuming I'm not greatly risking my health by combining them. If your dr doesn't know you might want to read through the pages of info you can get on zoloft or you might want to call your pharmacy....they usually know those kinds of things (or so we hope).

The only real side I have with anti-depressants (on paxil right now but I'm not really liking it...might not be on a high enough doseage yet but I might go back to celexa) is a decrease in sex drive. Not like to the point of being awful, but enough for me to notice the difference. In my experience, if I see any signs of sides that I don't like I switch-- there are so many meds out there...why not try to find that one that helps your body the most.

My weight hasn't varied on anti-depressants. That's just me. Like I said though, anything that alters body chemistry is going to work differently in each body. Hope you find what's best for you.

Kate

 

[Audacious1]

Oh yeah, my sex drive is totally non existent when i am on Zoloft...it frustrates the hell out of my husband. I was on Wellbutrin which is supposed to have no effect on sex drive, but damn it seemed to make me a sex machine, i went off of it b/c it gave me terrible pelvic pains.

Anyway, at least i know i won't die if i take an ECA while on Zoloft...thanks for the response

 

[Raina]

I've switched meds over the downed-drive before. It makes me feel less like "me". If that makes sense. I've had really good luck with celexa. I'm seriously considering going back on it.

I seriously doubt it'll kill you but you might want to call your pharmacy just in case.

Kate

 

[MS]

There are two very good reasons to avoid Ephedrine products if you suffer from or are susceptible to depression. The first reason is that some antidepressants (the MAOIs) can cause adverse drug interactions with ephedrine. The second reason is that ephedrine can actually cause depression in some people.

As for the loss of libido....you might try to convince your (not very bright) doc to put you on Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride).

 

[takniteasy]

Perhaps I should put this in a new thread but I was just curious. MS wrote that ephedrine actually causes depression in some people. Has anyone had this happen to them? I seem to have that problem when taking an ECA but I like the results when I use it to cut. Any suggestions on alternatives to ephedrine containing products?

 

[Raina]

I get wildly wound up on ECAs but I feel pretty shitty afterwards. I wouldn't say depressed-- more like my body's not happy with me. I think that my experience on an ECA would be different that other people's. I suppose that people with depression should try to make an effort to see if they feel different when taking ECAs or anything else for that matter. If they made me depressed, I wouldn't take them. Hmmm...I'm also interested as to what people would suggest as an alternative to ephedrine.

As for MAOIs-- it seems like people on those have a lot of restrictions when mixing with other chemicals. SSRI's (like zoloft, celexa, prozac) generally aren't as prone to adverse reactions. It seems like every drug commercial and a lot of labels stipulate not using MAOIs with them.

 

[FitFossil]

I was on Prozac for many years. When I first started taking it, I was in a bulimic phase (I'd been both anorexic and bulimic). It was a big help in controlling binge urges and I lost weight. I really did not notice any other side effects, I think because I was on a low dose.

When I first took ECA, it made me feel like I was jumping out of my skin. But then I built up a tolerance. They are fine for a little extra energy, but for fat-burning purposes, I like NYC better. NYC = norephinephrine (sp?), yohimbine HCL and caffeine. They don't make me jittery and seem to target butt/thigh fat better. Adipokinetix made by Syntrax and Mass Quantites Phenyltropic PPA are NYC's.

 

[wilson6]

SSRIs work on the serotonin system (release, receptor regulation, reuptake, etc.). Altering the 5-HT system can kill your libido, may have stimulant effects and suppress appetite.

Wellbutrin affects the dopamine system. Increasing dopamine will increase libido. Wellbutrin also has stimulant like effects that is why it is not used in those with seizure potential.

If I recall, Paxil is a dirty drug, affects other receptor systems beyond 5-HT and has more sides similar to tricyclics.

EPH is a stimulant, similar to amphetamine; only difference is a hydroxyl group that reduces transport into the brain. None-the-less, for some there is a down side after the EPH wears off, just like a crash after taking an amphetamine.

The issue with mixing EPH or ECA with anti-depressants is that EPH or the combo ECA may result in the release of nor-EPI. MAOIs inhibit the degradation of nor-EPI and dopamine, thus if you're taking a drug that increases the release of nor-EPI or dopamine (EPH/ECA, tricyclic anti-depressants, Wellbutrin or one of the dirty SSRIs) along with a MAOI, then you're in trouble as increasing nor-EPI will increase blood pressure and the combo could result in a hypertensive crisis (the top of your head will blow off). Even foods that contain tyramine, L-Dopa, etc. can cause big problems while on MAOIs.

W6

 

[MS]

Sorry for my lack of clarity. Ephedrine and norephedrine are stimulants, and some people find they actually IMPROVE their depressive symptoms. The danger with noradrenergic drugs, such as ephedrine, is that when some people come off of them they suffer a very deep crash. People prone to depression are much more likely to suffer a major depressive episode when they crash from these drugs. Unless you're gonna take ephedrine for the rest of your life (and continually increase the dose as your body becomes resistant to it's effects), it is best to avoid getting "hooked" on this stuff. Same deal as cocaine, amphets and ecstasy.

There is no such thing as a 'clean' SSRI/antidepressant. If you raise postsynaptic levels of serotonin high enough (by reuptake inhibition) you will get cross talk and firing of even dopaminergic neurons. Dopamine receptors can be activated by high circulating levels of serotonin. This is why some people actually have anxiety attacks even when taking Prozac. Some SSRIs also inhibit norepehdrine uptake. There is also emerging evidence that high levels of serotonin can actually affect the structure of some serotonin receptors through changes in pre-mRNA splicing signals. This may represent a very subtle downregulation/change in second messenger signalling at these receptors.

Conversely Wellbutrin has a conflicting, atypical profile of activity. It does not seem to directly affect dopaminergic neuron firing, but does increase norephedrine release, and also increases serotenergic activity, despite earlier studies that showed it had no serotonergic activity and was an uptake inhibitor of norephedrine and dopamine. Why this improves libido is still unclear. All you need to know from this is that it works well for many people on SSRIs and suffering reduced libido.