antidepressants
 

I'm going through a really hard time at the moment as I am a single parent to 13 year old hormonal twin boys and my partner has just left me. I'm very depressed and not coping. My doctor wants me to take antidepressants but I know some worsen PD symptoms. Is anyone on antidepressants that they are happy with. I've read mirtazipine helps with tremors but I don't have tremors and tried it once and felt really spaced out and sleepy.

Trixiedee

Trix,
I have been taking a low dose of Lexapro since right before I was dx'd with PD 9 years ago. It comes as a generic now (escitalopram oxalate) so it is really cheap in the US. There is no fogginess or intereference with any of my PD regimen which is mainly c/l and mucuna. Never had a problem with it except some generic forms are not as good as others, but that will come from your personal trial and error....Best of luck, hang in....

Eric

Hi Trix,

Tough one, I've tried unsuccessfully 3 times with two types of antidepressants, it didn't make my PD worse but brought on what appeared to be serotonin syndrome ie wildly fluctuating bp/pulse,tingling etc. I believe, and please understand I'm not medically qualified, that stress is a causative factor for me and recent research in Scandinavia showed people with diagnosed anxiety had elevated not reduced levels of serotonin. The point being depression and anxiety are currently treated the same, in the UK usually by serotonin increasing drugs such as Citalopram. Which could be why these drugs sometimes make folk worse initially. The trouble is we don't know without trying them. My non-PD wife has taken them successfully for years.
I should point out that I'v not come across anyone else with my experience.

What I have noticed is that as I'v increased my PD meds into the therapeutic zone (Iv been under-medicated) and the most dramatic and noticeable effect has been a significant improvement in my mental health.

Another non-antidepressant area to look at would be sleep, this is the first thing to go when depression/anxiety hits me and I quickly rack up a sleep deficit time.

A lot of folk here prefer the alternative root, discuss/check with a medical professional of course but there is some evidence for 5-HTP and St Johns Wort which are believed to work like SSRI's (prozac,citalopram) they probably do because I had problems in the same way when I tried them though not as bad.

Trixee, I'm so sorry to hear of your situation, a few years ago we were facing my wife's cancer and bankrupt in addition to PD, two teenagers also. We got through it and the fact that you're actively fighting tells me you have an inner strength and that you will too.

Wishing you the very best,keep in touch the people on this forum are an amasing group. (of course you already know that....should've noticed your member status Ooops)

nigel