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anyone have good reviews/comments/complaints about Vivactil (protriptyline)?

hi,

few ADs work for me.  Prozac is mediocre even at 80-120 mg/day.  Parnate is the best but I am on Prozac (fluoxetine, really) and I would never be able to withstand the 5 to 6-week Prozac-to-MAOI washout.  I have taken Vivactil (protriptyline) in the past and it had some beneficial effects.  I liked the quick energy boost; you take it when you wake up, for instance, and it helps separate "sleep-time" from "wakefulness-time" in a non habit-forming way.  It also worked pretty quickly.  I was in the 40-60 mg/day range.  It sure was difficult to wear contact lenses with Vivactil and it dries your eyes out severely, but there's always eye drops for that.  I've taken several TCAs in the past and there's always been the issue of constipation, but that can be helped with a big bowl of bran every breakfast religiouslly (usually).  

I think I'd like to make the switch from this effete, ersatz, generic fluoxetine 80 mg/day to Vivactil (brand only, not the generic protriptyline), because the change can take place almost as once -- no washout periods to disable my functioning completely that I have read about, yet.

I was just wondering if anyone felt like posting how they extol the virtues of Vivactil -- good experiences, troubles, complications, or even people who hated it!  There is not a ton of data on the web re: Vivactil, so first-hand reports from nice folks like you may help me (and my p-doc, of course) make a good decision.

THANKS

FourGalore
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Avatar universal

I have been on Protriptyline 10 days now to counter the side effects of Lyrica and the combination of Protriptyline & Lyrica has been like a wonder drug cocktail for my severe nerve pain in my right foot and lower calf.  I have had nerve pain for 3 1/2 years ever since I herniated a disc at S1/L5 and a Lower Lumbar Discectomy  was done 11 days after disc injury. Back pain and upper right leg sciatic nerve pain went away completely but I still had severe sciatic nerve pain in right foot.  Had Anterior Lumbar Spinal Surgery in Lower Back to insert cages and spacers at S1/L5/L4 one year later after first back surgery went through front of my abdomen) and after surgery  had both back Pain and foot pain and calf pain on right side was excuciating.  Been on Fentnal Patches, Morphine then to Oxcoden and Percocet last 2 years and then had spinal stimulator implanted one year ago  to help with pain....helped some of the back pain but not the right foot pain nerve pain (tingling, burning, stabbing, numbing, sharp ache, etc.)...anyway, I have tried every nerve pain medicine under the sun including Lyrica 4 or 5 times and hated side effects....tired, wait gain, swelling in ankles, etc.  for the first time I have felt pretty good the last few days after 3 weeks on Lyrica and 10 days on Protriptyline together....I could not tolerate the common nerve pain medicines (nausea) .....anyway I am writing this and suggest anyone with my type of pain ask their doctor about this combination for nerve pain....helps my nerve pain significantly and also has gave me energy and lifted my spirits and makes more alert and much more energy and also helps suppress my appetite where Lyrica by it's self stimulated my appettite....I am going to wait 2 weeks and go off the 20 mg of OxyContin I take every 12 hours and 10-325 Percocet for breakthrough pain when req'd that I have taken for last 2 years. I am 58 and never had any back pain until I blew out disc at Sam's Club picking up a Flat Screen TV and swinging it onto a cart.....4 hours later I could barely walk or sit.....11 days of pain at 9 to 10 pain scale...pain was so bad that 5 days after injury I passed out in hospital waiting to be examined as family doctor just gave me pain meds and sent me home 1 day after injured...and also tried chiropractic care.

Dale W.
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Avatar universal
I just started protriptyline, the generic of Vivactil last week. After a week I had to stop taking it. I could not deal with the extreme dry mouth and nose. I am on the phone all day for work and I had trouble talking and swallowing because my mouth was so dry. Even drinking water did not help. Only thing that did help some was chewing gum. But it's hard to chew gum and  talk on the phone. I stopped taking it 2 days ago and still my mouth is dry. I don't know when this side effect will stop but I hope it is soon.
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Avatar universal
hi,
thanks for your suggestion.
i'm glad trazodone works for you, but i would never take it again even for a cash reward.
it's TERRIBLY sedating and not 100% completely safe for males.  it's a "dirty drug" IMHO.  trazodone is the stuff shrewd, opportunistic, self-serving p-docs in county hospital psych units offer to the inpatients sarcastically!  i would even be too hesitant to try the new extended-release version _______ (forgot the name).  taking even 25-50 mg trazodone for sleep makes me want to fall asleep all the entire next day :(  i cannot even begin to conceive how people tolerate 300-600 mg doses of Desyrel.  
i am seeking an alternative toward waiting 5-6 weeks for a fluoxetine washout before initiating an MAOI.  i get like a rutabaga when i am not on an AD, literally!  you can switch from fluoxetine to Vivactil immediately, I read.  You can even take them concurrently.  then I would have AD relief during the fluoxetine washout.  f Vivactil does the trick for me and doesn't cause excessive perspiration like other TCAs have caused for me in the past, i.e., Anafranil, then I could stick with the Vivactil.  if the Vivactil side effects are overwhelming, however, I can D/C it and wait the one or two weeks before starting Parnate.  Parnate is tried and true for me.  Vivactil is a nifty little underused med, though.  I cannot seem to recall if I had perspiration problems with Vivactil like I did with Elavil and Anafranil, etc.  Perspiration is one of the reasons aside from sedation I had to D/C tricyclics.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  
Whether the waiting period between a TCA and an MAOI is a week or two weeks or more or less is debatable.  Anyone know the shortest period of time that must elapse between the switch without pushing one's luck too much?
Good luck, mmathon, and let me know how you are managing.

FourGalore.  
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1291268 tn?1274810922
You can try going on trazadone in the evenings while withdrawing from prozac.
Once done go back on panate. (why did you stop?)
parnate in morning - trazadone at bedtime  works for me!
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