Tried Everything...

[keelyj]

My husband has tried almost all the medications out there and nothing seems to help. Meds tried are:
Effexor- happy person but nonfunctional in the bedroom  Wellbutrin- Long sickness period with no positive mood effects Citalophram- Worked well for 1.5 months then increasingly unable to control mood even under elevated dosages  There was also one other medication I can't remember the name of that amplified my aggression.

Symptoms
Constantly tired, unable to sleep at night, aggression, gaining weight, back and neck pains, weakness, unable to so physical work for extended periods, very low sex drive, poor eyesight, poor hearing, when sick I become violently ill, trouble concentrating or focusing...

[Hensley258]

There are so many different AD meds on the market that it would be hard for anyone to have tried them all. I have been thru 11 different AD meds in my 17 years with depression and there are plenty more left even for me.

Yes, you are correct most of these meds will cause a man to experience some change in sexual drive. Im most cases this doesn't effect the ability for us men to have an erection, but it almost always results in us not being able to finish, "if you get what I mean." This can be a bit frustrating but this side effect will ease up a bit after about 8 months on the medication.

In other words with these meds it very common to be able to get the submarine up to periscope depth, but not be able to fire off a torpeedo. Now if it's that these meds are causing your husband not to even be able to get an erection then I can understand him, not wanting to take them.

There is an MOA inhibitor patch now avalible that is much safer than the old MOA's.
It bypasses the digestive system so there is no food interactions like with the old MOA tablets. I hear it's very effective for depression and as I recall it has almost no sexual side effects.

This patch form is becoming more popular because of it's different side effect charicteristics.

[Jikan]

Namaste,

From what you write, it doesn't appear that your husband has gone through the gambit of medications available today.

From what you describe, based upon the medications, I assume that your husband has been diagnoised with major depression.

If that's the case, there are numerous medications that have not yet been tried nor has some type of adjunct therapy(i.e. group counseling, individual counseling or CBT).

The bad news is that it may take some time to find the proper medication or combination of medications that will stabilize his symptoms. In my case, it took me over six (6) years to find the right combination of medications(Remeron, Valium & Lamictal) to place me in a position where I can function as a human being, without being in a "fog".

Provide your psychiatrist with all the pertinent information ( keeping a daily journal helps in this regard), so that he/she can make a proper evaluation of your husbands' condition, make a proper diagnois and prepare a viable treatment plan, which may or may not include medication(s) and/or adjunct therapy.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey for "normalcy".

Michael(Jikan)