• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for major depressive disorder)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (loss of interest in food, increased need for sleep, fatigue)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  A little hard to take

Dosage: 300 mg Twice daily

Advice & Tips: Started withdrawal from this June 3 my reasons are that I have until this time not had remission from depression and it is frankly getting to the point that if this is as good as it gets then my quality of life is not good enough. So before I go there I do wish to follow my natural striving for something better. big goal to be able to work again, smaller goals remove fatigue and regain emotions and the feeling that there is more to life than surviving. My path to making this decision is caused by a decrease in depression to 10 % some days and that was bitter sweet, pain of depression released but fatigue and anxiety still high. Decrease depression increases my anxiety. So I had my annual physical and no reason for fatigue so advised to check in with Pdoc. he would only increase my cytomel and said I am at the end of the road for antidepressants. Snri and such did not work and will not work. he advised me to do cardio 3 times a week. This was after I had told him I just completed a 6 week exercise program and it did not help ( physical improved but fatigue increased) and depressed mood did not change. the effect of the cytomel increase is that after a few weeks I could shower and go out of the house the same day. SO after I got my courage back I went back to my family dr and said as there is nothing else to try ( and if I could do cardio I would) the the best thing for my peace of mind and to feel in control of my life again was to test a wd of ad. Dr was not happy as framed it as if there is nothing else ( do therapy etc ) life is not worth living if only surviving. But willing to try wd of ad to see if the fatigue and lack of life is from the ad or the depression. got approval with conditions of letting my friends and family know to let me know if they notice a difference. and to continue with therapy as well as seeing my dr after 4 weeks. within a few days of getting that permission and consulting with pharmacy I started a slow taper of 10% ish every 4 to 6 weeks. so within the first week i noticed I am sleeping deeper and getting closer to my old restorative sleep! AD's do mess with sleep and I seem to be sensitive and it is the best sleep since 2008! obviously could be a placebo effect but I will take it so I have optional seroquel for a sleep aid and optional klonopin to manage anxiety and it gives me energy to get through the day. my triggering depression was a storm of divorce, cancer , death of horse (my error) and a few other things on top of burnout from overwork as my coping skill before depression was just to work harder. I am leaning better coping skills and my reserve of energy is up to 1-2 hours a day. so the kittens take another 1 to 2 hours so having doubled my activity trying to keep in my reserve so not using the Klonopin very often. once in over two weeks.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for major depressive disorder)
• Side effects

  None (for Overall)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 300 mg Twice daily

Advice & Tips: The main benefit was breaking through a depression barrier and regaining some normal energy. however it has been stalled and at this point my energy is dropping again yet not my ability to feel pleasure. This is a reversible MAOI, many drug fact sheets say you can not eat foods with tryamine ( aged, fermented foods ) but that applies to non reversible MAOI's. Also with caution I can use antihistamine and decongestants.  I learned the generic off the top of information seems to be based on better safe than sorry rather than science and personal situations. I have access to a clinical pharmacist at my physician's office and here I get the latest up to date and practical advise on medications.