Irregular SSRI Usage?
Rior
04 Apr 2012
I've got a question that I've been thinking about a lot recently. A while back, I was prescribed Zoloft. I however used it in a very irregular way, long before I began researching neuroscience and thereby started to fully understanding the full range of its mechanism of action. Basically, when I was first on it I took it as prescribed, building up the dosage and sustaining it for an extended period of time. After a while, I then took myself off of it, slowly tapering like I was supposed to. However, then it got weird.
For some reason I kept being indecisive about it, and began taking it in spurts of say, four days on, four days off. It wasn't even cycled like that, it was just x amounts of days on, then y amounts of days off whenever I decided I didn't want to take it. I wasn't tapering anymore, wasn't building it up. I would just take the same 50mg dosage after I hadn't been taking it for a while, then just drop after a few days. Sometimes I would take it for 2 weeks, then drop for a week or two. Fucked with my head a little bit when I really think back on it. Now, I've been off of it for over two years.
But this ultimately leads me to my question:
Can anyone really predict what neurological effects this could have had?
Judging by a few symptoms in my daily life it seems like my serotonergic system seems substantially less active than it once was. My emotions seem to be a lot more absent than they used to be, leaving me feeling a little empty. I've got Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction now (pre-ej, was never there before taking SSRIs) and this seems to be a potential result of low serotonin. I notice that when I take a 5-htp supplement things change a little bit, but I almost adjust to the 5-htp after an extended period and things go back to where they were before it.
I'm learning more about physiology and neuroscience, but my knowledge is still quite lower than a lot of people on this forum. To anyone that's able to contribute some knowledge/help, thanks!
For some reason I kept being indecisive about it, and began taking it in spurts of say, four days on, four days off. It wasn't even cycled like that, it was just x amounts of days on, then y amounts of days off whenever I decided I didn't want to take it. I wasn't tapering anymore, wasn't building it up. I would just take the same 50mg dosage after I hadn't been taking it for a while, then just drop after a few days. Sometimes I would take it for 2 weeks, then drop for a week or two. Fucked with my head a little bit when I really think back on it. Now, I've been off of it for over two years.
But this ultimately leads me to my question:
Can anyone really predict what neurological effects this could have had?
Judging by a few symptoms in my daily life it seems like my serotonergic system seems substantially less active than it once was. My emotions seem to be a lot more absent than they used to be, leaving me feeling a little empty. I've got Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction now (pre-ej, was never there before taking SSRIs) and this seems to be a potential result of low serotonin. I notice that when I take a 5-htp supplement things change a little bit, but I almost adjust to the 5-htp after an extended period and things go back to where they were before it.
I'm learning more about physiology and neuroscience, but my knowledge is still quite lower than a lot of people on this forum. To anyone that's able to contribute some knowledge/help, thanks!
khemix
05 Apr 2012
I believe SSRIs work by down regulating the serotonin receptors which is why it takes a few weeks to feel the effects. Taking them sporadically like you did would only delay the time it takes to achieve full therapeutic benefit.
As for long term consequences it is hardly surprising that they would affect your serotonin system and that it would take time for your body to reverse this change. A lot of people say dopaminergics help them return to pre-SSRI state faster. A popular choice is Wellbutrin.
As for long term consequences it is hardly surprising that they would affect your serotonin system and that it would take time for your body to reverse this change. A lot of people say dopaminergics help them return to pre-SSRI state faster. A popular choice is Wellbutrin.
Rior
05 Apr 2012
I believe SSRIs work by down regulating the serotonin receptors which is why it takes a few weeks to feel the effects. Taking them sporadically like you did would only delay the time it takes to achieve full therapeutic benefit.
As for long term consequences it is hardly surprising that they would affect your serotonin system and that it would take time for your body to reverse this change. A lot of people say dopaminergics help them return to pre-SSRI state faster. A popular choice is Wellbutrin.
Interesting...do you have any sources on people saying dopaminergics helping people return to a previous state? Or any any physiological reason why it would do so? That sounds awesome if it does do that, I might give it a shot. I can almost see it doing that considering amphetamines tend to help a *little* bit...(among the whole host of other, different dopaminergic stimulant effects)
Edit:
And then honestly another, larger part of me seeks to solve it through mostly non-pharmaceutical ways...through meditation and biofeedback primarily. Supplements, meditation and biofeedback
Generally, pharmaceuticals that take building up in my body scare me a little bit at this point after having such terrible long-term effects happen from Zoloft use. And after psychedelic use and realizing the drastic amount that post-modernism interrupts my train of thought and sends me into a spiral, I'm worried about pushing myself further into the void by moving my personality and "inner me" in some new direction that leaves me feeling weird. Side note.2nd Edit:
So taking Zoloft sporadically wouldn't screw with my serotonin production in the long-run, or cause lasting damage to my autoreceptors at all by theory?
Edited by Izat04, 05 April 2012 - 04:28 AM.
khemix
05 Apr 2012
You can read multiple forums on people using wellbutrin to off set some of the flattening effects of SSRIs. Doctors commonly prescribe this combination too.
This makes sense from a pharmacological point of view because one function of serotonin is as an inhbitiory neurotransmitter that counters the action of dopamine. If you have history of drug abuse its a different story because you could have down-regulated some of your receptors. But anyway, you wouldn't need to be on dopaminergics for long. 2 weeks should be enough to jump start your system.
As for Zoloft, my point was that taking it sporadically would be no worse than taking it continously.
This makes sense from a pharmacological point of view because one function of serotonin is as an inhbitiory neurotransmitter that counters the action of dopamine. If you have history of drug abuse its a different story because you could have down-regulated some of your receptors. But anyway, you wouldn't need to be on dopaminergics for long. 2 weeks should be enough to jump start your system.
As for Zoloft, my point was that taking it sporadically would be no worse than taking it continously.
nupi
07 Apr 2012
After having been on Wellbutrin for 6 months (and then stopping it because the effect/side-effect trade-off got progressively more negative) I would definitely recommend to give it a shot but I am not so sure if it truly is a significant dopaminergic - it is definitely activating, especially in the beginning and at 300mg but feels quite different from what I remember from my one or two experiments with MPH (I would like to try that in a serious way but last shrink I talked too refused to prescribe it)...
My shrink told me not to do it (he pretty much has to I guess), but I actually believe irregular Wellbutrin usage might hold some promise as I feel like it was a lot stronger before I built tolerance too it...
Edited by nupi, 07 April 2012 - 03:01 PM.
My shrink told me not to do it (he pretty much has to I guess), but I actually believe irregular Wellbutrin usage might hold some promise as I feel like it was a lot stronger before I built tolerance too it...
Edited by nupi, 07 April 2012 - 03:01 PM.
