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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Neal on April 11, 2001, at 18:46:21
What do you think of Neurontin and Mirapex when used as augmentors to AD's?
Posted by Lorraine on April 11, 2001, at 21:02:30
In reply to Richelson: Neurontin and Mirapex, posted by Neal on April 11, 2001, at 18:46:21
> What do you think of Neurontin and Mirapex when used as augmentors to AD's?
I'm on Selegiline and Neurontin and am trying to augment with Mirapex--not sure I'll be successful, it really throws me for a loop. I'm going to try .0625 mg 3 x day--first, I'll start just at night since it slams me to sleep. Also seems to heighten anxiety although that may be transitory. Starting tomorrow night, I'll keep you posted.
Posted by SalArmy4me on April 12, 2001, at 1:13:30
In reply to Re: Richelson: Neurontin and Mirapex, posted by Lorraine on April 11, 2001, at 21:02:30
I tried Mirapex a few months ago to augment antidepressants. I decided to abandon it in favor of other antidepressants, so I don't know if it would work or not. But for those who do want to try it, here are some advantages of it:
--It has a benign side-effect profile, with most patients reporting nausea as the main side-effect. But that side-effect may have been from the levodopa that the Parkinsons' patients were also taking during the clinical trials.
--Mirapex is definitely less expensive than Prozac or Wellbutrin. 100 of the 1.5 mg Mirapex tablets costs $80 on insurance at the largest HMO in the US. Prozac and Paxil are definitely more costly.
--It has few anticholinergic effects.
--It is not known to cause sexual dysfunction.
--Though it probably has to be taken three times a day, so does Neurontin, Wellbutrin IR, Effexor IR, and Visken.
--Mirapex has two studies done on it in non-Parkinsons' patients--one for unipolar depression and the other for bipolar disorder.
--It has minimal drug interactions as compared to Tricylcics Antidepressants or MAOI's (& RIMA's).Thus, if it works for you, its a good deal....
-Studies on Medline:
2. Pramipexole augmentation in the treatment of unipolar and bipolar depression: a retrospective chart review Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2000 Sep;12(3):137-40. [Record as supplied by publisher] PMID: 10984002
3:
Maj J, Rogoz Z.
Related Articles
Synergistic effect of pramipexole and sertraline in the forced swimming test. Pol J Pharmacol. 1999 Nov-Dec;51(6):471-5.
PMID: 10817524
4: Corrigan MH, Denahan AQ, Wright CE, Ragual RJ, Evans DL. Related Articles Comparison of pramipexole, fluoxetine, and placebo in patients with major depression. Depress Anxiety. 2000;11(2):58-65. PMID: 10812530
5: DeBattista C, Solvason HB, Breen JA, Schatzberg AF. Related Articles Pramipexole augmentation of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in the treatment of depression. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2000 Apr;20(2):274-5. No abstract available. PMID: 10770475
6:
Goldberg JF, Frye MA, Dunn RT.
Related Articles
Pramipexole in refractory bipolar depression.
Am J Psychiatry. 1999 May;156(5):798. No abstract available.
PMID: 10327923
7:
Bennett JP, Piercey MF.
Related Articles
Pramipexole--a new dopamine agonist for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. J Neurol Sci. 1999 Feb 1;163(1):25-31. Review.
PMID: 10223406
8: Piercey MF. Related Articles Pharmacology of pramipexole, a dopamine D3-preferring agonist useful in treating Parkinson's disease. Clin Neuropharmacol. 1998 May-Jun;21(3):141-51. Review. PMID: 9617505
9:
Willner P.
Related Articles
The mesolimbic dopamine system as a target for rapid antidepressant action. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 1997 Jul;12 Suppl 3:S7-14. Review.
PMID: 9347387
Posted by Lorraine on April 12, 2001, at 10:58:49
In reply to Mirapex Augmentation » Lorraine, posted by SalArmy4me on April 12, 2001, at 1:13:30
Thank-you for your post. I read it earlier when I did a search here on Mirapex. It was one of the reasons I decided to try to. How long were you on Mirapex before you abandoned it?
Posted by SalArmy4me on April 12, 2001, at 12:05:26
In reply to Re: Mirapex Augmentation SalArmy4me, posted by Lorraine on April 12, 2001, at 10:58:49
I was on it for about a month, as far as I can recall. It did work, but at big doses. It started working for me in a little less than a week (possibly because I got up to 6 mg per day in two days' time). I found out that it needs to be taken about every 5 hours, otherwise I relapse. I had no side-effects from it (thank God).
> Thank-you for your post. I read it earlier when I did a search here on Mirapex. It was one of the reasons I decided to try to. How long were you on Mirapex before you abandoned it?
Posted by Dr. Bob on April 14, 2001, at 23:31:53
In reply to Richelson: Neurontin and Mirapex, posted by Neal on April 11, 2001, at 18:46:21
> What do you think of Neurontin and Mirapex [pramipexole] when used as augmentors to AD's?
I don't think there is evidence to suggest that Neurontin can function as an augmenter of antidepressants. On the other hand, there are reports to suggest that pramipexole can work in this role.
This is the end of the thread.
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