Reboxetine - so much anger!

[CatPower]

I've been taking reboxetine for about four weeks now, and for the past ten days I've felt awful. I've been angry over nothing, finding myself sitting for ages stewing and fretting over issues from years ago, getting myself more and more angry and worked up. My patience is non-existant, too. I spoke to my GP and she is unwilling to change my prescription as it came from my psychiatrist at the hospital, but I can't see the hospital staff/my key worker for another two weeks. Does anyone here know anything about reboxetine and it's side effects? What can I do in the meantime?

That wiki entry is similar to those for most ADs and the side effects are not even that bad.

Is there no one you can speak to on the phone at the hospital?

Tried phoning my keyworker/MH Nurse but she's off today, but they brought my appt forward to next Thursday. That's something at least.

Someone listened then - good.

Still a long week ahead feeling rubbish...

Oh catpower how I feel for you. I know the torment of severe depression and anxiety and only those who have experienced it can understand. Well that's my belief anyway.

Must say I had never heard of this AD before, as mostly the SSRIs seem to be prescribed these days, citalopram, sertraline etc. I am on an old fashioned tryclic which works for me but I still have very bad days.

Is the way you describe yourself now very different from your usual "self" - sorry - I'm sure it is. What I mean is this anger and impatience new to you and are you maybe a person who stews over things (I think we all do this from time to time) especially when we are feeling depressed. I know I do.

What are your circumstances Cat do you have a P or H - if so are they supportive. Do you have children? Do you have any RL support family/friends etc. Sorry I am asking so many questions. I honestly can't say how you will get through as I think maybe we all have our own ways - mine is to divide the day into chunks (it's too scarey to look ahead) and I stay in bed till noon ish and shower etc. Sometimes I feel so bad I just go back and lie on the bed. I know we are not "suposed" to do this but what the hell. I also find release in crying, really sobbing and not worrying how much noise I make. I then go on MN and this MH thread has got me through many a dark hour I can tell you.

I can imagine the GP not wanting to go against a psychiatrist - were you an inpatient or just referred to a psychiatrist for diagnosis and treatment. You must be severely depressed because only about 10% of patients seeing a GP are referred to a psychiatrist. Glad your appt has been brought forward, but it sounds like this drug isn't suiting you, and needs to be changed.

Keep posting if it helps - lots of support on here.

Hi Nana, thanks so much for your response (and thanks to everyone else, too!).

I'm in my late twenties, have a five year old DS and a very patient, supportive fiancé. He listens if I need to talk, and although he can't give tell me what I should or shouldn't be doing it helps so much just to know I can count on him. If I'm having a day where all I can do is lie on the sofa with a blanket over my head, he'll bring me a mug of tea and leave me to it rather than try to shake me up etc etc. I hope that makes sense.

I've been on Citalopram (worked for a while, then I felt awful again) and Venlafaxine (horrible food cravings, insomnia, very low moods), they were prescribed by my GP. My GP was shocked that my psych prescribed reboxetine as she said they don't normally use it these days, SSRI's tend to be favoured. I'm glad the appt has been moved to next week but trying to think that far ahead makes my head spin. As well as my depression I'm dealing with long term chronic pain (bilateral hip dysplasia) so trying to think more than a day ahead is impossible!

Writing this is making me feel very sad (rather than the usual pounding anger beating away in my mind), I used to be so gung-ho and full of life, patient and level headed too. Right now I feel utterly exhausted.

Oh cat that's really bad that you are suffering mental and physical pain. Glad you have a supportive partner who seems able to cope with you when yu are in a bad state. My CPN always told me it wasn't good to just lie about but then she didn't know how it felt (she was lovely though) and it was true that I can feek marginally better if I go for a short walk or something.

Do you know what the origins of your depression are cat as you describe yourself as very different from who you are now, which I know makes you feel sad. It's almost like depression makes us a different person, a stranger in our own body On my bad days I cry a lot and keep saying "this is NOT who I am" as I am by nature an extrovert and have lots of friends. Mind I will only let 2 people see me on bad days, DP and a close woman friend.

Are you able to eat and sleep as often sleep problems exacerbate the problem. At my worst I would always wake at about 4.00 am and just lie there and scare nyself to death by catastrophising about everything. It's hard not to though isn't it sometimes.

As you have tried a couple of the SSRIs and they didn't really help I wonder if this was the reason the psych prescribed reboxatine. Maybe he/she could try you on one of the tryclics (old fashioned drugs for AD) but still effective. Life saver for me as I was very suicidal and was in hosp for 3 months (April 2010) am on imipramine. Still not fully recovered but I am in my late 60s and so am less likely to recover fully than a much younger person.

Sending you warm wishes and post again whenever..........

Hi,
Isn't Reboxetine a noradrenaline hitter? I thought it was precribed for very low lethargic depression? Noradrenaline is the one that deals with anxiety isn't it?

If you were very slowed down, that may be why they prescribed this to activate you. However too much noradrenaline (basically adrenaline) could easily mke you feel over stimulated and agitated (angry and worked up)

I hate SSRI's, but do well on tricyclics. Some of them are prescribed for pain too, particularly amitriptyline I think

Can't you stop taking it? What there is, will remain in your system until Thursday

orangeandlemons Funnily enough, I have 25mg amitriptyline tablets in the cupboard as it helps the pain a bit and knocks me out so I (occasionally) get a decent sleep at night.

Perhaps you should be on that? I was on 125mg on that at one point with no real side effects.

It was a good ad and fantastic for sleep, but it stopped working for me.

Yes orangeand lemons rebox is a noradrenaline one. And OP orange may well have a point here.