Some antidepressants and stimulants create significant problems together, period. Some of my colleagues disagree and I will tell you why in a moment.
The media has been buzzing this particular med topic up for years. This interaction is one reason psych meds are taking much heat. This post, if considered carefully, can save you much money, significant heartache, and that hopeless feeling when nothing you are taking to fix these problems works. Young and old, you just won’t be in so much trouble.
In this post I will tell you briefly about the pharmacologic part of the problem, and the next post we can discuss how you can see it clinically, then ask the questions to unearth the gritty details.
These meds simply don’t work together [rare exceptions, more about categorical thinking in a later post]: Prozac, or Paxil mixed with any amphetamine such as Adderall, mixed amphetamine salts, Dextrostat, or Dexedrine. Some may say it is “not in the literature,” but I have seen this clinically important and dangerous consequence hundreds of times, and have written about this common reaction with my son as lead author.
See more references on the next page-
We will cover more details later, but for now just remember this: Prozac and Paxil both significantly block the pathway for the metabolism of Adderall and all the amphetamine products. If you take either of these two antidepressants together with an amphetamine, just watch out. You can significantly become overdosed on the amphetamine. Often the interaction can unpredictably occur several months later. The patient becomes toxic to the amphetamine, angry, irrational, can’t sleep, can’t eat, and can become dangerously destructive. The Adderall often gets blamed. The Prozac and the Paxil are the problem. More about Adderall in a later post.
Many books document this challenging interaction, and two of my favorites, one by
Cozza and Armstong:
Drug Interaction Principles for Medical Practice
and one by Stahl, for those wishing to understand more.
The Prescriber's Guide
The reason for the disagreement? The reason it has been missed? – This interaction often occurs much later, and appears to be unrelated to changes in the meds.
Please do send comments if you have seen this interaction, let’s talk about it.
—>Tweet this post below! For ADHD Medications: Download complimentary white paper Precise Solutions now, – and get ready for the complete version of ‘The Patient’s Guide’ details to follow. Get Neurotransmitter Details Here
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Michael,
Many antidepressants can cause discontinuation syndrome.. a phenomenon that is caused by up-regulation, re-awakening of downregulated serotonin receptors. This reaction is preventable by simply going off slowly, and if anyone has difficulty going off the SSRIs the first rule is to do it slowly, but the immediate second, and most important rule is to ask the question:
What is the metabolic problem presented here?
Most folks with DCS Disconinuation Syndrome have associated metabolic issues – too many to cover in this brief note.
Thanks for your observations.
cp
My name is Michael Smith and i would like to show you my personal experience with Paxil.
I am 40 years old. Have been on Paxil for 5 years now. Please be careful if coming off, i started to wean myself with out doctors help couldnt afford it. I went from 20 mgs to 10 mgs for a month, then 10 mgs to 5 mgs for a month. Because the 20 mgs were way to strong took 20 for 5 years and was always on edge. After about 1 month on 10 felt a little better. I stopped for 7 days completly and man did I feel like shit man I didn’t want to leave the house , shop! I just started back on 5 mgs to get it back in my system. Who know what is the right amount you have to be the test subject on yourself!
I have experienced some of these side effects-
Headaches, tremors, emotional wreck, just the blah’s when I 1st started takin wasnt bad, cause I also way taken klonopin.
I hope this information will be useful to others,
Michael Smith