Agomelatine/Valdoxan 25mg

[marky999]

Hello there

Well to cut a long story short....... I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (past 8 years) with mild/moderate Social Anxiety (have had since I was a child, but has ALWAYS been manageable to certain extent).

I have been on SSRI's for 5 years started on Prozac, then onto Sertraline and recently Escitalopram (very low dose).
Although the SSRI's have helped pick me up from a dark and anxious place in the Autumn/Winter, I occasionally seem to find myself back at the Drs with recurring problems of Seasonal Affective Disorder
Some years I can manage OK and stay at work and get on with my life, but other years it's just too much and I have to be signed off work to sort myself out

This year my normal seasonal symptoms (anxiety, depression, even worse social anxiety) returned , I decided to go private to see a psychiatrist as it's driving me nuts this happening nearly every year !.

I was prescribed Valdoxan 25mg at night, I was told to just stop the 5mg Escitalopram and switch to the Valdoxan.
All was well I suppose, I noticed within 1 week that my mood had changed to more positive , I felt so much better than before !
I then started to get "Brain shocks" (which I have had before) but just couldn't hack them , I decided to take a small dose of Sertraline 50mg to help stop these "Brain Shocks" and it worked (obviously).

I haven't taken anymore Sertraline since then (approx 6 days ago) and have started to get those "Brain Shocks" again.
I was still feeling much better and seemed to be getting slightly better each day, more positive, more social !, and even thinking of returning to work !!.

Today however I'm feeling downcast and negative ! this is such a difference to how I was feeling yesterday ?????, I still am having brain shocks, but they SEEM much less now.

What would it be that's making me take a step backwards with the Valdoxan ?? does it have something to do with the "Brain Shocks" ???
I was making such good progress with Valdoxan, how can I go from being happy yesterday to low and negative today ??
Will these low feelings subside once the SSRI is completely out of my system ?

Sorry for the not so short story /

I hope someone can help to shed light on this

Marky Mark

[marky999]

No one ?

[JaneC]

Hi Marky

Don't think many people on here are on this med and I certainly don't know anything about it, but in general terms - Have you been on it long enough to be getting the full benefit, do you think? I also think a lot of us on ADs experience ups and downs in any case.

Were you on sertraline long enough for you to be experiencing withdrawals?

Also, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will find a few threads about agomelatine - or key either of its names into the search facility (top right).

Hope you feel better tomorrow x

[marky999]

Thanks for reply

I was on Sertraline 100mg for about 3 years, then was put on 5 mg escitalopram just until I could see a specialist.

The 5mg was just enough to stop the SSRI withdrawal, didn't feel any antidepressant effects from it, it was just a stop gap until I started Agomelatine/Valdoxan.

I was feeling very good after a week of the Agomelatine and Zero escitalopram, but then the SSRI withdrawals set in

My brain is now in battle mode ! , Agomelatine is trying to work ( I know this from feeling quite good after a week on it. More social, happier etc)
and now the old Serotonin receptors are going mad cause they haven't got the SSRI there anymore

I don't know whether to start 5 mg escitalopram again to stop the withdrawals ?

By withdrawals I mean, brain zaps, low low mood, angry, snappy

Or do I just try and ride it out ?

Thanks again for reply x x x x