I went to a new Rheumy yesterday for the fibromyalgia. He knows I started paxil. He suggested I take nortriptylene to help me sleep and with the aches. Had it filled yesterday. Came home and read the papers on it, hubby also picked up first paxil cr 12.5 prescriptioi ( I was taking samples).

Both had under drug interactions to notify dr if you are on the other etc. Kind of scared me.

I will ask the pharmacist today. Seems like many Dr's. do not seem to know about drug interactions.

Does anyone take this combo?

Silvia

I went to a new Rheumy yesterday for the fibromyalgia. He knows I started paxil. He suggested I take nortriptylene to help me sleep and with the aches. Had it filled yesterday. Came home and read the papers on it, hubby also picked up first paxil cr 12.5 prescriptioi ( I was taking samples).

Both had under drug interactions to notify dr if you are on the other etc. Kind of scared me.

I will ask the pharmacist today. Seems like many Dr's. do not seem to know about drug interactions.

Does anyone take this combo?

Silvia

Dear Sillyme03,
You will find that most Doctors, do not read the information on the drugs and seem to rely only on what is told to them buy the saleman. In your case, he should have consulted his PDR or if anything at least read the patient information as you did. I am assuming that you mean Nortriptyline HCL another drug class anti-depressant. Brand name is Aventyl HCL. I don't understand where your Doctor would think that combining two anti-depressants would give you relief from pain. You need to see a pain management Specialist I would say. You just need a pain killer. I think this is not only risky but ridiculous. Seritonin is nothing to play around with. Check it out with your Pharmacist. I would even filter that information being that he or she may not want to go against the Doctors prescription. I have told many a Doctor and Psychratrist, BS. They don't like it but they are not the one that is going to take the medication or have any reactions. The Interaction between Nortriptyline and Paxil, which is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor may cause the risk of serotonin syndrome, which is a rare but serious and a potentially fatal condition. This sort of thing needs to be monitored closely lowering one or the other as needed by blood tests and the benefit needs to diffenately out weight the risk. I think you need to find a pain specialist or at least a real Doctor. Hope you make the only logical decision as far as my opinion is concerned. Good luck.

Sincerely,

Sickman :)

the advice always was to never take 2 different types of antidepressant meds together but now its common to prescribe 2 or even 3 types together, I am very doubtful about the safety of this, with the added risk of bad reactions from any cocktail of different meds, however, I guess it means more profits for the drug companies

sample packs or starter packs of antidepressants usually dont contain enbough pills to allow you to find whether its going to help you or not

I am going to hold off on the nortriptylene. I did call the pharmacist. She said should be no problem, lost of people are on things that the manufacturs say you should not mix.

I am not going to risk it right now. After two weeks on paxil, I am still shaking internally, nothing has changed at all. Will give it some more time, but don't want to get addicted if its not going to work.

Dr's are assuming this internal shake is unknown anxiety ( which I have never had before) because my tests are all coming back normal. I still think it could be hormones.


Silvia