Comments on: Valdoxan or Agomelatine for Depression

By: Bobby Dukez

Bobby Dukez — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:16:19 +0000

Wow if reading all of these comments is anything to go by I would have to say that this drug is the worst thing ever made!!!

Either that or success stories aren’t here to tell us about the glory of the drug. Well, I am a success story and I am proud to shout it from the rooftops about how good this drug is.

For all those who don’t respond to agomelatine I think your doctor’s need educating on different types of depression. I mean if you are a nervous wreck with high OCD then this drug is going to make your problems worse. If however, you have apathetic major depression with bad GAD then this drug might work. But….!!! You must give it time to work. It can take up to 6-8 weeks to even notice anything which can be extremely painful to go through. The very nature of depression doesn’t exercise qualities such as patience.

I suppose what I am saying is that GPs prescribing agomelatine as if it is a substitute for SSRIs don’t know what they are talking about. From their point of view this is a benign drug that might or might not work for some people as an alternative to the SSRIs. BUT they are completely different drugs and used for different types of depression. Agomelatine is for more melancholic depression whereas the SSRIs are for more atypical depression.

By: Neil

Neil — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:43:19 +0000

This is a follow up to my post in November. Sally had a urinary tract infection so the symptoms we assumed were from Valdoxan were not. She is now considering whether to try it again

By: flouncy

flouncy — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:55:33 +0000

@ GAYE
I also seem to be having a problem with my thermostat just I do not seem to feel cold and can overheat quite easily, I get a lot of comments that my house is freezing but I feel quite warm??

By: flouncy

flouncy — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:51:56 +0000

I have been reading the above posts with much interest as I have had bi polar disorder for 22 since the birth of my twins and have been on every medication known to man and beast, I do not tolerate lithium and was wiped out by quetiapine.
I begged my consultant for something that would help me to setlle especially at night but did not want it to have the as i call it straight jacket effect, and something that would not affect my intellect so was given the ago with my mood stabiliser to try.. My experience to date (having been on it for 10 months) I was and remain impressed by the way it helps me to get to sleep and more important wake up not feeling doped up, I can also say that after about 3 months on the ago I started to socialise again and feel comfortable amongst my friends. I felt that I had found something that was both effective in settling and soothing my mood but also finding the old me again.
What I am now begining to realise is I have slipped into a cosy coccon and I am so content in this state that I am going ffrom day to day without going out getting washed or dressed and I have gained approx 2 stone through eating junk, I am quite tearful when watchng tv and seem to be developing an addiction to online bingo. I have tried to anaylse this behaviour all of it but feel calm and not in the least troubled by my current way of life. I feel the online bingo is my only stimulation and that is why it is becoming an issue. I know that I could go on like this as I feel as I have already said unpeturbed by it, howevr I am going to try and stop the ago and see if I can get some motivation back the problem here is I did take ago for three months previous to this 10 month course and experienced severe headaches so I am not looking forward to it :0( To the lady with the joint pain, I to am experiencing very similar symptoms and have been referred to see a specialist, I am 50 and I never consider the ago could be a cause I just put it down to getting older and sitting around doing nothing much at first but the pain got so much worse and I am now taking tramadol to try to cope with it, A very strange set of afairs and I am not sure that I would reccomend ago as I thought I would have when I first started taking it. I will take half of a 25 mg tablet tonight and tomorrow then stop it altogether and see how things are then.

By: Gaye

Gaye — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:23:16 +0000

I have been taking 25mg of agomelatine nightly for seven months. I sleep much better and my depression/anxiety/panic attacks – for which I have been taking antidepressants since I was 19, I’m now sixty has almost vanished. My problem is the very painful ‘side effects’ I am experiencing with this medication. I have chronic back, muscle and joint pain to the extent that I can hardly walk some days. I have bouts of feeling severly cold and then at night feeling overwhelmingly hot. I have had all the blood tests and nothing has shown up to indicate what is causing these symptoms. So obviously it is the side effects of the medication. I have not experienced the sore throat, nausea or hair loss side effects that others have, however I do frequently suffer mild headaches. The side effects I am experiencing seem to come in cycles except for the severe muscle and joint pain which is with me most days. A Naturopath has given me a spray to squirt under my tongure which is to relieve the muscle and joint aches, and this works quite well in conjunction with Panadol Osteo, however nothing seems to help for any length of time to relieve the pain in my feet and ankles. I must stress that having had a number of antidepressants prescribed for me over the years I believe Valdoxan to date has given me the best results for my depressive illness. If anyone out there who has been taking Valdoxan and has been experiencing the same side effects as me and has been able to find someway of eliminating them PLEASE email me soonest.

By: Jay

Jay — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:58:40 +0000

It’s academic now! My PCT has just ruled GPs can’t prescribe it any longer (the usual NICE reservations – sometimes have to speculate on their priorities, certainly not patient wellbeing). I had to come straight off it BUT not a single side effect – amazing. I noticed no difference for a couple of weeks and then was plunged into a maelstrom of emotions I haven’t had to face for a long while. Now what?

By: dolores

dolores — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:22:02 +0000

Hi my son has been depressed since been given contaminated anthrax shots in 1999 & 2001, al sorts of meds and mental hosp with ne relief, read about this med from uk called Agomelatine but reading pro & con about it, could somebody give the ok or no about it, he is desperate and so is his family, I can’t find address or co in uk that i can order it from, we are from us.

By: Neil

Neil — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:35:15 +0000

My wife has bipolar and after trying many AD’s to supplement lithium was put on Valdoxan 25mg by the psychiatrist. She is having a very serious reaction to it. Was stopped after 2 doses but 5 days later she is still in severe pain (she says it is worse than giving birth). The pain is back and stomach. She is also confused with poor balance, unable to write etc and is generally pretty incapacitated.

The psychiatrist has done basic tests – pulse, blood pressure, (both OK) blood test for lithium (result awaited, but he thought it unlikely to be the cause). He has done a severe reaction report. Currently she is taking pain killers + valium + sometimes alcohol to deal with the pain – this puts her out for a while. The drug will have long gone from her system so the worry now is has it done permanent damage. I’ve asked him to think of a plan B if there is no improvement soon.. Does anyone else have experience of this?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 21:15:23 +0000

I’ve been taking Valdoxan 25mg for almost 3 weeks now and feel worse than ever; I have almost daily thoughts of self harm & suicide, am constantly irritable to the point that I can’t be around anyone. The one and only good thing I have experienced with this drug is that I sleep a little bit better than I did previously. Unfortunately this was the last drug I could try to my depression as none of the others have worked.

By: ken fairchild

ken fairchild — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:23:42 +0000

I have been taking Valdoxan for a month now. I never thought I could ever feel this good again after having severe depression and anxiety for the last 10 years.I still have to touble believing it is true.Hope it lasts. Hang in there guys maybe there is a god.