Agomelatine (melatonergic antidepressant) and HPPD symptoms?

[Puppeteer]

The psychiatrist I'm seeing (professor Ian Hickie of the Sydney Brain and Mind Research Institute) after hearing my account of perceptual symptoms and considering my apparently not-out-of-the-ordinary EEG, MRI, and psychometric testing, has prescribed me agomelatine.

 

I'm about to hit the hay and don't have the greatest ability to analyse this stuff normally, but if anyone could give their two-cents on the value of this drug, at the very least regarding HPPD-related anxiety and depression, that'd be great. It doesn't seem to have been mentioned anywhere in direct relation to HPPD.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agomelatine

http://whatyoushouldknow.depression-alliance.co.uk/antidepressants/agomelathine-2/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23037643

 

 

[onedayillsailagain]

These are my initial thoughts:

"No reason not to try it. Seems safe. Interesting to note NE and DA raises in the frontal cortices; could be beneficial.
Though, why not just mega-dose melatonin? Sure helps me, albeit not visually. Ha that neurologist is probably a well-educated person prescribing this."

For anxiety I'd think it be particularly useful, though my experiences with Melatonin (which is also a MT agonist ofcourse) are that sometimes the subsequent day I might be a bit drowsy or foggy, which I don't like for I try to savor any shimmer of clarity I get. Yet there seems to be no report of this for Agomelatine, also it is slightly different and more selective which may make it superior to Melatonin. As for depression; no clue I guess. If you have frequent/severe insomnia or troubles getting into a rhythm, it could help improve depressive symptoms, though I wouldn't expect miracles.. Just improvements that may make things go from horrible to tolerable. I know I had a lot of trouble with sleeping my first few months. Somehow that cleared up though.. Guess either Levetiracetam or Melatonin helped with that, though I'm inclined to believe the latter. Though now that I've been sleeping rather regularly (apart from a few exceptions), it's become a lot easier to sleep without Melatonin and I only use it sparingly.

In any case this seems an extremely safe medication, so it's well worth the try. Moreover I think it has a better chance at helping than the inferior SSRI's and other commonly prescribed anti-depressants. Hell I'd try it had I not other plans in the making! Note that I haven't read any research on this thoroughly; I just skimmed through it, but from an initial perspective I reiterate: I don't see why not?

[Ghormeh Sabzi]

Levetiracetam definitely helps with sleep. I noticed this whilst I was on it and I also noticed it was difficult to sleep for a while after I came off it.

 

Personally, melatonin did not help me sleep, although it did make me feel drowsy the next day!

[onedayillsailagain]

^ I'll keep that in mind while I taper down. I rather use something else for sleep and spare my memory. I've got some interesting herbs that should be effective substitutes for that should I find it necessary to have one.