I've been really pleased to read about research that's being conducted to help doctors better determine what antidepressant is going to work for an individual patient. First I came across the call for research subjects at UCLA and now I see that 9 different hospitals across the US are participating. This study will be using an electroencephalogram (EEG) in order to develop a simple test to determine whether a patient will respond to a particular medication. Up until now it's been a guessing game, trying patients out on different drugs until something works, which can be very frustrating for patients since each drug trial lasts several weeks.
For full information about the study, including contact information for inquiries about partipating, visit ClinicalTrials.gov. Recruiting is going on at several hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Texas.
To me this is an exciting study. Having been resistant to almost all of the many antidepressants I have been given over a 30 year period, to have a source which would predetermine which of the new medications would possibly help lift the deep, black, pit inside would be miraculous – and possibly I would finally feel inside as I know life is in reality and not the hopeless, worthless fantasy my disease projects. Hopefully I am moving to San Diego soon and can be a part of this study at the UCSD location.
I started taking Effexor XR 2 years ago and yes I started to forget things, started gaining alot of weight and made me more depressed. So, finally me and my Dr. sat down and discussed something else for me to take.