New antidepressant: Has anyone tried Auvelity?

Thank you so much,

Give it a try and keep your head up. Who knows, it could work!

I almost took part in a sprovato clinical trial in Chicago. Not sure if i would consider it again though, since my main problem is anxiety.

Have you ever tried TMS?

@maggie1960 Yes, we are never sure how a new-to-us medication might work. We might start it with some trepidation and anxiety just from starting something new, so watch for that! And then we micro-look at how we are responding.

If you haven't thought of it, perhaps you could keep a journal and write down how you are feeling, what you experience? It will be helpful to look back at it, and also give your doctor some insight to how you are doing. Besides all that, I have found that journaling is very beneficial, for me, anyway. Wishing you success without a great many side effects!
Ginger

@divinewisdom28 Thanks for your encouragement!
I have never tried TMS. My doctor would rather I try Spravato first if I decide to go that route. Also, just committing to going 5 days a week for several weeks sounds a little overwhelming, but if it works it would be worth a try. Have you ever had TMS?
BTW, just finished my 3rd day of Auvelity and side effects seem to be gone completely! Will keep you posted.

I've had TMS twice. It worked the first time great, the second time not so much, maybe because i was on too many medications at the time.
I want to try it again though. There's a newer type of TMS called deep TMS. TMS basically targets specific circuits in the brain, think it has to do with neuroplasticity.
I would give it a try, or even the sprovato if you could figure out a way with your transportation.
Nice to hear the side effects are gone (:
I think you were saying you were having nausea right?

Hello,
I have never been involved in this sort of community, but have to join in because I have just started taking dextromethorphan and buproprion. I have decreased duloxetine down to 15 mgs. So that I could begin taking the equivalent of Auvelity. I was fine in the 60 mgs. Of duloxetine except for the sexual side effects. I am now on day six of dex/buproprion.
So far - mood wise- I am ok but feel lightheaded and Wolsey for most of the day. It feels like I have had waaay too much caffeine. For the person who is on medicaid, the reduced price coupon for Auvelity is not valid if you have any type of government insurance (I am on Medicare and can’t get the price reduced) I even called the axsome company to complain.
So my dr sent a prescription to a compounding pharmacy for the 45mg dextromethorphan and I just buy the buproprion commercially from a regular pharmacy. Auvelity is over $500/month otherwise and I can’t afford it. I’ll see if this works and keep you all posted.

I forgot to say that I have taken buproprion in the past and it caused insomnia and irritability. So far, on my Dex/bu. I have been able to sleep and irritability hasn’t surfaced. So far I’m doing ok.

@divinewisdom28, @colleenyoung This is an update on the Auvelity which I have been on for about 3 weeks. The side effect of nausea completely went away after a couple of days, but I find I have sort of a brain fog and sometimes feel wobbly when walking. I am hoping this will subside also, and it might not affect everyone this way. I'll keep you posted on that. As for its effectiveness, I can say that it has definitely helped. I am feeling much better and my mood is definitely elevated, however, I do not feel like my "normal" self, or should I say the way I feel when I have been on an antidepressant that is really working like I want it to, and the way I remember feeling on a normally good day long ago before I was affected by depression. It's hard to explain, but I think most of you will understand. As my psych doctor said, there is a little "uptick" you feel when an antidepressant starts to work, and I know exactly what he is talking about. A couple of years ago I started taking Trintellix. I had great hopes for it, as after taking it for a couple of weeks I definitely felt that "uptick" that he was talking about, and I felt better than I had in years. Unfortunately, that feeling only lasted a few weeks and then I was back to square one. Overall, I would say my reaction to Auvelity has been very good even though I have not felt that same "uptick".
Keep in mind that I am treatment resistant, and I mean I'm a really hard nut to crack when it comes to antidepressants, so I would encourage anyone to take it who has tried other things that have not worked. Don't let the high price scare you away, either, Auvelity is nothing more than 45 mg of Guaifenesin, a common cough suppressant that can be bought over the counter, and 105 mg of bupropion which is quite affordable. In fact, my doctor encouraged me to take it by combining those two drugs when my samples of Auvelity run out. I had taken both of those drugs before without success, but never together, so there does seem to be something to taking the combination of the two. On another very interesting note, there has been, at least for me, one very positive side effect.
I don't want to say that it is definitely from the Auvelity, as it could be attributed to another drug that I discontinued a few months ago in hopes of achieving this result. Last summer I was diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy which has changed my life drastically. (I am also on the neuropathy forum and I will post this there as soon as I am sure of what exactly has brought about this positive side effect.) Since last summer I have had severe itching, stinging, and burning sensations on my back, shoulders, arms, and chest, and I developed a severe sensitivity to fabrics. Just brushing the softest fabric across my arm would feel like sandpaper. There were a lot of things in my closet I couldn't even think about wearing, even though they felt soft to the touch. These symptoms were somewhat helped by gabapentin, the go-to drug for neuropathy, but it never helped as much as I would have liked for it to. Other pharmaceuticals were tried as well, but I had bad reactions to them. I would put body lotion on 5 or 6 times a day which would help temporarily by building up a barrier between the fabric and my skin. The neuropathy was always worse at night so getting comfortable enough to sleep was always very difficult. I could go on and on about how neuropathy has affected me, but for those of you who are not neuropathy sufferers, I'll get to the point, but I just wanted to give you some background information so you could have some idea just how miraculous this is for me. After taking the Auvelity for a few days the neuropathy symptoms started to dissipate, and after about a week they were completely gone! I cannot tell you what a miracle this has been for me! That in itself has lifted my mood. I just can't get over it, and if for no other reason I would stay on the Auvelity just to be rid of the neuropathy. As I said before, I will post this on the neuropathy forum, but I want to confer with my psych doctor and my primary care doctor, as there is a slight possibility that it could be attributed to a drug other than the Auvelity, and I am hoping I can narrow that down to a certainty of which one it is before I post it there.
So, that is my update on Auvelity. Again, I would recommend trying it if you've had trouble finding something that works for your depression. Best of luck to all of you, and may you be blessed with something positive every day of your life.

@divinewisdom28, @colleenyoung This is a very important P.S. to what I just posted about Auvelity.
It is NOT a combination of Guaifenesin (which works on chest congestion) and bupropion. It is a combination of dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant, and bupropion. The combination is 45 mg of detromethorphan and 105 mg of bupropion. I am so sorry for this error. Please forgive me.

@divinewisdom28 @maggie1960 @reje34 Thank you all for reporting back in and giving your experiences. It all underscores the fact we are each different, medications that work for one may not be beneficial for another. In addition to that, if we are taking other medications, or have additional health challenges [physical, mental or emotional], anything may affect our response to a drug!

Beyond the experiences with this new to us depression medication, we also have the opportunity to help ourselves with additional resources. Regular moderate exercise, healthful eating, being creative in some form or fashion, and perhaps writing it all out. These can go a long way to enhancing our lives, and if you're like me, it gives my depression medication a chance to work even better. What do you think?
Ginger

Hello,
I couldn’t agree more. We can’t let the meds do it all.