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SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Psychiatry
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English
Doctor Q&A
61 Answers
8 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 23-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Some suggestions: Antidepressants are sometimes helpful - particularly lower doses of tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline or nortrityline.
Lyrica (pregabali... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Yes, but...: Lexapro, (escitalopram) Lamictal, and Fish Oil are often co-prescribed.
If fish oil is being used for therapeutic benefit, its good to know the EPA c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Don't repeat!!!: "Black stuff" in vomit is usually from blood (it turns black, often resembling coffee grounds, when blood contacts stomach acid). You should see a do... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Several options: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are most commonly prescribed.
There are several other med categories - most of them involve augmenting ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Rare, not impossible: According to the side effect data collected for clinical trials that were reviewed by the FDA, topiramate insomnia risk ranges between 4 to 9%, depend... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Maybe a little: Of all the SSRI medications, Prozac (fluoxetine) has among the lowest risks of SSRI withdrawal syndrome (mostly consisting of dizziness or light-heade... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Desipramine : Actually, desipramine may be a better choice - if the goal is to assess the response to norepinephrine reputake inhibition. Desipramine is more potent... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Normal finding: The mesoappendix is a piece of connective tissue attached to the appendix.
"Grossly unremarkable" means 'seems to be normal based on unaided (naked e... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
See a specialist...: to conduct a detailed assessment of your symptoms and your history. The assessment should lead to a diagnosis (e.g., whether you have 'just sadness' o... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Great question: This is a point of some debate in the field. The question being: if one SSRI did not work out, is it worthwhile to try a different SSRI?
Assuming that... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Yes: A dose of 10 mg per day is totally within FDA-approved dosing recommendations for anxiety.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Would be very rare: Sweating is not listed as a side effect of gabapentin.
Gabapentin has actually been shown to reduce sweating in cases where excessive sweating is cau... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Needs assessment: You should consult a psychiatrist or psychologist. The key questions are whether your sex drive is truly problematic and/or whether it signals illness... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Semantics: "Impulsive" and "Compulsive" are terms about which even experts cannot agree.
Most definitions of "impulsive" entail a failure to inhibit behavior w... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
It could: Fat cells secrete substances that trigger inflammation. And inflammation can cause depression.
Being overweight correlates with decreased effectiven... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 19-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Serotonin antagonist: Cyproheptadine blocks receptors for serotonin, histamine, and acetylcholine. In my experience it is THE BEST treatment for akathisia.
There are a hand... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 17-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Anxiety : Stomach distress (including 'sick feeling', gastritis, vomiting, and even ulcers) can be caused by severe anxiety. Anxiety is also well known to caus... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Many things: Mania can happen on its own, with no apparent cause aside from the underlying illness.
Nonetheless, several possible triggers are known and include:
... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Yes: For most people that combination does not pose any problem.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
May improve odds: It's VERY unlikely that meds alone will succeed. Medication can help improve odds of success at working a comprehensive (and personalized) program to ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Hard to say...: Dopamine (DA) is not measured in clinical labs. It's extremely rapidly metabolized along a variety of pathways. Further, DA levels in blood bear littl... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
No worries: There are no significant interactions between citalopram and metoprolol. It is a commonly-seen combination.
Propranolol is in the same class (beta blo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Quite a while: The "half life of elimination" of Valium (diazepam) plus its active metabolites ranges from 40 to 100 hours - depending on the individual. The the rul... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
No: There are no blood tests to detect major depression or other mood disorders. The only way to diagnose depression is for a trained practitioner to gath... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Requires expert care: Withdrawing from clozapine may come with *many* potential consequences. I hope you have someone with sufficient expertise to help with the process.
T... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Many causes: A referral to a gastroenterologist may be necessary to rule out physiological/anatomical causes such as hiatal hernia or low muscle tone as the causes... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Highly doubtful: I am not aware of any association of those medications with dairy sensitivity.
The fact that you took them for a year without the bloating is pretty ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 65-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Yes and yes: Either one can potentially cause tiredness.
Gabapentin's tiredness side effect is more widely known, but the statins can cause tiredness/fatigue as we... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
None come to mind: Creating acute tryptophan deficiency can lower serotonin levels (temporarily) - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25663044
However, I would expect s... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Several options: Sex-related headaches are not uncommon.
You should discuss the specifics of your condition with a headache specialist - I'm sure s/he will have had e... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Ask re: alternatives: If your current medications are associated w unwanted side fx, you should discuss your concerns w your doc.
Regular exercise is assoc with reduced se... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Possible, but...: As you probably already know, this is not the classical picture for panic attacks. On the other hand, it is possible that the symptoms you describe ar... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 49-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Unknown territory: The first thing to keep in mind is that Brintellix and Zoloft (sertraline) have some notable differences in their mechanisms of action. Even though bo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Quite possibly: Lithium is among the most effective treatments for bipolar disorder. It can treat and prevent mania. It can treat and prevent depression. It is one of... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Alternatives: First. Make sure you have a competent psychiatrist or psychologist conduct a thorough, comprehensive assessment to arrive at a valid diagnosis.
Secon... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
3 to 5 days: Duloxetine (Cymbalta) has an elimination half life of 12 hours. This means that the drug levels should be negligible in about 3 days.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Both are amphetamine: Both Procentra and Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) are d- (or dextro-) amphetamine. Their differences are essentially cosmetic (packaging, labeling, for... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Self-cleaning: First of all, congratulations on quitting! That is among the most awesome things you can to for your health - seriously!
Your lungs are well-equipped ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Human condition: Sounds like you are describing the experience of being human. The brain/mind is an idea machine, and a history-reviewing machine, and a future-guessin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Psych fx of Tramadol: Tramadol is not a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It cannot be directly compared to Zoloft (sertraline).
In addition to activating some types... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
SSRIs: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed medications for generalized anxiety disorder. These include fluoxetin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
You'd be surprised: Dizziness, light headed feeling, and other unusual body sensations are part of the SSRI withdrawal syndrome, which can begin a few days after stopping... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Yes: I'm not aware of any significant drug-drug interactions between Vistaril (hydroxyzine) and Tylenol (acetaminophen).
Tylenol (acetaminophen) is a nons... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old male asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Talk to your doctor: Unless the condition being treated is OCD, a dose of 80 mg/day of Prozac (fluoxetine) is excessive.
For depression or anxiety, a dose of 20 to 40 mg/... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Not always: In type 1 bipolar disorder, the transition from normal (euthymic) mood to mania can be abrupt - without any preceding hypomania.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Norepinephrine: Serotonin has no effect on pupil size.
On the other hand, many serotonin-affecting antidepressants also inhibit the repuptake of norepinephrine (NE),... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Enormous variability: Whether an antipsychotic medication is felt to be activating or sedating depends A LOT on the individual patient. It is quite hard to predict who will... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
A worrisome response: Some people who have been depressed for a long time and who, finally, start to become symptom-free can experience brief euphoria as energy levels fina... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Or a re-assessment: As Dr. Patel wrote, it is not possible to diagnose in this forum.
I encounter many people who were originally diagnosed with bipolar disorder based o... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Erik Messamoreanswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Uses of Lamictal: Well... it would reduce one's chance of having a seizure :-)
In addition to treating some types of seizure disorder, Lamictal can reduce the risk of d... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
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Recommendations
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Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Messamore is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Messamore is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thanks. That'd also mean I'd have to supplement with niacin, which I'm allergic to. Would you recommend any med to stimulate niacin synthesis instead?
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! I don't do drugs of any kind. What is ths normal presentation of panic attacks and how does it differ from mine?
HealthTap member
This saved my life, Thank You! I usually have to wait 2 days for answer. Thx for ur fast response!
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
University of Illinois College of Medicine, IL
Graduated 1997MD
Awards
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