Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro, Wellbutrin....are just a few...what are your experiences with Anti-depressants....good and bad...and especially with Effexor? I have a chance to try it...but Lexepro made me feel funny and even though I was happier on it, I was also happy to be fat. I am sorry but right now, I would rather be bitter, bitchy, skinny. That is just the truth of the matter...I am finally back on track and I am not gonna take anything that is gonna stifle my efforts......so there!
So whadaya think?
Haha lexapro was my friend. Big time. I had *no* problems on it. Paxil on the other hand...well..that hindered the "behind closed doors" area HARD. No orgasm, are you KIDDING ME???????? Those are the only two that I've had so far. Liz can tell you more about Prozac. And I think there are some girls on here that do the Zoloft thing!Katie...I am gonna break this to ya gently....I dont worry about the diminished sex drive thing...I am married and I have two nosey kids and a dog that insists on sleeping up my butt...my sex life went buh-bye a long time ago. I just started Prozac today. The only side effect my doc mentioned was that it may delay orgasm. He said nothing about weight gain and the info that came with the script didn't say anything about that either. I will let you know more how it works for me.Lexepro supposedly doesnt cause weight gain either...but alot of people who had taken it had that complaint.I didn't gain any, but the doc DID warn me about it. So it probably is common.I am probably not gonna take it...at least not for now. I asked for it, but probably wont take it. I am bratty that way.Yeah you are.The most effective antidepressant I have used is trazadone, in combination with Lithium. However the last time I took Lithium, I developed severe tremors, and had to go off it.
With me the most common side effect of any of them is tremors. When I poke my eye with the fork more often than get food in my mouth its a bad sign.
EEWWWW---weird dreams? I have those anyways...yikes.
Thanks for the tip!
What kinda weird dreams are we talking about here? I'm almost afraid to ask what yours are crunchy...LOL I could share a few of mine, but you guys would probably try to have me committed......Hi everyone, I think every one respondes different on medications. I also have tried different antii-depressiant meds. I really like the effexor it helped me alot. I didn't gain any weight on it.
Trazadone made me swell up I had a bad reaction to that one.
For the sex part I'm been single for to long to remember what that is any way.
My hips would probably lock up anyway.
It took about 3 weeks to wean myself off though. I was pretty sick.
miles
No experience in this area, but I've read several scary things about being very hard, nightmarish, to get off effexor once you've started. Probably just individual reactions, just reporting what I've heard. Whatever you consider trying, ask the doc what you might experience if you want/need to come off the drug sooner or later.
Good luck picking the right drug. It alwasy feels a little like Russian Roulette doesn't it?
I had a hard time getting off Paxil. I think I was actually 'commitable' for about a month.
I have also been on serzone, wellbutrin, tranzadone.
Now it is effexor. It has been a couple of years. It still works. My pain level went down when I first started it. I think I finally found the one for me!
Everything and nothing makes me fat. I am a champion weight gainer!
Elavil...took away all manner of emotions. I was a zombie.
Paxil...seemed okay at first, then had to keep "upping" the dose for any valid effectiveness.
Prozac...I felt like I was wrapped in celophane, I was so emotionally detached from everything and everyone. It got to where I wanted off of it, just so I could feel anything at all.
Zoloft...I started calling it "So Aloft" because of how it made me feel like I had a permanent cloud around my head. That would have been an okay side-effect to tolerate, if it had done more to balance my emotions...but it didn't work for me.
Effexor...I had a really bad reaction to Effexor. Anxiety, crying bouts, and some VERY BAD episodes of depression like never before.
Wellbutrin...This one worked the best and longest for me. It also helped me lose weight. There cam a point, however, where it suddenly had a reverse effect on me, and I started to experience severe anxiety as the medicine waxed and waned with my body's chemistry. Trying to get a fix on the right dosage didn't work, so I made an independent decision to slowly wean myself off of it. I weaned slowly, much like how I lowered my prednisone. I didn't see my med provider until I was completely off of the Wellbutrin for a month; I wanted a chance to be free of psych drugs, and see who I am without them.
Apparently, I'm okay without anything. So far, I've been doing pretty good. In fact, I'm better all the time. One thing that has helped is a support group I go to each weekend, and plenty of spiritual books to occupy my heart and mind.
On Effexor, I gained almost 20 pounds on my 5' frame. I had wanted to try something for anxiety/worry. It helped that, but I found my other emotions numbed. (like not crying during sad movies). The weight gain was miserable and it just kept going up. I had to stop. My anxiety actually seems better even though I've been off effexor for a year, at least. I think it balanced out some brain chemicals. My 2 cents: not tried any prescription medication, but tried the Sam-e supplement for better move (supposed to help joins to, so I thought it was a great combo :-)
I tried and didn't like Prozac and Celexa. I next tried Effexor XR and found it worked great. I didn't gain any weight on it either. I had a "loss of appetite" with the Celexa which would have been great for the weight loss, but I ground my teeth really bad at night while I was on it.
I stayed on the Effexor for two years before going off of it. Even at a gradual withdraw, I was having these really weird flashing lights when I would move my head - like a strobe light was on. I was also very dizzy. A pharmacist friend told me to take original dramamine (not the non-drowsy formula) to counteract the withdraw symptoms. That seemed to work. I stopped the Effexor 5 years ago and haven't been on anything since.
Yep...see...there are just so many weird things with those kinds of drugs because of the way they effect your brain. HMMMM...I am gonna pass. It is just not something I want to get into. If I get really bad I'll take up drinking or dope or something.
Just kidding guys....
Yeah...my butt doesnt need chocolate...how about a lettuce habit.... Hi Crunchy, I know it's a bit late but I took effexor a few years ago. I found it worked well but be warned that you can have side effects to your vision when you come off it. You basically get a funny "drifting" in your sight a bit like being slightly drunk. So when it's time to stop it you need to reduce the dose really slowly, a tiny bit at a time and keep at each stage for a couple of weeks to avoid side effects. The drug company refuses to acknowledge this as a true side effect but here in the UK most GP's are clued up on it! Good luck with whatever you decide... KT I like the lettuce idea. I mean, rabbits eat a lot of lettuce, right? And the only other thing rabbits are well-known for is being rather, um, prolific... Time to go out and buy lots of lettuce.
Anti-depressants are big time drugs. I wouldn't take them for little stuff .. like feeling blue. I take anti-depressants because I really felt it would be nice to die during the night. I wanted to cry in the morning because I had to go through another rotten day. Things are enough better 8 years after starting the anti-depressants that I really don't want to go off. I expect I have had depression more on than off since puberty. It is really GOOD to be glad I'm alive. p.s. I'm not angry all the time either and that really used to be a problem. Half the time I could not verbalize why I was so grouchy.
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com