Posted by ayuda on March 26, 2003, at 0:44:51
In reply to LEXAPRO Is winning! Check This Out.........., posted by Krissy P on March 26, 2003, at 0:20:51
> Lexapro Bests Effexor in Depression Study
> First Head-to-Head Comparison of the Popular Antidepressants
> By Jennifer Warner
> WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD
> on Wednesday, October 09, 2002
>
> Oct. 9, 2002 -- A new antidepressant works faster with fewer side effects than a competitor, according to new research.
> The first head-to-head study of two antidepressants shows Lexapro is not only as effective as the popular antidepressant Effexor XR but appears to relieve symptoms faster with fewer side effects.
>
>
> Study researcher Stuart Montgomery, of the Imperial College School of Medicine at the University of London, presented the findings this week at a meeting of specialists in treating mental health conditions.
> The study compared the effectiveness of the two drugs in relieving depression in 288 people who were randomly assigned to take either drug for eight weeks.
> Although both drugs effectively eased symptoms and relieved depression in most patients, the researchers found Lexapro prompted a quicker response.
> For example, researchers found a significantly larger number of people who took Lexapro had achieved a sustained response to the drug by week six than those treated with Effexor XR. Lexapro-treated patients also experienced a complete remission of their symptoms an average of more than six days faster than the other patients.
> Researchers say the early response found with Lexapro is especially important because compliance is a major problem in the treatment of depression -- depressed patients are likely to stop taking a drug if they don't see results.
> In addition, the study showed Lexapro seemed to be better tolerated by its users, and fewer Lexapro participants dropped out of the study due to side effects.
> However, the majority of patients on either drug (69% for Lexapro and 76% for Effexor XR) reported side effects such as nausea, headache, and sweating.
> The FDA approved Lexapro in August for treating depression. It was created using a relatively new approach that removed inactive ingredients in Celexa -- yielding a safer and more potent form of the medication.
>
> Ahh what a little research can do. Didn't know it was an SSRI, and didn't know it had Celexa components-a mned that worked well-better than Effexor for me anyway.
> What do y'all think?
> I am seriously thinking about Lexapro instead of this manic inducing Effexor
>
>Krissy --
I switched from Effexor XR to Lexapro in November, and I feel so much better on the Lexapro. The benefits of the Effexor (I was on it for about 7 months, and up to 225 mg) was that it treated my GAD much better than anything else I've ever taken, but I gained loads of weight on it, and was constantly nauseated (and developed an ulcer from it). It was also very hard to move off the Effexor, and I had about a 6-week or more taper, I can't recall.
However, since I started the Lexapro (started on 5mg, and I've been on 20mg for a couple of months now), I have had no side effects that would make me want to go off of it (same can't be said for Effexor, Zoloft and Celexa, the others I've tried). The ones I've experienced are excessive sweating (I live in south Florida, where I sweat all the time anyhow) and insomnia, and that's about all I think I can attribute to the Lexapro. Others on the Lexapro thread have had other problems, mostly at start up, including headaches and sexual dysfunction (male and female). Start up has not been fun for lots of people, it seems.
But I feel NORMAL -- not that ideal of "normal" we all think is out there that we are not, but normal for me, like when I'm not suffering from depression. My anxiety (as evidenced by my thread about the benzos and hydrocodone) rears its ugly head, but it is not completely uncontrolled. Based on my experience, I would recommend Lexapro over Effexor.
Oh, and no weird dreams on Lexapro.
But, you know, everyone is different, and some people don't like the Lexapro. But for me, it has been good and tolerable.
So that's my 2-cents, for what it's worth!
Ayuda
poster:ayuda
thread:212868
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030325/msgs/212899.html