Psycho-Babble Medication | about biological treatments | Framed
This thread | Show all | Post follow-up | Start new thread | List of forums | Search | FAQ

Re: Is any of this research on SSRIs really legit?

Posted by KathrynLex on March 22, 2004, at 18:28:51

In reply to Is any of this research on SSRIs really legit?, posted by Lindsay Rae on March 21, 2004, at 11:48:52

Hi Lindsay,

You raise some interesting questions...

>That's why I question the role hormones play in my overall mental health picture (and everyone else's for that matter).

I think hormones play a huge role in a persons mental health. Teenagers hormones are all over the board and many of them are deemed emotionally unstable and people are very quick to medicate them.

> What is so damned frustrating for me is the guessing game with the different anti-depressants. With opiates, it is clear what the medicine is doing: filling those receptors that fire neurons to the brain that ease pain and gives you an enhanced sense of wellbeing.

It's pretty clear what SSRI's are doing. They're adjusting the amount of Seritonine in your brain to a "normal" level.

> It seems that the newest, latest drugs on the market (and I'm not narrowing them down to p-drugs), for the purpose of this conversation, are the ones prescribed. How could one know if the infamous Prozac is better than, equal to, or obsolete in proportion with Lexapro, its shiny new opponent? Sure, these SSRI meds have different compositions, but aren't they all the same?

Each SSRI has a slightly different chemical make-up. Lexapro is deemed "better" because it's thought to have fewer side effects. Of course, I think it really varies depending on the individual.

>How do we know whether to shell out a ton of money for Lexapro when Prozac is only around $8.

I only pay about $10 for Lexapro. But you're right, the majority of finding the right medication is limited to trial and error.

> Obviously, I'm speaking from personal experience. But I watch patients day in and day out who are diagnosed with depression and medicated accordingly. It bugs me that Lexapro tissue boxes and Zyprexa pens litter the waiting room and office. Reps come and go almost as often as do patients. And you never hear the word "Prozac" or "Paxil" uttered anymore simply because they are not hot on the market.

I think you may be slightly biased because the doctors you work around are prone to prescribe the latest meds. But I know several drs who recommend Prozac or some of the other older meds.

> Any thoughts on this? Does anyone else have experience with taking different types of meds, which ones made you gain weight (Zoloft?) and which make you lose (Prozac?)?

Lexapro has helped me loose weight, Prozac didn't though.

>Is it safe to flip-flop from Lexapro to Zoloft while the pharmacy mails you the correct antidepressant?

I don't know if it's safe to do that, but I would guess that it's very uncomfortable. Always changing meds can really throw you through a loop because they both have such different side effects. I would recommend picking one and sticking with it.

K.


Share
Tweet  

Thread

 

Post a new follow-up

Your message only Include above post


Notify the administrators

They will then review this post with the posting guidelines in mind.

To contact them about something other than this post, please use this form instead.

 

Start a new thread

 
Google
dr-bob.org www
Search options and examples
[amazon] for
in

This thread | Show all | Post follow-up | Start new thread | FAQ
Psycho-Babble Medication | Framed

poster:KathrynLex thread:326681
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040319/msgs/327140.html