Posted by KathrynLex on April 1, 2004, at 16:23:38
In reply to Med Frustration, posted by jessie77 on March 31, 2004, at 21:25:14
Hi Jessie,
You might want to try Wellbutrin. It's an antidepressant, but not an SSRI. It is in a family of meds all by itself. Wellbutrin also has a reputation for supressing your appetite.
Is Paxil the only SSRI you've tried? If it is, I urge you not to give up on them yet. Like you I had a horrible experince with Paxil. It didn't agree with me at all and after throwing my Paxil in the trash I was hesitant to try anything else. A psychiatrist pursuaded me to try Lexapro and I'm really glad I did. It's given me my life back.
If you decide to try SSRIs again there are some things you can do to minimize the side effects:
- Start at a very low dose and gradually increase. This gives your body more time to adjust to the new medication.
- If SSRI's cause some anxiety, keep a benzo (Xanax, Klonopin or Lorazepam) on hand. They are very relaxing meds that do a wonderful job of keeping anxiety in check.
Some SSRIs to try:
Lexapro - Some people don't experience any side effects with this med. Average doses range from 10 mgs to 40 mgs. Try starting out at 5 mgs and see how you feel.
Prozac - I think Prozac is a wonderful, wonderful med. It's energizing, increases your concentration and motivates you to start living your life again. (Note: Sometimes if you take it for a long time, stop taking it and then try to get back on it, it's not as effective.)
Also, most importantly, have a psychiatrist monitor your meds. DO NOT let your regular doctor prescribe your medication. A psychiatrist is well versed in the latest meds, and can do a pretty good job of matching a person with the correct medication. General practitioners aren't always as knowledgable as they should be. My GP prescribed Paxil. After that nightmare I went to a psychiatrist who said he doesn't prescribe paxil to anyone because of the high number of side effects associated with it.
Sorry for the long post. I hope some of this is informative and helpful.
K.
poster:KathrynLex
thread:331082
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040329/msgs/331425.html