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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Amie Brown on October 20, 2000, at 19:42:55
Please help!! I am very confused as to what drug I should take. My doctor advised me to take Paxil. However, after reading all of the horrible side effects Paxil has had on people who try and quit I decided I wanted to know more about Celexa. After finding this web site there is alot of mention of weight gain. I am a absoulte fanatic about keeping the weight off and I do not want to gain weight again by simply taking one simple pill each day!! Your insight would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by Shirley on October 20, 2000, at 20:17:30
In reply to celexa or paxil, posted by Amie Brown on October 20, 2000, at 19:42:55
Hi Amie,
Have you previously been on any antidepressants? If so, which particular did you have the best success with?
For example, I decided to switch from Zoloft because I too had the "wonderful" weight gain problem. Since Zoloft had worked pretty well, I decided my best option was to try Prozac, since it had statistically shown less of a chance of causing weight gain than zoloft.
Wellbutrin is another drug that appears not to cause as much weight gain as other AD's but I didn't seem to react to well to it the brief time I was on it. While I'm having trouble with getting off the Zoloft (another post), adding the prozac has cut down my appetite tremendously to the point that I'm eating very healthy without any effort.
But as I'm sure you're well aware, just because it's working for me doesn't mean it will do that for you. There are others on this board, such as Cam W., John L, who are alot more knowledgeable.
I guess my suggestion would be if you are just starting treatment, I would ask your psychiatrist about Wellbutrin or Prozac.As far as withdrawal symptoms, I don't blame you for being concerned. But since my depression was extremely severe, I felt what was most important was to find that drug that worked.
I think if you follow John L and Cam's advice and taper slowly, when the time comes, hopefully, the withdrawal won't be as bad. But of course, nothing is guaranteed.
Hope this helps. Fire away if you have any other questions.
Shirley
Posted by laural on October 20, 2000, at 21:17:00
In reply to Re: celexa or paxil, posted by Shirley on October 20, 2000, at 20:17:30
hi amie--
i've been on both and paxil at my all time low saved my life but within about a year and a half became ineffective and i started having those weird electro-shock nerve firings without lowering my dose at all. tapering off of paxil was A LOT easier than withdrawel from both serzone and effexor. i had these violent muscle spazms and electro-shocks and i never got any sleep because dosing off my muscles would spasm again to the point where i cried hysterically--i was losing my mind. i never gained any weight on paxil though. celexa, which i'm on now, is really great. i've been relatively stable since i started a couple years ago and i haven't gained any weight here either. its also sometimes possible for me to achieve orgasm again, especially when combined with wellbutrin---laural
Posted by angelrose on October 20, 2000, at 23:09:17
In reply to celexa or paxil, posted by Amie Brown on October 20, 2000, at 19:42:55
Hi Annie:
I was on Paxil for over a year and although it worked really well initially for my depression and anxiety, it eventually pooped out on me. I did gain a lot of weight on it.Have you considered Prozac? It seems to be the most energetic SSRI and has the least side- effects, so I've been told by numerous Doctors and from reading the posts.
I've never tried Celexa so I don't know what to tell you about that particular drug.This was just my personal experience w/ Paxil. And each person reacts so differently that it is hard to predict what their response will be to one particular medication. The other thing I have noticed with Prozac is that I do not suffer greatly from PMS. I do not know if there is a link but it seems that the Paxil made my PMS symptoms a lot worse.
Just a few thoughts from me.
Hope this helps.
Posted by Buffet on October 21, 2000, at 2:28:06
In reply to Re: celexa or paxil » Amie Brown, posted by angelrose on October 20, 2000, at 23:09:17
Paxil didn't do it for me either. And, laural (i think it was your quote), what were these shocks? Did you feel them in your head or body. I have a lot or strange brain shocks, and especially had them while on zoloft. I can't really describe them. They feel really strange and I often still get them, especially when I'm starting to fall asleep. They are accompanied with sleep paralysis and a loud buzzing noise. Its really weird bacuase I will try and try to shake my self out of it but I can't move. They are frightening because I feel like I'm losing control over my bodily reactions.
Does anybody have these strange effects on or off of zoloft and other meds or am I the only one?? I think they 'may' be seizure related as I have had two gran mal seizures as a baby. They feel like what I would think a seizure feels like.
Posted by laural on October 21, 2000, at 8:32:09
In reply to Electrical shocks/sleep paralysis?, posted by Buffet on October 21, 2000, at 2:28:06
hi--
these electrical shocks first came i think while on paxil and now they come everytime i withdraw from an AD. they have been described to me by some of my friends who have also taken paxil in various ways, not all the same but definitely related. when you turn your head often its like someone turned the world upside down and right side up all at once and i get these shocks, i don't know where they are in my body, both head and body? also whats weird is that on high doses of wellbutrin if i go too high too fast, i get the same kind of shocks but whith a weird burning in my neck--it is so uncomfortable i feel like i want to pass out
as far as sleep paralysis--i don't get that, but i wonder if its some form of the same reaction, only 'tailored' to suit you--are you on any anit-seizure meds? i don't know what your condition is, but could it have been caused by possible brain damage during those previous seizures? laural
Posted by Noa on October 21, 2000, at 14:16:23
In reply to Re: Electrical shocks/sleep paralysis?, posted by laural on October 21, 2000, at 8:32:09
It is not sleep paralysis, which is a different sleep problem.
It is myoclonus, which is sudden jerking of muscles, either isolated muscles or groups of muscles, and sometimes you feel like you are falling.
I think a certain amount of myoclonus is normal when falling asleep (perhaps that is why the word "falling" is used to describe sleep onset?).
For me, any of the meds that increase serotonin cause me myoclonus to varying degrees. With paxil, which at low doses did not cause much myoclonus, at higher doses causes odd sudden muscle twitches and jerks when at rest, esp. just before sleep but also when lying on the couch watching tv or reading.
Sometimes, my arm would just shoot straight up in the air! Other times, random muscles, which I could not possible flex at will, would twich. Sometimes, it was a whole body jerk and a sudden panic feeling--of falling, and then my heart would race.Effexor causes this for me too, but to a lesser degree. The pdoc assured me there is no danger from the myoclonus, but he added Serzone to the effexor, and this quiets this effect pretty much completely for me.
Posted by Buffet on October 22, 2000, at 1:21:47
In reply to Re: Electrical shocks/sleep paralysis?, posted by Noa on October 21, 2000, at 14:16:23
Thanks for the imput. I think my problem is still more similar to sleep paralysis. Often upon mentally waking, my body will not be able to move . I will just stare at the ceiling and be completely concious, but scared to death because I can't move. I'll lie their and fight it for a while and finally jerk myself out of ridgidity. It does happen when falling asleep as well (I'll still be concious but my body freezes up). When it happens when going to bed, I get a loud buzzing noise along with it. Really strange but I'm getting used to it.
Who knows?
Buffet
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