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Opinions on ssri/snri's

dopaminedump

dopaminedump

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 20, 2012
Messages
76
I'm considering coming off of my 20mg Lexapro prescription. I was prescribed for anxiety and depression(which I had a year ago, not now). It worked but didn't really cure it.

My problem with the pills is the withdrawal symptoms if I forget to take a pill for a couple days. I hate having to rely on them constantly. For example, I'm in college and say I go home for a week but uh oh forgot my Lexapro.

I believe I can manage without Lexapro. But is that a good idea? Doctor says its approved for long term treatment. . .buuuuuut it just came out in the 90's so do you actually know that?

Anyways should i stick with them or get it out of my system? I find it to be a burden and believe I can do fine without it now.

Also I want overall opinions on this class of drug.
 
I tried to treat my depression/anxiety with SSRI's/SNRI's (Lexapro/Cymbalta) and found them to be rather worse than useless... they were just making things worse for me. These are no out-of-the-ordinary adverse effects; it's actually a black box warning for these medications.

It didn't take me long to realize that these two classes of antidepressants were only making things worse for me. After reading up on the medications I was prescribed, I decided that it would be best to get off them. I was definitely getting withdrawal symptoms, especially the brain zaps. I read that diphenhydramine (Benadryl) could help with this and it sure did. Fortunately, I was also prescribed Klonopin at the time for my anxiety and it was also very helpful in getting off these nasty antidepressants.
 
I'm also interested in people's opinions on these.

I recently started on lexapro 10mg for anxiety. Over the past 2 months I think I've had about 3 days were they felt like they were doing something. It was pretty random, I would all of a sudden be happy at work, very rare for me to be happy at work.
So I've kept up with taking them in hope that's what I'd end up like, but I'm still waiting.
Starting to think its not worth staying on them if the wd's are actually bad.
 
My fiance and her younger sister were prescribed concerta and lexapro and we all sort of all mutually decided they were really bad for their brains and they both did about a week taper and haven't touched them since. Looking back, they're both happy with that decision but if you quit on your own make sure you're telling the people around you in case something unexpected happens, those people will know better what to do.

The SSRIs pick a random channel of serotonin, depending on the specific drug (something that no doctor or chemist understands at all), and inhibit the reuptake. I have a huge problem with this (my theory) - the drug does absolutely nothing to address you depression or your lack of serotonin production, it simply fucks with your reuptake process. Now, when a DIFFERENT serotonin channel wants to use serotonin for another task other than 'feeling happy' such as appetite or sex or sleep, the serotonin that was supposed to get recycled to be used never was recycled, because you blocked the reuptake of it with an SSRI!!! That explains the numerous side effects....

It's just covering up a serious problem. If your brain isn't producing proper serotonin levels, there are a variety of things you can do. Such as changing your diet to add more B vitamins, Calcium, Magnesium, and Tryptophan. Supplements are good but they are shit compared to getting these vitamins from actual food. You can also exercise more and see more sunlight, get a massage, stop eating sugar etc.. Healthy things that cause bodily happiness will turn into mental happiness. SSRI's will turn you into a zombie without you even knowing.
 
dopaminedump said:
I'm considering coming off of my 20mg Lexapro prescription. I was prescribed for anxiety and depression(which I had a year ago, not now). It worked but didn't really cure it.
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That's because antidepressants don't cure anything, they simply mask the symptoms (if you're one of the lucky few for whom they even work at all).

dopaminedump said:
I believe I can manage without Lexapro. But is that a good idea? Doctor says its approved for long term treatment. . .buuuuuut it just came out in the 90's so do you actually know that?
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Something being "approved for long-term use" certainly does not mean it's safe or healthy for you. It is absolutely a good idea to try to manage your depression without drugs if at all possible, drugs should be the last resort, not the first. As long as you feel confident that you aren't going to, say, kill yourself if you stop taking them, your life is stabile and you have a good support system, I don't see why trying to work on your depression/anxiety through ways other than prescription drugs wouldn't be a good idea. You can always go back on Lexapro later or try a different anti-depressant and/or anti-anxiety med if you give it a good shot without it and feel like nothing else is helping. I would of course recommend you taper off the Lexapro though and not stop abruptly.

dopaminedump said:
Also I want overall opinions on this class of drug.
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For me, SSRIs/SNRIs didn't seem to help at all. And they are well-known to create dependence, to worsen depression, and have a lot of side effects, some of which can continue long after you stop taking them. And from people I know, some atypical antidepressants seem to be more helpful. But it depends on what kind of depression you have. There are plenty of other things you could try for depression and anxiety, like various types of therapy, supplements, yoga, etc. Let me know if you want some tips.
 
You may be grateful if Lexapro lets you be even couple days before WD's. With venlafaxine few hours after missing a dose the zap's begin, and by the next dose they are starting to be unbearable. I simply cannot miss it because it reminds of itself very quickly. And no, I don't even think the venlafaxine does anything except cause dependence in me, not a good deal :(.
 
I take 60 mg of prozac for OCD and i find it helps sometimes not all the time it fluctlates really.Thinking of asking my dr to put me back on mirtazepine!!
 
SSRIs worked short term for me, but after a certain point (4-5 months) I started to feel a new level of depression worse than it was originally, and suicidal ideation became much easier. I would have anxiety attacks but not be able to understand why because the drug had numbed me from my own emotional intuition. They were also addictive so I suffered horrible withdrawals when I stopped them.

I believe SSRIs can be useful for crisis intervention and short term only - if they even work on you. They should not be used long-term.

I've since found better ways of treating depression. My MD did not offer any additional help other than to just push my pharmaceuticals on me. The truth is that depression requires lifestyle changes for you to get better.
 
I had addiction from paroxetine (paxil) after 6 months, and full withdrawal from stopping it. It was so intense I had to keep taking it, and actually feared stopping.

Citalopram (celexa) had some withdrawal after 6 months, but it wasn't severe and I was still able to function relatively well in the world. It still sucked though.
 
They are PRESCRIBED LIKE CANDY in the states. Be careful, it's fuckin scary.

Lexapro took away my ability to think creatively as did some other ones. I cant be having that as im heavily artistic and rely on my art to earn a living.

Welbutrin had some very short lived positive effects. I got off quick due to how much higher it took my seizure threshold. I remember gradually becoming more and more sensitive to fluorescent lights.

Until the point my MD Rx'd me to wear sunglasses indoors.

I flushed my prescription that day. There were other problems too, like noticeable discrepancies between Welbutrin and generic budiprion. I quickly became sick of all the bullshit.
 
cook said:
You may be grateful if Lexapro lets you be even couple days before WD's. With venlafaxine few hours after missing a dose the zap's begin, and by the next dose they are starting to be unbearable. I simply cannot miss it because it reminds of itself very quickly. And no, I don't even think the venlafaxine does anything except cause dependence in me, not a good deal :(.
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I was prescribed effexor also. I like to call it side-effects-or. It made me miserable which is why I ended up on lexapro.
 
I'm down to 5mg on my lexapro now. Depression isn't coming back like it was over a year ago, but my social and general anxiety disorder is getting worse. I'm going back to my counselor to work on it. I may be going back on Lexapro 20mg and weekly sessions with my counselor until my problems are truely fixed.

I mean fuck my life I can't even enjoy going out in public because my anxiety goes crazy.
 
Captain Brewster said:
Does anyone know how long it takes for one to become 'addicted'?

I can understand addiction to most things over a long period of time, but what about short term use, say 4-6 months?
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Technically you mean physiologically dependent (as opposed to mental "addiction"). 4-6 months is definitely enough time to become dependent, but we're all different of course. Taper off of it to reduce/avoid withdrawal symptoms. The longer you take it the harder it will be coming off of it and it can cause rebound depression/anxiety. I don't know if you can "truly fix" your issues while on an antidepressant, because you can't tell if they are just going to come back when you stop taking it.
 
Some people can quit venlafaxine CT at high doses after years of use without any symptoms, but for the majority of people it's next to impossible or at least hellish. So it's not like opioids where every single one is going to be physically dependent if using enough, but antidepressant cause dependency only in some (although possible large) portion of people. So, there's no way of knowing what will be someone's personal response.
 
I take fluoxetine aka prozac 60 mg but to be fair i dont feel any different.Having gone threww the initial for me anyway 10 dayz of increased anxiety to boot!!
 
effexor / venlafaxine is the worst to come off. Its hell. Thats a fact and some Doc's are changing ppl from it to prozac before goin to nothing because its alot nicer transition. I have done this myself and it was ok. It all depends on the halflife of the pills, prozac has the longest halflife, makingit the easiest to come off. It leaves your body very slowly.

I have been on heaps of different types, I think I remember coming off lexapro and it was worse than coming off prozac. If I was you, I wud keep taking lexapro for now and lie to the doc by saying that lexapros just not working out for wat ever reasons. Say you wud like to try prozac coz ur friends or family said it was a good one. then just simply replace lexapro with prozac. Don't go the three days without anything like he will suggest. Just say u already have!

If he gives you 20mg prozac take that for like a week. Then If they r caps try tipping out half the powder or if they r pill break in half. Take ur approx 10mg for like 4-7 days then nothing or even reduce more if u feel the need.

Believe me its the best way!!!
 
My over all opinion on these classes of drugs is that they can work really well, but they r just a mask and when you stop them all ur problems can b refunded in full straight back to you!
 
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