SSRI/SNRI questions

[diesmitty]

I have tried briefly to search the forum and google and I havent found an easily explained answer for this.

What are the specific differences between SSRI drugs and/or between SNRI drugs? I guess I am trying to understand what exactly is SSRI or SNRI?

For example, Prozac and Lexipro are two SSRI drugs. They are each different drugs with slightly different effects. But again they are both SSRI's. Are they in any way interchangable? Like could you take a prozac one day and a lexi the next and get any anti-depressant effects? I would think not, but why is that? Let's say that you take Lexipro every day. If you suddenly lost your supply of Lexipro and all you had was Prozac to take, would you avoid SSRI withdrawals by taking Prozac, since they are both SSRIs? Would it do nothing? Or somewhere in the middle? How about the same question between an SSRI drug and an SNRI? I know they both react on the brain similarly, but would it actually help your body with withdrawals of the other?

Originally I thought about this question because I am an unfortunate Tramadol addict who hasn't gotten the balls to quit and go through the horrific withdrawals that I know are coming, and because of a shipment error I am going without a single tramadol pill today for the first time in over 3 years. My GF takes Lexipro, and while the withdrawals are coming on slowly, I am thinking of the upcoming sleepless night I will be having. If I popped a Lexipro, would that in any way help with my anti-depressant withdrawals? Would it be dangerous? Is it not worth trying? I've seen people ask similar questions on these boards, and the response is mixed, so I am more or less just trying to understand what an SSRI/SNRI really is and how each anti-depressant differs.

Sorry my questions are all over the place. I'd like to know about the Tramadol/Lexipro thing, but that's a very specific drug interaction, so I am really just wondering about mixing SSRI's in general (but not at the same time because that's dangerous).

Thanks for any help/advice/info you can provide

 

[Allein]

I can only speak from actual experience, I understand the basic action of SSRIs and SNRIs but I do not understand the differences in the effect on the taker for the various drugs that fall into these categories.

What I can tell you is that I've taken a number of different SSRIs and had completely different, and almost entirely negative in my case effects from them.

I won't list them all as that isn't going to help with you question but for example one made me hallucinate and increased my suicidal thoughts to a very high level, one I seemed to tolerate quite well but it triggered internal bleeding whilst another made me violently vomit within in an hour of taking it.

However as far as Tramadol WD is concerned it is my understanding that its SNRI properties are quite weak and that the more likely source of the WD is the opiod action. There are people on here who have WD'd from Tramadol, I know of 2 over in EADD, its not something I have any knowledge of, sorry. Hopefully someone else can offer some advice but obviously tapering is the best option but I'm not sure if another weak opiate would hold you until you could get a tapering supply or if that would make thongs worse.

Best Wishes