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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

What SSRI/SNRI has worked best for you?

i will agree with the above post, but you have to create mental tools yourself, although a medication is a great tool, you must have the desire to use it to accomplish something. no carpenter feels good holding a hammer if he has no nails to hit.

on the chemical imbalance, your chemicals are always changing, and sometimes your body gets caught in a rut, maybe its genetic, maybes it the foods you like, but just because you have an imbalance doesn;t mean life won't be the same.

try to imagine this, if your car has a dirty fuel injector, and not as much fuel makes it into the chamber, the ecu(the brain of the car) COMPENSATEs and adds less oxygen.
you must try to be aware of your mental state as well as your chemicals, when you take a ssri, one chemical gets increased, notice its effects, now when you experience the opposite, you can determine you are "low" on a chemical. this in combination with HOPE are the only things that effectively work against my major depressive disorder, or my personality disorder.

doctors like to keep you in the dark, but the more you try to actuate your own mental chemicals and recognize the power you really have to make a change, the more you will find drugs are only tools, not solutions.
 
D00ber, I see your point. However, I often wonder how a doctor treated someone like me (with GAD and panic disorder) say...75 years ago. I imagine they ended up in mental institutions. Modern medicine truly amazes me.
 
Well, had a major anxiety attack 2 days ago so I went to see my psych the next day. Turns out the Pristiq was just not cutting it for me.

Long story short, I'm back on Paxil. It seems l was searching for the 'perfect pill' which of course, there is none.

After re-evaluation of my situation, the Paxil WAS working, I just have some tough things going on in my life right now (I'm unemployed, not in therapy etc). As my dr pointed out, 'you may never be at 100% considering your situation at the moment. I consider 70% a success, until you get in therapy and get a job etc' I think it's a very valid point.

Anyway, I'll go with PAXIL as my fav SSRI for anxiety. =)
 
I've taken all of those minus the paxil. I didn't like any of them and thankfully I no longer am depressed. The side effects were much worse than any good they did (in my opinion). I especially disliked prozac and cymbalta. I found myself excessively sweating and having horrible nightmares, not to mention the shaky limbs. Effexor XR was decent in terms of antidepressants go. If needed, I'd probably try that one again.

Yes, I do believe that some people have a real chemical imbalance and need medication.
 
I found effexor to help with my anxiety, but it actually made my depression worse. I am in the middle of W/D from the stuff now, and honestly, my next choice is no medication, followed by opiates, followed by electroshock. Mark my words. I will never again take an SSRI/SNRI. Maybe if they come out with something amazingly better in the next 10 years I'll try it though.
 
I have been on tons of them from the time I was in middle school until I was old enough to say no and stop my mom from force feeding them to me along with ritalin. I know have panic disorder with agoraphobia along with Generalized Anxiety disorder.

I am currently on Xanax and Klonopin. I don't know what I would do without them. I can have a normal life and leave the house without having a complete nuclear meltdown.
 
Ya know what though Violenza? I think benzo's are dangerous drugs for that kind of thing. I am sure I don't have it as bad as you. I can leave the house. But I can't ask a girl out without having a full blown panic attack. So I have decided if there is someone I am interested in, I drop some valium and then approach the situation.

I have said before, benzo's are like aspirin (or tylenol or whatever). You take it when you have a need for it. You don't take it every day just in case you have a need for it.

So I use benzo's (valium). But I use it very situationally. When I talk to a pretty girl, when I fly on an airplane, or when I do any of the other things that freak or stress me out.

Long term daily use of benzo's seems to me to be the worst possible solution. If you just absolutely can't handle life without them, then a long term drug like an SSRI/SNRI is probably really what you need. I'm not an expert of course, just my 2 cents. I will say the one benefit of effexor for me was a complete lack of social anxiety. I was the life of the party over Christmas. First time in my life I have been popular. lol.
 
SPC123 said:
Ya know what though Violenza? I think benzo's are dangerous drugs for that kind of thing. I am sure I don't have it as bad as you. I can leave the house. But I can't ask a girl out without having a full blown panic attack. So I have decided if there is someone I am interested in, I drop some valium and then approach the situation.

I have said before, benzo's are like aspirin (or tylenol or whatever). You take it when you have a need for it. You don't take it every day just in case you have a need for it.

So I use benzo's (valium). But I use it very situationally. When I talk to a pretty girl, when I fly on an airplane, or when I do any of the other things that freak or stress me out.

Long term daily use of benzo's seems to me to be the worst possible solution. If you just absolutely can't handle life without them, then a long term drug like an SSRI/SNRI is probably really what you need. I'm not an expert of course, just my 2 cents. I will say the one benefit of effexor for me was a complete lack of social anxiety. I was the life of the party over Christmas. First time in my life I have been popular. lol.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with you. My situation was unfortunate in that it was so bad before I finally got help I was having 4-5 panic attacks a day and that was just staying at home. It was worse if I left the house. I constantly thought I was dying. Now I am completely functional and I leave the house daily and live a normal life but I am completely addicted to benzos. I stopped taking my klonopin when I was on opiates and wound up with some wicked withdrawls. I am actually afraid to go off of them. My panic disorder is completely in check now too. It's fucked up I wish I could only take them situationally.
 
I've been taking clonazepam for 8 years. For a few months, I tapered off of them over a 2 month period...going REAL slow. The withdrawals weren't that bad (because of the taper, of course). After several months of being benzo free, I realized that I needed to at least have SOME benzos around in case I get into a panic. It's either taking a pill, or going to the ER. I chose the pill option. I tried xanax for a while, but didn't like them as much because they don't last long enough....soooooo...went back to the clonazepam. I am prescribed 2 mg a day as needed.
 
I thought valium/diazapam was the longest lasting...

I hear you on wanting to have the pills around. Just having the pills is often enough to calm my anxiety. Just knowing they are there is a comfort.
 
Valium does have a longer half life. There are others (such as Tranxene and Librium) that last even longer.

I hear ya about having the meds around making you calm. Just knowing I have something just in case, makes me feel SO much better!
 
I have issues with depression and anxiety. I tried Zoloft but it made me absolutely manic, and I am not bipolar. I was drinking non-stop just to keep myself somewhat sedated. I stopped after 2 months.

For me, the only thing so far that has worked on panic attacks/insomnia was 3mg Klonopin, 20mg Desoxyn during the day and 60mg Temazepam, 60mg Flurazepam at night. I took this for 2 years straight, along with Opana 2x20mg, Lyrica 2x150mg, and various other drugs. Since I've been off it I've had huge problems with depression. No worse than before, but I had just forgotten how bad it is. I know that seems like a lot of drugs, and it is, but I built up to it over a period of time and I was monitored.

Nothing has been a better anti-depressant for me than opiates. Unfortunately there are far to many roadblocks to prevent them from ever becoming widely used in treating depression/anxiety.
 
That's what I'm talking about.
I hate how the symptoms hide behind the medication, then snaps as soon as you stop taking it.
Or, it gets worse because of the side effects.
 
I swear by Lexapro. Been on it twice (once from July 2006 to December 2007, and now I'm currently on it again since 2 monthes ago). I take 10mg daily in the mornings.

The negative side effects are mild and go away in a couple weeks, it starts working fast, and I feel so much better when I'm on it. I feel like the same person, just with a totally different attitude on life. I know people who aren't crazy about it, but my expierence with it has always been great. I know the attitude of relying on meds to be happy isn't a popular one, but I seriously would NOT be the same person without it. I love it.
 
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