Anti-Depresents and Anti-Anxiety meds, Need some feedback

[Devin2493]

OK, Well heres a short back ground on me, I have been depressed (Very Chronicly) for as long as I remember, I also have major anxiety problems (mosty with social situations) Ive had a few anxiety attacks. I also have OCD, and maybe Bi-Polar (Im getting a phsc eval right now) Ive been on Flouxetine and celexa Niether made ANY difference AT ALL. Ive been lookin into trying to change to either Xanax or Zoloft. Any thoughts on how to try to talk to my phsyciatrist about switching meds... PS Ive had a past of chemical abuse, but I have NO intention for abusing my meds, Im trying to get my life back in order, Thanks for taking the time to read all of this

 

[Devin2493]

PS, Forgot to mention the Major insomnia, Ive been perscribed.... Ughhh cant think of the name, but I had huge side-effects from it (I no longer take it) TRAZADONE thats it lol

 

[n3ophy7e]

To put it simply: just ask your psych about it straight out.

Be honest and tell him that you're not feeling any better from the fluozetine and celexa, and that you want to try something else. First, perhaps just see what he suggests, then maybe you can bring up that you've doen a bit of research in to it and that you'd like to try zoloft and xanax.

Good luck with the xanax, that shit can be really hard to obtain because it's potentially so addictive. Your psych will most likely want to try you on something else for your anxiety before resorting to xanax.

But it's worth a shot, and like I said just be honest and talk it through with him.

Good luck, and let us know how you go!

 

[prayersfor.rain]

Yeah tell your doc that you want to try other meds. I'm bipolar, when I told my doctor that I didn't want lithium anymore (terrible side effects) she listened. Now I'm not on it and she makes sure to monitor how I'm doing off it.

If you're bipolar an ssri probably isn't a good idea because it can cause mania. I'm on wellbutrin, I think it's an ndri? and I'm doing great on that.

But yeah, like n3o says, just be honest and talk to your doc!

 

[Devin2493]

Well its been awhile but I was finally prescribed Effexor, but I feel really nauseated after taking it, other than that I think its working

 

[Slapdragonx]

Does anyone know about the difference in the side effect profile of Effexor and Pristiq, considering Pristiq is Effexor's (main) metabolite. Mainly regarding Pristiq's rate of insomnia (and or sleep disturbances) and the chance of a decreased appetite.

I have switched from Effexor to Pristiq, Effexor works well for my anxiety and depression but it causes insomnia and decreases my appetite, even to the point where I can only eat a third of a meal.

Due to my age, 16, I would blaze through my Effexor, basically I would go through withdrawals before the 24 hour period for the next dose is up (and this is XR). 112.5mg is just enough to last 24 hours. So wouldn't it make sense that Pristiq would last even shorter, due to no major active metabolites (atleast that I know of).

 

[crunchymilk]

Have you tried vitamin alternatives before? In our society, nutrition is placed at the bottom of the stack, but bad nutrition can easily make a person chronically depressed. All these diseases come from somewhere, the foods we put in our mouths is the start of the process as well as genetics.

I hear Niacin is a good vitamin supplement for depression, I do not know the dosage amount though, if someone can provide that information then you have my thanks. There have been cases where people suffering from suicidal depression made a full 180 because of vitamins, they have been eating crap their entire lives and they wonder why their mind and body starts to deteriorate into diseases.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I have discovered that sometimes for med changes I need to tell myself I'm not going to worry about or evaluate my meds until a certain day on the calender. Reason for my needing to do that is the constant checking and probing can get create worry and a vastly fluctuating picture. Its hard to sort what effects are the illness, the treatments, and just ordinary changes in mood and cognition.

Especially with both meds and diagnosis in flux it could be best to avoid worry, doubts, and studying your situation for a bit. If something concerns you maybe just write it down to talk about with your Doctor next appointment.

I know it is good to be an informed and involved patient, but sometimes I've made my process of getting better more strenuous by over doing the informed and involved bit sometimes. Most psych drugs take a while to kick in and side effects are generally more intense at the beginning.

 

[Lady Codone]

It's normal to have some trial-and-error when starting antidepressant/anti-anxiety treatment. If I were you, I'd start by researching different medications and asking your prescribing doctor about them. Medication is more effective combined with psychotherapy and other lifestyle changes, so consider looking into other avenues of treatment as well.

I've found that all SSRIs are about equally effective/ineffective with the main difference being the severity of discontinuation syndrome. Lexapro is the worst in this regard (IMO), while longer acting ones like Prozac are less likely to cause severe withdrawals. Maybe an SNRI would be more effective for you? At this stage in your treatment, it's important to keep an open mind and try lots of things until you find what works for you.

 

[KOS-MOS blue]

Well its been awhile but I was finally prescribed Effexor, but I feel really nauseated after taking it, other than that I think its working

And it likely is. Effexor is a powerful SNRI. It worked for my OCD/Aspergers for several years. eventually, however, it stopped working completely and i also learnt the hard way that Effexor is the most difficult SSRI/SNRI to get off of. However, there's no reason for you to speculate that Effexr will stop working for you.

I reccomend also trying to combine the effects of Effexor with cardiovascular exercise--maybe running. if you're lucky, you might even get a "runner's high", a comp,ex phenomena that doesn't always happen but is enjoyable when it does nonetheless. Running and/or other exercises MAY help you with sleep as well. If it doesn't, and other "sleep hygiene" tips don't seem to be effective then you might want to consider Melatonin. It can work if used properly. Ah, my parrot is calling me for attention so I can't elaborate (or spell-check)--good luck!