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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by gakay2 on May 7, 2007, at 19:38:00
I am new to meds and would like everyone's imput. I have panic attacks, depression, ocd in a mild form. I started on Paxil and the side effects were beyond terrible. The paxil worked great except for that. My mood was great. So they changed me to Lexapro and that didn't work at all, so the doc went up on the dose. That just made me want to sit in a corner and cry. Depression was awful. Had hot flashes like crazy. So now he wants me to go to 5mg of lexapro and 25mg of Zoloft for one week to wean me off of the lexapro. Then I am suppose to go to 50mg. the next week, then to 100mg by the 3rd week. My boyfriend doesn't want me to take Zoloft because "People kill people on that drug".
So I am kind of scared about it. I take klonipin at night just to help with sleep. Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
Kay
Posted by Racer on May 7, 2007, at 21:07:20
In reply to need advice, posted by gakay2 on May 7, 2007, at 19:38:00
Well, people also kill people on no drug at all, right?
The real answer, though, to the question I think you have here is that ALL the SSRIs have been associated with something bad happening. The first one to be approved as an antidepressant, Prozac, was associated with higher suicide rates from shortly after it hit the market. That does not mean that everyone who takes it gets suicidal or homicidal. It doesn't even mean that Prozac *caused* the suicidal ideas or behaviors. Paxil, Lexapro, and Zoloft are all SSRIs, so they all have the same association with Bad Things. If you didn't kill him while taking Paxil or Lexapro, there's a pretty good chance you'll let him live while taking Zoloft, too...
As for the idea behind swapping you, it's a good one. The fact that you responded to Paxil makes it a good guess that another serotonergic drug will help as well, so trying various SSRIs makes a lot of sense. What side effects did you have on Paxil? Sometimes side effects help with ideas of what other meds might be helpful. Or not, of course. For what it's worth, Paxil helped me, and Lexapro left me pretty much sitting in a corner and neither talking nor eating. They may belong in the same class of drugs, but they are all different.
In general, a lot of people find Paxil and Lexapro more sedating, and Zoloft a bit more activating. If the Zoloft doesn't work out, I like Prozac, but it might also be worth trying Celexa -- it's the parent drug to Lexapro, but it's still different. Lexapro is part of Celexa, so it's supposed to work better with fewer side effects. That doesn't mean that's what actually ends up happening.
Good luck, and welcome to Babble!
Posted by Phillipa on May 7, 2007, at 21:25:42
In reply to Re: need advice, posted by Racer on May 7, 2007, at 21:07:20
What dose of paxil have you been on as that was my first ad and at l0mg worked well with at first 25mg of lopressor to block the anxiety as well as low dose xanax. I could only handle l0mg of paxil. Sometimes a low dose works better for some people and some then raise doses. Also how long have you been on the paxil it took three months to work for me. Lexapro and celexa I couldn't handle, zoloft funny didn't bother me good or bad. Good luck and what Racer said about the suicide is correct. Love Phillipa
Posted by Bonnie_CA on May 9, 2007, at 13:06:17
In reply to need advice, posted by gakay2 on May 7, 2007, at 19:38:00
To say that one antidepressant causes "people to kill people" isn't right. Suicidal (and maybe homicidal) thoughts are possible problems with any SSRI (and maybe other classes of psychiatric medications, who knows!). Just keep trying your options until you find the right fit. Lexapro made me depressed until I added Lamictal. Now it's totally fine. I'd look into the Klonopin. When I took it, it made me beyond depressed. I just wanted to lay down and stay there until I died. (So not really suicide or suicidal thoughts, just felt like giving up I was so low.) It could be a possible culprit of the severe depression. I found that Ativan gives me the same benefits of Klonopin without making me depressed. Perhaps you could talk to your doctor about an alternative benzo.
-Bonnie
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