Help with depression/anxiety meds?!
Question: Ok so... I've been on many different medications and I can't seem to find the right one. I took Zoloft 200 mgs. and it quit working for my anxiety. I switched to Celexa 40 mgs. and it wouldn't help my anxiety. I took Lexapro, no help with anxiety. I tried Wellbutrin and I'm allergic. I then went to Effexor and it made me gain massive weight, so I had to quit. I took Cymbalata after that, it worked great for a while but I continued to gain weight. I came off the Cymbalta and started Prozac which is where I am now.... I get severe heartburn, extreme loss of appetite and when I do eat I get really sick. It's not helping my anxiety either. Any suggestions? I just can't handle this anymore, I just want to be "normal".
Answers: Ok so... I've been on many different medications and I can't seem to find the right one. I took Zoloft 200 mgs. and it quit working for my anxiety. I switched to Celexa 40 mgs. and it wouldn't help my anxiety. I took Lexapro, no help with anxiety. I tried Wellbutrin and I'm allergic. I then went to Effexor and it made me gain massive weight, so I had to quit. I took Cymbalata after that, it worked great for a while but I continued to gain weight. I came off the Cymbalta and started Prozac which is where I am now.... I get severe heartburn, extreme loss of appetite and when I do eat I get really sick. It's not helping my anxiety either. Any suggestions? I just can't handle this anymore, I just want to be "normal".
Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, and Prozac are all SSRI's. They work only on serotonin. Zoloft and Paxil (the only SSRI that you haven't tried) are the two meds in this group that help most with anxiety. Celexa and Lexapro are basically the same medicine - Lexapro is just an updated version with fewer side effects.
So, since Zoloft helped with the anxiety.. Paxil stands a good chance & would be worth a try. Assuming you've given it time to work.. I would get off the Prozac since it's not helping and you can't tolerate it.
Effexor and Cymbalta work on serotonin and norephinephine. (With Cymbalta acting on dopamine a bit as well). They are a standard alternative to the SSRI's, and are similar to the older TCA's. If the only problem you had on them was weight, you could try a TCA before going to the alternatives.
Remeron is a medicine along the lines of Wellbutrin. It is an anti-depressant that also aids in sleep & is usually well-tolerated. It can also be prescribed in addition to something else.
The only other options are the AAP's (atypical anti-psychotics) - which you don't have to be psychotic to be on & the mood stabilizers (which include all of the GABA medications that are known for helping anxiety). These fields have alot of possibilites that are best discussed with your doctor.
If I were to put this in order.. I would try Paxil; Remeron; then TCA or AAP or MS.
Another good possibility would be to take a med that helps your depression and then add another for anxiety. You don't have to find it all in one place, and this way you can take meds with fewer side-effects.
WOW! You have been through the ringer as far as meds go.
I am assuming and I hope rightfully that you also see a therapist and talk on a regular basis. Medications alone will not cure the cause of your anxiety. Talk to your doctor , maybe even get a 2nd opinion. No one on here can tell you what medication is best for you.
There's an older anti-anxiety medication out there called Sinequan, and I took it for depression several years ago. It worked really well for me. Hope you feel better soon...I've been through the same thing (I'm on Lexapro now because it works better for me), and I know how hard it is. Hugs to you.
Has your doc suggested Xanax? Sometimes these meds are hard to figure out.
if you believe in God,
let him do the work
he'll answer your prayers (:
I took Lexapro for depression and it worked very well for me, but I also took Vistaril for my anxiety. It's the only thing that's ever helped my anxiety. It's non-narcotic, few side effects and relatively inexpensive.