can anyone reccomend - antidepressants / anti - anxiety meds

[girlindc]

so i've tried zoloft- did not work for me
i'm on effexor now, and generally in a better mood most of the time, but still experience slight anxiety, and depression from time to time
i also missed a dose this morning, and for a few hours before i remembered it, was very light headed, nauseous, and felt like electric shock type feelings through my body. even after i remembered the dose, these effects lingered for a little longer...

anyway, i'm seeing my psych tomorrow and will talk to her about all of this, but think i might want to switch and try something else. i did some research on withdrawl from effexor and have come across some horror stories!

i wanted to see if there is anything anyone can reccomend for depression and anxiety that i can discuss with my psych tomorrow. thanks in advance!!!!

[hope3]

Hello girlindc, everyone is so different, my doctor always says we'll try this and see how it works for you. Keeping in mind that we may have to try something else. However I would never give anyone advice for meds, but I will give you the experts link right here on this forum. Also, sounds like you're going to bring it up with your doc tommorrow, thats good. take care

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/mark-sichel/

[reader]

Paxil or the generic is geared toward anxiety issues- I didn't care for it but a person I know is a great fan of it. Are u having full blown attacks? You may want to ask for xanax for the short term until u find an AD you like. Its important to find one that jives with your system... Good luck

[Astro]

My understanding of Paxil was that it was addictive, so as an alcoholic in recovery I couldn't take it. Here's what I posted in another thread:

Your experience sounds eerily familiar to the one I had with EffexorXR, but everyone will have different experiences with these medications. I tried Lexapro and one other med, then finally settled on Effexor. I had those foggy, disconnected, cobwebs in the brain, black cloud, and unhappy feelings for about the first 3 months. I also had to up the dosage a few times until it worked effectively.

Even a phone call to your physician to explain how you're feeling can help by making them aware of a potential issue with your dosage. The feeling diary is an excellent idea too, one I never tried, but I've talked to others who found it helpful. What worked for me is trying to reinforce a positive attitude on myself. Walks in the sunlight, exercising, eating right, meditating, talking to others in recovery, etc. Anything to keep my thoughts away from depression and isolation seemed to make the medication more effective.

If I can offer any encouragement from my experience, it's that I was able to taper off EffexorXR after one year with no side effects, and my life has never been better. A few days ago I thought I was having an anxiety attack, but it was gone in a matter of minutes. I think taking the meds can be very beneficial, but it's important to have regular contact with the prescriber if something doesn't feel right.

[michski]

I've tried a lot of them... hated zoloft!!! Like doctors say, you gotta find one that suits you which is such an uncomfortable and unreasonable quest for someone who isn't feeling very stable. Go figure.
I do have a couple of girlfriends on Lexapro. They love it and I can see they're doing better.. happier anyway.

Good to see you girlindc!!

[girlindc]

thanks for the responses all. i've only tried 2 meds at this point, so maybe i just need to try another.... i dunno, i like the way i feel most of the time on the effexor, but am scared that the longer i am on it, the harder the withdrawl will be ya know?
i am also in recovery (alcohol/drugs), and do not care for anything addictive.
i do not have full blown attacks now, but i did at times before i got on the meds. the anxiety is MUCH MUCH MUCh x 20349582 better than it was without.
well anyway, i guess i'll see what the doc thinks, and go from there. thanks~!

[Astro]

Again, withdrawal will be a different experience for everyone. I've read and heard the horror stories too, and they scared the crap out of me. But what I found out was that doing a slow taper off Effexor gave me no side effects at all. Not bad for taking 150mg every day, and I'm very happy with the results.

[reader]

I love Effexor and I would not worry about the withdrawal effects I went off and back on it with no trouble. Maybe u just need the Effexor upped, you can go to 300mg. according to my doc. but I have heard folks on here on even 450mg. Be well, u could even look in to techniques and life style changes. How are u doing Today? Take Care, Kerry

[Ten Chips Down]

Originally Posted by Astro

My understanding of Paxil was that it was addictive, so as an alcoholic in recovery I couldn't take it.

Sup, Astro -
Paxil belongs to the same group of ADs as Zoloft and Prozac, so no it's not contraindicated in persons with addictions.

What worked for me is trying to reinforce a positive attitude on myself. Walks in the sunlight, exercising, eating right, meditating, talking to others in recovery, etc. Anything to keep my thoughts away from depression and isolation seemed to make the medication more effective.

Abso-damn-lutely! GOTTA get out, man. That's been my experience. There is a process called entropy ("entropic decay") and it's the natural decay of things you don't use.

I've been down for a whole week ('round 8, 10 days actually) with a really bad cold. Stayed indoors for two and three days at a time. Eesh - *verrry bad* for you. It's the same principle as being bed-ridden: Each day you're immobile and don't use your body and exert yourself, you become weaker and weaker.

Well, same goes for your mental health. Gotta get out there and face life, ya know? Getting out, staying busy, socializng is *everything*.

I find myself becoming fearful of interracting with the outside world if I'm not going to that job a few times every week, almost phobic.

Great post.

Ten