lessgravity

Glad to hear that Rar. And I don't think the whole "some days more challenging than others" is any different for the non-alcoholics out there.

Stay strong, happy to hear from you.

Rar

It seems the SSRIs cause extreme agitation in me also. Effexor is a SSNRI, which also worked for me. However, that was the drug I had a horrible time withdrawing from. I am considering that one again, but leaning toward not taking anything. All my trials with these meds were 20-30 years ago. Perhaps I'll respond differently now.. I'm glad it's working for you, though.

DontRemember

So true!

Dee74

Hi Rar

I had experience with Prozac maybe 25 years ago and didn't like the side effects. I think things have come on a lot since then tho?

I'm on an Amitriptyline now for nerve pain - also has the added benefit of smoothing out my depression a little.

The only side effect was a little dry mouth but thats long gone now.

Hope you find a solution that works for you, rar

D

Dee74

Just a reminder folks, to everyone.

These threads work best with personal experience rather than opinions, and please share that experience, without recommending things for others.

Dee
Moderator
SR

Snufkin

Hi Rar,

I'm on 200 mg Sertraline, and it took 5+ months for my side effects to go away... It was mostly nausea and dizziness. It works miracles for my severe anxiety (I started feeling better and less anxious in the first weeks), but sadly does nothing for my depression.

Forward12

I would contact your insurance provider. Most all that I'm aware of offer free transportation to and from medical appointments.
Excuses are easy, but just a little bit of work can go a long way to make things substantially better, and it sounds like a therapist would help greatly.

MindfulMan

I've taken many AD meds. Sertraline I toughed through, but it had horrible nausea and gastro sides. Prozac worked nicely. There was some anxiety with that one, but I eventually got through it.

Exactly the OPPOSITE results with Effexor (side-effexor) for me than what others have posted. Mind blowing jump-out-of-your-skin anxiety, eventually leading to a horrible chest rash. Worst drug I ever tried. Really shows how individual this is, and how much you need a good psychiatrist.

Remeron was great for sleep and anxiety, but I gained a ton of weight on it....like my "I'm full stop eating" switch was broken. They use it for dogs post surgery as an appetite stimulant now. Not everyone gets this either.

The first time I took Wellbutrin years ago it also caused a lot of anxiety. Now, that I'm no longer drinking and drugging, it's motivating, but neutral on the anxiety front. I now take a moderate dose daily, and that's my only psych med at the moment. Sobriety, exercise and Wellbutrin are my magic bullet, although I will probably need to go back on Lamictal in the winter when the bipolar depression starts to kick in....yeah, I've been on this ride for a while.

It's all SO MUCH better to deal with sober.

Klonopin handled the anxiety brilliantly. The unfortunate side effect was fierce addiction and horrendous withdrawal. Ah, benzos. It's like a glimmer of hope you can't take if you're a sedative addict like myself.

Too bad about the exercise. I'm putting off toe surgery because I'm in such a great exercise groove and I really don't want to stop it at the moment. It's a constant dull ache at this point. Hoping for you that once the foot heals you can at least get some walking in.

Keep us posted.

Porcetta

^
I am about to commence Remeron - weight gain is all I need (not). 🍽

Rar

Porcetta: I have read to expect weight gain with Remeron. The alternative to Remeron is Mirapex (pramipexole), which I'm on for restless legs. One of the side effects or issues with mirapex/pramipexole is unusual urges such as gambling, risky sex, excessive shopping, binge eating. Only about 10% of people have this urge type side effect. I just learned about these side effects. I take a low dose of pramipexole at night. Since I've been taking it, I get up (frequently after I've fallen asleep) and eat. I'll have to talk to the doctor about it today, but as most of us know, GPs aren't that knowledgeable about psych meds. I want to get off Pramipexole, but the restless legs are pretty miserable. .

Rar

Dee, did you have weight gain on the amitriptyline?

Rar

So I had my Dr's appointment. The Dr. didn't recommend any antidepressants, despite the tales of woe I presented. She said I have had major life changes these last months and it's understandable I would be feeling emotionally spent. We spoke briefly about the nodule in my lung and she informed that because of my age and former smoking status, statistically there's a 40% chance it's cancer. I'm going to try to think that there's a 60% chance it's not. Also, here's an interesting thing I learned: the medicine I'm on for restless legs (pramipexole) causes cravings. I knew it could cause uncontrolled behavior in a small amount of people, so I thought my nighttime eating was a result of the meds, which I guess it is. I was focusing on the behavior and not the cravings. I suppose I'm fortunate I'm getting up to eat and not drinking.

So that's my update. She wants me to make a bucket list. Hmmmmm.

ScottFromWI

Glad you found out some more, sounds like your doctor was pretty thoughful in her diagnosis as well, a lot of docs just go right to a pill - mine did for my anxiety too.

That's the thing about a lot of psychological disorders like depression and anxiety - the responses by our bodies are actually normal responses to life. The "disorder" part comes in where we over-react. And we can learn over time to not do so - literally "re-wire" our neural pathways.

Sounds like you are already doing a little bit of that by looking at your physical diagnosis in a "glass half full" view :-)

Porcetta

Rar- an addiction specialist mentioned to me that ssri's are linked to cravings too.

The weight gain on remeron isn't a myth, in fact, it is now also used with patients with eating disorders.

Dee74

I did a little but it stabilised after a while Rar.

D

gettingsmarter

When I started zoloft my doc put me on 1/4 of a full dose(50mg) for a week then 1/2, then 3/4 then the full 50. she said it was cruel to start someone on the full dose right away.
It worked great for me. It has helped enough for me to work through some of the causes of my anxiety and depression. I'll wean off when ready.

Porcetta

With Zoloft I went 50-100-250 with no real change.

Just switched to remeron after a taper..... not fun !!

Remeron experience so far:
crazy dreams
anger ++
hungry ++

general hungover feeling with feelings of wanting to get wrecked

Ladysadie

So Rar, how's that bucket list going?

I know from my own PTSD issues I find it incredibly difficult to formulate my own list. It's like I'm stuck. Hopefully you've given yourself permission to craft yours!

Fearlessat50

I haven’t had time to go through all the posts here but saw another response here about 5-HTP and wanted to give my experience with this. It is a natural serotonin booster. A few years ago before I stopped drinking, I went through a severe depression over multiple life stressors. I tried every prescription anti depressant-anxiety drug on the market. Sometimes I couldn’t get through the six week period due to side effects. With others, I found relief after the six weeks, but still couldn’t deal with the side effects, so stopped. I found 5 HTP and it has changed my life (along with stopping drinking). In the US it’s available over the counter. Most traditional medicine doctors won’t comment on it and they want you, of course, to go for the prescription drugs because it helps their pocket. But some doctors are open enough to discuss alternative medicine and will give you positive reviews about 5 HTP. Not sure where you are, but I think it is by prescription in Europe. You can do some research on this on Google. Along with the 5 HTP, I take a green tea extract supplement which also raises my energy level. I’d also suggest you start working with a therapist for a while (if you haven’t already been), try yoga and mediation too. I am getting back to these things. It is helping me stay positive and in the moment and talk out my feelings with a supportive neutral person.

MindfulMan

Those are all also symptoms of mania/hypomania...a risk from nearly every antidepressant if someone has underlying bipolar disorder. It's part of the reason why bipolar depression is treated differently than unipolar depression (and they manifest themselves slightly differently as well).

On Remeron, I could stuff myself silly, then do it again, twice, in less than an hour. It's like my eating off switch was disabled. I gained a huge amount of wait very quickly.

REMEMBER this is my experience, not everyone has this side effect! If you get it to the extant that I did, you'll know it pretty quickly.

You need to be careful with 5 HTP if you are taking any sort of antidepressant, particularly an SSRI. The two can lead to an overproduction and buildup of serotonin in the synapse to the point where you can get serotonin syndrome, which is a medical emergency. Please tell your doctor if you are already taking any depression meds if you want to try 5 HTP. It can be helpful. When I've taken it, it gives me pretty bad insomnia.

AGAIN, YMMV.