Need to hear about anti-depressants - tonight.

[KidsHappen]

I am in a really bad place right now and hubby will be calling pdoc tomorrow. We are at a point where I need to seriously consider an AD. Welbutrin & Zoloft would be first choice options so I would be especially interested in hearing about these both good and bad experiences. I have tried Welbutrin before and I believe I got severe headaches and some aggitation and given that I am bi-polar we discontinued so I don't know if things would have settled out with that one. Right now the major concern is pulling me out of this depression, I am assuming we will adjust mood stablizers if neccesary when the time comes. I have never tried Zoloft but it is working well for my BP dd so it looks like a good possibility. My main concern is the effect it may have on my teA life as it is the only thing working correctly for me right now and I hate the idea of giving that up.

[Mergath]

Is there a specific reason you've settled on those two as options?

 

Is it anxiety and depression, or just depression?

 

Are you on anything for your bipolar disorder?

 

Between dh and I, we just about cover the spectrum, just trying to get a bit more info. :)

[Sue G in PA]

Zoloft was my go-to when nothing else worked. It always worked to life my mood, but I didn't like the "flat" affect. I liked to say it made me "numb" to everything..happy, sad, frustrating, whatever. I had NO emotion. But I wasn't depressed, if that makes any sense. I was just "flat". Wellbutrin made my heart race and gave me night sweats. I felt like I was having a heart attack. Not good for me. Are you taking anything for the bi-polar? I tried Lamictal for a few weeks to stabilize my mood but quickly realized it wasn't really doing what my psych had hoped. I ditched it and am now off meds completely...and doing better OFF than I was ON. Crazy. Talk to your dr. about your other options. Zoloft does work for a lot of people but it does have that nasty side effect of losing interest in TeA. I had absolutely no desire at.all. None. I will be praying for you. :grouphug:

[Mergath]

I might have to get off the computer soon, but I just wanted to throw out there that dh is bipolar, and he's had great results with lithium. He had a lovely combination of rage, depression, and substance abuse, and on lithium and Celexa, he's like a new person. Lithium tends to work really, really well for people with bipolar disorder, but doctors don't like to try it right away because the side effects can potentially be more dangerous.

 

I've had a lot of success with Ativan, too, as a short term emergency mood stabilizer. I think it's technically a sedative, but you can take it when your emotions go haywire while your doc finds a good long term drug.

[joannqn]

I took Zoloft for a year and a half. My depression was severe when I started it so my doctor also prescribed xanax for the first two weeks to give me something to help until the Zoloft kicked in. He forgot to tell me that he knew it was contraindicated for nursing but wanted me to take it anyway. Because I didn't know his opinion on that, I never took the xanax. The Zoloft had a noticable effect within three days.

 

Anyway, the zoloft did work to help pull me out of suicidal depression. I wasn't thrilled and joyful, but I wasn't thinking suicide anymore either. The biggest issue I had on it was that I lived in a complete state of brain fog; I paid a lot of bills late and had no financial records from that time period at all (because I didn't/couldn't function well enough to keep them). Because of the brain fog, I quit taking it. I still have chronic mild depression but I do my best to just deal with it.

 

DS10 is now on Zoloft. Our experience is that it helps for a few weeks and then seems to wear off. He's had his dosage upped twice and now takes 75mg. DH also suggested switching from taking it at bedtime to morning because his meltdowns happen at night when the dose would be wearing off. It hasn't been long enough to know if the increased dosage and change in time will work long term.

 

I also tried Paxil for a very short time. It made my insides feel like they were quivering. I couldn't stand it.

[happygrrl]

I might have to get off the computer soon, but I just wanted to throw out there that dh is bipolar, and he's had great results with lithium. He had a lovely combination of rage, depression, and substance abuse, and on lithium and Celexa, he's like a new person. Lithium tends to work really, really well for people with bipolar disorder, but doctors don't like to try it right away because the side effects can potentially be more dangerous.

 

Lithium is amazing. Don't rule it out!

[Random]

:grouphug:

 

I'm sorry you're hurting. And, glad you are getting help.

[KidsHappen]

Is there a specific reason you've settled on those two as options?

 

Is it anxiety and depression, or just depression?

 

Are you on anything for your bipolar disorder?

 

Between dh and I, we just about cover the spectrum, just trying to get a bit more info. :)

 

Yes, I am on several meds for the bi-polar. Dr. wants to try Zoloft because it works for my dd. I would like to avoid s3xual side effects and Welbutrin is the leasst likely to cause problem in that area.

[Mergath]

Yes, I am on several meds for the bi-polar. Dr. wants to try Zoloft because it works for my dd. I would like to avoid s3xual side effects and Welbutrin is the leasst likely to cause problem in that area.

 

Yeah, those aren't much fun. My dh and I both have to deal with that from our meds, and our sex life is, er, not what it used to be. Let's just say our anniversary is a big deal around here. :tongue_smilie:

[KidsHappen]

Zoloft was my go-to when nothing else worked. It always worked to life my mood, but I didn't like the "flat" affect. I liked to say it made me "numb" to everything..happy, sad, frustrating, whatever. I had NO emotion. But I wasn't depressed, if that makes any sense. I was just "flat". Wellbutrin made my heart race and gave me night sweats. I felt like I was having a heart attack. Not good for me. Are you taking anything for the bi-polar? I tried Lamictal for a few weeks to stabilize my mood but quickly realized it wasn't really doing what my psych had hoped. I ditched it and am now off meds completely...and doing better OFF than I was ON. Crazy. Talk to your dr. about your other options. Zoloft does work for a lot of people but it does have that nasty side effect of losing interest in TeA. I had absolutely no desire at.all. None. I will be praying for you. :grouphug:

 

I am taking Lamictal and it has worked very well at keeping me stable for several years. This is my first major depression since being medicated. My dd isn't flat just kind of spacey but I have no idea if that is her normal personality or if it is because of the meds. I actually don't like the idea of an AD but we have tried everything else and it is getting pretty bad.

[mommymilkies]

Taking Wellbutrin with Zoloft will decrease the TeA side effects. Wellbutrin makes me angry, but I'm considering going on it with my zoloft because of this. :grouphug:

[Jami]

My dh is BP. The antidepressant he took during his initial depression kicked borderline BP into full-swing BP. Just so you're watching for a manic swing if you start an AD. He now takes Lexapro for the depression, and Trileptal (sp?) for the mood stabilizing. He's been on that combo for over 7 years and has been mostly stable during that time. There have been a few swings, but those were more weather (mild SADD) and situational (death of parent) more than chemical.

[KidsHappen]

I took Zoloft for a year and a half. My depression was severe when I started it so my doctor also prescribed xanax for the first two weeks to give me something to help until the Zoloft kicked in. He forgot to tell me that he knew it was contraindicated for nursing but wanted me to take it anyway. Because I didn't know his opinion on that, I never took the xanax. The Zoloft had a noticable effect within three days.

 

Anyway, the zoloft did work to help pull me out of suicidal depression. I wasn't thrilled and joyful, but I wasn't thinking suicide anymore either. The biggest issue I had on it was that I lived in a complete state of brain fog; I paid a lot of bills late and had no financial records from that time period at all (because I didn't/couldn't function well enough to keep them). Because of the brain fog, I quit taking it. I still have chronic mild depression but I do my best to just deal with it.

 

DS10 is now on Zoloft. Our experience is that it helps for a few weeks and then seems to wear off. He's had his dosage upped twice and now takes 75mg. DH also suggested switching from taking it at bedtime to morning because his meltdowns happen at night when the dose would be wearing off. It hasn't been long enough to know if the increased dosage and change in time will work long term.

 

I also tried Paxil for a very short time. It made my insides feel like they were quivering. I couldn't stand it.

 

I already have severe brain fog to the point the family is considering getting me dog tags. I would hope that I would just take the AD until I was no longer depressed.

[Cammie]

I took Celexa for anxiety and depression. I was a new person after that. I found it to be very effective for me, no side effects, and eventually relatively easy to stop taking.

 

Good luck.

[Nakia]

I took several different ADs before I saw a psychiatrist and was correctly diagnosed with BP. Of course, I had weird side effects with the ADs because my (unknown at the time) BP wasn't being treated. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I had zero decrease in my teA appetite with Zoloft. From my research that is a much more common side effect in men than women.

[Twigs]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[StephanieZ]

I've never had an epidural.

 

But, after a few months on Zoloft, I think I have an idea of what they are like.

 

Total lack of sensation in the Tea Room. NOTHING could make tea there. Couldn't make it by yourself, couldn't make any tea any way. Had no taste for tea, but even if I forced myself to go to the tea room, it was tasteless. Like water.

 

Went off the Zoloft for obvious reasons, and tea went right back to normal.

 

n=1.

 

Good luck, and take care. (((hugs)))

[Joanne]

{{Kidshappen}} No specific med advice, but wanted you to know I am hoping you soon find what works (and doesn't stop other things from working ;)) and that your body can be put back in equilibrium.

[Critterfixer]

I think the antidepressant you will be taking might need to reflect the missing neurotransmitter.

I took one medication for bi-polar for a while (can't remember the name of it, because I haven't needed anything in years) and the first antidepressant they put me on was a serotonin medication. I could have told them that I wasn't low on serotonin, but all women are supposed to be low on serotonin....obviously that didn't work.

I researched Wellbutrin before asking for it. It seemed to best reflect the neurotransmitter I needed. Sure enough it worked very well for me. Wellbutrin is more of a dopamine drug.

It did have one side effect I could have done without. Urinating took forever, and I don't understate that. Just be aware of that.

The TeA was fine.

 

Find out what seems to be missing if you can. It can help you decide what drug would be better for you.

[Perry]

I've taken a bunch of them. I had intolerable side effects with Wellbutrin, Paxil, Lexapro, and another one whose name escapes me right now. Eventually I saw a psychiatrist instead of my family doctor, and she started me on Prozac, which worked great. I did have some minor problems with daytime sleepiness, so she switched me to Zoloft. I haven't had any problems at all with it, and I haven't had any teA side effects.

 

It sometimes takes a few attempts to figure out which med works best for you--as I'm sure you already know-- but it is worth it in the long run. Hope you're feeling better soon. :grouphug:

[Tree House Academy]

ALL of them cause the problem you mentioned for ME. :( However, I have been on Lexapro on and off for the last 8 years and consistently for the last 2 years. It saved my life!

[Little Nyssa]

First, :grouphug:

 

Zoloft was terrific for me for PPD. It began to work within 4 hours-- unusual, I know. For about 10 days it made me extremely euphoric. Not enough to be manic, but really really happy. I mean, I felt like the Maria in the Sound of Music when she was twirling around on a mountaintop about to start singing!

 

I am not bipolar, but I do have some close family members who are, so I may have tendencies that way too. I would look out for that, because since you have BP, it might make you manic. I had no other problems than that. I mean, if you count euphoria as a problem. ;)

[Denisemomof4]

No advice but I couldnt read this and not respond.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Hang in there and keep us posted.:grouphug::grouphug:

[joannqn]

I already have severe brain fog to the point the family is considering getting me dog tags. I would hope that I would just take the AD until I was no longer depressed.

 

If it helps, DS has no signs of brain fog that I can tell.

[Kertie]

My main concern is the effect it may have on my teA life as it is the only thing working correctly for me right now and I hate the idea of giving that up.

 

Zoloft did not affect me in that area at all, for which I was greatly relieved:D. Can't really predict that, though...I was on a low dose, too...trying to remember...I don't think I ever went over 50mg. But hey, there's a ray of hope!! For me, it made me willing to get out of bed in the morning. It did not turn me joyous:lol:, and it didn't make the anxiety better or worse. I was on it for 7 months when I went to a naturopath who put me on 5-HTP and I felt like ME again. Glorious. Not on it anymore, but it was a welcome relief.

 

:grouphug: :grouphug::grouphug:

[asta]

The "not feeling anything" thing is called "anhedonia" or "lack of pleasure".

 

The clinical term is "bipolar" not "bi-polar". Sorry. just a pet peeve.

 

A "few weeks" is not nearly enough time to gauge what Lamictal can or cannot do. Or any drug for that matter. All psychotropic drugs need a 4-8 week trial to gauge effectiveness.

 

Anhedonia normally responds best to a combination of dietary changes, exercise, and sometimes medication involvement. It is always best for this to be done by a psychiatrist rather than a general practitioner, as (someone mentioned this) they are better at sussing out which neurotransmitter is likely to be the culprit based on what you tell them. And it is absolutely imperative that you be absolutely truthful regarding what is going on in your life and exactly what you are feeling both emotionally and physically - even if you think it is inconsequential or embarrassing.

 

Some people simply don't respond to serotonin based drugs well (Zoloft, Prozac, etc.). Wellbutrin is a multiple reuptake drug: it hits dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. A drug like Effexor, though h*llish to get off of (you need to do an extremely long taper in order to get off of it w/o side effects) hits basically every receptor in your head. Remeron does as well. For this matter, both are extremely effective, but they are sledgehammers for depression, not the ping hammer that is needed for something like anhedonia. IOW, beware if someone mentions one of those two.

 

Another thing to consider is if a doc mentions a drug such as Strattera. It is normally used for adult ADHD, but a similar version of it is used in the rest of the world for depression. It has a very favorable side effect profile. It hits norepinephrine exclusively. As to the *other* ADHD meds (stimulants) - run away! Stimulants are a bad idea for things like this because of their very mechanism (UP then DOWN).

 

That's what I've got for right now.

 

 

a

[NatashainDFW]

I did a Lexapro/Abilify for a while and it was a much better combo than Welbutrin/Abilify. I really need to go get back on my meds but I am fearful after spending a year and a half over medicated.

[MamaSheep]

I am in a really bad place right now and hubby will be calling pdoc tomorrow. We are at a point where I need to seriously consider an AD. Welbutrin & Zoloft would be first choice options so I would be especially interested in hearing about these both good and bad experiences. I have tried Welbutrin before and I believe I got severe headaches and some aggitation and given that I am bi-polar we discontinued so I don't know if things would have settled out with that one. Right now the major concern is pulling me out of this depression, I am assuming we will adjust mood stablizers if neccesary when the time comes. I have never tried Zoloft but it is working well for my BP dd so it looks like a good possibility. My main concern is the effect it may have on my teA life as it is the only thing working correctly for me right now and I hate the idea of giving that up.

 

I don't know if this helps, what with the bipolar aspect, but when I first started Welbutrin it gave me headaches and agitation too, followed by a couple of days where my brain felt like it was just frying and I couldn't even get out of bed. My doc cut me back to half a dose, which was better, but I still had the headaches. Then he gave the half dose in an extended release version so it wouldn't all dump into my system at once, and that has been wonderful. I don't know if cutting down the dose would help Welbutrin work for you or not, but I thought I'd toss that out there just in case it was useful. It sounds like you've gotten some good input from other people too. :)

[KidsHappen]

The "not feeling anything" thing is called "anhedonia" or "lack of pleasure".

 

The clinical term is "bipolar" not "bi-polar". Sorry. just a pet peeve.

 

A "few weeks" is not nearly enough time to gauge what Lamictal can or cannot do. Or any drug for that matter. All psychotropic drugs need a 4-8 week trial to gauge effectiveness.

 

Anhedonia normally responds best to a combination of dietary changes, exercise, and sometimes medication involvement. It is always best for this to be done by a psychiatrist rather than a general practitioner, as (someone mentioned this) they are better at sussing out which neurotransmitter is likely to be the culprit based on what you tell them. And it is absolutely imperative that you be absolutely truthful regarding what is going on in your life and exactly what you are feeling both emotionally and physically - even if you think it is inconsequential or embarrassing.

 

Some people simply don't respond to serotonin based drugs well (Zoloft, Prozac, etc.). Wellbutrin is a multiple reuptake drug: it hits dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. A drug like Effexor, though h*llish to get off of (you need to do an extremely long taper in order to get off of it w/o side effects) hits basically every receptor in your head. Remeron does as well. For this matter, both are extremely effective, but they are sledgehammers for depression, not the ping hammer that is needed for something like anhedonia. IOW, beware if someone mentions one of those two.

 

Another thing to consider is if a doc mentions a drug such as Strattera. It is normally used for adult ADHD, but a similar version of it is used in the rest of the world for depression. It has a very favorable side effect profile. It hits norepinephrine exclusively. As to the *other* ADHD meds (stimulants) - run away! Stimulants are a bad idea for things like this because of their very mechanism (UP then DOWN).

 

That's what I've got for right now.

 

 

a

 

Asta,

 

Thanks for your input It is helpful as always. I am way past anhedonia and to the point of severe clinical depression.

 

I always have a problem with bi-polar vs. bipolar as there doesn't seem to be any consistancy in the general literature. I have the same problem with home schooling, home-schooling and homeschooling. I end up using whatever comes to mind at the time and really don't feel strongly one way or the other.

 

I have been on all of my current meds for years and generally had excellent response to them. I did try Effexor once and that was a h3ll ride I would prefer to never take again. I don't respond well to serotonin based drugs. Even ones that have only a very small unintended effect on serotonin effect me badly. We have tried small amounts of Adderall which of course works great early in the day/treatment but the crash is not so great. I have tried both Welbutrin and Stattera and they caused aggitation and severe headaches so we discontinued fairly early.

 

At this point, we obviously need to make a choice and commit to a serious trial period because the alternatives are not pretty. Thanks again for your input. It gave me a couple ideas to research.

[MariannNOVA]

:grouphug:

 

What everyone else said basically. Zoloft worked quickly for me (in a few days) but 8 weeks later, nothing. Taking Cymbalta now -- it works -- I have highs and lows......and that is fine. One cannot have the highs without the lows.

 

Everything asta said -- and don't forget there is much to read on www.crazymeds.com

 

:grouphug: I'm sorry -- I know it s*cks!

[Chris in VA]

I don't know what Cymbalta targets, but it worked well for me. I've tried Wellbutrin, Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft and two others whose names escape me. Wellbutrin gave me bruxism! (teeth grinding) Isn't that weird?

 

Mainly just sending hugs to you, Kids. You are dear to me. Wish I could make it all better for you. Dig in and hold on tight, and know there are so many who care for you. :grouphug:

[wtrmlnlabs]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

been there, deal with depression all year but fortunately knowing about it we all deal with it and can see it occurring so DH understands and we don't get into the arguments (not understanding what my problem was we'd fight a lot over anything) which made it worse... and it's not "bad" anymore. Somehow having children seemed to "fix" that :001_smile:

 

I don't take anything anymore. I only took Paxil, which was AWFUL in so many ways, and Zoloft which really did nothing for me, so I really can't advise you on anything like that, just wanted to send hugs and support.

[asta]

Oh KH - I'm sorry! I didn't even realize it was you posting -- I was half asleep when I posted that -- I would have written something completely different.

 

You need to be talking to your Pdoc about the Emsam patch or a regular MAOI at this point. I even know of people who have rock star Pdocs who are able to do stimulant / MAOI cocktails without killing their patients (don't try this at home, kids).

 

Yeah - you're past the kiddie drugs.

 

Have you ever tried the California rocket fuel? (Effexor/Remeron combo)

 

 

a

[KidsHappen]

Oh KH - I'm sorry! I didn't even realize it was you posting -- I was half asleep when I posted that -- I would have written something completely different.

 

You need to be talking to your Pdoc about the Emsam patch or a regular MAOI at this point. I even know of people who have rock star Pdocs who are able to do stimulant / MAOI cocktails without killing their patients (don't try this at home, kids).

 

Yeah - you're past the kiddie drugs.

 

Have you ever tried the California rocket fuel? (Effexor/Remeron combo)

 

 

a

 

We have tried Effexor and we had to pry me off the ceiling and then seriously sedate for about a week before I recovered enough to function. We have used Adderall periodically to try prevent an oncoming depression or to pull out of one that has just started. This seems to work ok for short periods of time then I start getting a bit aggitated and irritable. We decided to go ahead and try the Wellbutrin and to tell the truth, it is pure hell right now. It is like a constant, slightly too large doseage of Adderall. All aggitation, irrritability and headaches. I have heard that this can wear off so I am going to try a rough it out for about a month to see how I do. The dr. does have some other ideas to try if this doesn't work so I guess we will see.

 

Since I have been diagnosed about ten years ago I have had to deal almost exclusively with mania and my medicines are really set to deal with that. I had one mild depressive episode that flipped to mania when we tried to treat and the two severe depressions that we had a really hard time pulling me out of. We really have tried just about every AD and not had much sucess with any of them. This is kind of a last ditch effort at dealing with Ads and the I guess we will explore other options. One that my dr. has brought up is clonidine so I am researching it now. Any info on that would be great.

 

Currently I am taking Lamictal and Trileptal in the morning and then Trileptal and Seroquel at night. I also take Ambien at night due to my long standing insomnia and since I started the Wellbutrin in the morning I have had to increase my use of Xanax. I really don't like to take this many meds. I would love to dump Trilepal because I have heard that it causes a lot of the cognitive problems and I am not convinced that it is doing a whole lot of good. And then it would be great if I could find some perfect drug that would solve all of my problems without any unbareable side-effects. Is that too much to ask?

 

Thanks for your feedback. It is always helpful and leads me in great research directions. I really appreciate it. Thanks so much.

[vettechmomof2]

I was a young teen when taking Wellbutrin but it worked well. However with that said it took me 3 doses and almost a month to finally find a dose that worked. My doc had started me on a low dose that did nothing but give me headaches (on top of my other headaches). However I also know many who the drug did not work for.

My father used it as an aid to quite smoking and did very well with it as well though.

:grouphug:

[Nakia]

:grouphug: I'm sorry you are struggling right now. You know I understand. I'm here for you if you need to talk. Just pm me anytime.

 

I can't remember if you said you've tried Lithium. It's something to think about. Feel free to pm me if you want to talk about that.

 

:grouphug:

 

We have tried Effexor and we had to pry me off the ceiling and then seriously sedate for about a week before I recovered enough to function. We have used Adderall periodically to try prevent an oncoming depression or to pull out of one that has just started. This seems to work ok for short periods of time then I start getting a bit aggitated and irritable. We decided to go ahead and try the Wellbutrin and to tell the truth, it is pure hell right now. It is like a constant, slightly too large doseage of Adderall. All aggitation, irrritability and headaches. I have heard that this can wear off so I am going to try a rough it out for about a month to see how I do. The dr. does have some other ideas to try if this doesn't work so I guess we will see.

 

Since I have been diagnosed about ten years ago I have had to deal almost exclusively with mania and my medicines are really set to deal with that. I had one mild depressive episode that flipped to mania when we tried to treat and the two severe depressions that we had a really hard time pulling me out of. We really have tried just about every AD and not had much sucess with any of them. This is kind of a last ditch effort at dealing with Ads and the I guess we will explore other options. One that my dr. has brought up is clonidine so I am researching it now. Any info on that would be great.

 

Currently I am taking Lamictal and Trileptal in the morning and then Trileptal and Seroquel at night. I also take Ambien at night due to my long standing insomnia and since I started the Wellbutrin in the morning I have had to increase my use of Xanax. I really don't like to take this many meds. I would love to dump Trilepal because I have heard that it causes a lot of the cognitive problems and I am not convinced that it is doing a whole lot of good. And then it would be great if I could find some perfect drug that would solve all of my problems without any unbareable side-effects. Is that too much to ask?

 

Thanks for your feedback. It is always helpful and leads me in great research directions. I really appreciate it. Thanks so much.