Lexapro vs Paxil Options

[12kstj51]

I can tell you my experience with a GP give AD's it s*cks. I feel the best person to deal with is a psychiatrist when it comes to AD's these people specalize in these kind of meds.(Not going to say all psychiatrist are the best but they deal with these type of things all the time) I just started taking Lexapro about 4wks now and so far so good. I have finally went to see a psychiatrist and he started me on 5mg then after a couple of days I went to 10mg. I was a little nerves about moving up to 10mg at first, the side effect I had was for about a week it made me very sleepy and I was yawning all day long. But as of right now i'm doing good on it.

My GP tired to give me meds but it seems she just gave up on me. I had tired 2 and neither one had agreed with me. My GP told me well i don't know what I can do for you, at that point I was fed up. I told my psychiatrist my experience with the Zoloft and Effexor he told me with these AD's they are hit or miss. As of right now he told me he will keep me on the meds for about 10 to 12 months and hopefully I won't need them after this. So far I like my psychiatrist, because he is working with me and not against me. When I first called my psychiatrist to tell him what I have been dealing with he told me you sure your not going thought a hormonal problem. (He is a keeper in my eyes

It will be a year come next month I have been dealing with the anxiety and depression, it was so debiliating for me I would stay home from about a week until it would uplift. Up until last month that's when I said to myself I need help.

And your right it's best to do your research before taking any meds. When I first started the lexapro I was on the internet for about 2wks finding out about this med.

(Thanks to the ladies on PS who help keep our minds positive)

I'm with Ladycakes on getting a good psychiatrist. I've been seeing one for over 20 years and have been on Prozac almost that long, since it came out. For some reason, this year it stopped working as I approached menopause, and I began to have the horrid anxiety attacks, shaking and hot flashes that everyone here is so familiar with. I decided to see my psychiatrist after I began to drop weight like crazy from the nausea and diarrhea after having so many panic attacks, waking up in the middle of the night and not going back to sleep, and losing interest in hobbies and eating. all classic signs of depression, which I've been through before, but years ago before Prozac. I usually just saw my psychiatrist twice a year for prescription refills, but this time I had to make a special appt. because I was utterly miserable. He reassuringly told me, "We'll take care of this, trust me." So, he switched me to Lexapro, 10 mg per day, right off the bat, without even weaning me off the 40 mg of daily Prozac. Like all of you, I researched Lexapro and was worried about taking the two at the same time, but decided to give it a go since Prozac has a long half-life. The Lexapro made me sleepy at first, but two weeks into it, I feel sooooo much better. I was also taking 1/4 mg of Klonopin in the AM and 1/4 mg in the PM, but now have stopped taking the morning dose and have no problems. Most psychiatrists are trained in AD dosages and I urge anyone on this board who is unhappy with their GP to seek a psychiatrist out if at all possible. My shaking is almost gone as well and my appetite and sleep have returned. I'm also into my hobbies again and no longer consumed with the state of my health. I can't say that Lexapro or any other anti-depressant is a miracle drug, but I do think that all of us would benefit from psychiatry during this particularly difficult phase of our lives.

[Dakotalady]

Thanks to all the wonderful ladies who replied to my post. Yes, a regular GP prescribed this. The strange thing is, he says that he has a family history with depression, and he himself takes AD's for fibromylagia. I'm definitely going against this one. Just taking 25mg of Zoloft yesterday and today instead of 50mg already has me feeling better. Maybe I'm just sensitive to medication and am being overdosed. The less is more theory?

[Duch]

May I make a suggestion? Before opting for a prescription anti-depressant, try St. John's Wort. Its available at health food stores, etc and is relatively cheap. St. John's is the most used anti-depressant in Germany and has by far and away the least side effects. It doesn't make me flaky, just mellows and I find I can cope with life's little slings and arrows much more easily.

My doctor put me on Effexor. Its newer than the SSRIs and is called an NSSRI. For some people, its a God-send, for me it was a trip to hell.

Strangely, my doctor didn't prescribe it as an anti-depressant but rather to help control my run-away hot flushes. It did, but I couldn't sleep 3 hours a night, didn't eat for a week, and ultimately suffered a 'dread attack'. I burnt the stuff, but that attack droned on and on for a week. As another poster said of Paxil, some of these drugs can be hell to get out of your system.

Read the negative effects. Talk to the pharmacist as well as your doctor. What works for one person won't work for another, or worse, will be horrid.

I'm on zyban for smoking cessation. It's an anti-depressant too. I cope well with it, but my girlfriend said it was like being on acid for her. PS. Its also controling my weight and gives my libido a boost.

[kollette]

I took Prozac like 10 years back for panic attacks & came off after 6months. Then took Celexa for a short while for stress induced anxiety -2 yrs. They were fine on me - no side effects - until peri hit. Celexa makes me shake & I'm starving all the time. BTW, I go to a psych for proper admin of AD's. So didn't go far with Celexa for peri.

She is giving me free samples of Effexor now to take. Instead of being a SSRI, Effexor is a very powerful AD - it works on not just 1 neurotransmitter, but multiple. After doing my homework about how horrendous the withdrawal symptoms were, I figured I'd just try Prozac which she had prescribed for me reluctantly! I had asked for it because it has worked on me previously & is the least potent of all AD's, approved by FDA for teens even. I thought she would give me something just to tide over peri, not mega AD's for major depression etc.

I just took 10mg of Prozac today but am feeling tired & had a major panic attack in the evening.

I'm at a point where I'm just fedup of trying AD's, of docs, psychs, ob-gyn, ... they are not working with me & for me, but just pushing drugs on me without realizing how potent these AD's are.

But I feel like I really need something to help me function & work since my job requires a lot of thinking & planning.
- K

[Duch]

Kollett

Are you on HRT or BHRT?

[SuzieSmiff]

Kollett

Are you on HRT or BHRT?

I know this question was not directed to me, however, I would like to know if it make a difference if you are on one or the other and if so, what is the difference??

[kollette]

Kollett

Are you on HRT or BHRT?

No, not on any HRT. ob-gyn says my FSH is normal. no one is going to say i'm having a hormonal imbalance. and I'm not sure if i should get all those expensive hormonal tests by bellevue pharmacy. are they worth it?

[GETOVERIT]

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Well, ladies, I've been on Lexapro for a year now due to severe depression and anxiety attacks brought on from breaking my leg and having what I thought was ovary problems which I thought was cancer.

Lexapro has worked wonders for me! I first tried Paxil, didn't work, wired me more. Psychiatrist tried Zoloft, same thing, wired me and then my Internist tried the Lexapro and let me tell you, it took a couple of weeks for me to get up the nerve to even give it a whirl. I started at .5 and went to 3/4 of 10 mg and finally up to 10. Well, the only side effect from it was sleepiness and I do mean I was sleepy so I went and put myself back down to .5 and have been there for a year now with no problems at all! I have a VERY weak tolerance to drugs and this has worked for me. It has done amazing things for my anxiety. I took Ativan for YEARS and now I've probably only had to reach for one 3 times this past year! It's amazing....I have even forgotten to take it a couple days at a time without experiencing any side effects!

Now, I just wish it would help me with my extreme dental anxiety!

Take care fellow sisters!

Kathy

[Tay]

I'm also looking at Lexapro - not just for my peri-anxiety, but also to help with my IBS. I do know there are 2 different types of AD's - some cause constipation, some the trots - so if you're having gastro problems, you need to find the right type of AD's. For me, since I have IBS C (constipation) I need the SSRI types, but I also only want to take them short term - just to treat the IBS. My best friends son is a Dr. and she has a call into him to ask his opinion of Lexapro. I agree it's difficult to function with anxiety and when you have IBS the anxiety creates a vicious cycle, making the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome worse - Anyway, since Lexapro is commonly used to treat both of my problems, it may be just what I need, However...I also only want to use it short term - just until the IBS goes away, which is one of the questions I have for my bestfriends son...can you take it for just a few months without major problems.

[MoodSwings]

I was on lexapro for 10 months last year for severe anxiety. I started on 5 mg and was increased to 10. I did well on it. I did have trouble weaning off. It took a couple months to wean off and I had some anxiety for a couple of days after being off. I decided to come off because I have to pay out of pocket and it is expensive.