[Crumbles]

OK, here is the deal.

A while ago I was taking Paxil CR 12.5 mg for my anxiety. Well, it was supposed to cure the DP/DR according to my doc... anyway, I felt WAY fucking worse for like the first month. WAY worse. I had really bad thoughts and all kinds of other stuff. After about a month, it pretty much went away, and it felt like the drug was doing nothing.

I'm at a point where I think I want to try another anxiety med (because I really do think I have anxiety problems) and my doc wants to put me on Lexapro (another SSRI)

I told him about my bad experience with Paxil CR and he told me just because I had a bad experience with it doesn't mean I will with the Lexapro.

First, is this true?
Second, what would the majority of us consider to be the best least side effect causing SSRI? I remember someone on here saying once: "blank is the cleanest of all SSRI's" but I can't remember what the blank was!

Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

[rainboteers]

I had a horrible reaction to both zoloft and wellbutrin, but celexa doesnt bother me. So, yes your dr. could be right. zoloft and celexa are both SSRIs but work differently on me. The celexa (very similar to lexapro) didn't give me any side effects, but I haven't been on it long enough to know if it is going to take away the dp/dr. Hope this helps...

 

[Crumbles]

I had a horrible reaction to both zoloft and wellbutrin, but celexa doesnt bother me. So, yes your dr. could be right. zoloft and celexa are both SSRIs but work differently on me. The celexa (very similar to lexapro) didn't give me any side effects, but I haven't been on it long enough to know if it is going to take away the dp/dr. Hope this helps...

Thanks for the reply!

Anyone else?

*edit*
I just noticed that somehow I made this in the regaining reality forum. Can a mod move this to the main section for me? Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Generally, Celexa is considered the "cleanest" of the ssri's but that really shouldn't matter in terms of someone freaking out or having a terrible time on it. "Clean" really refers to a relative lack of side effects. But it sounds to ME (and I am not a doctor) like you had a bad response to the direct properties of the drug.

SOMEtimes, some people invoke a kind of mania state on ssri's. Tell us more about specifically how the paxil made you feel.

Also, are you very young? like under 19? that could be a factor too, in ssri response.

 

[Crumbles]

Generally, Celexa is considered the "cleanest" of the ssri's but that really shouldn't matter in terms of someone freaking out or having a terrible time on it. "Clean" really refers to a relative lack of side effects. But it sounds to ME (and I am not a doctor) like you had a bad response to the direct properties of the drug.

SOMEtimes, some people invoke a kind of mania state on ssri's. Tell us more about specifically how the paxil made you feel.

Also, are you very young? like under 19? that could be a factor too, in ssri response.

I wish I was 19 again. When I first took Paxil CR maybe I was like... 22 or 23? I'm 25 now.

How I felt on it...

I had crazy thoughts. I remember standing in a fabric store with my wife and I had the sudden urge to just punch the guy talking to us in the face. I'm not violent at all, I just had stupid crazy thoughts like that.

I remember waking up in the middle of the night and jumping out of bed not recognizing my wife. I remember saying in my head her name over and over again.

I would wake up everyday at like 5am and just stay up. I was scared to sleep.

I remember calling my shrink and telling him, "look, I think this med is making me worse!" He told me it was my symptoms getting worse and he wanted to up the dosage. I hung up on him.

Then, one day on my way to lunch I noticed that I was feeling really good. A lot better than normal. Then I noticed I had forgotten to take the pill that day. I said, the hell with this, and just stopped cold turkey.

I just remember it really sucked BAD for the first 3 weeks or so. It has scared me from taking another SSRI.

I will say this though, the VERY FIRST DAY I took it I felt great. I remember the doc saying that I wouldn't notice anything at first, but I did. It was great. Day 2 and on was hell though.

 

[Guest]

Some folks do poorly on the first two meds they try, the third works like a charm. We are all such individuals, worth trying a med if you want.

I myself had a horrible experience on Zoloft, my best friend has taken it for years and likes it. I recently tried Lexapro, four weeks in I decided to stop, it caused intense jaw tightness and unusual nightmares. I've heard from others that Lexapro is perfect for them.

Good luck in finding what works for you, something most likely will.

 

[dakotajo]

Hi Crumbles,

How long were you on the Paxil cr? If you felt worse intially its a good sign that you will eventually respond well to this class of drug. The 4 weeks of hell you talk about is common. Ive read everywhere that its vital that you wait at least 8 full weeks on a therapuetic dose before giving up. Some people dont respond fully for 12 weeks. Theres a lot of biochemical activity that has to occur before these drugs give you a postive effect and in the mean time it can make you feel much worse.

I dont believe that ssris(mechanism) are much different. They all essentially do the same thing...raise serotonin levels. I think the difference is more the potency. Paxil is the most potent of all the ssris. Zoloft is second in line. I believe people in our condition(high anxiety) need to start with a microscopic ssri that is less potent such as celexa and very slowly work our way up. It helps avoid the inital activation anxiety that you talk about. Once a person is "conditioned" to this class of drug, you can x-over to a high potency ssri like Paxil or Zoloft which have the best anxiolytic effects.

Joe

 

[Guest]

Over the last four years, I've been on Celexa, Effexor, Prozac and now I am on Lexapro. Now my dr. thinks the Lexapro is not working! B/c my depression, dp/dr haven't totally improved. I am so sick of medication and losing hope. I am, for now, going to stay on the lexapro until I get into see a psychiatrist which won't be for another two months. Has anyone else been in my boat? Should I keep going with the lexapro (been on it for over three months) or try yet another anti-depressant?

 

[pfpc]

I've been on lexapro for nearly a year and more recently added desipramine (a tricyclic) to the mix. I'm at 75 mg despiramine and 30 mg lexapro and I can honestly say that it hasn't done anything for me other than prevent me from spiraling into a pit of despair. I too had a horrible experience on Wellbutrin increased my dr by many fold :roll: .

I have stabilized somewhat and have predictable symptoms (emotional numbness, DR, anxiety) which haven't really improved in the last year of two in which I've had this 'disease'.

I'm not so much looking into medication now to cure me, but am relying more on the CBT and engaging myself at work, socially, etc. Occasionally I have some mild epiphanies where I feel more connected and less DR'd and those usually come from external environmental influences which boost my level of self-confidence.