Opinions - rate your ssri

[Lehendakari]

I think it would be a good idea to rate the ssri you're using or used in the past.

I'll start with mine: Paroxetine HCl, from now on "p"

Effectiveness=9

It really changed my life. Before p I was very shy, irritable and sad and had lots of trouble socialising. It gave a different point of view, a lot of happiness and confidence. I remained optimist for a long time.

Side Efects=a few, but very important

For me the worst was delayed orgasm and lack of libido, and decreased mental performance. It gives you that "I don't care about nothing I just want to enjoy life" kind of feeling. It's good if you have little responsability but studying and work capacity will be affected

Withdrawal symptoms=Mild

Only the very common electric shock sensations (very annoying) and vivid dreams. When it was too bad I took a few mg till I no longer felt anything. It took about 10 days withdrawing.

Long Term Effectiveness=6

P shows you the way of happiness and confidence, but when it's off your system the phisical symtoms of anxiety return. You still know the "way" but it's harder to feel so confident

Interactions

Swim is regular smoker of weed and found no interactions whatsoever. Weed feels as great as ever. It also helps with p induced sex problems.

Alcohol and p was actually a great combo and provided deep euphoria and confidence, and although my sex drive was numb, I had cravings for girls and I couldn't stop talking to them with no inhibitions AT ALL.

Advice

Be patient at the beggining. In two weeks p is more tolerated and effects start to be noticeable. You must believe that it will work for you and you have to do an effort to help the drug make you feel better. Don't pay attention to little things and give it time. Also be patient at the end. Weed can help sex problems

I want to make myself clear: I DO NOT recommend taking alcohol while on p. In fact, many times my behaviour was extremely disinhibited and stupid. I had a car accident and a few tickets. If you do drink be carefull and know your limits.

Please, feel free to share your experience with your ssri or ask any questions.

[Mona Lisa]

I was prescribed cipramil to be taken once every morning (20MG). It made me feel very woozy and ill; I spent most of the day in bed and felt indifferent to everything. I felt even worse the following morning and actually THREW UP that afternoon. I decided to come off them IMMEDIATELY and as I was on a Master's Degree programme, felt that I couldn't afford to experiment with trying different types of SSRI's because I feared I'd suffer similar side effects, which would have made it impossible to study. Perhaps they didn't agree with me and that I could have hypothetically found another anti-depressant (even a MAOI or Try-Cyclic) that would have worked for me. But in the end I decided that though I was depressed, I didn't REALLY need to be on medication. The only positive effect I noticed is that I found an enhanced appreciation of music on the second evening (same day I'd thrown up.) But the side effects put me off trying any others, plus I've always feared the electric shock sensations that others have described plus possible weight gain. I don't want to ever get hooked on them either.

[Lehendakari]

I know ssri aren't for everyone. Before I decided to take paroxetine I read LOTS of negative reports but I was so damn conviced that it was what I needed that I only paid paid attention to the good ones.

When people talked about their horrible experiences I kept telling myself: There is no way that's going to happen to me. I used to think: sexual dysfunction?? thats impossible!. I couldn't believe a drug could do that.

The truth is ssri are hard for the body and I know I played with a good auto-induced placebo effect that potentiated the effects of the drug itself. The thing is that I wanted it to work so badly that it actually did and that made bad side effects don't bother me at all.

Good luck

[INodHardOhYeah]

I have taken Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, Zoloft, Luvox (prozac isomer, generally for OCD), and Cymbalta. Out of all of these the best was hands down Cymbalta.
Lowest occurence of side effects (Delayed ejaculation but no where near as bad as Zoloft, we're talking 2 hours, dehydrated, soar, pissed off, no dice, blue balls so bad my back hurt).

Did an excellent job of improving depressive symptoms as well anxiety and even opiate cravings. I haven't had a single panic attack since I began taking Cymbalta in November, which is the longest I have gone since I was 15 years old.

Ask your doctor.

[Beeker]

I'm somewhat Bi-polar and depression comes to me hard for a month every three years.

I've been on every SSRI on the market and none of them worked on my depression when my father died. Not an SSRI, but Wellbutrin caused me to have seizures.

Only thing I've found that works is Mirtazapine and man oh man does it cause the most fucked up lucid dream states. The first time I used it I didn't fall asleep I broke threw a wall of white sound right into full lucid dreaming. I seriously opened the window and flew around the city (my favorite passtime when I have full knowledge and control of my dreams.) I then usually build myself large castle like dwellings and pick up women.

[kritikal]

It really does seem that SSRIS are the best for anxiety i am on Paroxetine at the moment. I experienced what i believed to be side effects but usually only after reading about those side effects. That was the anxiety kicking in.

In the first few weeks weed and aropax bought on a terrible panic attack that was almost like a cold rush of euphoria but not enjoyable at all. my usual anxiety was shaky, feeling like i was going to die/passout hot rushes confusion, inability to concentrate stuffy feeling and couldnt breathe. Felt like i had to have everything organzied in my head otherwise id be stresssed and get no sleep.

I really do think if you have anxiety you should not read the side effects of SSRIS as they will bring on anxiety. In the long term Paroxetine has heped me along the way very much so. If you believe it will make you better it WILL make you better.

[Lehendakari]

I couldn't agree more kritical, the more you read the worst. I mean, I'm not saying you shouldn't do your research but don't get too obsessed about the side effects, experiences and reports you read.

I remember when I took the first 20 mg I spent the whole day wondering how I was feeling. I even was scared of being near a window cause I read it can promote suicidal behavior. This, of course, was absolutely crazy as I never ever have had any suicidal thought in my whole life.

I should have mentioned before that I never was depressed, I started paxil for social phobia but I can see its antidepressive potential as it also made me a lot happier.

[bewilderment]

The ssri's that I've taken are zoloft and paxil. I really didn't like paxil, it flattened my emotions entirely and made me have absolutely horrible insomnia for which my psychiatrist prescribed remeron which made me gain weight and made me feel worse. Zoloft worked fantastically for about 6-8months after which I quit taking it to see if I still really needed it. I found that when I began taking it again it worked differently than before and instead of causing a better mood it just made me shakey, sweaty, and agitated. Also, I've heard that Zoloft increases the effects of alcohol and one night when I had taken Zoloft I had only two mixed drinks and blacked out and behaved erratically and was unintelligible. I drank many other times while on Zoloft and it didn't have that sort of effect so I don't know what it was about that particular night. I also had not consumed any other drugs that day or night.

As a somewhat unrelated sidenote: since my zoloft no longer works as it should and I can't afford a doctor's visit (I REALLY wish that I could) I've been taking Sam-e and while it doesn't work as wonderfully as zoloft once did for me, it seems to be keeping my depression somewhat at bay.

[JewishNazi]

Im on day two of zoloft and I have noticed that i can actually work better while feeling good. I get tired about midday though. Appetite seems to have increase, im hungry about 20 minutes ater last eating - this would be a good help if I were on steroids, but not now, it will most likely result in gaining fat.

Ive noticed that my eyes are wide open all day, even though i may be yawning from getting little sleep the night before Vision is blury up close.

Feeling good, kind of like im on BZP actually

[bewilderment]

I felt as if I was on some kind of stimulant as well when I was on Zoloft. It reduced my appetite and I couldn't sleep at night, but I was happy and had a bunch of energy.

[Lehendakari]

Yes ssri's have sometimes stimulant properties. The first 2 weeks on paxil I felt tired and yawning all the time, but after that I was pretty stimulated. Also paxil avoids alcohol induced drowsiness and it had and speedy effect.

And yes ssri's numb emotions. I think that's why they work so well for social phobia, cause they block bad emotions resulting from social interaction. As i said before, it gave that "i dont care about nothing" feeling.

I was still anxious in social interactions but I wanted them because i didn't care if it was a bad interaction. So I got more confident.

[bewilderment]

Some SSRI's numb emotions more than others and I'd say that if you find yourself unable to experience much pleasure (i.e. if you're experiencing no increase in pleasure with the alleviation of the symptoms of depression/anxiety) then it would be best to switch antidepressants. I found Paxil to be much less pleasurable than Zoloft. It lessened my anxiety and depression but I still was unhappy. I can certainly understand the increased suicide rates when taking an antidepressant which has this effect. On the other hand, I found that Zoloft really helped relieve the anhedonia symptom of depression and led to me feeling more happy in general. I didn't feel anywhere near as numb as I had on Paxil.

[Lehendakari]

yeah you're right. As we know different people react in very different ways to the same drug.

And I can understand how anhedonia can lead to suicide but for me paxil had a great effect. It blocked bad emotions only, I was very happy and just wanted to enjoy life. So I guess anhedonia doesn't happen to everyone.

I've never tried other ssri so I can't compare but anyway I think numb emotions are a necessary part of the action of this drugs.

[Unsolved]

I'm no longer on it but Zoloft or Steraline HCL. Effectivness 7.5 no side effects besides some insomina. Overall it's an okay drug for depression I was only on 50mgs a day. I would say not the best SSRI out there but certinly not the very worest either. Seemed pretty easy for me to get off after a year of using it.

[IHrtHalucingens]

About 3 years ago i was diagnosed, mostly by request of my mother i believe, with major depressive disorder.

I was first put on Zoloft, i took it for about 3 months with no positive effects at all. It seemed to make me feel worse, i gave it 3 months to see if it would get better but it just seemed to make me more depressed and just made me overall uncomfortable.

Then i was put on Prozac, which i got the same results from so i ended up self-medicating with w/e drugs i could get my hands on. After a month of hating life i stopped taking all ssri's and felt much better within a few weeks.

This leads me to believe that SSRI's are definately not for everyone.

[MrMouse]

Cipralex (escitalopram oxalate): Instant nausea at 5mg even when taken before food. Discontinued after 2 weeks.

Effexor (venlafaxine hydrochloride) : 37.5mg increasing to 150mg over 3-4 months. Insomnia, lucid dreams, increased anxiety, manic behaviour.
Discontinued cold turkey (I was never advised of withdrawal symptoms or the need to taper). 10 days of hell basically a 10 fold increase of the side effects above. Took a further 3 months to reach baseline.
Oh and alcohol + Effexor = very bad idea

Sworn off AD's for life ... well until the next time.

[bewilderment]

I've always heard bad things about effexor as far as side effects go. Also something to keep in mind with SSRI's: if you display psychotic symptoms and symptoms of mania when you take them then you may be bipolar in which case SSRI's are definately not the way to go. Medications like Wellbutrin work pretty well though. And, if anyone finds that they do really need medication (and, trust me, you do know without a doubt when you really need medical treatment) and has had bad experiences with antidepressants in the past then do keep in mind that not all AD's are the same. Although the biochemical differences are subtle, the differing affects of medications are sometimes anything but. Proper treatment of mental disorders can mean the difference between life and death. I absolutely hate the idea of antidepressants, but at this point in life I have to accept them for the sake of my own sanity.

Also an update: I'm trying out the Zoloft once again because I think I may have just started out too high during the second go around. I was taking 50mg (100mg was my dosage before) after a few months of abstinence and I think that was contributing the negative side effects. This time I'm starting with 25mg. It's only been a few days and I haven't noticed much change whereas when I started with the 50mg I already noticed the negative side effects within about 3 days. Maybe things will be better this time.

[Beeker]

I've had a long line of, "These new wonder anti-depressents will cure anyone!!"

Prozac - Got put on it a 16, lost all ability to feel emotion at all, thought pattern went from "well, I'm not depressed" to "If I can't feel why live?" Tried to kill myelf. Dr. blamed a 16 year olds lack of goals.

Litium - junk

Aderall/Ritalin - for many depressed peeps Stimulants are a cure.

Zoloft - I took for 4 months when I was in my 20's. The only thing I remember about it was I could not cum.. It was impossible thus making me depressed.

Wellbutrin - Actually worked well until I became one of the 400 who have horrible seazures and ended up in the hospital.

Effectsor XR - Never got to it, I once had a secretary who complained every other week her dose was to low then called in sick for a week I assume to detox.

Paxil - was told to look elsewhere first

Ramron - Good for about 2 weeks, creates Lucid dreaming so powerful they border of playing god. Then you go from a 34 jeans to a 38 and get moody.

Cymbalta - Duloxetine HCL - Best stull I've come across, effects have not required a high dose. With my ADHD meds I get a 8 hour sense of well being and focus.

Depression may be caused by an imbalance of naturally-occurring chemicals, serotonin and norepinephrine, in the brain and the body. In the brain, these two chemicals are thought to be associated with mood. These same chemicals are thought to be associated with regulating and reducing feelings of pain that come from the body.

If these chemicals are out of balance, the effect can be felt in both the brain and body. You can feel both the emotional and painful physical symptoms of depression. Also takes away anxiety, not as good a klonopin.

Many antidepressants target one chemical, serotonin. Cymbalta also targets a second chemical, norepinephrine. In clinical trials, Cymbalta was proven effective

By itself it creates a "speedy" like feeling. Jump in the step or something. It's the only anti-depressent I would say has been effective for a period of time while letting my cock get hard and still blow a load

[jarka]

I was on Seroxat (paroxetine) for ~4 months and quit cold turkey with no withdrawals whatsoever.. Will never use any ADs in my life!

[astenu]

remeron- works great once you get over the zombie-like state it produces. does not dull the senses and flaten ones emotions to the extent others can. can produce a cold detached mindset at times. sleep is good. withdrawl is not as severe as others either. would use again

zoloft- eliminated depression for about 8 months. anxiety side effect. flattens one's emotions too much. very dehumanizing experience. withdrawls was very rough. would not use again

serzone- didn't work at all

[788.4]

I have an unusualy reaction to SSRIs. The only difference between them is how quickly and how severely manic I become while taking them. I've been on Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, and Wellbutrin (a NDRI), all of which had similar effects. I'm on Lamictal for depression now and it seems to be helping with everything except the EDS. For people who aren't getting results from SSRIs I strongly suggest taking a look at Lamictal.

[bewilderment]

Yeah, my partner is manic-depressive and did not do well at all on SSRIs (psychosis, mania). She now takes wellbutrin and lamictal (with klonopin for anxiety, but she doesn't usually have to take it) and says this has been the best combination for her.

[vacant]

I never had an SSRI that worked, but I do believe I am much better now and do not need one.

I've taken Zoloft, but it left me feeling like a zombie, with no emotion or energy whatsoever.

I took Lithium for awhile, but to no effect. I had to convince my idiot psychiatrist that I wasn't bipolar (I think I've taken more psychology classes than she has).

Now Celexa, oh my! I had such an awful reaction; I was in a state of absolute delirium for 2 days. It was some really odd reaction. When I started taking it, it felt odd, but when it reached full plasma levels (around a week, I think), it was terrible. The walls would shake and shift. I was constantly itchy and couldn't get comfortable (had to keep moving around, though too tired to get up and move about). I think it could be compared to a high amount of diphenhydramine. I fainted a lot, from what people told me, since I barely remember anything. Even after 24 hours without it, it was still affecting me. For six months after that horrible experience, I kept experiencing odd visual disturbances (tracer-like stuff and a lot strange spots popping up in my field of vision). I'm glad they eventually subsided (well, almost), as I was starting to fear I had permanently screwed up my brain (not that I haven't already).

[Lehendakari]

Originally Posted by vacant

Now Celexa, oh my! I had such an awful reaction; I was in a state of absolute delirium for 2 days. It was some really odd reaction. When I started taking it, it felt odd, but when it reached full plasma levels (around a week, I think), it was terrible. The walls would shake and shift. I was constantly itchy and couldn't get comfortable (had to keep moving around, though too tired to get up and move about). I think it could be compared to a high amount of diphenhydramine. I fainted a lot, from what people told me, since I barely remember anything. Even after 24 hours without it, it was still affecting me. For six months after that horrible experience, I kept experiencing odd visual disturbances (tracer-like stuff and a lot strange spots popping up in my field of vision). I'm glad they eventually subsided (well, almost), as I was starting to fear I had permanently screwed up my brain (not that I haven't already).

Has swim ever tried mushrooms or lsd? I'm asking this cause you seem to be pretty sensitive to serotonergic drugs.

It's is not the first time ssri's users experienced hallucinations. I remember having auditory hallucinations while on paxil like hearing constantly my phone ringing or people talking french. However, they were weak and I was sure that wasn't actually happening.

It's funny cause swim's experienced those same hallucination when eating mushrooms. He's also had mood lifts and lack of anxiety when on shrooms.

Maybe both share a lot of modes of action. If you've never taken lsd or psylocibin products I would advice you not to take them ever.

[Nagognog2]

Tinnitis - a ringing or other auditory effects - is common to paroxetine (Paxil). Especially during withdrawl. The base of information on this class of drugs is only now becoming known. The drug companies are trying to keep them hushed up as these drugs are a cash-cow for them. But the flood of data has washed over their walls and can no longer be ignored.

Keep posting. This will be/is valuble data.