Posted by Sleepy Lizard on June 2, 2002, at 0:29:46
I have been suffering with social anxiety and depression for years, and finally decided to do something about it. My doctor recommended Paxil which I took 20 mg daily for a total of 11 weeks before switching to Celexa due to delayed orgasm. I then took 20 mg Celexa daily for 4 weeks before tapering off to begin Effexor XR tomorrow. The sexual side effects of SSRIs can certainly make them intolerable. I have had delayed orgasm with both Paxil and Celexa which was taking 20 to 40 minutes. There is the feeling of being almost there which persists, along with a kind of insensitivity to sensation. I did not experience loss of libido however as some have. The Paxil worked great for the social anxiety and depression. The Celexa was not as good as the Paxil and I was still experiencing the sexual side effects. My doctor wanted me to take only one drug at a time so did not recommend concurrent Remeron or Wellbutrin as some have done as a possible solution to the sexual side effects. It seems that there is a lot of variation in the amount of side effects that different people have with these drugs. I have experienced the strange dreams, bruxism, constant yawning, somnolence, and insomnia with the Paxil more than with the Celexa. Perhaps that was because I was using it for a longer period than the Celexa. The withdrawal from the Paxil was very difficult on days 4 and 5 (tapering to 10 mg per day). I was very depressed and having strange dreams and feelings. The withdrawal from Celexa was not as bad and occurred on day 6 (tapering to 10 mg per day). It was also a fatigue and depressed feeling. I hope this information is helpful to somebody, I have found the information on this board to be very helpful in answering my questions.
poster:Sleepy Lizard
thread:108399
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020525/msgs/108399.html