Posted by Bill LL on September 22, 2005, at 15:49:14
In reply to Re: Benzo or SSRI, posted by tiffanywp on September 20, 2005, at 19:06:05
I have been on Lexapro, and it's cousin Celexa, for years with no weight gain. But like the other SSRI's, it often causes a degree of sexual dysfunction which is dose related. That's the main side effect sthat people complain about.
Benzos have less side effects than SSRI's, the main one being daytime tiredness. Lexapro can cause daytime tiredness also, but generally not as much as Benzos. But at low doses, the tiredness caused by both types of drugs is not too bad.
The biggest problem with benzos is that with long term use they tend to be less effective. When one raises the dose, it regains it's effectiveness against anxiety, but it may cause more tiredness during the day.
SSRI's also usually require dose increases over time. But even at higher doses, they usually don't cause as much tiredness as benzos.
Also, after long term use, benzos can cause a certain degree of depression in some people.
So I sort of think that a combination of the 2 might be the best approach. And that way, you might be able to keep the dose of each one lower than if you took one without the other.
> > I would recommend taking Lexapro each day, and use the benzo on an as needed basis.
>
>
> Why Bill LL? is this your path? does it work? do you have anxiety? did you gain weight? TIA :)
>
poster:Bill LL
thread:556646
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050921/msgs/558196.html