Posted by Racer on July 29, 2008, at 19:50:02
In reply to Re: zoloft effexor combo, posted by SoulSickness on July 29, 2008, at 10:19:05
Actually, Effexor -- a dual action (serotonin and norepinephrine) reuptake inhibitor -- should not be taken with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. That would include Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, and Luvox.
If Paxil was too sedating for you, and Zoloft was too stimulating for you, but they showed signs of being effective for your depression, it might be worth trying Lexapro or Celexa. Prozac tends to be more stimulating, and Luvox is known as the most sedating of the SSRIs; Lexapro is based on a metabolite of Celexa, which in theory reduces the side effects while boosting the effectiveness. Nice theory, but mileage varies so much with these medications, if one is *almost* right, it's still worth trying the other.
On the other hand, Effexor might be just the ticket for you. Again -- mileage varies. My psychopharmacologist has told me he considers it an effective, relatively fast acting, "old faithful" medication for most of his patients. At one point, when I was in a very, very bad state, he suggested it to me. He suggested it based on his experience that it's reliably effective for most of his patients. (A lot of people here will have had different experiences from it, of course -- keep in mind that an awful lot of us are pretty treatment resistant, and have failed multiple drug trials.)
Good luck. I hope you'll let us know what you and your doctor end up doing.
poster:Racer
thread:842795
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080727/msgs/842924.html