Posted by bleauberry on November 26, 2008, at 13:52:14
In reply to zoloft vs lexapro--difference in potency?, posted by raisinb on November 25, 2008, at 15:00:38
They are all potent as heck! :-)
Not sure where the other poster got the information, but as I understand it Paxil is the most potent, followed by Lexapro and then Zoloft. Not sure where Cymbalta fits in there, but it is highly potent as well, much more so than Effexor. In terms of action specifically on serotonin, Lexapro is the most specific. Paxil has a little effect on NE, Zoloft a little on dopamine at the highest doses.
All that being said, potency has nothing to do with whether it will work for one person or another. There are other known things at play, and even many many more unknown things at the genetic, molecular, and hormonal levels. For example, someone who has a depression that they are convinced is serotonin related, two or three of the SSRIs might not work that great, while a third one works like a miracle, and the third one could easily be the least potent of them all. I doubt serotonin potency is going to be much help in choosing a med.
poster:bleauberry
thread:865220
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20081123/msgs/865372.html