Posted by morgan miller on February 8, 2011, at 22:53:06
In reply to Re: What should I be aiming for? Medications...., posted by bleauberry on February 8, 2011, at 18:28:06
I wouldn't forget the other ones. I personally believe Zoloft to be a superior antidepressant to Prozac. There are several reasons for this beyond it just being a better antidepressant. Zoloft is not anticholinergic in the way that Prozac is. Zoloft is less likely to raise prolactic levels than Prozac. Zoloft inhibits mTOR which may actually help prevent some cancers. Zoloft is also more of a feel good drug that is less likely numb emotions.
Long term SSRI use does not permanently alters or impairs everyone. I'm not even sure it permanently does anything to anyone. The problem is people probably don't have the time, money or knowledge(I'm not saying I know, none of us really do, we can only do some research, experiment and guess) to do what they need to do in order to heal from the use of these drugs. I was on Zoloft for 7 years and came off it cold turkey without any problems. Before Zoloft I had been on Prozac two times for a year. My 2 week experiment with Paxil was a total nightmare. My 2 month experiment with Luvox was not that great either.
I did have a major mixed episode 6 months after I stopped Zoloft but that had nothing to do with permanent brain alterations. I had a mixed episode at 22 before I was ever on medication. And up until the major mixed episode after stopping Zoloft, I felt normal and functioned at a high level. I believe it may have had something to do with the fact that I exercised religously, took fish oil, and ate well. I'm sure it also had something to do with my brain biology and how it responds to medications.
Lexapro or Zoloft would be my picks. Superior drugs to Prozac both in the short and long run. I believe Lexapro hardly inhibits acetylcholine or not at all. Not sure though. Maybe Linkage knows. I'll have to look it up. I just think the efficacy, side effect profile, and pharmacology of both of these drugs are better suited for many people than prozac.
poster:morgan miller
thread:978941
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110130/msgs/978964.html