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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Jaymee on May 1, 2005, at 1:21:37
hey, i was taking zoloff.. and the only thing that really helped me with was social anxiety.. but not depression or any other type of anxiety.. so now im taking effexor.. its only been a few days so i cant tell if its working yet.. has anyone else switched from zoloff to effexor? does it work better then zoloff? hope so..
Posted by banga on May 1, 2005, at 7:28:50
In reply to Switiching medications.. please help, posted by Jaymee on May 1, 2005, at 1:21:37
Hello,
People's biochemistry can vary from individual to individual.What works for one person will not necessarily help the next person. People have found both these medictions helpful, but again, this can vary -some find one more effecctive than the other--and as you already see with the Zoloft, some find one or both ineffective.
Keep in mind--the antidepressant effects are not immediate==it takes approximately one month for it to really kick in. So only in a month can you start judging whether it helps or not.
B.
Posted by Jaymee on May 1, 2005, at 10:34:16
In reply to Re: Switiching medications.. please help, posted by banga on May 1, 2005, at 7:28:50
> Hello,
> People's biochemistry can vary from individual to individual.What works for one person will not necessarily help the next person. People have found both these medictions helpful, but again, this can vary -some find one more effecctive than the other--and as you already see with the Zoloft, some find one or both ineffective.
> Keep in mind--the antidepressant effects are not immediate==it takes approximately one month for it to really kick in. So only in a month can you start judging whether it helps or not.
> B.
>>>>yeah true..but i was wondering if anyone knows the statistics.. like if zoloff has more success then effexor? or the other way around? and also do they do the same thing? im confused about the difference in them
Posted by banga on May 1, 2005, at 13:23:33
In reply to Re: Switiching medications.. please help, posted by Jaymee on May 1, 2005, at 10:34:16
Nutshell version:
There are many neurotransmitters--substances that conduct messages from one brain cell to another--in the brain. Three major neurotransmitters that are targeted by psychotropic medications are dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin--especially these latter two.Most of the newer antidepressants out there target serotonin, including Prozac and Zoloft. They are called serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. The result of inhibiting serotonin reuptake, in short, leads to higher levels of serotonin in various sites in the brain. Some target both serotonin and norepinephrine--again inhibiting their uptake and increasing concentration in the brain.
So Zoloft is an SSRI, but Effexor acts on both serotonin and norepinephrine. In terms of efficacy, it truly depends on the individual; the difference in their efffectiveness is not very big.
We simply do not know much. All we see is there is a connection (but not necessarily a clear cause-effect relationship) between depression and levels of these neurotransmitters, and *some* people are helped by these medications that increase levels of norepinephrine and serotonin. But it is not simple, because why, for instance, are some people helped by one SSRI and not the next? And why then are some people not helped at all?
And, as you will note if you keep reading posts here, for many, there are side effects; medications often are effective for a while but then no longer work (poop-out); and some are simply not helped at all by these medications. Aslo there are many other things that can be related to depression, such as hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, etc....
There are many, many other details that have been observed, this is truly a short version of a very, very complex topic. That is why many of us spend so much time on the board, to learn and try and guess what might be helful in our individual case.
But again to answer your original question, Zoloft primarily on increases serotonin, and Effexor increases both serotonin and norepinephrine. But just because Effexor acts on both does not mean necessarily that it works better. Some may say Zoloft works a little better in the case of having anxiety as well as depression. But believe me, it is really really dependent on the individual.
If it were so simple that one works better than another this board would not exist!! And there are many other substances in the brain that can affect mood, but knowing these two gets you started. Then from there you can read on others that affect mood, and there are also subtypes of sites that these neurotransmitters work...etc.
Good luck, remember that it usually takes around a month to see if a particular medication works for you. Then you and your doctor look at either trying something else--or adding another medication.
I don't have a study abstract handy to give you an example of a study investigating the two--I am sure other people here know websites you can look at studies.
B.
Posted by Racer on May 1, 2005, at 13:24:10
In reply to Re: Switiching medications.. please help, posted by Jaymee on May 1, 2005, at 10:34:16
Zoloft is an SSRI: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. Effexor is an SNRI: Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor. That does mean that they're different classes of drugs, which means that there's a good chance that they'll have different effects for most people.
That's the simple answer, of course. The slightly more complex answer is that both Zoloft and Effexor are potent inhibitors of serotonin reuptake, and both provide mild reuptake inhibition of dopamine. Effexor adds in moderate reuptake inhibition of norepinephrine as well. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter most commonly associated with depression and anxiety; dopamine is the party guy in the bunch, involved in the reward system; and norepinephrine -- you know, I'm not entirely sure what norepinephrine does, ccome to think of it... Hmph... Better start my research, huh?
Anyway, the bottom line is that the two meds are different in their targets and their effects, so there's a pretty good chance that you'll respond. Of course, everone is different, so you mileage will vary.
As far as statistics go, though, pretty much ALL the anti-depressants are more or less equal: roughly the same percentage of people will respond adequately to any of them. Statistics are really not that meaningful, though, in this situation, since you really only want to know if you can expect to feel better, right? You're asking what the chances are that you'll feel better, and the answer is going to be the same for most all the meds out there: somewhere around 60% of patients have an adequate response to any of them. Whether this is the drug that will work for you is something you can only tell by trying.
I can tell you that Effexor has been very effective for a lot of people, if that helps.
Posted by Jaymee on May 1, 2005, at 19:07:12
In reply to Re: Switiching medications.. please help, posted by Racer on May 1, 2005, at 13:24:10
thankss.. that helps a lot.. i guess im just goin to wait and hope for the best =)
Posted by Jaymee on May 1, 2005, at 19:09:43
In reply to Re: Switiching medications.. please help, posted by banga on May 1, 2005, at 7:28:50
> Hello,
> People's biochemistry can vary from individual to individual.What works for one person will not necessarily help the next person. People have found both these medictions helpful, but again, this can vary -some find one more effecctive than the other--and as you already see with the Zoloft, some find one or both ineffective.
> Keep in mind--the antidepressant effects are not immediate==it takes approximately one month for it to really kick in. So only in a month can you start judging whether it helps or not.
> B.
>>>thanks a lot.. yea i guess im just going to have to wait a see what happens..
Posted by Phillipa on May 1, 2005, at 20:12:01
In reply to Re: Switiching medications.. please help, posted by Jaymee on May 1, 2005, at 19:09:43
Just out of curiosity how much zoloft were you taking? I'm taking 25mg and afraid to take more. So, I don't notice a thing. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by vivi on May 2, 2005, at 17:30:19
In reply to Re: Switiching medications.. please help, posted by Jaymee on May 1, 2005, at 10:34:16
> > Hello,
> > People's biochemistry can vary from individual to individual.What works for one person will not necessarily help the next person. People have found both these medictions helpful, but again, this can vary -some find one more effecctive than the other--and as you already see with the Zoloft, some find one or both ineffective.
> > Keep in mind--the antidepressant effects are not immediate==it takes approximately one month for it to really kick in. So only in a month can you start judging whether it helps or not.
> > B.
> >
>
> >>>yeah true..but i was wondering if anyone knows the statistics.. like if zoloff has more success then effexor? or the other way around? and also do they do the same thing? im confused about the difference in them
>I have never tried Effexor but I was on Zoloft for a while and the whole time I felt very detatched from everything in my life. I had a situation that occurred that caused me to have situational depression, but once I worked through the issue with my doc I fel that Zoloft was not doing anything for me except making me not motivated to do anything. I took myself off Zoloft (wrong thing to do)
I hope Effexor works for you. I have heard good things about it.
>
This is the end of the thread.
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