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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 19 of 19. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Crazy Horse on May 7, 2007, at 20:20:39
Dear trusted friends, if you had to make a choice only between Remeron or Paxil for Depression, anxiety, and OCD, which would you choose and why?
Thank you in advance.-Monte
Posted by Phillipa on May 7, 2007, at 21:19:00
In reply to Remeron or Paxil?, posted by Crazy Horse on May 7, 2007, at 20:20:39
Monte my first ad was paxil low dose only l0mg and it made me anxious and took with xanax and lopressor to block the anxiety. After three months I felt like my own self. Since your problem is more depression and anxiety I'd go with the paxil. Remeron did absolutely nothing when they gave it to me for sleep with benzos dose of l5mg. Have you taken paxil before? Love Jan ps you can go up quite a bit on paxil. My sister used to call it her happy pill. Goood luck is tomorrow the day????
Posted by Crazy Horse on May 7, 2007, at 21:24:43
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil? » Crazy Horse, posted by Phillipa on May 7, 2007, at 21:19:00
> Monte my first ad was paxil low dose only l0mg and it made me anxious and took with xanax and lopressor to block the anxiety. After three months I felt like my own self. Since your problem is more depression and anxiety I'd go with the paxil. Remeron did absolutely nothing when they gave it to me for sleep with benzos dose of l5mg. Have you taken paxil before? Love Jan ps you can go up quite a bit on paxil. My sister used to call it her happy pill. Goood luck is tomorrow the day????
Thank you Jan. Yes i was on Paxil about 5 years ago, it worked okay except i had to keep raising the dose. I'm leaning towards remeron as i just think it's a stronger AD. Low dose remeron is what i'm thinking..but thank you so much for your imput. :)
Love, Monte
Posted by Phillipa on May 7, 2007, at 22:11:22
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil? » Phillipa, posted by Crazy Horse on May 7, 2007, at 21:24:43
Monte whatever to get you better. Good luck again. Love Jan
Posted by johnnyj on May 7, 2007, at 22:14:13
In reply to Remeron or Paxil?, posted by Crazy Horse on May 7, 2007, at 20:20:39
I am a pure O and have anxiety to boot. I tried paxil and I couldn't take it. Too much start up anxiety and I felt really weird. I take 15 mg of remeron right now as I had taken it in the past and started 5 weeks ago. My problem was also sleep related. Remeron helps in some areas but can seem to make parts of my ocd worse. I believe in the past this got better so I am not worrying too much.
That said, if I could handle paxil I would take it as it is supposed to work for ocd better. Remeron has a lot of baggage as in a heavy head but I still have the ability to have sex which I would give up if I could get remission.
I don't know if this helps at all but if ssri's work for you they sound like the best for ocd.
johnnyj
Posted by saturn on May 7, 2007, at 23:16:49
In reply to Remeron or Paxil?, posted by Crazy Horse on May 7, 2007, at 20:20:39
> Dear trusted friends, if you had to make a choice only between Remeron or Paxil for Depression, anxiety, and OCD, which would you choose and why?
> Thank you in advance.
>
> -Monte
I would choose Remeron because it is the only antidepressant I'm not afraid of. I'm atypical in my response to meds. My last trial of an SSRI resulted in chest pain and a panic attack...I'm talking the worst anxiety I've every experienced in my life. Admittedly this is a very rare reaction, but it was mine.I've only ever taken a few doses of Remeron and despite it's significant side effect profile (and my very limited trial), it did not freak me out. I expected the sedation and did have some vivid dreams. It was very good for anxiety and sleep. Didn't stick around long enough for an AD response, so I can't comment there.
Of all the available AD's, Remeron is probably the only I'd consider for myself. But that's just me. I'm sure the paxil has it's positives and negatives as well. Good Luck and Peace...Saturn.
Posted by Johann on May 8, 2007, at 0:22:29
In reply to Remeron or Paxil?, posted by Crazy Horse on May 7, 2007, at 20:20:39
Remeron is highly sedative, especially at low doses (paradoxically), and so is often used for sleep disorder along with depression. No OCD incidation from what I remember. I'd start with Paxil.
On an idiosyncratic note, a quarter and then an eighth of the minimum dosage of Remeron made me so wasted that my speech was slurred and it took me a full 24 hours to recover, on each trial.
Posted by Viking on May 8, 2007, at 9:37:46
In reply to Remeron or Paxil?, posted by Crazy Horse on May 7, 2007, at 20:20:39
> Dear trusted friends, if you had to make a choice only between Remeron or Paxil for Depression, anxiety, and OCD, which would you choose and why?
> Thank you in advance.
>
> -MonteIt is not a simple question. I would say that anxiety and OCD are best treated with some SSRI such as Paxil, but I dont have any personal experience with this drug. Neither do I have any experience with anxiety and OCD.
When it comes to depression the answer is not that simple. I have taken Remeron for some time until it pooped out. It is a strange drug. No matter the dose it will invariably cause sedation and weight gain. When you increase the dose the noradrenergic and AD effect of the drug will show up. Then the drug can be very activating. But it takes HUGE doses and very few people ever reach such a dose. They get frightened off by the sedation long time before.
If your problem is insomnia and weight loss then remeron in a low dose could very well be helpful. It wont have any AD effect but it will help you to sleep. In order to get an AD effect it can be combined with an SSRI allthough I am not quite sure about Paxil.
If you are already oversleeping and overweight I would not suggest Remeron.
A good thing about Remeron is that it is slightly pro-sexual.
I hope this can help you.
brgds
Viking
Posted by Racer on May 8, 2007, at 12:32:06
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil? » Phillipa, posted by Crazy Horse on May 7, 2007, at 21:24:43
> > . Low dose remeron is what i'm thinking..but thank you so much for your imput. :)
>
> Love, Monte
>Just remember that Remeron changes its profile based on dose. Lower doses are more sedating, so if that's something you need, that's not a bad choice.
I've taken both, although Remeron only lasted a week. Paxil saved my life, it was the second AD I ever took, and made a huge difference for me. But it came with some pretty heavy side effects for me: weight gain and sedation being the two biggies, along with the old standard anorgasmia. The sedation was maybe the worst -- I felt half asleep all the time, although that probably made a difference in my reaction to the weight gain. The anorgasmia would not bother me as much now, especially knowing that cyproheptidine helps me with that.
The Remeron, though, was a nightmare for me. I couldn't sleep, and I went into a RAGE. Now, I know y'all don't know me in real life, and I know that I've lost my temper a few times on these boards, but in real life I have a hard time expressing any sort of anger. In fact, I tend to turn it on myself -- if I'm angry, it's because I'm the most horrid, hateful person on the planet, etc. After years of therapy I'm starting to be able to say that I think I might be angry about something. On Remeron, I had to tell my husband not to get too close to me, because I was afraid I'd hit him. It scared me so badly -- I was afraid I'd hurt the cats, or hit my husband. It was terrifying for both of us. I tried raising the dose, but that made it worse. So, my trial lasted eight days.
Now, just to be clear, there was another element to this: when the doctor said Remeron, I felt as though I was being punished and betrayed. So, that probably had something to do with my reaction -- I didn't have any sort of hope of it working, only all those bad emotional reactions. While I wouldn't try Remeron again myself, I do think that the circumstances had something to do with my reaction.
I don't know that that will be helpful to you in making your decision, but I hope it's helpful somehow. By the way, why only those two?
Good luck, with whatever you choose.
Posted by Crazy Horse on May 8, 2007, at 14:03:05
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil? » Crazy Horse, posted by Racer on May 8, 2007, at 12:32:06
By the way, why only those two?
Because these are two meds that have worked for me in the past, and i've tried 'em all. Thanks for your imput.
Posted by ronaldo on May 11, 2007, at 12:13:44
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil?, posted by Johann on May 8, 2007, at 0:22:29
Hi Johann
1/4 and 1/8 of 7.5 mg or 15 mg ?
Had similar experience when I took 1/8 of 15 mg.
Made me feel 'spaced out'
15 mg is the smallest dose sold in the UK.
ronaldo
Posted by ronaldo on May 11, 2007, at 12:46:59
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil? » Johann, posted by ronaldo on May 11, 2007, at 12:13:44
Hi All
I'm on Remeron for sleep. Difficult to get the dose right. Been on 7.5 mg (1/2 tab.) for the past nine nights. Before that I experimented a bit. 3.75 (approx. with pill cutter) gave me a hangover the next day. First time 7.5 mg I felt brilliant the next day; although I was awake at 3 am I went back to sleep intermittently till about 6.30 am. Thats it with me on 7.5 mg I sleep till 3 then intermittently until about 6.30 am. Only once have I slept right through the night. Tried 15 mg one night but again slept till 3 and then not much afterwards. Went back to 7.5 mg.
HELP! Can anyone tell me what to do? Should I take more or less? Should I persevere with the 15 mg? Should I shave a bit off the 7.5 mg? I want to get a decent night's sleep ie a solid +/- 7 hours. I'm usually asleep by 11/11.30 pm.
Should I be trying something else? If so, what?
I think tonight I will try shaving a just a bit off the 7.5 mg. Previously the 7.5 mg has worked best for me the next night after I had taken a 3.75 mg. So it seems to me that I am taking just a tad too much. Hopefully a shaved off 7.5 mg will not give me a hangover.
Thats it! Live dangerously LOL. I will shave the 7.5 mg and tell you all tomorrow how it went.
ronaldo
Posted by Johann on May 11, 2007, at 13:27:55
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil? » Johann, posted by ronaldo on May 11, 2007, at 12:13:44
I don't recall what the dosage was, just that it was the smallest in the US. And it more than "spaced me out"; I was wiped out, almost non-functional for a day or two.
Posted by ronaldo on May 12, 2007, at 7:54:07
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil?, posted by ronaldo on May 11, 2007, at 12:46:59
Hi,
Well I tried it. Shaved about 1 to 1.5 mg off the 7.5 mg Remeron. Did not sleep well last night. Slept till about 4.10 am and then intermittently on till about 6.30 am, laid in bed till about 8 am. Feel a bit hung over, spaced out. Tonight I will either take 7.5 mg or maybe more say 7.5 mg + 1/2 of 7.5 mg = +/- 10 mg. See how that works.
ronaldo
> Hi All
>
> I'm on Remeron for sleep. Difficult to get the dose right. Been on 7.5 mg (1/2 tab.) for the past nine nights. Before that I experimented a bit. 3.75 (approx. with pill cutter) gave me a hangover the next day. First time 7.5 mg I felt brilliant the next day; although I was awake at 3 am I went back to sleep intermittently till about 6.30 am. Thats it with me on 7.5 mg I sleep till 3 then intermittently until about 6.30 am. Only once have I slept right through the night. Tried 15 mg one night but again slept till 3 and then not much afterwards. Went back to 7.5 mg.
>
> HELP! Can anyone tell me what to do? Should I take more or less? Should I persevere with the 15 mg? Should I shave a bit off the 7.5 mg? I want to get a decent night's sleep ie a solid +/- 7 hours. I'm usually asleep by 11/11.30 pm.
>
> Should I be trying something else? If so, what?
>
> I think tonight I will try shaving a just a bit off the 7.5 mg. Previously the 7.5 mg has worked best for me the next night after I had taken a 3.75 mg. So it seems to me that I am taking just a tad too much. Hopefully a shaved off 7.5 mg will not give me a hangover.
>
> Thats it! Live dangerously LOL. I will shave the 7.5 mg and tell you all tomorrow how it went.
>
> ronaldo
Posted by ronaldo on May 12, 2007, at 7:56:58
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil?, posted by Johann on May 11, 2007, at 13:27:55
Hi Johann,
Thanx for your post. Sounds like you caught it bad. I've been relatively lucky.
ronaldo
> I don't recall what the dosage was, just that it was the smallest in the US. And it more than "spaced me out"; I was wiped out, almost non-functional for a day or two.
Posted by Phillipa on May 12, 2007, at 20:03:13
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil? » Johann, posted by ronaldo on May 12, 2007, at 7:56:58
I don't get it remeron did absolutely nothing for or against me. Love Phillipa
Posted by Crazy Horse on May 12, 2007, at 21:16:31
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil? » ronaldo, posted by Phillipa on May 12, 2007, at 20:03:13
> I don't get it remeron did absolutely nothing for or against me. Love Phillipa
Well...how long did you take it and what dose were you on? Many docs believe Remeron to be closest in strength of all ssri's/snri's to maoi's. In CAN pull a serious depressed person from the depths of despair, and freguently does just that.
-Monte
Posted by Phillipa on May 12, 2007, at 22:05:21
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil? » Phillipa, posted by Crazy Horse on May 12, 2007, at 21:16:31
In the hospital for sleep l5mg for a month or so with chloral hydrate xanax and seroquel. And then zoloft during the day. What gives it didn't even make me sleep any longer just nothing. Love Phillipa
Posted by Crazy Horse on May 12, 2007, at 22:52:47
In reply to Re: Remeron or Paxil? » Crazy Horse, posted by Phillipa on May 12, 2007, at 22:05:21
> In the hospital for sleep l5mg for a month or so with chloral hydrate xanax and seroquel. And then zoloft during the day. What gives it didn't even make me sleep any longer just nothing. Love Phillipa
Should of tried 30mgs. Love, Monte :)
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