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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by manduh on December 4, 2010, at 0:09:08
Hi hi,
I've suffered from anxiety with some depression since my late teens. I recently got to the point where I absolutely could not function properly anymore and finally went to the doctor.
I started my very first antidepressant ever, celexa 20mg. I was also given trazodone 50mg for my insomnia.
Being on celexa was not a fun experience. I remember telling my boyfriend a few days in that "I feel like I'm detoxing from heroin" due to how physically and emotionally uncomfortable I was. I don't know if I'm just sensitive or if thats the way it is.
Anyhoo, about 5 weeks after starting the celexa I had had enough (I got to the point where it was like I had PMS all the time). I asked my doctor to switch me to wellbutrin.
I think now is a good time to point out that I don't think my doctor likes me being proactive in my own treatment.
Wellbutrin and I were good friends from the start. I felt happy and motivated, my obsessive thinking had quieted down greatly. I had a little bit of a temper, which may have been a good thing given the fact that I'm a bit of a pushover.
Unfortunately 4 days ago I broke out in hives, and after going over everything I had ingested or used in the days prior the only possibility was the wellbutrin. Some crafty googling turned up similar experiences of people getting terrible hives 3 weeks to a month after starting wellbutrin.
I had my last dose of wellbutrin over 24 hours ago and my hives have greatly improved, but for the time being I'm on prednisone and klonopin. After a week I have to go in to reevaluate my treatment options.
Any suggestions on where to go from here? Any experiences with buspar for anxiety?
Posted by Christ_empowered on December 4, 2010, at 1:53:00
In reply to just started the med adventure., posted by manduh on December 4, 2010, at 0:09:08
hey. sorry about your problems. I tried BuSpar; it pretty much sucked, but I had been on benzos for a while beforehand. I've heard that its good for improving response to antidepressants, so maybe that's an option for you?
Sorry your SSRI experience sucked. At least it was short-lived.
Have you tried Remeron?
Posted by manduh on December 4, 2010, at 2:12:42
In reply to Re: just started the med adventure., posted by Christ_empowered on December 4, 2010, at 1:53:00
Hey, thanks. I have a little bit of experience with ativan, which I only take when I fly.
I haven't tried remeron. The doctor I saw today (who wasn't my normal GP) suggested zoloft.
Some of the side effects listed for other SSRI's though..ugh. Not pretty.
> hey. sorry about your problems. I tried BuSpar; it pretty much sucked, but I had been on benzos for a while beforehand. I've heard that its good for improving response to antidepressants, so maybe that's an option for you?
>
> Sorry your SSRI experience sucked. At least it was short-lived.
>
> Have you tried Remeron?
Posted by Christ_empowered on December 4, 2010, at 2:20:28
In reply to Re: just started the med adventure., posted by manduh on December 4, 2010, at 2:12:42
Yeah, SSRI drugs kinda suck. Zoloft--AKA "soul-off"--was probably my least favorite, but it could have been b/c my (not-so-great) doc ramped up the dosage, which made me feel flat, petulant, and unstable.
Even though everybody (shrinks included) seems to reach for the antidepressants whenever there's a label of depression, there are other ways to go about it. Low-dose antipsychotics, tranquilizers, anticonvulsants, stimulants...don't feel like you're stuck in SSRI-land. Maybe if you just told your doc "NO ssris!" they'd listen? Sometimes you gotta put your foot down in order to get effective treatment.
SSRI-bashing aside..some people get good results out of Symbyax, since the 2 components have some weird balancing act going on in terms of side effects (except for the potential massive weight gain). I've never tried it myself, but it supposedly works fast (when it works, that is).
I hope things get better for you soon.
Posted by KathrynLex on December 4, 2010, at 2:25:47
In reply to just started the med adventure., posted by manduh on December 4, 2010, at 0:09:08
Would you prefer to not stay on the Klonopin? I took it for 3 years and it did wonders for my anxiety. (Of course, some people would rather not be on a benzo for an extended amount of time.)
I haven't tried Buspar. The meds that worked for my anxiety include Prozac, Xanax, Klonopin, Lexapro, and Celexa. Lexapro is similar to Celexa, but it's newer and said to have fewer side effects. That could be one route to explore.
I'm sorry Wellbutrin caused some skin problems. But it's good you found something that works, there must be something else out there that's just as effective but doesn't cause hives.
Oh, another thought: There are some medications that I'm VERY sensitive to. When I took Celexa I started out at 20mg but the side effects were horrible so my pdoc lowered the dose to 5mg for a week, then 10mg for two weeks, 15mg for two weeks and finally up to 15. It was still a bit of an uncomfortable process but not nearly as bad as it was the first time. If you try another medication with horrible side effects you might consider doing something similar to the gradual doseing schedule I just described.
Good luck!
K.
Posted by manduh on December 4, 2010, at 3:39:19
In reply to Re: just started the med adventure., posted by KathrynLex on December 4, 2010, at 2:25:47
Christ_empowered-
I was actually thinking the same thing about being stuck in SSRI land. Seems like my doctor likes to whip out the heavy artillery. I'm going to try the no SSRI route when I see her. Not sure how she's going to take that.
KathrynLex-I dunno how I feel about staying on the klonopin. I can't deny the fact that I'm in a pretty good mood at the moment. Does the sleepiness/sedation feeling go away with time? I know I function pretty well on the ativan, though it makes me forget things.....I spent two hours in schipol airport in amsterdam and barely remember a thing.
It's nice to know I'm not the only one who had an issue with celexa. My doctor actually wanted to up my dosage when I told her how bad I was feeling. I don't even want to think about what that would've been like if I hadn't insisted on switching meds completely.
It really is a pretty crappy trade off game isn't it?
But thank you both very much =)> Would you prefer to not stay on the Klonopin? I took it for 3 years and it did wonders for my anxiety. (Of course, some people would rather not be on a benzo for an extended amount of time.)
>
> I haven't tried Buspar. The meds that worked for my anxiety include Prozac, Xanax, Klonopin, Lexapro, and Celexa. Lexapro is similar to Celexa, but it's newer and said to have fewer side effects. That could be one route to explore.
>
> I'm sorry Wellbutrin caused some skin problems. But it's good you found something that works, there must be something else out there that's just as effective but doesn't cause hives.
>
> Oh, another thought: There are some medications that I'm VERY sensitive to. When I took Celexa I started out at 20mg but the side effects were horrible so my pdoc lowered the dose to 5mg for a week, then 10mg for two weeks, 15mg for two weeks and finally up to 15. It was still a bit of an uncomfortable process but not nearly as bad as it was the first time. If you try another medication with horrible side effects you might consider doing something similar to the gradual doseing schedule I just described.
>
> Good luck!
>
> K.
Posted by Phillipa on December 4, 2010, at 11:13:44
In reply to Re: just started the med adventure., posted by manduh on December 4, 2010, at 3:39:19
I also never did well on SSRI's was only a benzo user for many many years maybe since you say you feel pretty good that prn of benzos is all you need? Phillipa
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