Suggestions on Anti-Depressants???

[Zante9]

Hi,

My psychologist is sending me to a psychiatrist to be evaluated for an
anti-depressant. I know everyone is different and reacts differently to
different meds, but could anyone possibly recommend some that are better as far
as having few bad side effects? And maybe suggest some to definately stay away
from? I didn't want to get started on any, but my depression has gotten out of
hand so it's time to try something. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bonnie

[Amanda]

Pretty much everyone here will tell you the same thing...every drug is
different for every person. There are statistics for side effects that
each drug "generally" causes, but they vary according to your own
personal chemical make-up...you might even see the opposite effects!

For the most part, you can try what the pdoc suggests...but also let the
pdoc know your concerns...if your more concerned about weight loss,
weight gain, sexual dysfunction, sleepiness, wiredness...the usual.

Then come back here at let us know what you're taking, and we can give
you personal feedback on it.

Good luck!

-Amanda

PS: Serzone had the least side-effects for me...
--
"He's pending for a bending."
-- Bender

[Alan and Mira Fader]

I am taking Paxil because it is supposed to have less side effects. I have
also taken Zoloft but experience certain intimate problems if you know what
I mean. This is common with these drugs. I personally feel that there are
less side effects with Paxil but I also feel less results from it.

Zante9 <zan...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19990603221510...@ng-fb1.aol.com...

[Shapere]

I think that psychiatrists almost always like to start people out on one of the
SSRI antidepressants - Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox, Celexa. They tend to make
people a little jittery at first, although sometimes they are sedating for some
people (Paxil and Luvox seem to do this more often). Some doctors have their
own personal favorite SSRI, but really I don't think that any one is better
than another. Paxil seems to be more likely to cause weight gain than the rest.
Some other SSRI side effects: sexual dysfunction (common!), nausea, diarrhea,
tremor, and weird sleep disorders.

For a particular type of more severe depression, sometimes they will choose
Effexor to start out with instead. It has pretty similar side effects - usually
a little jittery, sometimes sedating, maybe less sexual dysfunction (hard to
say) - but it can also cause sustained hypertension for a few unlucky souls. So
it's not quite as safe as the SSRIs, although it is pretty darned safe in
general.

Sometimes if anxiety or insomnia is a big component they will suggest Serzone.
Some people with a particular enzyme deficiency ("slow hydroxylators") have bad
anxiety reactions to Serzone, but this is pretty uncommon - more often, it is
mildly sedating and improves sleep. It doesn't seem to cause sexual problems
very often, whereas this is a common side effect of the SSRIs.

Wellbutrin is another of the newer antidepressants. It's rather stimulating and
might cause increased anxiety. It's the same drug (bupropion) as Zyban, the
stop-smoking pill. It has a reputation for causing seizures, but the dosage
limit (no more than 450mg per day) and the sustained-release preparation have
brought the rate of seizures with Wellbutrin down to pretty much the same as
other ADs, I believe - basically you shouldn't take it if you have epilepsy,
but otherwise it's probably just fine. I've heard claims (from the
manufacturer, even :-) that people with eating disorders are at greater risk
for seizures with WB than the population in general, but I don't know how good
the evidence is to substantiate this.

Anyway those are the ones that you're most likely to encounter. I hope it goes
well - keep posting!

-elizabeth