erikainorlando Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 Hi Guys,I have had some personal issues lately that have added to my stress so that my symptoms are kind of bad lately. I wanted to try an anti-depressent again as I know they sometimes help with POTS and maybe evenmy basic temperment these days !!. Here is what I have done with and without success...Prozac - tried 10 mg for a while...had success with POTS symptoms...felt much better then my body got used to it and symptoms returned with a vengence. So we up'd it to 20 mg...no luck...diahrea...couldn't handle it. Cymbalta - forget it...hr sky-rocketed. Way too sick...Before I got sick I took lexapro when I was depressed some but it really had some sexual side effects....altho...sex is not big on my list anyway when my POTS symptoms are so bad!! So...what do you all think..you are my best resource.....Thanks!!Erikka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vemee Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 Since you got sick on cymbalta it is a good idea to stay away from any of the other norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors since they don't go too well with people who have really high norepinephrine levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 Hey Erika,I have had a lot of luck using Paxil. 20 mg is usually the starting dose, but I can't take that much because it makes me too groggy the next day and lowers my BP too much. I take 15 mg, which is just right for me. I think I started at 10 mg, then increased it to 15 a couple of weeks after. I've been on it for about 10 years, and it's been good to me. I also take a very small dose of Klonopin. Good luck!cheers,jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue1234 Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 I know omega-3 oils are supposed to be as good as anti-depressants, but I don't know from experience. I personally don't take any, but have read alot on how the omega-3s(fish oil) helps other people's depression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 I've taken fish-oil (and some flax oil) to various degrees and periods of time (usually as the "good fat" portion of a fat restricted diet). It's touted for helping weight loss, epilepsy, depression, whatever... even being somewhat neuroprotective. I didn't notice anything profound but it might help overall and is generally accepted as being beneficial to stuff like cardiovascular health (though who really knows). It kind of won me over and I tend to be a skeptic on most stuff. Some "regiments" that showed benefit in research are rather high quantities which gets expensive though. I tried that for a bit and I sensed that it was kind of good (but I was doing plenty of other healthy things too). Also, after the initial week or two of "pain" I tend to operate better when in metabolic weight loss mode... hard to describe.I got goated in to trying L-Tryptophan in the 80's just before it was pulled from the market... don't get me started on that issue... people insisted I was depressed when it was more/different than that and I'll never know if/what damage came from that venture I did not want to take. Supplements are virtually unregulated... meds have known bad effects... I personally deal with known bad things better than unknown bad things. YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Burschman Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Boy, Paxil is a lifesaver for me, but if you can find other options, I would. If you're looking for a mood enhancer, I'd try fish oil or something natural first. Reason being that nearly all of the antidepressants have nasty side effects and are basically impossible to quit once you're on them (Paxil is particularly bad for withdrawal symptoms.) I'd be thrilled if I could find something else that worked as well and I didn't have to take it anymore.Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lalalisa Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Hello,I've had a good experience with Paxil CR. I've tried many others but they actually make me so anxious that I have had to take xanax until the side effects wore off...just crazy. I have to cut the lowest dose into 4th's because I'm SO sensitive and slowly work up. Once i'm on the 25mg I feel like myself and the anxiety surges go away. I'm currently on it for postpartum depression and it's helping quite a bit.Hope you find something that helps!Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandymbme Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 I take cymbalta, which I know you said is a no go, but for me a life saver. I take it primarily for migraine prevention and pain management, but the anti-depressant aspect is a nice bonus. I have not noticed any change in my HR on it, but I take a relatively low dose. Any higher dose and I start to get elevated liver enzymes. Have you ever considered trying St. John's Wort? It is an herbal supplement that I used to have success with years ago, and is fairly mild. Just make sure you get a "standardized" supplement so each capsule has the same amount of the active ingredient. Good luck!Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikainorlando Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 Thanks Guys! Any luck with Zoloft helping with POTS symptoms? I took it for post-partum depression years ago now that I think of it and didn't havew too many side effects from that. Thanks!!Erika Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted September 11, 2009 Report Share Posted September 11, 2009 I had a lot of nasty side effects from Zoloft and had to go off it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajw4790 Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 Hi,So far, I have had the best results and overall least side effects from Zoloft. I think it would be worth giving it a trial run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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