Anti Depressants Other Than Ssris

[Becia]

I know some of us have had the luck of anti depressants helping our symptoms, namely SSRIs that I can recall. I was tried on celexa and Paxil, which made me much worse, and certainly didn't help my mind while I was on either one.

Im looking at going back on antidepressants to help with my depression (diagnosed because I'm dealing with a chronic condition hat has greatly affected my life, per the psychologist), but I'm extremely hesitant to go back to SSRIs, and I'm not sure what else is out there that might actually help my symptoms as well as my mind. Last time I was on Paxil, I was hospitalized in a serotonin crisis, and the SSRIs made me sicker with my symptoms.

Thoughts? Ideas?

[Clb75]

There's SNRI's like Effexor that work on serotonin and norepinephrine, and older classes of antidepressants like tricyclics (elavil) and Maoi' s. These are not as clean as ssri's and have more side effects plus sedation. Maoi' s also interact with a lot of food so you have to be careful about that too. Unfortunately most of them have some type of side effect so hopefully you'll find one that works for you.

[Christy_D]

My son takes Doxepin, not for depression, but for his POTS and MCAS. It is a tricylic anti-depressant. It has antihistamine in it, so it works well for MCAS as well. Taken at bedtime, it also helps him sleep. Doxepin is the only antidepressant that relieved any symptoms of POTS. He tried Cymbalta, Zoloft, Nortriptyline, and more with no effect. I think it was helpful for him because of his MCAS diagnosis. It is also prescribed for sleep issues and restless leg syndrome. It helped him with many issues.

Good luck in finding one to help.

Christy

[momandmore]

In cases of serotonin syndrome, there are typical causes. One would be interaction with other meds or supplements. The other is underlying bipolar. While we were still figuring a lot of stuff out, we had one of my kids evaluated for anxiety that had become pretty debilitating due to a traumatic event that caused PTSD. The psychiatrist asked a lot about family history and in the end decided not to medicate due to our having a couple of relatives with a history of problems. The doctor wanted me to find out more information and rule out bipolar disorder in my family before he would consider medication. He may have decided to go ahead if he hadn't seen signs that she was already improving.

I also think, from hearing from friends' experiences, that doctors often prescribe starting doses that are too high, especially for those who are medication sensitive.

The other thing is that if we have problems regulating our circulatory systems due to possible neurological causes, doesn't it make sense that our serotonin systems might also have a tendency to be destabilized? That could mean that for some people SSRI's help but for others SSRI's could hurt, depending on an individual's balance.

I am not a doctor but these are just my jumbled thoughts.

[Becia]

Bipolar has already been ruled out. My last experience with Paxil I was constantly told it just wasn't in my system enough, to up the dose and keep trying, which led to me being hospitalized for four days. I had tapered up on it as well, and still ended up having major issues. when I was in celexa, my roommates at the time couldn't keep me concious. The SSRIs were horrible with me, and certainly didn't help my mental mind set either.

I'm worried, like anytime a new medication is added, about how is this going to affect me. Last thing I want is another bizarre hospital stay because my body doesn't handle this right. In the end, the doctor may decide to not even medicate, but if there is a chance of it, I'm trying to research what I can for them and for my peace of mind. My doctors are also sending her my history, so she can see what I've been on in the past, and what I'm on now, and dealing with my condition, so we can make the wisest decision as possible.

Thanks yall for the information

[badhbt]

I would stay away from Effexor. It was horrible getting on it and horrible getting off of it. My Doctor recommended Doxepin if I needed it again.

[Katybug]

I could not tolerate Lexapro or paxil. They both made my pots symptoms worse. I am currently on amitryptiline for my migraines (it's an older migraine treatment). I am getting a little relief with it but I am not experiencing any side effects. I am on a very low dose (20 mg). We will probably increase that dose at my next appointment but my neuro takes new meds super slow with me.

[artluvr09]

I was on Celexa as well. I was on 40 mgs on it for a couple years. In those years the Celexa caused me to have hypoglycemia which I never had before and it made my dizziness much much worse. When on the Celexa I could not lay flat on my back or I would get dizzy which made MRI's very difficult. It also made my anxiety much worse. I went off it almost 2 years ago and I do not have hypoglycemia anymore, my dizziness improved, and my anxiety improved. I am still on Buspar which is an SSRI and that seems to stop my panic attacks I used to have. When I was younger and my anxiety was really bad I took Luvox which helped. But I had to switch off the med because after so many years my body got used to it. Another suggestion is Vistaril. its like hydroxyzine but for anxiety. It seems to help. I hope you find something that helps you