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Antidepressants?

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Posted 7/25/2010 2:27 AM (GMT 0)
For those of you who take an antidepressant, which one do you take? Side effects? I have come to realize that I can't handle dealing with this darn disease without some extra help. It has really taken a toll on my body and mind.
Posted 7/25/2010 2:54 AM (GMT 0)
I take cipralex (in the States it's known as Lexapro) There have been no side effects at all except the first time I was ever on it (I have tapered on and off a few times) I felt weird for the first 3 weeks, approx. Its kind of hard to desribe but it felt kind of like my emotions were being suppressed? or blunted? Felt kind of zombie like. Did some research and found out it's common but only lasts a month or so. I told myself if I still felt like that after 6wks I was going off it. But that feeling lifted and now I feel totally normal.

PS This drug is also awesome for an anti-anxiety- that's the reason I'm on it.
Posted 7/25/2010 7:51 AM (GMT 0)
I take citalopram. I have done so for some time and have no problems at all with it.
Posted 7/25/2010 10:03 AM (GMT 0)
i take mirtazapine, 15 mg each night. i've been on it almost 3 weeks. havent noticed a huge amount of difference but i am now sleeping alot better. that alone makes it worth it. I do feel pretty groggy if i dont sleep until i wake up (if you know what i mean). if i need to wake up at a particular time than i will feel really bad untill like 3pm. I'm not sure if i'm going to stay on this anti depressant, i'm due to see my GP tomorrow so will shall see!!
Posted 7/25/2010 6:13 PM (GMT 0)

I take mirtazapine too, half of a 45mg. I won't take more than that. This stuff makes me sleepy, and I take it an hour before I go to bed.  My doctor tells me it is supposed to help with pain, but I dunno.  He also said it will help some with nausea. It does make me have some wild dreams though, and they seem so vivid and real. It's name brand is Remeron.

Celexa is also good, not so hard. I used it for a while, then it just started making me nauseated, so my doctor suggested remeron. I also had a stricture at the time, so I dunno for sure, about the nausea.  I will proably go back to it, because it's so mild.

Posted 7/25/2010 7:34 PM (GMT 0)
Actually if the sleepiness bothers you, consider asking your doctor if you can take more...seriously. This is an unusual drug in that the more you take, the LESS sleepy it makes you.

Note that this is NOT the case for it's close cousins - Amitriptyline and Nortriptyline.

http://www.biopsychiatry.com/mirtazapine.html
Posted 7/25/2010 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
I've been on several antidepressants. I took Zoloft, but it made me have severe motion sickness and panic attacks. I took Celexa, but because of my age, I ended up having a reverse reaction to it and it made me suicidal...not fun. I've been on amitriptyline, which I wouldn't really recommend for anyone. I took 5 mg a night of amitriptyline and it gave me hallucinations, nightmares, restless sleep and mood swings during the day. However, I've heard it can really help people. It's hardly used in the anti-depressant sense anymore because it's such an old drug, but used for pain management.

My favorite antidepressant is Remeron. It really helps with anxiety and gives you a restful sleep. It really helped me while I was on it. I actually took 7.5 mg a night, and that was the perfect amount.

Hope you find the right one for you!
Posted 7/25/2010 11:05 PM (GMT 0)
I take pristiq and abilify its the only way I can deal with this. When I found out I had crohn's my life changed so much and I had some bad doctors that I had to go on something. Now I'm able to deal with everything. It helped me so much.


Dawn turn yeah
Posted 7/26/2010 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
I recently had to go on anti-depressants after a very long flare up.
My doctor prescribed prisiq because it is fast acting. It gave me heart palpitations, nauseousness and made me trip out for 12 hours a day, it was crazy. I changed it because I couldn't handle the upset stomach during the flare up.
Ive been on zoloft 50mg a day for about a month now and it's working great, no side effects and I feel better then normal. No anxiety, limited depression.
Hope this helps
Posted 7/26/2010 3:20 AM (GMT 0)
From what I understand, antidepressants are a VERY individual thing! What works well for one person can be a disaster for another. Talk to your doctor. Some antidepressants are more sedating and some more energizing. Also, dosage is a consideration. They should start you out on the lowest dose at first and then gradually take it up some. If they don't do that, you are likely to have side effects.

A doctor told me that Remeron will make you hungry as a horse and gain weight. That might be good for some crohnnies, not me.

Zoloft gave me awful reflux and diarrhea. Cymbalta made me anxious and made my teeth hurt (strange, I know, but true) LOL....

I take Wellbutrin and it seems to work fine for me. I also take pexeva, a derivative of paxil and that helps a lot with my IBS. I've been on antidepressants for over 10 years. Originally zoloft worked ok for me but after i got colitis, it gave me diarrhea.

Good luck with your search. If you ever want to stop taking an antidepressant, get a tapering dosage program from your doctor, don't just quit cold turkey, it is not recommended.
Posted 7/26/2010 12:19 PM (GMT 0)
I've taken several over the years including Lexipro, Paxil, Busparone, Zanax and Remeron (Mirtazapine).  I'm on Remeron now and have been for several years. It's an older drug and has less side effects on the gut, so they like to use it for people with Crohn's.  I haven't had any side effects and haven't noticed it making me hungry or gain weight, as jeanneac mentioned, but I have heard that it can.   
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