Antidepressants

Hi Beachmom,   First of all, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to you to Healing Well.  I am so glad that you found that very caring community.  You should be able to find so great help from the members and the resources we have available.   As far as the antidepressants, your best bet is to talk to your doctor as he/she is the best source of information for this sort of thing.  Also, depending upon your insurance you may need a referral from your doctor if you need to see a psychiatrist.  Your doctor may very well want to prescribe something for you to see if it works, especially if you are going to see a psychiatrist.  Most of them have several weeks waiting list for the initial intake appointment.  There are a whole host of antidepressants available and most will take 4-6 before you have the full effects of it.  I have taken Zoloft which worked okay for me, I've also taken Wellbutrin which I had a bad reaction too and am now taking Abilify which is working well for me (I'm taking this for both the depression and the Bipolar).  Just remember that not all drugs work for everyone, one will work for some but not for others.  It can sometimes take 4 or 5 tries before a good one is found for you.   I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you, but I only know of the meds that I've taken in the past or am on currently.  Maybe some other members can be of more help to you.  But your best source of information will be your doctor, ask lots of questions and get as much information as you can about any medications you may be given.   Again, welcome to Healing Well; keep posting so that we can get to know you better.  Come here to vent, ask questions, give/get support, etc.  We are here for  you.   Take care, Wen

Beachbum,

Welcome to HealingWell and I am so glad you found us.  I think if you have been having problems it is good to see your PCP first and talk to him/her. Wen is right, it is usually a wait to get into see a pdoc but once you do they will do an intake of info on you and from there come up with what they feel will work best. 
While antidepressant drugs help people feel better, they cannot solve problems in people's lives. Some mental health professionals worry that people who could benefit from psychotherapy rely instead on antidepressant drugs for a "quick fix." Others point out that the drugs work gradually and do not produce instant happiness. The best approach is often a combination of counseling and medicine, but the correct treatment for a specific patient depends on many factors. The decision of how to treat depression or other conditions that may respond to antidepressant drugs should be made carefully and will be different for different people.

The National Institute of Mental Health is another excellent resource for you to take a look at.

Again welcome to A & P.  Keep posting and let us know how you are.  We are here for you.

Hugs

Kitt

Wen,

I just wanted to say that I take abilify and found it to work wonders.

hugs, Karen

Thank you and thanks for all the warm welcomes. Great advice and I plan to discuss it with my doctor today. I like the idea of Prozac making me sleepy, as I have had alot of insomnia lately. I'll keep you posted.

Beachmom,

I tried St. Joh's wort for my depression years ago and wasn't satisfied with it. After several tries, I finally settled in with Paxil, which works really well for me. The thing I've noticed from this forum, though, is that everybody is different when it comes to what works well and what doesn't. It doesn't seem to be unusual to try more than one type of medication before you find one that suits.

How did your appointment today with your doctor turnout?

percycat

 

PROZAC says don't take if inssomia is a problem, safe - no known risks

ZOLOFT- avoid grapefruit, may induce mania on the high end or simply an increase in energy in non-bipolar.  My cause stomach upset (you briefly use pepto-bismal, then take acidohilus pills.)   Most are also prescribed desyrel to combat any insomnia.

PAXIL- turns out medically to be a poor drug, it causes stomach problems, diarrhea, shakiness, agitation, sexual problems that cannot be dealt by takin weekend s "off".  No not go off without tapering.  Newborns exposed to this drug will go through a painful withdrawl.

CELEXA - considered better than the fist 3, the side effects are nausea, insomnia, and sexual problems.  On the plus side , after about six months of no sex thins actually to start working again unlike first three.

LEXAPRO- insomnia, loss of weight iniatlly, but gain after a few weeks,  This drug zyban an antismoking drug), issimilar to celexa - in fact the are pretty much the same molecue.

EFFEXOR -all of the side effects listed above plus incresed sweating

CYMBALTA-good for depression and pain, ssri symptoms(nausea,insomnia,sex problems)There is a risk for dizziness and constipation.

SERZONe-no longer made in the US but is avaivable in Cananda, high risl of liver damage

Amoxapine-agitation and insomnia, no longer has much favor amoung doctors

Luvox- nausea,loose stools,,headache, and insmnia

buproprion-weight loss,restlessness,headache, nausea, rashes, epileptics should be stable be under speacial care

rememron-sleepy day/night, watch blood count, do not take if HIV positive.

quietpain