Suggestions for the best anti-depressant

My psych is determined that I should go on an anti-depressant but i'm really afraid of their side effects. I've been on a small dose of Xanax for years and it always seems to help when I'm ramped up with anxiety. My fear with AD's is that I'm afraid they'll make me more agitated than I already am most of the time. I find I need something with a calming effect, not something to give me a jolt, which is what I assume AD's do. Alot of people on here seem to think Zoloft is pretty good but I've heard varying critiques. Can you just give me your experience with the AD's you've taken and I guess I'll just decide on one and give it a try with doc's permission. Thanks for all your help. I trust you folks more than any therapist.

Hi Andwes

This is a tough question to answer as we all react differently when it comes to AD's and what works well for one person may not work as well for an other so you won't no for sure until you try one. I am pleased you are seeing a psychiatrist as they are the experts when it comes to AD's.

My experience with AD's has been a long one I have been on them for years and have found that they help to control my Anxiety, Depression & OCD. It is important to remember that AD's will not cure you they will only help to ease your symptoms so it's important to combine them with therapy such as CBT and Mindfulness but i'm sure you new that already.

The Antidepressants I have tried are as follows:-

Amitrptyline - Did not get on with this one had lots of side effects

Citalopram (Celexa) - I found this to be a good AD worked well for my anxiety not to many side effects.

Venlafaxine (Effexor) - Good for my depression but not so good for my anxiety had a lot of side effects at first but they settled after a month on the medication. Quite hard to discontinue needs to be done slowly under supervision of your pdoc.

Clomipramine (Anafranil) - Found this a very strong AD made me feel out of it so was not on it for long.

Escitalopram (Lexapro) - One of the best if not the best AD I have taken worked really well for me and had no side effects but as with most AD pooped out after a couple of years so needed to change.

Paroxetine (Paxil) - Worked really well for my anxiety but not so good for my depression but ok not to many side effects but was super hard to withdraw from this one had all sorts of problems took 3 months to get off it.

Duloxetine (Cymbalta) - An other good one for me worked really well for my anxiety and depression and had the added bonus of helping me with my chronic pain which was a bonus. Downside was lots of side effects and when I needed to change meds again this was an other one which I found really difficult to stop.

Which brings me to my current medication I am taking a combination of:-

Fluoxetine (Prozac) 60mg & Mirtazipine (Remeron) 30mg - I have found both to be good not had that many side effects from the Fluoxetine but the Mirtazipine has caused weight gain. They both seem to help with my anxiety and depression and the Mirtazipine has the added bonus of making you sleepy so I take it at night to help me sleep.

I also take Haloperidol (Haldol) which is an Anti-Psychotic at a low dose each day which works very well for my intrusive thoughts & Paranoia but does come with a lot of side effects.

The above is my personal experiences with psychiatric medication and as I mentioned previously we all react differently to these medications which is important to remember.

Remember I am not a doctor or psychiatrist so it is always best to talk things through with yours and discuss which may be the best option for you and talk through any concerns you may have.

I hope you find something that is suitable for you and works well.

Hibee

Hey Andwes,

ADs help a lot with anxiety. Though, as far as I know Xanax is not recommended for long term use. Because of it's possible tendency of addiction.
It also tends to relax you and have calming effects, but on the other hand other Antidepressants like SSRIs etc, have longer treatment effects on the brain (which is basically balancing the chemicals).

All medications have side effects but that doesn't mean that you will have them. Also If you feel something with Zoloft (Sertraline) that would be a little bit increased anxiety, but hey, don't you have anxiety anyways :)
Besides, it's only for a week or so. After 3-4 weeks you will start feeling the benefits of your antidepressant (Which I recommend an SSRI med, like Zoloft for example). Any side effect is worth for the benefits of an SSRI.

You can trust me with that. Good luck

I'm on zoloft and I was sooo scared to take Ssris I had to cut the 25 in four 😳, I took a little over 6 msg for a week then went up to 12 then to 25 in total of 5 weeks . So I started slow and it has helped me a lot , still having a hard time being away from home but at least I'm going out and I haveht had a full blow panic attack in over a month had them daily before starting zoloft
Side effects are headaches that come and go not severe or debilitating like the panic attacks were , Ive never been on Ssris but I did a lot of research and Zoloft seemed like a good one as far as safety and side effects .
Hope you find one that works for u