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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by gadman on March 3, 2005, at 16:09:02
Can anybody compare their experience with these two? I am on Effexor right now and thinking on switching to Prozac...
How does it compare side effect wise??? Sexual Dysfuntion, Cloudy Thoughts, etc...
Thanks,
gadman
Posted by Spriggy on March 3, 2005, at 17:31:38
In reply to Prozac vs Effexor, posted by gadman on March 3, 2005, at 16:09:02
Well Prozac doesn't hit norephrine so it's hard to compare the two..I imagine, if you haven't had success with Prozac, trying something like Effexor might be worth a shot.
I would encourage anyone thinking about Effexor to consider the effects of coming OFF of it.. I know it can work wonders in some people but I think realizing right away that coming off of it can be an utter nightmare would be something to consider before going on it.
Posted by gadman on March 3, 2005, at 17:36:44
In reply to Re: Prozac vs Effexor, posted by Spriggy on March 3, 2005, at 17:31:38
Sorry, You misunderstood... I am looking at going from Effexor to Prozac.
I am only on a 75 mg dose of Effexor, so I am told it only effects serotonin as this dose.
gadman
Posted by Chris O on March 3, 2005, at 21:11:29
In reply to Prozac vs Effexor, posted by gadman on March 3, 2005, at 16:09:02
I have taken both Prozac and Effexor, though neither for more than five months. Here's what I noticed in terms of side effects comparison:
On Prozac, I could not have an orgasm. It was nearly impossible. On Effexor, I had, incredibly, these great delayed orgasms that built and built to a great peak. The Effexor did cause some anorgasmia, but it was temporary, allowed me to have sex longer and made the orgasm more pleasurable. The Prozac made having an orgasm a great struggle. Of course, this was only on the lowest dosage, 37.5mg. Prozac dosage was also lowest, 20mg.
On Prozac, I was more fatigued during the day. I just felt tired all the time. On Effexor, I was more activated. It's probably the norepinephrine, which Prozac, obviously, does not affect. The Effexor also interfered with my sleep more than the Prozac, made it harder to sleep, yet I still had good energy during the day, despite my sleeping less.
On Effexor, I had bad headaches and bad withdrawal symptoms. On Prozac, I experienced no headaches and no withdrawal symptoms, even though I stopped cold turkey.
Those are just some of the differences I noticed.
Chris
> Can anybody compare their experience with these two? I am on Effexor right now and thinking on switching to Prozac...
>
> How does it compare side effect wise??? Sexual Dysfuntion, Cloudy Thoughts, etc...
>
> Thanks,
>
> gadman
Posted by gadman on March 4, 2005, at 8:03:24
In reply to Here's what I noticed » gadman, posted by Chris O on March 3, 2005, at 21:11:29
Thanks Chris that is good to know... I have noticed that about Effexor also...
Maybe I should stay where I am at??? All the negative reading about Effexor has my head goofy?
I do feel good on Effexor, is there something else I should consider that is less harsh, but would make me feel as good as E?
Posted by Chris O on March 4, 2005, at 13:21:56
In reply to Re: Here's what I noticed » Chris O, posted by gadman on March 4, 2005, at 8:03:24
Gadster:
I'm not certain if I am the best person to advise you. Let me just tell you what I've taken so far in terms of antidepressants and my experiences with them:
* Celexa (20mg)/Wellbutrin (150mg) combo for 6 months: Seemed to work okay as far as memory serves. Added Wellbutrin to combat fatigue from Celexa alone. Did nothing for anorgasmia sexual side effect. Had twitching, weird dreams, disturbed sleep, but held down a high school teaching job while on this combo. Oh, but I think I gained about 10 pounds on this combo too.
* Prozac (20mg)/Wellbutrin (150mg) combo for 6 months: Ditto for side effects on this combo as with the Celexa/Wellbutrin combo. Psychiatrist wanted to up me to 40 or 60mg Prozac because I wasn't getting enough anxiety relief. Being the drug paranoid that I am, I just decided to quit taking the drugs all together. Then went on to a a couple year experiment with....
* SAM-e: Took it one and off at various doses for over a year (800mg-1600mg). Just not powerful enough for me. Provided the very mildest of anxiety relief. That's it.
* St. John's wort: Never has done much of anything for me. Of course, I have never taken that Perika extract used in the recent study (comparing St. John's to Paxil). But again, only the very mildest of relief for me with St. John's.
* Fish oil: I just got off another experiment with this stuff. Taken in high doses, it does affect my mood, but not all in a good way. It both reduces and increases my anxiety, hard to explain, but...I think it might be better for people with bipolar, not those with GAD, OCD and panic, which I have.
* Lexparo (30-40mg) solo for 8 months: I just gave Lexapro a trial. Overall, while it had few side effects beyond weight gain (about 10 pounds over 8 months), I just did not get a good enough benefit from it. Yes, it decreased my anxiety, but not completely and...I guess I just felt fatigued all the time on it.
* Luvox (20mg) solo for one month: Took during my Celexa/Wellbutrin time. Probably did not take long enough to know how it differed from Celexa or Prozac. Worked much like those two drugs with similar side effects.
* Effexor (37.5mg) solo for one month: Yeah, it gave me a nice "boost" twenty minutes after taking it. But also, as I mentioned before, all the horrible side effects--nasty headaches, seriously distrubed sleep, and nausea. Plus, the withdrawals were not pleasant.
* Every other "natural supplement" known to humanity for several years: I think I've tried everything out there. Nothing has been as strong or as effective as the pharmaceuticals (despite their side effects) for me. I wish that weren't te case, but it is.So, as you can see, I don't have much experience with all the SSRIs, SSNRIs, or other pharmaceutical options. I wish you luck. Perhaps others with more expertise in pharmaceuticals can share their experiences with you if you keep posting.
Chris
Posted by gadman on March 4, 2005, at 14:35:11
In reply to Re: Here's what I noticed » gadman, posted by Chris O on March 4, 2005, at 13:21:56
Wow Chris.... Thanks. Your experiences are appreciated.
Before being started on Effexor I tried the "natural" route but just could not beat my Anxiety/Depression... I tried St. Johns Wort, Fish Oil, Kava Kava, Hypnosis, Meditation...
After All of these failed, I went to see a pdoc. He then prescribed Effexor...
I started on 37.5 mg and the first week was HORRIBLE. At the time I thought I had a nervous breakdown, but now, looking back, it very well could have been the Effexor. The doc prescribed Xanax to get me through the rough days and to help me sleep...
I almost called it quit a couple of times, but decided to stick it out. I must tell you, it was extremely rough, and I still am not sure if my nerves were shot or if it was the E... but after a few months I started feeling BETTER than ever. Depression gone, Anxiety minimal, Social Phobias gone, other phobias gone...
So, I have been on E for appr. 3 years... The last visit to the doc he asked how things were going... I told him that not bad, but E wasn't quite working as well as it used to, and that I was tired of feeling spacey.
Thus enters Cymbalta... He had me wean off of E and start Cymbalta while still on a small dose of E. Eventually I was totally off of E and was up to 40 mg of Cymbalta... I did not feel nearly as good (totally depressed, anxious, etc...) and my BP went thru the roof.
I called the doc and he said to switch back to E for now (slowly) and we will sort it out later. The next day I took a half of dose of E (appr 17 mg) and I felt like someone plugged me back in!!! I never felt better over the course of the last two years...
Gradually as the Cymbalta left my system I started feeling more and more like I did 3 months ago (Which was really not that bad, pretty good actually compared to the Cymbalta alone)
And here I am today, deciding what is next... I see the doc next week.
gadman
Posted by Chris O on March 4, 2005, at 15:53:21
In reply to Re: Here's what I noticed » Chris O, posted by gadman on March 4, 2005, at 14:35:11
Gadman:
Thanks also for sharing. I definitely know that "nervous breakdown" feeling. For me, it's "panic attack" and I've been there several times, once really badly in the last year where I ran into the emergency room screaming and yelling.
It sounds like the Effexor really works/is working for you. I never gave it that long a trial because the initial side effects scared me so much. Looking back, it was probably just my "adjusting" to the drug, as my psychiatrist said, but I am very "drug phobic," so I didn't want my body to "adjust." Anyway...
I took Lexapro for the last 8 months, but it was just like, so-so in its impact on my anxiety, panic, depression. I decided to stop 2 months ago and gave fish oil and "energy tapping," a try, with mixed results. Now, I'm starting to feel very very bad again so I just went back to my psychiatrist yesterday to get something different, was going to try Klonopin because I have read so many good things about it even though its a benzo, but my psych is very wary of prescribing benzos long-term. He asked me to try Cymbalta instead. After reading all the negative experiences about Cymbalta here and on remedyfind.com, I am not really itching to try this stuff. I know it's an SSNRI like Effexor, but it seems like it's not working for a lot of people--the blood pressure increase you mentioned seems to have happened with several people here and on remedyfind.com. So, like you, I'm kind of not sure what my next step is.
I know Luvox is an SSRI sometimes recommended for panic, anxiety, OCD that came out in the mid-1990s. I was thinking of trying that again long-term. My psych also recommended one of the TCAs, imipramine (Tofranil), which he says is good for anxiety-oriented depression. I didn't want to try that for fear of side effects. Anyway, keep me updated on what happens. I check back and post periodically, mostly when I'm in crisis, like many here, but I'd be curious to hear what you do/learn.
Good luck,
Chris
Posted by gadman on March 4, 2005, at 16:09:12
In reply to Re: Here's what I noticed » gadman, posted by Chris O on March 4, 2005, at 15:53:21
I was also extremely drug-phobic before getting on Effexor, but at the time, I was getting so bad, I thought nothing could be worse than what I was going through....
If at the time, I thought that E caused my breakdown, I would have dropped it in a heartbeat... Thank God for Xanax... That is really what saved me.
I HATED taking it, but at the same time, it was the only thing to relieve my mind of the pressure. I forced myself to only take it at night, so my days were bad and my nights were tolerable. I couldn't wait til night so I could take my daily alottment.
Since then I have reduced my dose of Xanax to half and still only take it at night for sleep. (.25 mg) It still seems to do the trick for sleep...
gadman
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