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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by River1924 on January 11, 2006, at 21:34:16
Sorry if this has been discussed a thousand times.
Effexor and Paxil make me want to eat all the time. Zoloft is better at low doses but it doesn't work that well at 12.5 mg.
Is Cymbalta or lexapro less likely to cause cravings?
Thanks, River.
Posted by Phillipa on January 11, 2006, at 22:15:54
In reply to Cravings, hyperphagia, posted by River1924 on January 11, 2006, at 21:34:16
None of them ever made me hungry or gain wt. Only anxious what gives? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by River1924 on January 11, 2006, at 22:42:28
In reply to Re: Cravings, hyperphagia » River1924, posted by Phillipa on January 11, 2006, at 22:15:54
What gives?
I guess you react oddly. ; )
I have "atypical depression" or a kind of mild bipolar. I was on Effexor and gained a lot of weight before I realized it was more the drug and not the depression (as much) that made me so hungry. Effexor reduced my anxiety and like most antidepressants increased my desire to sleep. (I have hypersomnia so that isn't a good thing.)
Paxil is the worst. A friend of mine who lost 200 pounds with gastric bypass surgery started thowing up and getting diahrea because Paxil CR gave her the urge to eat and her rearranged digestive system could not handle the Paxil-induced chowing.
I guess I'll probably just need to try lexapro or cymbalta. The friend I just mentioned would take zoloft and only sleep two hours a day and it seems to make me sleepier. Everyone reacts very differently.
Fondly, River.
Posted by summerflowers on January 12, 2006, at 3:36:55
In reply to Cravings, hyperphagia, posted by River1924 on January 11, 2006, at 21:34:16
RE Cravings,sorry this has nothing to do with the subject but im craving rum and raison icecream constantly including right now.All the shops r closed.NZ.Sorry,carry on with the topic.
Posted by Racer on January 12, 2006, at 13:04:20
In reply to Cravings, hyperphagia, posted by River1924 on January 11, 2006, at 21:34:16
My experience was that Cymbalta reduced my appetite at first, but then seemed to raise it after a while. Lexapro pretty much caused me to stop eating -- but it also caused me to stop speaking, or moving, or anything else, too. {shrug} SSRIs are known to cause weight gain, after the first few months, so maybe Cymbalta is a better first choice?
The bottom line, though, is which drugs actually improve your symptoms? If you can find a drug that works, then the other problems can be addressed. For weight gain, adding Topomax is a pretty common choice -- and some studies say that Metformin is also effective. Once you find an effective AD, you can talk to your doctor about trying one or the other, and see which works better for you with fewer side effects.
Also, for atypical depression, MAOIs are said to be particularly effective, so you might read up on Parnate. It may not work out for you -- I don't know if I'd be able to deal with the dietary restrictions, but then we eat a lot of Chinese food, whether take out or home cooked.
Hope that helps.
Posted by River1924 on January 12, 2006, at 15:52:33
In reply to Re: Cravings, hyperphagia » River1924, posted by Racer on January 12, 2006, at 13:04:20
Well, I've never taken an AD that hasn't helped the depression.
I think I want to stop, sometimes, and then I do and slowly my brain turns to warm melted vanila icecream and within a few weeks I'm suicidal. I stop because I want to have sex and, very quickly, I am capable of sex but don't really care as I slow down in molasses mildew and moth eaten pain. And, I tend to eat when I'm depressed. So I gain more weight than if I was on meds to begin with.... Catch 22.
I took the weight loss med sibutramine and that helped with my depression and fatigue but I was so nervous on it, I hated to leave my bed.
Nothing is perfect.
I have a feeling cymbalta and lexapro would not be very different.
As for Parnate, tried it. The dietary restrictions did not bother me at all. I really don't eat (or drink) much of anything that was restricted except when I crave chocolate and Parnate took away food cravings... but it, somehow, seemed make my thinking foggy and made me gain weight, too. (Nardil, by the way, put me to sleep.)
Thanks for the input about cymbalta and lexapro.
I live in Wisconsin and I need more zoloft during the winter. I'll just have to really work it when spring comes around when I can lower zoloft to 12.5 or 25 mgs.
Later, River.
Posted by Racer on January 12, 2006, at 17:57:58
In reply to Re: Cravings, hyperphagia » Racer, posted by River1924 on January 12, 2006, at 15:52:33
Well, you could lower the Zoloft after the winter -- or you could talk to your doctor about adding Topomax or Metformin; you could talk to your doctor about switching to Cymbalta, which does have at least an initial appetite suppressive effect; or you could talk to your doctor about switching to, say, Wellbutrin, which is generally weight neutral. You don't have to give up trying to optimize your treatment.
As for the sex thing, I had really good luck with cyproheptidine as needed. It doesn't work for everyone, but it blocks the action on the sort of receptors that cause the sexual side effects, so if you're one of those for whom it works, you should have your ability back. Though not necessarily your desire. And Wellbutrin is not known to have sexual side effects, so another option there.
Good luck.
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