Which Depression meds help the most???

tldann67 · 03-09-2007, 09:25 PM

Which depression medications have you been on or tried?
And which one worked the best for you?

I have tried Effexor, Celexa, Lexapro and a few other generic ones.
So far nothing has really helped. Effexor did for a while but then I went off of it when I got pregnant and when I went back on then it didnt help at all.

I need something desperately. So much has happened to me lately and I find myself thinking alot about death. I would like to know which ones have worked the best for others so i dont try something that isnt going to work.

Aidyn · 03-09-2007, 10:21 PM

I have bi-polar disorder, not just depression, but here's my list (at least the ones I can remember).

-Zoloft: made me psychotic...completely paranoid...very aggressive
-Paxil: made me manic at first, when that started to slip away, I overdosed on the stuff
-Cymbalta: no better, no worse
-Wellbutrin: my wonder drug :-)

Just remember that everyone is wired differently, so what works for someone may not work for someone else. It's definitely a lot of trial and error, and unfortunately it may take a long time to find what will work for you.

~Janelle~ · 03-10-2007, 02:47 PM

About ten yrs ago I went on Zoloft to treat my depression. It worked wonders! I had noticed changes when I accidentally went off of it, or even my friends and husband have asked "Are you still taking your pills?"

Now I have tried to ween my self off before and have not been able to accomplish because of weird feelings i get in my head. I recently did a google search on going off of Zoloft and found that people had a term for this.....brain shivers! Do a google search, it usually shows up in Effexer (sp?) usuers, but that is the symptoms that I have shown when I try to get off of the medication.

Also, since my doctor wants me to lose weight, I had asked if she could look up and see is weight gain is a side effect. Sure enough, increased appitite was on there. We then looked through my 10 yrs of charts and found that I have steadily gained 10 pds a year! Started at 180 lbs, and today at 250 lbs.

So I am starting to ween myself off very slowly. And see if that helps me lose some weight. And I might not even need Zoloft anymore! Would be nice not to take so many pills.....

I have tried Paxil, and Wellbutrin (to help quit smoking) but found that I liked Zoloft better.

So I had a good expierence, but wished I would have known, or been aware of the creeping up of my weight earlier.

Just give it time to work, and I was perscribed 100 mg, but seem to do just fine on 50 mg. I would play around with dosage to see what helped.

Hope that helped. Feel free to get a hold of me if you have any questions!

Fuzzy Bear · 03-10-2007, 04:42 PM

tldann67 When I was being prescribed anti-depressants by my GP, he gave me one that was intended to be short-term for years! When I went to a psychiatrist, he just upped the same med. until I was on the highest dose!. It wasn't until I was with my psychotherapist that I was properly treated for my depression.
I have tried a number of the meds that have been mentioned, but my Dr. actually sits down and explains what the drugs are supposed to do and why I need them specifically, as well as what she is trying to get to happen as far as my wellbeing is concerned.
I have been on both Effexor (225mg) and Wellbutrin (250mg) since they came out as samples to the doctors in Ontario. We took our time working out the doses and now I have more time that I am in a neutral mood to good mood more than I am depressed. I still have times I'm depressed, they aren't as bad as they used to be, and the worst ones are really rare now. I need the combination of the 2 kinds to be able to have it work. Just like some of us can take Metformin and some of us can't. Anti-depressants are the same way.
As the other Poster said, each of us is wired differently so each thing works differently for us, but make sure the dr. you are getting the scripts from is well versed in depression and it's medications. It really makes a difference to how you are treated for your depression.
I've never had any big problems with any meds so far, but my DH was given Zoloft and ended up suicidal from it. It just wasn't the right one for him, but it works wonders for others. Just don't ignore signs that the med isn't the right one so you won't go into a tailspin.

Fuzzy Bear

VJP · 03-10-2007, 06:46 PM

It's too bad Effexor stopped working for you. That's what's working for me, but only after I doubled my dose.
Does anyone else in your family have depression? I'm on the same drug as my mom and grandpa. The same drugs usually work in the same family.

rosettagirl · 03-11-2007, 01:17 AM

tldann67,

I hope that you have someone to talk to about what you are feeling. I used to have thoughts that it wouldn't matter if I was here or not and that is when I knew I had a bigger problem than I could handle on my own. I hope you can get to a doctor soon.

I have clincial depression and took Zoloft for a few years and had weight gain like Janelle but other than that I am thankful that it was prescribed to me. I was lucky because it is the only one I ever took and I had no reaction to it. I have heard of people with bad reactions to Zoloft so it really depends on your body. Zoloft helped my see things differently...I wasn't as angry, sad and all jumbled up inside. I am off the meds now but am prepared if I need to take them again. There are so many medications you can try with the help of your doctor.

Take care, Crystal
___________
Janelle,

Most people don't believe that weight gain can be a side effect of Zoloft because it is rare. I have been challenged on making that statement before. Good to know I'm not the only one. I started at 135 and just went up from there. For some reason it made me not want to go to the gym...I guess for the first time in my life I felt content and then I just stopped working out. Now I have lost my motivation after gaining all this weight.

Take care all,

Crystal

academama · 03-11-2007, 03:10 AM

I have tried Zoloft (twice, actually--I just stopped taking it again, because I was using it while I was breastfeeding). It's okay for my depression and anxiety, but the side effects are really bothersome: insomnia, headaches, lack of sex drive. I'm going back to Effexor now that my daughter is weaned. It worked really well for me before. The only bad thing about it, for me, was that it was a pain to stop--the withdrawal is bad. But I was lucky and only had problems for about a week.

MargyP · 03-12-2007, 12:55 AM

I was diagnosed with clinical depression at age 13. I have been on Lithium & Depakote (both poor choices for me, as they are "mood stabilizers" more commonly prescribed to treat bipolar disorder) Wellbutrin, Elavil (not sure if they make that one anymore) Zoloft, Cymbalta and Prozac. The Cymbalta worked well, but made me tired & after 2 months I went back to Prozac. Prozac has always worked really well for me, with very little side effects after the initial 4 - 6 weeks. The only side effect I really find now is it is more difficult to have an orgasm (TMI? sorry). Anyway, I think the SSRIs are the best depression meds- Paxil, Zoloft, and Prozac. Prozac has a really long half-life so even if I forget to take it & skip a dose I don't feel any immediate side effects. Hope this helps, depression is hell & I hope you find something to help you out of it soon.

thincyster85 · 03-12-2007, 01:21 PM

I have tried:

Zoloft
Celexa
Lexapro
Cymbalta
Prozac
Strattera
Wellbutrin
Buspar
Serzone

And for mood stabilizers:

Geodon
Lithium
Abilify
Limictal

My only luck has been with:

Wellbutrin

Unfortunately it makes me anxious as a side effect so I have to balance it out with Serzone.

I'm still not where I want to be but this is what keeps me alive.

Jhawkfan83 · 03-14-2007, 09:02 PM

I have been on Prozac and it's been great!

I found this article.. maybe it will help:

What medications are used to treat depression?
There are a number of different types of antidepressant medications available. They differ in their side effects and, to some extent, in their level of effectiveness. Tricyclic antidepressants (named for their chemical structure) used to be the most commonly used medications for treatment of major depressions. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) were often used for "atypical" depressions in which there are symptoms like oversleeping, anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias. More recently, newer antidepressants have been developed. Several of them are called "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors" (SSRIs). Some examples of SSRIs are fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft). (Luvox has been approved for obsessive-compulsive disorder , and Paxil has been approved for panic disorder.) Though structurally different from each other, all the SSRI antidepressant effects are due to their action on one specific neurotransmitter, serotonin. Two other antidepressants that affect two neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine have also been approved by the FDA. They are venlafaxine (Effexor) and nefazodone (Serzone). All of these newer antidepressants seem to have less bothersome side effects than the older tricyclic antidepressants.
The tricyclic antidepressant clomipramine (Anafranil) affects serotonin but is not as selective as the SSRIs. It was the first medication specifically approved for use in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Prozac and Luvox have now been approved for use with OCD.
Another of the newer antidepressants, bupropion (Wellbutrin), is chemically unrelated to the other antidepressants. It has more effect on norepinephrine and dopamine than on serotonin. Wellbutrin has not been associated with weight gain or sexual dysfunction. It is contraindicated for individuals with, or at risk for, a seizure disorder or who have been diagnosed with bulimia or anorexia nervosa.
This list pairs the Trade Names of antidepressants with their generic names. As we gather additional information about specific medications, we will provide a link from the medication Trade name to a separate web page with specific information related to that medication. In other references, sometimes you can find additional information about a medication under its generic name, that might not be listed under its trade name.

Trade Name	Generic Name
Adapin	doxepin
Anafranil**	clomipramine
Asendin	amoxapine
Aventyl	nortriptyline
Desyrel	trazodone
Effexor	venlafaxine
Elavil	amitriptyline
Ludiomil	maprotiline
Luvox (SSRI)	fluvoxamine
Marplan (MAOI)	isocarboxazid
Nardil (MAOI)	phenelzine
Norpramin	desipramine
Pamelor	nortriptyline
Parnate (MAOI)	tranylcypromine
Paxil (SSRI)	paroxetine
Pertofrane	desipramine
Prozac (SSRI)	fluoxetine
Remeron	mirtazapine
Serzone	nefazodone
Sinequan	doxepin
Surmontin	trimipramine
Tofranil**	imipramine
Vivactil	protriptyline
Wellbutrin	bupropion
Zoloft (SSRI)	sertraline

KatCarney · 03-14-2007, 09:11 PM

For me, my 'triggers' are identified, so I stay away from them like the plague:
Low fat diets
BCP's
Sucralose (aka Splenda)
Low exposure to sunlight

All of the above trigger VERY severe depression for me.

I make sure I get enough sunlight, exercise, fish oil, and sleep, and my moods stay stable.

I recognize that a great number of people suffering need Rx depression meds, but make sure you've also identified 'triggers' if you can.

{{{{hugs}}}}

sarah simons · 03-17-2007, 01:05 PM

hi my name is sarah

these helped me the most

prozac
lamictal

HOLLAND · 03-17-2007, 02:05 PM

I just wanted to say that I hope you feel better soon. Nothing is worse then being depressed!!!

annem84 · 03-20-2007, 08:13 PM

At first I was on Lexapro 10 mg and it worked for awhile but then it slowly faded into the sunset. My psychiatrist then changed me to Wellburtin SR and that didn't work so finally went to XL and has been a freaking god send. I feel so much better. Oh and if anybody is on Trazodone---there is a nasty side effect of urine retention so am now off of that and on Ambien.