Ssris symptoms and conditions

this post is for dmbfreak, who asked for incidences of positive experiences with wellbutrin. First off, it's really, really important to remember that a site like this is going to have posts ONLY from people who have had bad side effects... who might be only one-half of 1% of all that particular medication's takers, for all you know. People who aren't having side effects aren't even coming on this site...why would they? So these posts are good for enlightening you when you have a side effect and are trying to match it to a medication, or for enlightening you as to what to watch out for, but it does not mean any or all of the side effects are common, and is NOT at ALL good for deciding whether to take or not take a certain medication without trying it yourself.
That said, i got here because i wondered what was causing me to wake up somewhat sweaty on occasion. Turns out that i am taking three different meds that can cause this, including wellbutrin, a blood pressure med, and my birth control pill.
But otherwise, i have been taking Wellbutrin for three years and the benefits have far outweighed minor side effects, which for me have only been the occasional sweats (usually associated with my period, so hormonal component too.. might even have nothing to do with WB) and i can get jittery if i take too much - in my case, 450mg a day is too much. I simply went back to 300mg and was fine. This medication also has some GOOD side effects for me, such as weight loss/control, and it doesn't affect my sexual functions at all... which every other antidepressant i tried did. I had far more severe side effects from other antidepressants, and am very sensitive to drugs in general, so i was very happy to finally find one i could tolerate so well. My doc says people who don't tolerate the SSRIs often do very well on WB, it's a very different formula (and other people who don't do well on WB can do well on SSRIs- it's all individual). He says WB is not usually the top medication choice for my particular issue (PTSD) but it's the one i'll actually TAKE, which does make it the best one for me (any of the others, i'd just stop taking because of side effects).
So folks, don't condemn a particular medication outright based just on anecdotal posting sites like this. This site should be used only by people who are already taking it, having problems, and comparing notes. You can't tell from the posts if the problems are with a very small % of takers or not. Sometimes, you can't even know that a particular individual's problem is actually from the drug being discussed (look only for ones that are repeated among many users). We're all different and react to things differently. If you decide not to take a med based just on anecdotal posts like this, you could do yourself out of what could be a very beneficial med for YOU, and that might well not have any side effects for you at all.
I'm not a doc and definitely not pro-pharmaceutical, and am very critical of the medical establishment in general... but i'm very pro using rationality and perspective when dealing with such things.

When I started my little emotional rollercoaster @ age 35, they classified me as being bi-polar with generalized anxiety disorder. I put myself into a treatment center after feeling like I was going to go crazy. I used to work in the medical field and I should have known better. They doped me up on 1000mg of Lithium, and 9oomg of Depakote. Lithium can be hard to regulate and dangerous; coming from a person who can sneeze and lose two pounds Depakote just turned out to be a fat pill (180 to 210 in three months). I went through the guinea pig stage Every SSR they put me on had a very bad side effect, Paxil being the worst. After two days of taking it the racing thoughts and feeling out being out of control made me want to jump out the window. I could not even call 911 as I felt I would go even more insane. I really almost did not make it through it. I discussed it with my new Dr. and he suggested Lamictal. I have been on Lamictal for over 4 years at 300mg a day. It has stabilized my moods but I still argue with the doctor about my diagnosis as I feel I am more Cyclothymic , my mood swings are not as pronounced and can last from a few hours to a few days. Since first taking the med I noticed the memory loss, my train of thought going out the window, bloated, the feeling of having a fever, but not. One of the most important affects, if I am an hour or so late from my regular scheduled dose I get dizzy and my shoulders and neck start to tingle and get numb. Just two weeks I requested an increase in the dosage to 400mg to see if it would help with my underlying depression that every other combo has not addressed. Since then I have been a bit more of a whack job. (Emotionally)Two days after the increase I had a very hyper mania day, I had to leave work early for fear I would lose control of my mouth, do or say something very ADHD. I took two days off and seemed to be fine after that. This Sunday I went downhill as soon as I woke up. I wanted to cry, but couldn’t and I did not know why; I felt void of emotions except for sadness, lacked the energy to want to deal with people, even my other half, wondering why I was even here. (Physically) I have noticed heart palpitations and muscle spasms in my face and arms. I looked up side effects and found this site and wanted to add to it. I have tried just about everything out there that I can and nothing will really work as good as this one. Combos with it do nothing for me either. It really freaks me out that the thing I am taking so I do not feel the way I do is making me feel that way to the extreme. I am letting my Dr. know that I will be taking myself off this dosage.

I was on Luvox since it became available in the United States;Over 12 years. I was prescribed Luvox mainly for my OCD and as the years passed, I noticed obvious emotional blunting, lethargy;Mind was in a fog, retarded ejaculation, the works.

Have slowly reduced dosage from 300 Mg/Dy to 100 Mg/Dy with INCREDIBLE RESULTS such as greater energy, weight loss, feeling less "detached" and "cold," SOME anger (harmless & intermittent), lucid thinking-NO change in OCD symptoms whatsoever. Less impotence-All positives.

Will soon begin taking Choline and other B-Vitamin supplements to ease the final stages of withdrawal from this highly addictive drug that thankfully has the shortest half life of the SSRIs.

Turns out that Luvox leaves the brain BEFORE it leaves some of the internal organs it "lingers" in before total clearance from the body.

Plan to deal with my OCD and severe depression with a combination of therapy;A serious attitude change, nutrition, SENSIBLE supplementation and exercise.

Will STAY on my Klonopin (2 1/2 Mg/Dy) because I have a phobic mindset RE: My panic attacks which the Klonopin has kept at bay for the most part.

ALL psychotropics, neuroleptics and other "mind candy" is toxic and usually only MASKS the symptoms, giving the illusion of "treating the symptoms" of a particular disorder (set of).

And for what its worth, I USED to be super-pro medication. Just too many bad side-effects from various medications, including Luvox over most of my life.

Plan on going off of the last 100 Mg of Luvox VERY, VERY SLOWLY;Don't need any "Seretonin rebound syndrome."

I went on Paxil for 7 months. It worked great and took away my anxiety but I was engaging in dangerous behaviors--casual sex with multiple partners, drug and alcohol use and neglecting my job and relationships. I had a pretty good withdrawal. Had some head zaps, got a really nasty sinus infection and fever and experienced mania and rage for the first two weeks. I'd say it takes a good year for your body to come back to stabilization. ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION are survival mechanisms that your body uses to tell you that something is wrong in your life. It's a warning sign that something needs to change--you are on the wrong path. Once I started addressing my life issues, the anxiety slowly disappeared. The thing is that people are lazy. They don't want to change how the eat, their exercise, their jobs, their life, and the way that they view the world. This is the hard way. The pill is the easy way, but ironically the hardest way in the long run. Our modern world makes us sick. My advice--get off the couch, eat some vegetables and get moving. Meditation is a GREAT way to get the same effect as the SSRIs. Until you try all that and still haven't gotten anywhere, stay off the drugs.

I also completely understand the decreased libido many report. If you think about it this way it makes total sense and none of are crazy! Yasmin increases serotonin in the body according to my research. SSRIs are a group of antidepressants that also increase serotonin in the body. SSRIs are NOTORIOUS for decreasing libido due to the increase in serotonin, so it makes sense Yasmin would also. For me this has been a troubling problem along with the others I mentioned. Interestingly I had increased depression and anxiety, but this couod be to the increased moodiness overall. I also agree with the palpitations and dizziness as I have these symptoms also from time to time. These could also be attributable to serotonin-mediated side effects.

I took Yutopar from week 32 to week 36 when pregnant with Daughter #1, who was born at 37 1/2 weeks. Effects on me: heart pounding, couldn't sleep.
She is now 18
She has suffered from: never consolidating a nights sleep, then daily night terrors from age 5 until medicated at age 8, sleep screaming, sleep walking, rages, ODD. Refusal to go to camp. late to walk, ride bike, fear of stairs. also is very bright (verbal and math theory); teen years-- depressed, conduct disorder, but also can perform in plays and musicals. Treated with various ssris and norephenphrin and dopamine managers, with some effect, but not success. other symptoms are appearing--pathological lying. fails in school due to inability to function. Has ceased having fun.
Daughter #2: preterm labor (due to fibroids) treated with ehelated Magnesium supplements. Baby was a calm sleeper and an easily habituated baby, also very bright and sensate, but no problematic, out-of-range-behaviors.
Where are studies of evey child treated in utero with this drug???

I am extremely sensitive to SSRIs and most drugs that affect the CNS. However, Paxil always seemed to be a miracle drug to cure depression, at least until I have to taper off of the medication. I've been on and off for about 4 years now, because it always seems to make me too high to function, no matter how low the dose is. This time I came off of a low dose of Paxil after a couple of weeks (my body simply can't handle it).
The side effects seem to be that I never really went off of the drug. My thoughts are not as complex as they were, my libido is almost non-existant, I pay little attention to detail, and I can't get stressed about anything (not even to get my work done). My memory is bad and I don't fantasize or daydream about anything. It's almost as if I'm stuck in the present constantly, not thinking about the past or the future, thus causing little thought before I speak or act (thought about the consequences).
I don't know when this will end. It's been months and I feel slightly braindead, but happy. I need to bring myself back to normal so that I can do well at my job (I have a fairly high level job in higher ed), and plan for the future... back to grad school.
Oh, one last side affect is that if I do get pushed into anger or annoyance, about a second later I can't even remember what I what the outburst was about, while the other person is still recovering from the outburst. Not a good thing at all. I wonder if anyone has any suggestion or similar experience? I can't wait for this to be over, if it ever will be.

Thank you everyone for your posts. We are all in this together so I thought I would give you an update.

Today I went back to the regular doc (not gyn) and she prescribed Paxil CR(an agent in a class of antidepressant medication known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is effective and generally well tolerated and has successfully helped people treat their depression, social anxiety disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and panic disorder.)

I told her that there is DEFINITELY a correlation between Yasmin and the symptoms that we are all feeling. She was not aware of what I was telling her.

I feel that it cannot be a coincidence that we are all experiencing these conditions. We are all of different ages, parts of the world, parents/nonparents etc...So, I agreed to take the Paxil and purge my system of ALL hormones (BCP, Mirena, etc.) She still needs me to consult with a psychiatrist. I am not looking forward to it.

Paxil also has side effects..... just what I need.

Thank you again everyone!

excessive sweating/hot flashes

I am 20 years old and have been on Zoloft for 2 1/2 months. I totally agree with other posts in that I have had terrible lethargy and been sleeping 12 hours a night, when I am normally sleeping 7. I have also noted the foggy feeling, which makes me think I'm sleepy even though as I said previously I sleep like 12 hours a night. It does interfere with my ability to concentrate and sometimes I get concerned while driving that I will fall asleep or not be able to continue focusing. I really hate the dreams - I feel like they interfere with my ability to get good sleep, maybe they affect the REM or something, heck if I know. I also note incredible sexual side effects, however, they seem to be subsiding with time - and I hope that trend continues. What I am most concerned about is the hopelessness feeling. I have NEVER prior to Zoloft considered suicide or self-harm, however, in the past month I have begun feeling hopeless and worthless. I can't really explain why that would be because I really felt that I was improving on Zoloft. Thus, I can only conclude that it's possible hopelessness is a serious side-effect of Zoloft, one that some of us may not be able to deal with. I am going to a new doctor next week and hopefully he won't change me up too much. Oh and - seriously amplifies the effect of alcohol. So if you're a drinker and just beginning Zoloft, watch out! I lost control of my legs the first time I drank while on Zoloft, and I didn't even have much to drink. Again, I really fear that Zoloft, when treating patients with GAD or Panic Disorders may cause symptoms of depression (lethargy, hopelessness) and then we'll end up treating two illnesses, one of which is truly just a side effect of Zoloft. Hmm.. if anyone has any suggestions, pleast let me know! Thank you! And really, good luck. I believe this medication rocks for a lot of people - you've just got to figure what side effects you're willing to deal with, since most SSRIs give the dreams too.

I have been seeing a psychologist/counselor for anxiety and depression. I have a lot of anger that seems to burst out at times uncontrollably (verbally not physcially). The counsellor reccomended Paxil or Lexapro (for anxiety/depression/some Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms) and had me see a psychiatrist for the prescription. The psychiatrist did not prescribe any of the SSRIs and prescribed Neurontin instead to "even out my moods." I was not very comfortable with him and thought that he may have jumped to some conclusions without truly listening to me. I am on a total of 600 mg (200 mg 3x/day) though I am working up to that level over the next few days. (Right now I'm just taking 300 mg) I've been researching Neurontin on the web and this is the first site I've really found that talks about Neurontin being prescribed for things other than fibromyalgia and pain management. (I do get migraines and he thought the neurontin may help.) I have yet to experience noticable side effects though my back and knees are beginning to hurt. Does this sound like a possible side effect of neuntin? It appears that others have been prescribed Neurontin for the same symptoms (anxiety/anger management) that I've had. I'd appreciate any feedback or contact regarding it. I'm 29, married w/ two children and am homestly quite scared about starting any medication like this. My email is ****** Thanks.

Hi again. I wrote in about 10 days ago reporting that I had switched from Diovan to Lisinopril, and suspected Lisinopril was causing increased anxiety/depression. Just to be sure, I ran this past a psychiatrist who confirmed that what happened was a "classic drug reaction". I would take 10mg. lisinopril at bedtime. Within minutes, I would feel wide awake and agitated. I could not "turn off", even though I was tired. It would take some time to get to sleep. (The last few days that I took the drug, I paced circles around the house until the wee hours of the morning!) During the day I felt confused and anxious, and in the late evenings felt emotionally and physically exhausted and depressed. I had a hard time solving even simple problems. Then I would take that day's bedtime dose, and the cycle would start over.
After stopping the Lisinopril and switching back to Diovan, I noticed almost immediate improvement. It felt like a fog had lifted. In just a week I was pretty much back to normal. No need for SSRIs! I am not pleased that my insurance company is pushing this drug and plan to voice a complaint and register my concerns. In the meantime, I am paying for the Diovan out of pocket, and will be much more cautious about any future changes!
Best wishes to all...

I have been taking Effexor for about 6 months. I took zoloft for about 5 years and it worked great for my depression, but eventually caused my sex drive to be non-existent. My doctor then put me on Celexa which made me VERY tired and also gain weight. Now I am on Effexor, and it seems to work fine for my depression, but I too have noticed that if my dosage is even a little past 24hrs, I get very agitated about everything. If its more that a few hours past that time, I actually begin to feel physically ill, with stomach aches, dizziness, inability to concentrate. My doctor did not tell me about this effect of the drug, he actually told me that I would experience less dizziness when coming off this drug, as compared to other SSRIs such as zoloft. I now am deathly afraid to run out and I am sure to be at the pharmacy before I run out of pills due to how horrible I feel even after a few hours of a missed dose. I do not like being a slave to any medication, especially since I am a recovering addict. I feel I need something for my depression, but I am getting really tired of all the drugs and their side effects. I am afraid to go off them entirely but feel it can't be any worse than the withdrawls, which they don't tell you about when prescribing these drugs. They are advertised as being"not addicting" but I have found that they actually change the chemistry of your brain to the point where you cannot function normally without them, especially after years of taking these drugs...will try to slowly wean myself off of the 75 mg effexor and start from square one..anyone who has any tips for successful withdrawl from this drug, I am open to any suggestions, Thanks.