[Jshect]

which antidepressants have been the most helpful for you?
So far wellbutrin has been the most helpful to me but it has its downside. I get irritated and angry. I can become very forceful with my viewpoints. It hasn't helped my anxiety much. I love the energy it gives me but sometimes I feel energertic and passionate but unstable.
What's worked for you???

[~Christina]

Ive tried numerous ones over the years , prozac , zoloft , wellbutrin, lexapro ... finally got diagnosed with bipolar this year and realized they all make me manic so I no longer take any per my Pdoc .

Are you on any other meds ?

[Kymaro]

jshect, With being bi-polar we all have to be very carefull about taking anti-depresants because they can throw you off balance. Kinda like tetter totter. If you treat the manic whithout the depress it most likely will throw they other up in the air. I would almost think the agression could be from treating the depression has given you lots of energy thus throwing you a bit manic. Manic can manifest in several different ways (high, agression, emotional). Talk to you doctor about how you feeling. Good luck wish you the best.

[33yankee33]

Hi Jshect. I've been on Prozac, Effexor, Paxiland a couple of others that I can't remember for the life of me. I'm currently on Cymbalta which has been has worked the best for me. But even it has it's draw backs. It somwtimes makes me rapid cycle. Hope this helps.

[sillyfab]

Currently on Zoloft for depression, which makes me feel good. I was down all day today b/c of the weather here, but I'm leary that in the next couple of days I could go into a hypomanic episode b/c I'm starting to have sexual urges (which are good, if they're done with a monogamous partner, but I usually don't end up going that route).

[Tosspot]

Hey Jshect, I found Wellbutrin worked the best for me (guess I lack dopamine) for depression but finding the right dosage with other meds is tricky, too much and I'm manic too little and I'm miserable.
Right now I'm on 150mg and its been working for a while. 300mg was too much, it made me have mixed episodes and I actually felt more depressed on the higher dose.
It doesn't make sense but neither do I!

A couple of antidepressants have made me manic, some have made me more depressed...some just didn't help. I can't really remember all of them. What I do know is that I'm on Zoloft right now, and I feel more balanced than I have in a long time. I am also taking Lamictal with it, however, and I personally think that it has been the Lamictal that is making the biggest difference. (Keeping in mind though, that Lamictal is not an anti-depressant!)

[kaliope]

300 mg wellbutrin XR in the morn worked great for me, didnt amp me, no side effects, no mania.

[thinker22]

I've been on everything and the one that caused immediate and long term results for me was Cymbalta. It was like sunshine was let into my brain.

As for Wellbutrin, I had the same problem with feeling aggressive and anxious. I was also angry and impatient and impulsive. I got hauled off to the hospital in Dec '08 while on 300mg of the stuff.

[littlehippie86]

I have only taken zoloft, which is actually what diagnosed me with bipolar I because after starting it I became the most manic I have ever been. Right now I'm on lamictal (not an anti-depressant) but it does seem to curb it a little. But the depression is the mood I stay in the longest and could really use some relief. *sigh

[SingDanceRunLife]

I really liked Zoloft because it was great for my OCD but it made me hypomanic. I love Lexapro though because it's also great for my OCD but in combo with my other meds doesn't make me hypomanic.

[xp1155]

I'm on Trileptal and it makes me depressed; so, today I started Cymbalta to augment the depressive effects. We'll see what happens.

[greylove]

I took Effexor for years and loved it. It lifted me out of depression and helped me with my tendency toward social phobia. Two and a half years ago, due to life's circumstances, my depression deepened and I was put on Wellbutrin. That kicked off a raging mania (my first) that lasted for weeks. Diagnosed with Bipolar 1, complete with delusions, hallucinations, psychosis.......the whole nine yards. I've since been on Lamictal and Seroquel since and I'm still seriously depressed. Prozac did nothing to help; pdoc worries that anything else would kick me back into mania. I'm starting to like the sound of that.

[SunAngel]

I have been on them all. Every single one of them made me manic, and one of them put me right into dysphoric mania. My husband couldn't even talk to me or touch me. I was a total ***** on it.

Now, none of them kick in on me. I am now antidepressant-resistant.

I take Concerta for ADD, and it is also used for bp depression.

[kykid]

I have been on several different medications for my depression, only to return to the original one: nortriptyline. I take this in conjunction with Abilify and lamotrigine with good results. I often have a low grade depression but it eventually goes away.

I have resigned myself to the fact that I will always deal with depression at some level and that I just have to get used to it.

[2isbetterthan1]

Originally Posted by Jshect

which antidepressants have been the most helpful for you?
So far wellbutrin has been the most helpful to me but it has its downside. I get irritated and angry. I can become very forceful with my viewpoints. It hasn't helped my anxiety much. I love the energy it gives me but sometimes I feel energertic and passionate but unstable.
What's worked for you???

Hello

I wanted to share with you that after several years of trying to find the right medication for me, I have found that 60 mg Prozac helps a huge amount! I feel more comfortable about me and my anxiety has def. gotten better. The only side effect I had for a few days was insomnia but it will go away.

[aquaman]

Before I was diagnosed with Bipolar, my family doctor put me on Effexor, which did help a lot. I'm still on it, only at the lowest does 75mg. I'm afraid to go off of it because of the horrible withdrawls associated with Effexor.

I've tried a lot of other antidepressants but had horrible reactions to most of them.

[lainpie4u]

What is the difference between BPI and BPII?

[Tosspot]

Originally Posted by xp1155

I'm on Trileptal and it makes me depressed; so, today I started Cymbalta to augment the depressive effects. We'll see what happens.

Hey xp - trileptal is associated with depression?? I've been on trileptal for two years and just lowered by dose by 25% and have been feeling really good (which scared me I was expecting to feel worse) maybe it's the trileptal thats making me so miserable! Thanks!

[tohelpafriend]

The SSRIs over three years have given me serious side effects. Two years ago I had respiratory arrest after stopping Citalopram and landed in the ER.I'm currently between docs, but have a new one now, or at least an appointment. The last doc thought I was resistant to treatment, and wouldn't prescribe anything else for me. But in previous years, I've taken disipramine, norpramine and right now have to taken small dosages of imipramine to be effective.

All the SSRIs (which my sister also thought were toxic), have serious effects on the respiratory system and also kick in "serontonin syndrome", often if taken with another med. What did work for me was Wellbutrin, in the "atypical group"; I felt really up, happy and energized, but by the second day it caused a tremor in my head. Weird, I know, but that's what it felt like. BTW...for women, the atypical group is the only one which doesn't suppress sexual response...all the others, well, we won't go there.
I haven't tried Effexor, but I'm hoping my new doc will be good enough to know the research and prescribe something for depression and social phobia. Paxil worked well for depression and anxiety, but again, it has serious side effects. Without anti depressants, I am hypervigilant all the time, cannot sleep; at least some anti depressants did help me sleep, but I usually felt dizzy when awake. I hope this info might have been helpful to someone.

[Rosie23]

I can't take them either. They make me manic. I am taking lamictal also because of depression and it is working really well for me.