[DeFyYing]

I've avoided antidepressants for quite some time because of the fear of inducing mania again, but I'm getting desperate. I constantly obsess over things, constantly pick, and constantly feel ashamed of my appearance, it's a never ending cycle. I'm also a little depressed, I have no motivation to do anything. I'm on a mood stabilizer and AP though so I think that there's a chance I won't be manic. I understand that most antidepressants can tackle all of the aforementioned problems, but what do you guys think is my best bet? Ofc everyone responds differently, but on paper what should I try?


I've been on Paxil for a little over a week, but unfortunately I can't orgasm. Are sexual side effects things that can go away with time, or should I just move on to another drug? Also it makes me wake up at like 3AM every morning and it takes forever to go back to sleep

[Guiness187055]

For me wellbutrin has worked well. It does not effect my sex drive either. It's one of the only anti depressants that I can take.

[Blue_Bird]

Zoloft was very helpful for me for anxiety and my OCD type tendencies. I take Paxil now 60mg along with my other meds.

I do have intermittent issues with anxiety. GAD-type anxiety, I've had some mild agoraphobia (with slight social anxiety), specific phobias, and performance anxiety. For the most part, all of these are pretty well controlled or even overcome. The absolute best treatment for all has been Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It's true. For me, a pill just couldn't do squat. I had to do do the work and make changes to my thinking and work with tools that maybe even made changes in my brain itself. I'll tell you that early in my treatment I would have thrown rotten tomatoes at someone writing what I just wrote, but I learned otherwise. A really good therapist makes a big difference, plus hard work.

As for meds, Ativan helps me with occasional anxiety attacks or ones building up to attacks, but I do not want to be forever dependent on it. I'm still struggling to finally get off of it to the point where it truly is only a prn. It's a rough road off.

Propranolol can help some people with performance anxiety and related types of anxiety. I'm not a doctor or pharmacist, but I think it works at calming body and brain reactions that can normally start to avalanche. It's not a miracle worker for all, but it can be helpful. At least it's not an antidepressant. To my knowledge it doesn't trigger mania in most people.

If you and your doc think an antidepressant is needed, you'll have to discuss that with them. I cannot offer any suggestions for one. I can't take antidepressants. They only do me great harm.