[Chai15]

I am pretty new on this website so I don't know if their is already a thread for this. I guess there probably is, but I'll do one anyways. Sorry if repeated threads annoy anybody.

I know these meds's effects differ from people and I'm not looking to base my choices on the replies I will get. I'm just curious to here about your experience with antidepressants as I am new to them (since september).

I started with Remeron at 15mg then 30mg then 45mg (which made me eat non-stop and gain weight) and now (since about 5 days), I've been on effexor. So far, no side-effects. I'm on 37.5mg for a week (along with 30mg of remeron) but will be at 75mg in a couple days

What was the best and the worst ones you have taken and why?
Also, if you have tried effexor, what are your thoughts on it. I heard mostly bad things.

[kaliope]

dont worry about repeating threads, i am sure there are thousands of them on here......lol

my best AD was wellbutrin xl, 300mg...worked like a charm no side effects

the worst had to be Zoloft......but i took it for anxiety...besides the liquid bowels i got immediately, within two weeks it threw me into a massive mania, auditory and visual hallucinations. took almost two months to recover.

i tried effexor once....it made me yawn constantly....not petite yawns. huge open mouth closed eyed uncontrollable long assed yawns.......it became unsafe to drive. i had to get off of it.

[violet66]

Worst would probably be Wellbutrin or Effexor, both caused panic attacks. Best for me have been Zoloft and good old Prozac. Minimal side effects.

[Altered Moment]

Originally Posted by Chai15

I am pretty new on this website so I don't know if their is already a thread for this. I guess there probably is, but I'll do one anyways. Sorry if repeated threads annoy anybody.

I know these meds's effects differ from people and I'm not looking to base my choices on the replies I will get. I'm just curious to here about your experience with antidepressants as I am new to them (since september).

I started with Remeron at 15mg then 30mg then 45mg (which made me eat non-stop and gain weight) and now (since about 5 days), I've been on effexor. So far, no side-effects. I'm on 37.5mg for a week (along with 30mg of remeron) but will be at 75mg in a couple days

What was the best and the worst ones you have taken and why?
Also, if you have tried effexor, what are your thoughts on it. I heard mostly bad things.

Remeron weight gain is very common.

The bad things you hear about Effexor is because it is most likely to cause the worst withdrawal symptoms when you go off of it. You have to taper off very very slowly if you are someone who get the withdrawal. I have taken Effexor on and off many times and never got withdrawal. But then I do not get withdrawal from any of them. All this has nothing to do with the effectiveness of Effexor. You will have to take it two months to give it a fair shot to work.

Over the last twenty years Effexor has been the most effective. My problem is that after a year or two they lose effectiveness. I have gone back to Effexor after not taking it for a couple of years and it works again but not as good as it first did.

By far the most effective one I have ever taken is Fetzima, a new SNRI and the one I am currently on. I do better on the SNRI's. There are not as many of them. Effexor, Pristiq (active metabolite of Effexor), Cymbalta, Fetzima, Savella (mirror image isomer of Fetzima).

Worst one ever was Paxil. Didn't work and I didn't like how it make me feel. It's hard to remember and I am lucky with side effects so if one don't work I try another.

20% of people get withdrawal symptoms after taking 6 weeks and quitting. I don't think it is known if Effexor has a higher percentage. All of us here will tell you Effexor has the worst and longest withdrawal symptoms. A slow taper solves this for most people.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/0801/p449.html

[-jimi-]

My worst: clomipramine, about 3 million side effects, zoloft which caused my depression, and effexor because I thought coming off it would kill me.

I think the best one for me was Prozac. It was my mainstay for years and I maintained decent stability on it. I think the worst is what I'm on now: Effexor. I believe it may be contributing to my constant anxiety, plus it has killed my sex drive.

[AncientMelody]

In order from worst to best:

-Remeron: I only took one dose and one was all it took. It made me both angry and numb which was a strange combination. When I say numb, I mean in all senses of the word. Mentally, emotionally, physically. Even though food didn't seem to have taste I would eat and eat that day just to try to focus my attention on SOMETHING. I can see why people gain weight on this. Then I'd have flashes of time where I'd, like I said, get extremely irritable and angry for very small things. Once was enough.

-Zoloft: I took it for anxiety. It made my anxiety worse. On the other hand it did increase my energy level, and I would say I had a few borderline hypomanic episodes...which is not technically an ideal from a medical standpoint, but I'll admit it was fairly pleasant.

-Lexapro: Very effective for my depression, very INeffective for my anxiety. VERY constipating.

-Prozac: Treated both my depression and my anxiety effectively at first, but when my depression worsened in the fall due to season change and increased life stress, I had some agitation and constipation at the higher dose.

-Cymbalta: my best and current one. Treats the depression, treats the anxiety, and it appears to be side effect free so far. I don't feel quite as alert as I was on prozac which is unfortunate because I have chronic issues with fatigue. However, I am working on that by making increased sleep a high priority in my life. Very happy with the cymbalta.