[polarsmom]

I know, I know, my pdoc is ultimately the one who is going to make the decision. But I'm just trying to figure out what my options are. I'm being treated for depression and anxiety.

I've tried many meds and can't find one that works.
Lexapro- pooped out on me.
Celexa- basically made me extremely tired and that's it.
Prozac- (alone) made me more anxious.
Effexor- (w/ Wellbutrin) turned me into an angry mean girl.
Paxil- (a long time ago) the side effects were too harsh.
Wellbutrin doesn't seem to be enough to deal w/ all symptoms. I have a bit of focus. But I still feel no joy. And unmotivated to do anything.

What to do now? I dunno if I should go in with suggestions? I don't know if I'm not explaining my symptoms correctly. I just know that I'm tired of being miserable. Irritable and just unhappy in general. How do I get the energy and motivation to get started on things. How do I complete normal daily tasks without getting frustrated?

Anyone else go through this? And what was the missing piece to the puzzle for you?

[mssumom]

Hi, just wanted to share with you that sometimes it takes going through almost all of them before finding one that helps and sometimes a combination or there just is not one of the common ones that works or for me was long acting. Either side effects or no effects and severe allergy to Cymbalta for some reason. I hope you find a solution and soon.
Take care.

Originally Posted by polarsmom

I know, I know, my pdoc is ultimately the one who is going to make the decision. But I'm just trying to figure out what my options are. I'm being treated for depression and anxiety.

I've tried many meds and can't find one that works.
Lexapro- pooped out on me.
Celexa- basically made me extremely tired and that's it.
Prozac- (alone) made me more anxious.
Effexor- (w/ Wellbutrin) turned me into an angry mean girl.
Paxil- (a long time ago) the side effects were too harsh.
Wellbutrin doesn't seem to be enough to deal w/ all symptoms. I have a bit of focus. But I still feel no joy. And unmotivated to do anything.

What to do now? I dunno if I should go in with suggestions? I don't know if I'm not explaining my symptoms correctly. I just know that I'm tired of being miserable. Irritable and just unhappy in general. How do I get the energy and motivation to get started on things. How do I complete normal daily tasks without getting frustrated?

Anyone else go through this? And what was the missing piece to the puzzle for you?

[yutzman]

I'd up the Wellbutrin a little, see how that works (just my opinion) if your feeling kinda OK at the current dosage. It may take a while of tweaking meds up or down, on or off etc. to get the right 'magic bullet'..........good luck.

[Satu]

You may need mood-stabilizers on top of anti-depressants. I have MDD, but only Effexor combined with a mood-stabilizer kept me from being miserable and irritable/over-anxious. Wellbutrin is a pretty harsh drug, maybe Effexor with something else? I also tried all kinds of combinations (Prozac, Lexapro, Cymbalta, Citalopram, etc. with or without anti-anxiety and sleeping pills), and that seemed to be the only thing that helped, unfortunately it's just pretty expensive and my insurance capped out after a few months. Good luck!

[sunrise]

Buspar was great for me for a few months before it konked out. Very short term gain.

I am on Wellbutrin and Vyvanse (a stimulant). Amphetamines certainly help with mood, but most docs will not prescribe them unless you have ADHD (which I do). I am not prone to addiction so this is a good mix for me. I find that the Vyvanse+Wellbutrin really helps with motivation and ability to carry a task through to completion. These two drugs certainly do nothing for anxiety, in fact, may increase it. My prescriber wanted to know if I wanted to try a third med to help with anxiety, but I decided to try work on the anxiety by non-medication means (e.g. relaxation, meditation, etc.).

I also am in therapy and find this has helped me a lot.

Originally Posted by polarsmom

Prozac- (alone) made me more anxious

But did the prozac help with your depression? It can be hard to find an AD that helps with both depression and anxiety, although some people have luck with this. How about finding a med that helps with the depression, and then adding a second med for the anxiety. Like prozac for depression + a second drug for the anxiety (a benzo?). Also, Zoloft was not on your list.

Keep going--I hope you will soon find something that helps and feel better.

[polarsmom]

Just got back in from my follow-up w/ the pdoc. And we are going the maximum with the Wellbutrin. 450mg. And staying on Prozac. Increasing that one to 20mg. Haven't done that combo yet. So she wants me to give that a try. Feels that I still need a little help with the seretonin and dopamine. I'm supposed to call her in 2 weeks for an update on the WB. See if it helped any. Make changes if necessary.
Keeping my fingers crossed that it's the combo I'm needing. My doc assured me that we'll find it. A little tweaking here and there. And that I need to keep being patient, don't give up on it. In my mind I'm thinking... easy for her to say. she's not the one suffering!

[romijo]

No meds have ever worked for me either !!! So very frustrating. Cymbalta worked for a day and it was great and then I lost all my near vision! Crazy. If you ever do find the combination share with me. I dont take anything but do a routine of massage chiropractic and acupuncture. I am trying talk therapy and it is working as good as anything else. Best of luck !

[amante]

I've taken several different series of meds, and combos of meds, it can be very frustrating weaning up and down and switching. Just have faith in your Pdoc. I hope the new doses work for you and you can stay well on that combo. good luck.

Yup. I've been through that (and my list is quite a bit longer if that makes you feel any better.) It takes time for some of us to get to the right med combination. It's hard to be patient with this; I completely empathize.

[1flagwriter]

Your original post describes me to a T! I have MDD and GAD and over the years, I've been on all the SSRI and SSNRIs. By far the most potent and hard to get off of was Effexor!!! That drug put me into the abyss depression!

Anyway, I have found in my 38 years of being on all the old tricyclic AD and then into the Prozac era of designer SSRIs, Lexapro and Klonopin combo can't be beat!!! Yes Klonopin is a benzo, so some regular MDs may not want to use that, but it is the longest lasting benzo for anxiety (6-8 hour half life) and is approved for long time usage, rather than "as needed" like Xanax or Ativan.

I STRONGLY favor Klonopin for anxiety and MDD supplementation with an SSRI.

[Pughead]

Lamictal has been good for me. It's the only thing that has "stuck." Though, I am on a high does. I'm going down on the dose because a low dose of depakote is being added to my regimen. Hey, a little hypomania never hurt anyone right? Depakote is a depressant, at least for me.

But lamictal is a mood stabilizer. It disturbed my mood on the way up, but once I got there I've felt pretty good ever since. It has been proven to have anti-depressant effects, even though it is not an SSRI.

[BlueMoon6]

Polar- Your med list and SE describes me, too. I had good luck with prozac, too. it pooped out on me, but it might be great with WB at the higher dose.

Boo to cymbalta- did the same thing to me. I screamed at my daughter tonight. I have screamed like that in a long time, she was making me so angry and said something to me that she can reserve for her friends and not her mother, I took away her phone until monday and was very angry. Makes me wonder if I was appropraite (or something near approaprpriate) or turning into an angry, mean girl b/c of the meds. I am not at my best when I am switching medication.