antidepressant adjustment

[almostnever]

A few weeks ago, I missed a dose of antidepressants. I felt shitty for days afterward (which might not have been wholly due to missing drugs, but it was definitely a factor

Comments

[hunnyfreak]

I was on the max dose of Celexa and was feeling the same way as you. I went to the doctor and she added Wellbutrin to it. She said a lot of the Psychiatrists in the hospitals are using the Celexa/Wellbutrin combo with great success. I'm only 3 weeks in on the new combo and I am starting to notice a positive difference.

What is interesting though is that these two drugs are supposed to contradict each other, but if my psychiatrist and pharmacist say it's okay, who am I to argue?

[almostnever]

I'll ask about that one! Thank you :-)

[chaya]

I've tried and upped Lexapro, then Wellbutrin, and eventually settled on Pristiq (which sadly does not have a generic yet). Also be aware that even if you don't """"need"""" anti-depressants, going off them (on purpose or by accident) will give you side-effects as the amount of the drug in your bloodstream drops. But yeah! Pristiq. I have no idea if it will go okay with your other issues but I can say that it works for me.

[almostnever]

I have heard that Pristiq will punish you if you're late taking it, which is a mild concern, but I'm adding it to the list of possibilities to discuss w/ my doctor. Thanks! :-)

[chaya]

I take my dose sometime in the morning - if I've forgotten it, I have occasional weird head twinges by late evening. (Tbh it's helpful to remind me I forgot the dose.) YMMV?

[firesign10]

Finding the right AD or combination of ADs is a real puzzle. It doesn't help that they kick in slowly, or that weaning and changing meds is also very slow.

Personally, I did really well with Lexapro. I tried Paxil, but felt sedated as well as it interfered with sex. Lexapro was great. Over a couple of years, the Lexapro needed assitance, and I went on Pristiq. That worked pretty well, although I did have to start a low dose of blood pressure med, as the Pristiq bumped it up. I can't say I noticed too much else with the Pristiq, but what I DID notice is when I went off of it. I felt a good-sized resurgence of motivation and creativity. I hadn't written anything in over a year, and now I'm writing away.

I hope you'll find the right stuff for you! It's a tough road :-\

[almostnever]

Good to know. I definitely don't want to take anything that reduces my motivation, since that's already a huge issue for me. And if Pristiq increases blood pressure I imagine my doctor won't suggest opting for that one. Lexapro looks like a possibility... thank you!

[ink_monkey]

I have a combo of issues very similar to yours (PCOS, sleep issues, depression), and I'm on a cocktail of Wellbutrin, Effexor and Abilify that has helped me amazingly. Effexor affects norepinephrine levels, which not a lot of antidepressants do, and the Abilify has some sort of synergistic effect that makes the other two even more potent. Based on my personal experience, I'd try adding Abilify before trying Effexor, which has the nastiest withdrawal symptoms I've come across in fifteen years on psych meds. Also, Effexor can raise your blood pressure at the higher doses.

[almostnever]

I heard good things from others over on Dreamwidth about Abilify, so that's definitely on my list to inquire about. Thank you!