tom1
05-02-09, 01:30
Hi all,
I am currently on Sertraline 50mg and I've been taking this since september and I am currently having a few problems which aren't getting any better. First of all, I am getting bad headaches, and second of all I am getting bad insomnia. These two side-effects are basically making things harder. I get around 4 really bad headaches a month associated with Sertraline. If I deliberately skip a dose, it goes away and this has worked more often than once. Insomnia just happens all the time - there's nothing I can really do about it - I've tried taking Sertraline at different times in the day. So all things considered, I think a change is due.
Previously I was on Paroxetine, Citalopram and Fluoxetine. I moved from Paroxetine to Sertraline to originally come down and off anti-depressants - which I did successfully for a while before going back on Sertraline. Basically paroxetine had stopped working and sedated me more than I liked. Sertraline has kept my mood better, but also kept a level of anxiety there which basically keeps me in check. Whilst paroxetine did elminate quite a lot of the anxiety but it made me quite lazy, and sorta not caring about things which eventually became a large problem for me. Citalopram was great initially but I think it made me more depressed so I switched to Paroxetine (still can't remember the specifics though) but it was effective. Fluoxetine was just a bad med all round for anxiety, it made me much worse but it was quite energizing and effective for depression.
So, what do I do? Do I still continue with SSRI's? Or should I try another group?
Before I switch to any new med, there are a few things I need to consider and eliminate off my list in terms of side-effects - so these are side-effects I don't want with a new med and want to avoid if possible:
Insomnia - I don't want to be on a med that creates insomnia.
Weight Gain - No thank you.
Drowsiness - I really don't want to be drowsy when I am driving or doing other things that require my attention.
Headaches - Not sure if it's Sertraline only but I really don't want any more.
Those are my four major side-effects I really don't want.
My list of candidates are:
Venlafaxine (heard some good things about this)
Trazodone (some reasonable positive responses about this)
Citalopram (to try again because the side-effects are quite minimal)
Mirtzapine (Yes I know the weight-gain is quite bad on this but so many people say good things about it)
So I would really appreciate if anyone can shed some light into what your experiences are with any of these meds and what side-effects you've had etc. Also, feel free to mention any other potentional candidates that fit what I am looking for.
Thanks.
I am currently on Sertraline 50mg and I've been taking this since september and I am currently having a few problems which aren't getting any better. First of all, I am getting bad headaches, and second of all I am getting bad insomnia. These two side-effects are basically making things harder. I get around 4 really bad headaches a month associated with Sertraline. If I deliberately skip a dose, it goes away and this has worked more often than once. Insomnia just happens all the time - there's nothing I can really do about it - I've tried taking Sertraline at different times in the day. So all things considered, I think a change is due.
Previously I was on Paroxetine, Citalopram and Fluoxetine. I moved from Paroxetine to Sertraline to originally come down and off anti-depressants - which I did successfully for a while before going back on Sertraline. Basically paroxetine had stopped working and sedated me more than I liked. Sertraline has kept my mood better, but also kept a level of anxiety there which basically keeps me in check. Whilst paroxetine did elminate quite a lot of the anxiety but it made me quite lazy, and sorta not caring about things which eventually became a large problem for me. Citalopram was great initially but I think it made me more depressed so I switched to Paroxetine (still can't remember the specifics though) but it was effective. Fluoxetine was just a bad med all round for anxiety, it made me much worse but it was quite energizing and effective for depression.
So, what do I do? Do I still continue with SSRI's? Or should I try another group?
Before I switch to any new med, there are a few things I need to consider and eliminate off my list in terms of side-effects - so these are side-effects I don't want with a new med and want to avoid if possible:
Insomnia - I don't want to be on a med that creates insomnia.
Weight Gain - No thank you.
Drowsiness - I really don't want to be drowsy when I am driving or doing other things that require my attention.
Headaches - Not sure if it's Sertraline only but I really don't want any more.
Those are my four major side-effects I really don't want.
My list of candidates are:
Venlafaxine (heard some good things about this)
Trazodone (some reasonable positive responses about this)
Citalopram (to try again because the side-effects are quite minimal)
Mirtzapine (Yes I know the weight-gain is quite bad on this but so many people say good things about it)
So I would really appreciate if anyone can shed some light into what your experiences are with any of these meds and what side-effects you've had etc. Also, feel free to mention any other potentional candidates that fit what I am looking for.
Thanks.