Tricyclics and SSRI's?

Hi, im doing a little self research and am interested in experiences people have had with these two classes of drugs.

To cut a long story short i have suffered with anxiety for a long time and have had a bad flare up recently, previously i have taken benzodiazepines and citalopram. I had an unusual reaction to citalopram which i landed me in hospital (strange vision + extreme mood swings after 5 days of taking them!) and ruled out me having SSRIs again! .........My doctor has suggested that i might want to try tricyclics e.g. amtriptyline but im sceptical as they have a similarish mode of action, scared that i will have a similar reaction to what i did with citalopram (doesnt help me being a pharmacy student and looking too much into it!!!:unsure:)

.....im just interested in hearing personal experiences rather than looking at statistics, i.e. if anyone has had any bad reactions to both types, or if people found them useful, also im interested to hear about whether people found other types of drugs less commonly prescribed useful e.g. MAOI's?

thanks!:)

I have taken doxepin as Sinequan and found them helpful. Changed to amitriptyline recently and although no noticable side effects perhaps not as effective. Take diazepam in emergencies but would not be too happy about MAOI's. Just my opinion and for my symptoms.

Hi thanks for the reply...am a little skeptical about taking medication, i think with most people its a try it and see approach. Sadly cant even have the diazepam for emergencies, just have to sit it out for days/nights on end sometimes :(

Hi CJ

Maybe not all ssris would give you the same reaction? I had Nortriptylene (Tricyclic) and it caused abnormal heart rythm. I've also had Moclobemide (RIMA) which didn't suit me either. However, meds react differently on different people this is what we have to remember. We all have a different make up - we don't all have the same blood group for example do we?

Go to www.askapatient.com for users comments on medications.

Why can't you use diazepam?

Good luck.

Hi, thanks for the website link its realy useful! I am from colchester too.:) Cant take benzodiazepines due past dependance issues.

Just seems a bit of a dillema, pretty much housebound due my anxiety at the moment, not sleeping for nights on end and my options for treatment just seem very limited, the doc said tricyclics would be next port of call....just worried am gonna have a bad reaction to them and have virtually no options left, feel like a lost cause:s

I was on Nortriptyline for quite a long time. I don't handle SSRIs very well. I tolerated Nortrip pretty well. It caused my digestive system to slow down (I think all tricyclics do, so eat accordingly) and it gave me dry mouth. The little heart blips I experienced at the beginning went away within a few days. As far as effectiveness goes, it helped me immensely with the physical symptoms of my anxiety, but couldn't keep my brain from obsessing. My doctor tried switching me to Anafranil (Clomipramine) and that didn't go well. It was supposed to be perfect for me, but after one dose I was a mess. Anxiety through the roof and upset stomach, so I had to quit. It's strange that one was fine and the other just plain wasn't. People are all so different.

I'm not sure what's left for me. Maybe beta blockers. I'm running out of options.

CJ

Brilliant, another Colchesterian lol! You at uni here??