Should I swap to Venlaxafine

[ems73]

Hi all I wonder if anyone can give me any advice.
I'm currently on week 6 of Prozac (following 6 weeks unsuccessfully on Sertraline). I'm seriously considering switching to Ven.
The Prozac has given me some improvement I think but I'm not convinced it's going to get rid of this anxiety. i think the SSRI's work great for depression but anxiety seems to be a tougher nut to crack.

In the past both Prozac and Citalopram have worked really well for me but since I came off in October and then relapsed, it has been impossible to get back on track.

I can't carry on with this constant worry, dread, feeling sick etc etc, I feel like I have to keep fighting and trying other things.

Who knows what the chances are of Ven working, or should I stick with Prozac (have already upped to 40mg) to see if it gets rid of the anxiety later on down the line. It's hard though, I feel like I'm struggling.

Any advice?

[MrRedShirt]

Hello.

I'm not medically trained but just sharing some tips I've picked up..

Prozac seems to take a while to settle - I've heard people talk of not feeling better until the 8th week. However, as you've taken this before, there is a chance that it may not work the second time around. I've not seen any official or medical papers on this subject, but there seems to be a fair amount of anecdotal evidence that the same med doesn't work as well second time around - You'll have to ask around for that, as I've only ever tried mirtazapine and now duloxetine.

Regarding Venlafaxine - at lower doses it acts as an SSRI. I think it only acts as an SNRI at doses or 150mg or higher.

As always, your doctor is ultimately the best person to discuss this with.

[LAURA48]

Hi Mr Red is right - Prozac worked wonders for me first time round 20mg but second time it made by life hell but to be fair I only had a 6 week break. If you are having some good days definately stay on them - the first time on them it took 8 to 12 weeks and anxiety was high to begin with. They also say second time round can take longer.

I saw a psychiatrist the other day - as I hadn't been getting anywhere, Sertraline (but to be honest don't think I gave it long enough) but am being put on Citalopram? I mentioned Venlafaxine and he said it would not be suitable for my condition as initially this would heighten my anxiety - he said Ven was a much stronger antidepressant and he felt anxiety was more my problem!

Try and stay on it a bit longer! easier said than done and I am sure you will get some positive benefits.

Good luck Laura x

[haz]

He's also correct that SNRI's are more effective than SSRI's in higher doses. My psychiatrist told me this on Friday.

Haz.x

[LAURA48]

Yes Haz - I was told that! Psychiatrists obviously really know their stuff and he augmenting mine with small dose of Olanzapine - again higher doses of that are for more psychotic cases - Schizophrenia.

My GP would run a mile if I mentioned that - lol

[MrRedShirt]

He's also correct that SNRI's are more effective than SSRI's in higher doses. My psychiatrist told me this on Friday.

Haz.x

Yep, that's for Venlafaxine. So at the lower doses it'll just be like trying another SSRI (which might turn out to be right for you).

Duloxetine acts as a SNRI right across its dosing range though.

[nicola1980]

Regarding Venlafaxine - at lower doses it acts as an SSRI. I think it only acts as an SNRI at doses or 150mg or higher.

I asked my physchatrist about this and she said it is an SNRI and works completely differently to an SSRI hence it usually being a last resort med when others have failed, the normal dose for anxiety is 75mg and 150mg for panic disorders, im inbetween, 75mg in the morning and 37.5mg at night and its helping my anxiety alot xx

[ems73]

Thanks so much everyone. Sounds like I ought to give it 8 weeks on Prozac to make sure I've given it a fair chance. Have doctors appointment in about a week so will discuss Ven with him then, I must say the initial increased anxiety worries me (doesn't everything) but I'd be prepared to put up with that if it helped me in the end. It seems that there are quite a few reports of success on here with Ven, interesting that it needs a certain dose for anxiety, more than depression....they def need treating differently sometimes I think.
Will see how I feel at the end of next weekend. If I've had any more good days I'll stick it out.
Hate feeling like this, thank god I can come on here for some support

Wishing you all a good week x

---------- Post added at 19:43 ---------- Previous post was at 19:40 ----------

Hi Mr Red is right - Prozac worked wonders for me first time round 20mg but second time it made by life hell but to be fair I only had a 6 week break. If you are having some good days definately stay on them - the first time on them it took 8 to 12 weeks and anxiety was high to begin with. They also say second time round can take longer.

I saw a psychiatrist the other day - as I hadn't been getting anywhere, Sertraline (but to be honest don't think I gave it long enough) but am being put on Citalopram? I mentioned Venlafaxine and he said it would not be suitable for my condition as initially this would heighten my anxiety - he said Ven was a much stronger antidepressant and he felt anxiety was more my problem!

Try and stay on it a bit longer! easier said than done and I am sure you will get some positive benefits.



Good luck Laura x

Thanks Laura, best of luck with the Citalopram, it worked really well for me for 3 years. Unfortunately not the 2nd time round I found it very easy to tolerate with minimal side effects. Good luck xx