What antidepressants worked for you or didn't work for you? What side effects did you have?

Answer 1

Paxil worked well for me. No side effects and it normalized my mood, sleep and appetite. Zoloft made me agitated and anxious and gave me diarrhea.

Answer 2

According to my psychiatrists (I've had three), some people tolerate medication better than others. And, some medications seem to be more tolerable than others. But, it's a very individual thing. Getting the right therapist (talk therapy) and psychiatrist combination is critical when you are in the recovery stages. After you find the right med or meds at the correct levels and stabilize, you can get by without much active monitoring.

Here's my list:

Prozac - got me through my most difficult time, but made me waaay too sleepy.

Wellbutrin - didn't seem to do anything for me.

Paxil - nada

Effexor - one of the worst experiences of my LIFE! Thought I was going completely out of my mind. Felt like my skin was crawling. Stopped taking it after only a week.

Zoloft - my P. A. L. (peace at last). Temporary drop in libido, but my mind wired around that, I guess. A little weight gain, but I just increased workouts and reduced intake of cookies. Otherwise, no significant side effects. I've been stable for more than 10 years now with only minor episodes of a few "dark days".

Keep working at finding your best med or meds. My heart goes out to you. Hope all goes well and God bless.

Answer 3

I've had prozac, which worked well enough. I prefered to stop taking it because I felt that the causes of my depression had passed, and I found that the side effects for me were some weight gain and I felt a bit flat, like I didn't feel bad, but I couldn't feel a good high either, like I'd be out with friends and having fun, but my brain didn't know it. I have another friend who takes zoloft and has had some weight gain from that, too.

Answer 4

My hubby took Paxil and it works, but it takes several weeks to get it into your system to take effect. Generally, it can affect your sexual desire but it didn't affect my husband in a big way. Most antidepressants, they don't know how it affects reproduction but they believe if a woman is on them it can affect the baby in a negative way. It can be a bit constipating until your body gets used to it. Also, if you skip a day - you can have weird symptoms such as tingling sensations in your head. It's hard to stop taking paxil and if you do stop suddenly - you can end up in a worse depression than you had when you started. You have to wean off of it slowly.

Answer 5

Lexapro is working for me. Prozac didn't. Lithium helps with Bi-polar but I can't take it because I'm pregnant. I did have to double the dose of Lexapro and it makes me nauseous and tired in the first few weeks while it kicks in but overall I feel less depressed.

Answer 6

Alleviated depression but had sexual side effects that eventually caused me to go off them: Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor

Wellbutrin has been the overall best one I've been on and has had no side effects (except when I briefly was put on the highest dose...that gave me hot flashes.)

Serzone did nothing for me.

Answer 7

I choose to stay off of them. I know most people can not do this but I choose exercise and natural healing. I bike 10 miles a day, eat very well, sleep well. The more I burn myself out durning the day the better my body does.

Answer 8

Lexapro. It works wonders, I've been on it for 2 years and I'm feeling better than ever. Make sure you don't skip doses though, because you will get sick.

Answer 9

I take a combination of Effexor XR and Remeron. If one medicine isn't working, a "cocktail" of psych meds might do the trick.

Answer 10

lexipro currently & best so far , taken others and all very different