What family of anitdepressants tend to make people relaxed?

Question

I was on effexor and welbutrin for few days on each and they both seemed to wire me up and make me worse on their 2nd or 3rd day. Which family of anitidepressants tend to make people relaxed and just normal? Those one's gave me more anxiety. Are the older technology anitdeperssant better for what I am looking for? I have not had much luck with the new ones. Please give me names of few brands so I can discuss them with my doctor.thanks

Answer 1

Anxiety is a common side effect of wellbutrin although it may wear off if you give it some time. The wellbutrin/effexor combo may ultimately work for you or something emphasizing wellbutrin less and SS/NRI's more (for instance, i'm not an expert in SSRIs or in distinguishing why docs will prescribe one over the other, but lexapro is a pure SSRI that has high efficacy in low doses). There are meds that treat anxiety like klonopin and, more generally, beta blockers, but those can have depression as a side effect because they are extremely calming.

Unless you are super depressed and need much higher doses, it sounds like you and your doc need to find a balance between effective doses of the good meds and their side effects. This may mean experimenting with combination therapies. Older classes of medications tend to have more side effects.

Also, if the agitation is severe, have you and your doctor considered the restlessness as a possible sign of hypomanic/manic reaction to the medication? Antidepressants are activating sometimes to a fault. Mood stabilizers like lamictal, trileptal, and lithium usually don't have agitation like that as a side effect, but diagnostically their appropriateness is a decision to be made by your doctor.

Answer 2

Both Effexor and Wellbutrin, along with Celexa, are antidepressants that give you energy in addition to helping you with your depression. Many antidepressants take at least 2 weeks and sometimes 6 weeks before a person will notice the full effect of the medication, so a few days is not long enough. Usually, after the first several days, any initial strangeness goes away, and the body will have finished the initial adjustment.

There are other antidepressants that you could use, but I wonder if you told your doctor you were fatigued a lot, or tired all the time? If you did, that's why you were prescribed the Effexor et al.

I, personally would steer clear of the older tri-cyclics. They have a lot of unpleasant side effects. But there are other SSRIs you could try with your doctor's help. However, you need to be very clear with the doctor, regarding the symptoms you have.

Some "mood stabilizers" such as Neurontin or gabapentin (generic name) aren't specifically an antidepressant, but do level out your mood and have an anti-anxiety component to them.

Then there is a class of drugs specifically called antianxiolics, of which Klonopin is one. The generic is clonazepam. This particular medication is part of those drugs that are benzodiazepenes, which can be physically addictive. Of the benzos, Klonopin is the longest acting one, and the least likely to become addictive, if you do not take it long-term. Valium, on the other hand, is the opposite.

Your best bet is to go back to your doctor, and have a long talk with him! If he is not a psychiatrist, you need to find a psychopharmacologist! I am not a physician, but have a broad experience with mental health medications, because of my child.

Many people believe the rhetoricTom Cruise has poisoned the world community with. However, I don't see him here helping my child. I'm here, and I love my kid with my whole heart. The meds give him the chance to be with people and go to school and learn. Massage will relax you, and I get massages, when I can afford them, but once per week would be too costly, and would not work for my child who has sensory issues!

Good luck!

Answer 3

The first thing you need to realize is that you never gave either the effexor nor the welbutrin a good chance to get into your system. It usually takes 2 weeks to see full results. Also antidepressants are not meant to make people feel relaxed. To help people feel relaxed you would use an anti-anxiety medication. Antidepressants are designed to help relieve depression which they do. If you have anxiety along with it then you need to add another med to help with that. Because you never gave either of the two drugs you tried much of a chance I am not sure what med would be your best choice. Yes you may have felt more wired for a couple days on the drug but it takes up to two weeks to see full benefits so no matter what antidepressant you try you are going to have to give it more than a couple days to see how things go.

Answer 4

Psychotropic medications work differently for different people. I had bad anxiety with Effexor. And had to quit Zoloft after only 4 days because of a sudden impulse to commit a very violent act... totally not *me*! I don't know of any SSRI that is really known for having any calming effect.
The tricyclic antidepressant are more likely to calm you.
But if anxiety is the main problem, I agree with the person who said clonazepam (Klonopin). It is a benzodiazapine, in the same family as Valium and Xanax, but with a longer half-life and less potential for abuse and addiction. It's a good anxiety med.

But, exercise, massage, meditation, yoga... all of these are fabulous for anxiety. There are also herbal remedies such as Valerian for anxiety, but never take any herbal supplements with prescription meds without asking a doctor first (or research it yourself).
The natural remedies are the best.

Answer 5

It's not surprising on how you reacted to Effexor and Wellbutrin; They are both part of the Multiple Reuptake Inhibitor (MRI) family of antidpressants, which prohibit the reuptake of the, neurotransmitters dopamine, neuropinephrine and serotonin. The term reuptake inhibitor, refers to the process in which the medication keeps the neurotransmitters in your brain longer, preventing them from returning to their storage containers for later user.

Norepinephrine and dopamine contribute to activating the sympathetic nervous system, which directly increases heart rate, blood pressure and muscel readiness. This would explain why these medications would make you feel a bit wired. Dopamine is commonly associated with the pleasure system of the brain, providing feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate a person proactively to perform certain activities. Dopamine is released by naturally rewarding experiences such as food, sex, use of certain drugs and neutral stimuli that become associated with them.

Serotonin is believed to play an important role in the regulation of body temperature, mood, sleep, emesis (vomiting), sexuality and appetite. Low levels of Serotonin have been associated with several disorders, notably depression, migraine, bipolar disorder and anxiety.

When treating depression and anxiety with medication, your Dr. will target the reuptake of one or more neurotransmitters, due to the fact that you're not producing enough, therefore experience
depression. In your case, he/she appears to be convinced that you're having problems with things other than serotonin. If that is not the case, you may want to switch to an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor), which will not make you feel wired at all. The most selective amongst these types of Antidepressants are Lexapro, followed by Proza, Paxil and Zoloft.

As per the timeframe you've given the meds to work; you should expect to feel the full effects of either type of antidepressant within 1 - 2 months. You'll feel the initial effects in 2 - 4 weeks, with some side effects. The side effects should go away within 2 weeks. I would try to tough it out, unless the effects are unbearable.

What's difficult in giving you advise is that you haven't discussed any firm diagnosis with us. If you haven't already been diagnosed, then I would suggest that you do so. This question covers some information on antidepressants, but if you have a mood disorder, you may need to switch to an anticonvulsant (mood stabilizer).

I hope this has given you some better insights to how the meds work. Good luck speaking with your Dr. and I hope things work out.

Answer 6

Discuss Clonazepam (Rivotril) with your doc. A low dosage of as little as point..5 mg/day works for millions, to control anxiety and behaviour that can lead to depressive thought. BUT, exercise every day can be even more valuable for your overall mood, anxiety level and overall phsyical health and outlook on life.

Answer 7

No, but I do make fists with my toes upon the carpet to relax after a long day. Try it while you're watching TV and see if that helps you. Perhaps your in suspense a lot when you watch TV.

Answer 8

I know someone on Lexapro whose entire life has changed for the better. There are side effects, in that this person needs a daily nap and if they stand still too long will fall asleep (not quite but....) - but his anxiety and intense irritability is gone.

Answer 9

all that crap is toxic for the human Body, If you really wanna relax I would recommend finding a good Massage Therapist. and go to see him or her once a week for the rest of your life, It not only feels good physically But it is Healthy for your Mind Body and Spirit