effects from switching from ativan to paxil?

Question

I've been on a combo of Wellbutrin and Ativan (on an as needed bases) for two months now. The Adivan was perscribed while I was inpatient,they never bothered to tell me it was a controlled substance and addictive. The psyc person I see now doesn't like me on it, so he switchd me to Paxil so I can take it all the time. Now I'm having trouble sleeping, nausea and headaches. Any ideas on how to help these side effects? Any ideas about why I would be put on two antidepressents at the same time?

Answer 1

Paxil is an SSRI antidepressant. Ativan is a benzodiazapine, an anti-anxiety medication.

It is not uncommon to need more than one antidepresant to control symptoms. Wellbutrin and Paxil work on different neurotransmitters in the brain, so together they may offer significantly more relief for some people than either medication on its own.

Were you still having symptoms of depression or was the Paxil added specifically to address the issue of anxiety? If i'ts the latter, you may want to ask your doctor about a medication called BuSpar. It is an anti-anxiety medication that is not a benzo.

If you were doing well on the Ativan & Wellbutrin combo and were not taking too much of the Ativan, it's almost silly to take you off of it. Yes, it can be addictive...but it is not that way for everybody. I have been on a small dose at night and as needed (which I do rarely) for many years and have had no problem with it. I have not had to raise my dose to get the same effect and have not had withdrawal symptoms if i missed doses. It kind of depends how often you were taking it "as needed". If it was only occassionally (say, once or twice a week or less) then why go on a medication that you need to take daily that causes other side effects? (BTW, the side effects you describe will probably gradually subside as your body adjusts.) However, if you were taking it much more often, then it is probably not a good medication for you. Higher doses over longer periods of time can actually contribute to depression.

It's really hard to find the right combo of psych meds. When you do find something that works, it is wise to stick with it.

Answer 2

do not take paxil, prozac or zoloft. period. they are garbage drugs designed by chem companies to sell folks drugs for the remainder of their lifetime.
xanax is a helpful drug, the only helpful drug i ever took for anxiety. But ANY drug is bad, if you don't really need it, and in so many cases the drugs ppl take for depression/anxiety type problems are just creating more problems than they help. You'll feel much better learning to live and live well, without them

Answer 3

For me the celexa worked much better than the paxil.