Which anti-depression med is the BEST for Agoraphobia?

Question

I was on Prozac 80 mg. but it wasn't doing anything to help so my therapist changed me to 10 mg of Lexapro. I haven't have much luck with antidepression medications and I can't find on the web the one most prescribed for Agoraphobia. Please Help!
Thanks in advance!
Yvonne

Which anti-depression med is the BEST for Agoraphobia?

Answer 1

Anti depressants are the best treatment for anxiety disorders because they are the only medicine that correct the imbalance in the neurotransmitters. Unfortuately, anxiety and ocd respond very slowly...6 to 8 weeks and it is hard to know which med will be best for each person. So, trial and error takes a long time and can be very discouraging. Anti anxiety medication can help while you are figuring it our, but they can be addictive and then you have a new problem. So, bottom line is you cannot predict which medication will be best for you, but an SSRI is the best place to start. Your doctor seems to be doing the right thing.

Answer 2

Agoraphobia is an irrational fear, it has absolutely nothing to do with depression so anti depressants aren't going to help. I suggest that you try an anti anxiety medication. Valium has worked wonders for me. Yes, I've been told that it's addictive but considering I've had these problems more than half of my life, I don't foresee a time when I won't need the meds,LOL!!!!!!!

Answer 3

Don't ever take the sleeping pills route!!

1. They will damage your liver big time and you can get into serious health problems.

2. You will get hooked up on them and you won't be able to have a normal life any more if you don't take your pills everyday.

The sleeping pills industry is damaging our health by capitalizing on our ignorance, and by distracting people from effective and natural ways to deal with this problem. I had been taking prescription sleep medications [Ambien] for over 5 years. It stopped working and I simply took more. Still did not work. Nights were very difficult - medication put me to sleep but I would wake up after 2–3 hours with a strong sympathetic response (fast pulse, pounding heartbeat, wide awake alert). It was a very difficult cycle to break. I was really in bad shape due to lack of sleep.

After years of struggling I was able to cure my insomnia naturally and pretty fast. I followed the Sleep Tracks sleep optimization program, here is their official web -site if you want to take a look: http://www.insomniacure.net

Ohhh..and Good Luck!

Answer 4

40000 Cured Social Anxiety : http://SocialAnxiety.uzaev.com/?xBNH

Answer 5

Without asking you to give up the prescribed medication, I would recommend you to look at Bach Flower Medicines (Essences) such as Mimulus. Check out www.bachcenter.com and also
http://floweressencesintro.onlinecourse.com/

Answer 6

GENERIC NAME: sertraline
BRAND NAME: Zoloft

DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Sertraline belongs to a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). Other drugs in this class are Prozac (fluoxetine), Paxil (paroxetine), Celexa (citalopram) and Luvox (fluvoxamine). Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger) produced by nerve cells in the brain that is used by the nerves to communicate with one another. A nerve releases the serotonin it produces into the space surrounding it. The serotonin either travels across the space and attaches to receptors on the surface of nearby nerves or it attaches to receptors on the surface of the nerve that produced it, to be taken up by the nerve and released again (a process referred to as re-uptake). A balance is reached for serotonin between attachment to the nearby nerves and reuptake. Selective serotonin inhibitors block the reuptake of serotonin and therefore change the level of serotonin in the brain. It is believed that some illnesses such as depression are caused by disturbances in the balance between serotonin and other neurotransmitters. The leading theory is that drugs such as sertraline restore the chemical balance among neurotransmitters in the brain. Sertraline was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in December, 1991.

PRESCRIPTION: Yes

GENERIC AVAILABLE: No

PREPARATIONS: Tablets: 25, 50, and 100 mg; oral concentrate: 20 mg/ml

STORAGE: Store at room temperature between 15-30°C (59-86°F).

PRESCRIBED FOR: Sertraline is a drug that is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Like other SSRIs, sertraline also is used for treating social anxiety disorder and postmenstrual dysphoric disorder.

DOSING: The recommended dose of sertraline is 25-200 mg once daily. Treatment usually is started at 25-50 once daily and then increased at weekly intervals until the desired response is seen. Sertraline may be taken with or without food.

DRUG INTERACTIONS: Serious reactions such as hyperthermia, fluctuations in blood pressure and rigidity of muscles may occur when SSRIs are used in combination with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) such as phenelzine, tranylcypromine (Parnate) and isocarboxazid. Therefore, SSRIs should not be used in combination with MAOIs. In addition, SSRIs and MAOIs should not be used within 14 days of each other.

Cimetidine may increase the levels in blood of sertraline by reducing the elimination of sertraline by the liver. Increased levels of sertraline may lead to more side effects.

Sertraline increases the blood level of pimozide (Orap) by 40%. High levels of pimozide can affect electrical conduction in the heart and lead to sudden death. Therefore, patients should not receive treatment with both pimozide and sertraline.

Through unknown mechanisms, sertraline may increase the blood thinning action of warfarin. The effect of warfarin should be monitored when sertraline is started or stopped.

PREGNANCY: Sertraline's safety in pregnancy has not been established.

NURSING MOTHERS: Use of sertraline by nursing mothers has not been adequately evaluated.

SIDE EFFECTS: The most common side effects of sertraline are sleepiness, nervousness, insomnia, dizziness, nausea, tremor, skin rash, upset stomach, loss of appetite, headache, diarrhea, abnormal ejaculation, dry mouth and weight loss. Important side effects are irregular heartbeats, allergic reactions and activation of mania in patients with bipolar disorder.

If sertraline is discontinued abruptly, some patients experience symptoms such as abdominal cramps, flu like symptoms, fatigue and memory impairment. Although this reaction is not well established, it is reasonable to gradually reduce the dose when therapy is discontinued.
It has been suggested that SSRIs may cause depression to worsen and even lead to suicide in a small number of patients. These potential side effects are difficult to evaluate in depressed patients because depression can progress with or without treatment, and suicide is itself a consequence of depression. Moreover, the evidence supporting these potential side effects is weak. Therefore, no conclusions can yet be drawn about the relationship between SSRIs and worsening depression and suicide. Until better information is available, patients receiving SSRIs should be monitored for worsening depression and suicidal tendencies.