Reviews about Depression Medicine

iciefarn says "I don't leavee home without taking my Effexor!" about Effexor

iciefarn — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:15:56 GMT

I have been using Effexor for the past four years and have found it to be highly effective and not surprising very addictive. I have had problems with depression and anxiety since early childhood as a result of constant and faceted abuse in the home. My life has been froth with all types of psychiatric counselling, both in and out patient, but I have found that I function much better with Effexor than any of the other medication heretofore prescibed by or recommended treatment program ever before. Although when I am out I find myself having symptoms of detox, shaking,upset stomach, headaches, flights of thought, and body tremors (thank God not all at once - picture that in Kodak). But after going a few days without Effexor the withdrawal symptoms become tolerable but not a happy camper. The draw backs of the addiction do not overshadow the effects it provides when taken as prescribed. I am normally a happy, content, down to earth, alone but not totally lonely (I got a cat), racing...

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Celestejean says "Works ok but I NEVER have any energy! Sleepy all the time!" about Celexa (Citalopram)

Celestejean — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:03:00 GMT

I started taking Citalopram 2 weeks ago and so far it's OK.

The only problems I have with this medication is laziness and sleepiness, no energy, and doesn't help my social anxiety much.

I didn't get much side effects when starting on this pill which is a good thing in my book. Other anxiety and depression pills I've taken in the past were horrible on my body!

Overall I do like this medication and I'm still waiting for the full effects to kick in. I recommend asking your psychiatrist about trying out this medication! =]

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Evelyn09 says "Cymbalta changed my life...I am my old self again!" about Cymbalta

Evelyn09 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:09:34 GMT

I started taking Cymbalta about a year ago, after being very sick and depressed for about 6 months. I was having anxiety attacks almost on a daily basis. I had physical symptoms as well, such as stomach problems, insomnia, and severe muscle aches. I was extremely exhausted all the time, yet still couldnt sleep at night. I was missing alot of work and just couldnt function in my daily life. My Doctor did every test known on me and they all were normal. She tried to tell me that I had major depression, yet I was in denial...everything was great in my life. She tried me on Prozac, Wellbutrin, Zoloft and Ativan...none of which did any good, in fact some made my symptoms worse! She finally asked me to try Cymbalta and I reluctantly did so. Because I am very sensitive to medicines, she started me out on the lowest dose possible, 20mg twice daily. The first few days I was quite dizzy, but that went away quickly. By the end of the first week, I felt a dramatic difference...

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anwyllyd says "It saved my life!" about Wellbutrin Bupropion Hydrochloride

anwyllyd — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:22:58 GMT

I have been diagnosed with chronic moderate to marked depression. My doctor originally put me on that old classic, Prozac, which did little or no good for my depression but certainly was a bonus to my waistline :( After a couple of months on Prozac, my doctor and I agreed that it was not really working for me and he took me off of Prozac and put me on Zoloft. This appeared to work a little better than the Prozac, however not without significant (and I mean SIGNIFICANT!) weight gain. After three months struggling with the weight gain, my doctor and I realized that my depression was being dramatically worsened by the massive weight gain and that a change in medication was again necessary.

I refused to go on any anti-depressent that had weight gain as a possible side effect and he did some research and discovered Wellbutrin had no weight gain side effects and not much decreased libido (another major issue with anti-depressents). I have been on Wellbutrin since then and I swear by...

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mhudson6 says "I am a different person" about Wellbutrin Bupropion Hydrochloride

mhudson6 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:36:26 GMT

I absolutely LOVE Welbutrin! I used to be on Lexapro for years and I never seemed to be happy or upbeat. The whole reason why I was on Lexapro was for self confidence issues and gaining weight on Lexapro certanly did not help. I went off of lexapro for a while and did it cold turkey and my family and boyfriend were affected by my decision. I was never happy and I became snappy and sad 24/7. When I went to my doctor she prescribed me to Welbutrin and now about a month and a half later, I honestly feel like a new person. I have lost about a pound or two (I also have been excercising and eating well) and I feel so much better and people like to now be around me. I take two in the morning and I am really really happy. I cannot express how much of a different person I am because of this medicine and if anyone suffers from depression especially someone with low self confidence then is he pill for you.

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Priya2 says "Good medicine with few side effects" about Zoloft

Priya2 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:58:31 GMT

Zoloft is a selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor. What that means is that it regulates the amount of a substance in the brain called seratonin, which in turn lifts the mood and relieves the symptoms of depression.

Zoloft was the first antidepressant I tried, and I stayed on it for seven years. It regulated my mood quite well, with almost zero side effects (and I get side effects from EVERYTHING). I felt really lucky that this was the first medication I was prescribed. The only warning is, DON'T stop taking it without your doctor's okay. I did that, and when I tried to get back on it, it didn't work the way it used to.

Another bonus is that I think Zoloft is avaliable as a generic, so the costs and copays associated with it are much lower than they used to be. I highly recommend trying this drug. Then, if it works for you like it did for me, stay on it for as long as you possibly can.

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Priya2 says "Effective medication but has some side effects." about Cymbalta

Priya2 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:24:44 GMT

I have been taking Cymbalta for over 5 years. It has been very good for managing my depression. Some of my symptoms have literally disappeared! However, I have had some problems with side effects, mostly nausea, loss of appetite, and insomnia. Eventually, this problems was solved when I started taking half of my dose in the morning and half at bedtime, always with food.

I have a friend who is in medical school and he has the following to say about Cymbalta: it is an SNRI (serotonin-norepenephrine reuptake inhibitor), like Effexor. It was developed for people who would benefit from an SNRI but could not tolerate the high doses needed with Effexor. The main drawback is the high cost of the drug. But people of certain income levels can get the medication for free from the drug company.

In summary, this is a good drug to take if you can get your hands on it. You just might need to play around with the doses for the best, most side-effect-free result.

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Skempff09 says "Effexor is good for depression, not anxiety" about Effexor XR

Skempff09 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:45:58 GMT

I was put on Effexor XR 8 years ago for depression and anxiety, and I continued it for 6 of those years. My physician thought it would be a good fit because I had already tried several different medications during the two years prior that had caused weight gain and fatigue, and ultimately added to my depression. Effexor has a very low rate of weight gain compared to other SSRI's, in fact it can sometimes cause weight loss. I was very happy with the energy it gave me and it seemed to help a little with my depression. The problem that I had was that instead of decreasing my anxiety, it ended up shooting through the roof, and I was unable to sleep. I then had to be prescribed Trazadone to help me sleep at night, so instead of one medication I had to be on two. My main problem with the medication, however, and what I would warn others while they consider this, is the very harsh withdrawals I had when trying to go off of it. I followed all my doctor's instructions, tapering off it over...

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sagalu123 says "Wellbutrin XL gave me the jitters!" about Wellbutrin Bupropion Hydrochloride

sagalu123 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:01:10 GMT

Yes, Wellbutrin XL gave me the jitters!

I was prescribed Wellbutrin XL some time ago and did not have a good experience with this drug. I was suffering from mild depression with fatigue and lethargy. I was advised that this particular medication offered an "activating" effect that could help combat my symptoms. I expected to feel more alert, awake, motivated, and desire to be active. I was very surprised when I quickly went from feeling depressed to feeling very anxious! I experienced an array of unpleasant sensations including shakiness, feeling jittery as well as an unpleasant restlessness and internal feeling of vibration. I also had trouble sleeping and terrible headaches that stopped once I was off the medication. In my experience, the side effects of the drug were just too much to bear.

I know for some this drug has offered great benefits, but for me it was pretty awful. If you have any tendency towards feeling restless or jittery I do not recommend this drug.

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cissybrowneyes says "Lexapro is the best antidepressant on the market." about Lexapro Antidepressant

cissybrowneyes — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:15:57 GMT

I was diagnosed with depression after I suffered a life changing surgery.

I tried to get by without any medicinal help, thinking this too will pass.

After months of struggling with self-esteem issues, mood swings and uncontrolable fits of weeping and sadness ... I finally sought professional help.

My psychiatrist diagnosed me as a manic depressive and prescribed Lexapro. It only took about 2 weeks before I felt the effects and mass improvement in my health.

I no longer craved huge quantity's of alcohol to numb my pain. I could still function ...... not a zombie. Still able to feel, to laugh to cry but without the extreme high and lows.

I am now on a new prescription plan that doesn't provide this wonderful drug and I cannot afford the 170.00 a month. I am forced to take an inferior product and no longer feel that comfort I felt while taking lexapro.

Please, research carefully ......... not all antidepressants are the same.

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wish4wings2fly says "Lexapro is getting me back to where I like to be" about Lexapro Antidepressant

wish4wings2fly — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:21:21 GMT

After taking Paxil for twelve years I had reached the end of the high dosage and it began to not do the job anymore. I tried to add Wellbutrin to it and the results were very bad. After six weeks of steadily getting worse my doctor and I decided we would try Lexapro. As I took this medication and weaned gradually off Paxil I began to notice a huge difference in the way I felt. I first realized Lexapro was helping me after about two weeks into taking it. My mood improved quite a bit to where I wasn't crying or plotting suicide every day. I started to not sleep as much and was able to be more active. On the second week my dosage was increased from 10mg to 20mg and again I noticed a significant difference in the way I felt. My boss even said she heard me humming. I hadn't hummed or whistled to myself in months. One person even said, hey you look great, you got your smile back. I have the option after two months on this medication to up the dosage to 30mg but have not...

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wish4wings2fly says "be very careful when taking this medication" about Wellbutrin Bupropion Hydrochloride

wish4wings2fly — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:45:43 GMT

I was prescribed this medication when my regular medication did not seem to be doing the job. I did not notice any difference the first week but I began to notice a worsening of my depression symptoms by the second week. I began by crying almost every day and wanting to sleep most of the time that I was at home. By the third week I began having trouble completing work and feeling very sad all of the time. I began to gain weight at about three pounds a week. I saw my doctor and we agree to increase the dose. This did not make anything better. In fact, I began to have thoughts of suicide and my weight gain continued. After six weeks on this medication I had gained sixteen pounds, cried daily, fought with my husband and planned ways to commit suicide. My doctor decided that I should not take this medication anymore because of the side effects being dangerous. Two weeks after not taking it, and taking something else, my mood improved drastically.

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bcarlson15210 says "Wellbutrin (bupropion) has worked for me." about Wellbutrin Bupropion Hydrochloride

bcarlson15210 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:03:20 GMT

I've had a long history of depression, starting when I was very young. I've been going to psychiatrists for years now, trying to find the right combination of drugs that would keep me functional and not make me so sedated I couldn't concentrate.

Wellbutrin has been working well for me for over 5 years with very few side effects.

Normally, I'm the person who gets every single side-effect possible. Small doses cause big effects in my body, so a number of other medications just wouldn't work for me. Some made me so sleepy I felt like a zombie. Others completely killed my interest in much of anything -- a volcano could have exploded next to me and I wouldn't have cared.

Wellbutrin doesn't do those things to me.

Antidepressants certainly don't make your problems go away, but if you need help with depression, the right drug can help make your problems easier to handle. It just made me feel more capable of dealing with my issues. It hasn't given me much trouble with side effects except that I...

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Flag4 says "Effexor XR, Happy on it, Happier off of it" about Effexor XR

Flag4 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:42 GMT

Effexor XR was HORRIBLE to start, stop and to miss. My FNP actually recommened Lexapro, but she was out of samples! So she gave me Effexor XR. My friend said, "you mean side effexer, I hated that stuff". At first I was dizzy, had headaches and shooting pains in my head, nausea. It took 6 wks to resolve. BUT it made a big difference in my life for a short period of time. After about 10mos I cautiously and slowly doubled the dose because it seemed like it wasn't working anymore. Then I just felt manic on it, overly happy and excited. Then I decreased my dose again and was happy for about 6mos. Then it all seemed to change, I became more angry and irritable, I couldn't focus on my work. I felt like a whirlwind of forgetfulness. It made me lose weight which I didn't need. I could sleep for 10hrs and still be drowsy. And forgetting a dose created a devastating feeling of doom, the headaches, dizziness and nausea it created. I finally carefully weened myself off over about 6 wks and am delighted...

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jennifermardin says "Works well, is expensive EVEN WITH INSURANCE" about Cymbalta

jennifermardin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:22:27 GMT

The women of my family have suffered from depression for many generations, so I was not surprised when my family doctor was concerned about my mood, and began talking to me about a prescription anti depressant. I was more open to the idea of taking a prescription because I know many perfectly healthy wonderful women that have had to take something to help them get through a rough patch, then be able to not have to continue the medication forever. So although highly skeptical I began taking the medication at the 30mg dose for a few weeks. Wow what a difference it made in my day to day activities! I had not realized how many aches and pains that I was having that was affecting my everyday life. One of the worst were dibilating migraine headaches. However after just a few weeks, I began to feel much much better. All of those little aches and pains, the fatigue and lack of interest in anything EXCEPT sleeping all began to disappear, as well as my HORRIBLE migraines! I went from...

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m230mojo says "utterly and completely changed my life for the better" about Effexor XR

m230mojo — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:03:38 GMT

After 9 months on Effexor XR I feel confident to say this drug has completely and utterly changed my life. I read many reviews before starting the drug, and I was scared to death of all the reviews that said the drug had horrendous side effects, and was absolutely impossible to get off of. Well, I have experienced just about every side effect imaginable, that I will outline below for you. But, I will never experience the effects of withdrawing from the drug, because I have absolutely no intention of getting off the drug. My life is now phenomenally enjoyable, which I will also outline below. I'm going to give you complete details, because I wish someone had maybe done the same about a year ago when I was searching desperately for answers to my many questions. Here goes. ME: I am a forty-something male, married, two sporty kids. Profession requires public speaking and frequent client interaction. I was a professsional athlete and continue to work out almost every day. PROBLEM:...

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morganjr234 says "EFFEXOR is helping me look forward to holiday gatherings." about Effexor XR

morganjr234 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:33:38 GMT

For three years I was prescribed numerous antidepressants to combat my major depressive disorder. Some worked better than others, but all had side effects I could tolerate for only so long. Last year my doctor suggested I try EFFEXOR. She prescribed a very small dosage which I tolerated very well. In less than three months the dosage was perfect and I have never had any side effects. Now I can make social plans and actually attend them instead of cancelling at the last minute for fear of being around too many people. I am calmer at work and truly enjoy family gatherings. My panic attacks are far fewer and occur much less frequently. I take it first thing in the morning with a large glass of water. The few times I have forgotten to take EFFEXOR, I did not have any of those horrible withdrawal side effects, I just could feel a little bit of anxiety and realized immediately I simply needed to take the medication.

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Cedeca says "Helped me overnight" about Cymbalta

Cedeca — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:33:45 GMT

I have to say that Cymbalta is such a great medicine. I was hurting as if my body was trembeling inside. I didn't know what was wrong with me. My Dr. ran some tests on me to make sure I didn't have some things going on. Everything came back fine. Then he said , I think you have some depression. Cymbalta will help the aches and make you even feel better. The next morning I woke up and was amazed. It is a real good product. I only take a small dose and I do feel so much better.

I know other people that are on it and they are saying the same thing.

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cherylchamberws says "This is a very good medication for pain relief.." about Cymbalta

cherylchamberws — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:53:03 GMT

For several months I suffered from pain in my legs. I had trouble walking and the pain was so severe that I would just sit and cry. I had gone to eight doctors and none of them could find the problem. I finally went to a neurologist and even though he couldn't identify the problem, put me on Cymbalta. By the second day I could finally sleep, and the third I could slowly walk a little bit. I swear by this medicine. I am now taking two pills a day and doing most anything that I want to do. Thanks Lilly for making such a great drug.....

iowan says "Back to my old self!" about Lexapro Antidepressant

iowan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:56:43 GMT

I was recommended depression medication many times but always turned it down. I never wanted to go on depression medicine because I didn't think I was depressed. I started a diet in college and lost an extreme amount of weight. Food became my occupation however 5 years after losing the weight (and struggling every day to keep it off), I started binging on food. Food was my life and I isolated myself from life. I was sad all the time but didn't know why. I had extreme anxiety too. I am a perfectionist. In college I felt like I had to get good grades so on top of my eating disorder, I didn't have much of a life since I was either studying or exercising. Once I graduated and started work, I made myself work out twice day since I sat all day long. I had no fun. I finally broke down and asked my doctor for a medication that would not make me gain weight. Since I started talking Lexapro, my life has completely turned around! I can concentrate and am happy. I still...

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