Depression Meds

[happi]

Currently I am taking Cymbalta 30mg 1 day and 60mg the next day, keep rotating. I think it is time to change to something else. I feel terrible and it is causing problems with my marriage. I saw an article for Pristiq and have been reading a little about it, of course it sounds good but who knows until you try it. I have a hard time describing the way I feel. I could just sleep all of the time, I am very cranky - want to just bite everyones head off no matter what they do to me, I could cry about everything, all in all I just feel awful! I have tried alot of different meds, some will work for awhile then they just quit. I have been taking Cymbalta for more than a year now and now I feel like it is not working anymore. I don't want my Dr. to think I am a dope head! Has anyone had any experience with Pristiq and what did you think about it? Thanks for listening to me.
Happi

[daisymommy]

Haven't tried that one, but I have been on meds for depression 3 times. Each time I went on Prozac and it was *wonderful* :love-retry:. No side effects whatsoever, worked like a charm to get back to my old self within 10 days.

It's one of the oldest, most well researched depression meds, with some of the fewest side effects. I think it's worth a try!

[weech]

:yeahthat: I take 20mg of Prozac a day (technically for PMDD, but I have struggled with depression as well since I was a teenager) and it's been working wonders for me.

[KathyN115]

I also struggle with depression. I currently take Prozac 80 mg, which is a pretty high dose. It works OK and doesn't cause too many side effects. I have also recently started on topamax to "help" the prozac. I have tried cymbalta, but I was not able to sleep and was nauseated. Other meds caused other side effects, so Prozac it is. If you think the Cymbalta is not working any more, definitely tell your doctor. You may need to increase your dose, add another med, or change meds altogether. But do not be afraid to ask - that is why they are there!!!

Sorry I don't know anything about the specific one you asked about, Good luck, and hope you feel better. Depression sucks!!!

[lilycat88]

It's not unusual for depression medications to lose their effectiveness for a person. In the last 15-20 years, I've been on probably 5-6. I'm currently taking a Wellbutrin and Lexapro combo. If you aren't being prescribed meds by a psychiatrist, you might try that. Primary care docs are fine many times but when I was switching meds, having a psychiatrist's more in depth understanding of the meds was imperative.

[happi]

Thanks for the responses. It's nice to know that I am not the only person that struggles with this. My primary Dr. works well with me, but I feel weird asking for Prozac, I feel like he may think I'm a druggie - and I am far from one - he has even said so, but I just still feel weird. Thanks again your support really makes me feel better!

[daisymommy]

YOU are your own best advocate. I always do my own research, and then talk to the doctor about it when I get there. I never go in blind. And they respect me for it too. I would go in, tell them the symptoms you are having and that it is not working for you any longer, and based on some reading you have done (do some!) that you would like to try Prozac and see how it works for you.
A doctor is supposed to work with you as a team player, yes, one with more knowledge (usually ;)) and experience--but not as a medical God who tells you how it's all going to go. I don't go to people like that. So don't feel bad talking to him about it!

[Tondi G]

I had really good results with Lexapro. Talk to your doctor. It's really common for people to be on a med and need to do some tweaking to the dosage or add in another med over time. Hope you can find the right med/combo.... it really is such a different world when the meds are doing what you need them to do! HUGS and Good Luck!

[reneed]

Please, take it from me, the withdrawal from Pristiq is AWFUL. I was on it for a few months and felt numb so had my doc switch me back to Lexapro but had to be weaned off Pristig. The problem is, there are only 2 doses of it and it has a short life so you step down and then go to every other day which makes you feel like you're losing your mind every other day. I take the meds for mild depression and anxiety and when weaning off I felt like I was going to totally lose my mind.

[carolinamama]

Thanks for the responses. It's nice to know that I am not the only person that struggles with this. My primary Dr. works well with me, but I feel weird asking for Prozac, I feel like he may think I'm a druggie - and I am far from one - he has even said so, but I just still feel weird. Thanks again your support really makes me feel better!

Don't feel like a druggie if you are asking to change mood disorder meds. It isn't like you are trying to get controlled substances from them. Please don't be afraid to ask if something isn't working well for you.

[BabyDahl]

Please, take it from me, the withdrawal from Pristiq is AWFUL. I was on it for a few months and felt numb so had my doc switch me back to Lexapro but had to be weaned off Pristig. The problem is, there are only 2 doses of it and it has a short life so you step down and then go to every other day which makes you feel like you're losing your mind every other day. I take the meds for mild depression and anxiety and when weaning off I felt like I was going to totally lose my mind.

There are a few antidepressants known for nasty withdrawal side effects and Pristiq is one of them. It's an antidepressant that hasn't really found it's place since it's so similar to Effexor (Pristiq is a metabolite or breakdown product of Effexor), and as PP mentioned, the limited dosage forms make it a bear to titrate effectively.

If your primary care physician is making you feel like a drug seeker for trying to improve your depression treatment, you need to find someone else to provide mental health care for you. Seeking adequate relief from depressive symptoms does not make one a drug seeker and it's unacceptable for him/her to suggest that.

Another option is to maximize your dose of Cymbalta with a provider driven titration that can go as high as 120 mg/day. You may or may not need to change medications, adding another agent may also help you. Don't resign yourself to thinking that partially treated depression is the goal, you need to seek full resolution of symptoms.

[ast96]

I tried Pristiq briefly and it was TERRIBLE. Iw ould never wish it on anyone. Zoloft was much, much better for me.

[BabyMine]

My Dr added Cymbalta to the Lexapro I was already taking and it did wonders.

[KDsMommy]

I've been on Cymbalta 60mg for a few months and it wasn't doing the trick. My psychiatrist just added Abilify last week and I already feel much more stable. Not sure how I'm going to afford this combo once the new year comes around and my deductible starts over again though...

[BabyMine]

I've been on Cymbalta 60mg for a few months and it wasn't doing the trick. My psychiatrist just added Abilify last week and I already feel much more stable. Not sure how I'm going to afford this combo once the new year comes around and my deductible starts over again though...

Here is a certificate for a free 30 days of Abilify.
https://www.abilify.com/depression/tools/sign-up.aspx?tc=89340&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic_search&utm_term=&sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0cemqfjab&url=https://www.abilify.com/&ei=7exttrhcoc6gtwfb4nwrcq&usg=afqjcnemuznhqorv2cm0igq_-bfncg8qjw

Here is one for Cymbalta
https://www.myregistrationc.com/Cymbalta/FreeCapsuleTrial/Registration.aspx?ResponseSegmentId=5502

[happi]

Thank you all for the support. I talked to my Doctor today and he wrote me a prescription for the Pristiq we are going to see how it works for me. Just in case it sounded like he makes me feel like a druggie, he doesn't - in fact he is just the opposite. I just kind of feel that way, not sure why.

KDsMommy - I took the abilify for a little while, the first couple of weeks I loved it, then it took a turn for the worse, I literlly could not keep my eyes open, I was so sleepy no matter how much sleep I had had. If I could have continued the way I was the first week, WOW but it didn't work that way. I hope it works for you.

thanks again to everyone.

[ast96]

Please be careful if you decide to stop the Pristiq. For me, I had to do a combo of weaning off the Pristiq and taking Zoloft (which has a much longer half-life) in decreasing dosages so that I didn't throw up, get brain zaps, and feel like absolute dirt for months.

[KDsMommy]

Here is a certificate for a free 30 days of Abilify.
https://www.abilify.com/depression/tools/sign-up.aspx?tc=89340&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic_search&utm_term=&sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0cemqfjab&url=https://www.abilify.com/&ei=7exttrhcoc6gtwfb4nwrcq&usg=afqjcnemuznhqorv2cm0igq_-bfncg8qjw

Here is one for Cymbalta
https://www.myregistrationc.com/Cymbalta/FreeCapsuleTrial/Registration.aspx?ResponseSegmentId=5502

Thanks so much!!!

[Katigre]

Before you change meds, ask your dr. about starting on Deplin. I know someone that it made a huge difference for - they were contemplating a med change (and dreading that process) and this was a last ditch effort by their psych to help their current med work better. It did and was such a low-risk and easy fix - it made the brain more receptive to the medication.

http://www.deplin.com/

[tiapam]

Do you think the meds are not working, or do you blame the meds for making you tired and irritable while relieving some of your symptoms?

Was there a trigger for your depression? Have you ever been evaluated for thyroid disease? Does it run in your family? I suffer from it and have done a lot of research on it and IMO it is negligent for a doc to NOT check for that before diagnosing depression. Depression, fatigue and irritability are three of the most common symptoms of thyroid disease. Please search the archives here for more info. Good books for you AND your DH to read:

The Thyroid Solution by Ridha Arem
Stop the Thyroid Madness (author also has a great website).
Solved: The Riddle of Illness by Stephen Langer (the thyroid one, he has a couple of other books with similar title)

You have to be on top of thyroid yourself, it gets misdiagnosed and goes undiagnosed frequently.

if you did get evaluated for it initially, you should recheck it.

HTH.

[sweetsue98]

Goodluck with the Pretiq. I took lexapro and it worked well for me with no side effects. Going off was easy as well.

[Jo]

I started out on Cymbalta, it worked, but not great, so buspar was added. I was still having a lot of anxiety and some panic attacks. Eventually Abilify was added and that seems to have done the trick (I now take all three). No more panic attacks. I do still have anxiety. If I get off my butt and exercise (rarely) it helps more than the meds do.