Posted by Robin on July 12, 1999, at 16:11:09
In reply to Anxiety induced by SSRI's, posted by Laurie on July 1, 1999, at 0:07:39
> I have tried Celexa 20 mg., Paxil 20 mg, Prozac 5 mg.
> and Zoloft 12.5 mg. and each time within 1 to 4 days
> I get anxiety, ranging from nervousness to full-blown
> panic attacks. The last attempt was one week ago on
> only 12.5 mg. of Zoloft, I actually thought I might
> hallucinate! I think my doctor has given up. . .
> Should I even attempt Luvox?I wouldn't try Luvox if I were you! If so many SSRI's have had the same effect on you, then Luvox probably will too. It is interesting that Celexa caused anxiety, since it is supposed to more carefully target the serotonin receptors and leave other receptors alone (which are generally responsible for the side effects of these types of drugs). I would have suspected that the other meds were affecting your norepinephrine, and leading to anxiety... but Celexa is supposed to not bother the noradrenergic system as much. Maybe you don't need more "serotonin"; maybe you have too much serotonin--it's possible to get the same set of symptoms from too little of a neurotransmitter and too much of the same neurotransmitter. There are blood tests and a spinal fluid test which provide hints about the possible amount of serotonin in your systems. I don't know why you've been prescribed SSRI's (compulsivity, anxiety, depression, etc), but that might indicate the next way to go. Have the older cyclic antidpressants been tried by you? They typically have more side effects however than SSRI's. Or you could try much smaller doses than typical and raise it very slowly over time to allow your body to adjust. Good luck.
poster:Robin
thread:8083
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990628/msgs/8632.html