Posted by Janelle on July 17, 2003, at 16:43:07
In reply to SSRIs Tried Paxil What next?, posted by gjandtjsmom on July 16, 2003, at 23:59:57
Hi,
I was on Paxil for many years with no weight gain (I should clarify that I did gain weight, but it was due to poor eating habits, not the med!) or other notable s/e's until it pooped out on me.
Yes, there are other SSRI's which would produce the same results without the same weight gain, and withdrawal after discontinuation. However, I'd be hard pressed to know which ones they are, sorry. Everyone reacts differently - what might cause weight gain in one person might not in another. However, there are certain SSRI's (and non-SSRI's) associated with weight gain, I just don't know which ones they are.
After my success with Paxil and its subsequent poop-out, I tried EffexorXR which was awful for me, and now I'm on Celexa, which knock on wood seems to be working with no noticeable s/e's. Certainly no weight gain. But I'm on several different kinds of meds so it's hard to evaluate s/e's of any particular one.
My guess would be NO - if you gained weight with Paxil, you most will NOT necessarily likely gain weight with another SSRI, provided you picked one that did NOT list weight gain as a s/e! There maybe be some you would gain weight on, but others you would NOT.
If Paxil was effective, will the others most likely be effective? Good question, hard to know. But I'm betting that you could find another effective one, but it might not be the first one you try. That's the hard part, you have to go on one, give it like 4-6 weeks (with s/e's kicking in first) and see if it brings relief. If not, you start all over again. It is frustrating and a test of patience.
Based on what you have said I think it IS worth a try for you on another SSRI. I'd suggest Lexapro or Celexa since they are the newest and supposedly *purest* in targeting Serotonin.
(by the way, I also have GAD and am on Buspar and it seems to help - I thought it was doing nothing/placebo, had my pdoc remove it from my mix, but within a few days man did I need it back for a rise in anxiety!)
Good luck 2 U!
poster:Janelle
thread:242758
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030714/msgs/242941.html