Posted by Patient on December 6, 2003, at 19:13:40
In reply to Re: Back On Lexapro, posted by Annette2 on December 3, 2003, at 1:51:59
Currently, of the SSRI's, Lexapro (escitalopram) is the one most commonly prescribed by doctors, as it is the newest (for example, nine times out of ten doctors will prescribe the latest of a certain type of drug, even though there are other, older medicines, that will work equally as well. Try asking for a sample of Celexa(citalopram), and I'll bet your doctor won't have it, but he or she'll have plenty of samples of Celexa's sister drug, Lexapro.)
Any of the SSRI's, as well as Effexor(venlafaxine) and Remeron(mirtazapine), can cause weight gain. It's not a matter of which one causes it the most, but rather that each one's brain chemistry and body is unique and so each of us will react differently to these drugs. A drug that causes one to gain weight can cause another one to lose weight. The only antidepressant that I know of that causes weight loss more so than weight gain is Wellbutrin.
I've tried Zoloft(sertraline), Celexa, Prozac(fluoxetine), Wellbutrin(bupropion), and Lexapro the most recent drug. My problem isn't weight gain from any of these drugs, but finding one that gets rid of anxiety and depression. They seem to poop out after a few months. I was taking 10mg of Lexapro, and compared to the other medicines, it worked weak or so-so. I tried 20mg, but that dose only caused anxiety. I eventually tried adding Wellbutrin SR to Lexapro and this combination worked great, but was out of our budget. I am now taking 20mg Prozac of which I had lots of leftover from the last time I was on it. It is working considerably better than Lexapro, more stronger in effects, and more affordable for us. I am taking the name brand capsule.
My point being is that no one can say whether one drug will work better for you over another one-the best you can hope for is to find one with the least side effects that works for you-and sometimes that means going through several drug trials to see which one works.
poster:Patient
thread:286119
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031202/msgs/287244.html