Posted by King Vultan on March 10, 2004, at 19:39:56
In reply to any thoughts about generic antidepressants?, posted by Jhall131 on March 10, 2004, at 18:36:28
> To my knowledge I don't think there is a generic form of Effexor. I am currently taking 75mgs twice a day and it is costing me a small fortune. I don't even think that i could switch to a different antidepressant if i wanted to. Or could i? May be too big of a hassle. Just still trying to come up with the best possible solution that is affordable!!!
The closest generic drugs to Effexor are probably fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Paxil), both of which are SSRIs. Even cheaper are the tricyclics, but these tend to have notable anticholinergic--type side effects, such as dry mouth, constipation, urinary hesitation/retention, etc. Still, these may make sense in some cases, especially if a person is suffering severe serotonin related adverse effects (such as bad insomnia or nausea) on something like Effexor.The MAO inhibitors Nardil and Parnate are still available and are not terribly expensive. They are at least as effective as the SSRIs and Effexor, with less side effects than the tricyclics, but they do have the accursed dietary restrictions, which have been discussed in some detail in this forum and do appear to be somewhat overblown. Certain OTC drugs can have serious interactions also, and these really must be avoided while taking an MAOI.
Todd
poster:King Vultan
thread:323044
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040308/msgs/323061.html