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I may take one of these or another SSRI for anxiety. I have the chose whether to try medication and j kind of want to do a bunch of research before deciding.

Have any of you taken either for anxiety or depression? Thoughts? Concerned about side effects like decreased libido - I need a happy penis, or other shit like that.

I don't have terrible anxiety so I'd like be on a low dosage.

Any info/stories/experiences you can share would help.

Not sure how much physical stats/info matter but I'm 32, 6'3, 195lbs. In pretty good shape.

I have never taken either.

But this is a jam.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2atr-SKjM8E[/youtube]

I haven't taken either specifically, but there are antidepressants that don't cause limp penis, but they're not traditional SSRIs. Bupropion has been known to increase libido in some cases. I've also not had that problem with Trazodone or Mirtazapine. You could also just keep some viagra, or even marijuana on hand for libido problems, and take whatever medicine works.

For what it's worth, I have the same anxiety/depression, and the same concerns. I tried several different cycles of daily medication like above, all of which stopped being effective once I built tolerance. I started off low-dose, and ended up taking stupid high doses and feeling nothing. Now I just smoke pot and keep some Clonazepam around for the real bad days, and it's been the best treatment I've come across. Everyone reacts differently though.

Good luck!

I was on SSRIs for OCD-related anxiety for years as a kid and hated it. Self-medicated with weed from age 16-24. I was basically high for 8 years, haha! It helped me a lot and it didn't flatline me emotionally like the SSRIs, and I would have kept smoking it if it didn't start having the opposite effect on me (suddenly gave me strong anxiety and panic attacks). Got put on anti-psychotic medication for a while after quitting cold turkey(chlorprothixene), but it had some extremely non-pleasant side effects, so I quit them after only a few weeks. For the last five years I've been simply meditating daily (anywhere from 5 minutes to hours), and I also keep 5mgs of xanax in my wallet for those rare occasions when I'm unable to stop a panic attack by means of meditation. In the last 12 months I think I've taken two pills.

To me, SSRIs are the last resort. They're also more difficult to cut down on than heroin. The side effect of cutting down is anxiety, which makes it a real bitch. My GFs friend spent 18 months cutting down after three years of SSRI use. She literally had to get a drug weight and chip micrograms off of her pills every day. SSRIs is useful for short periods of time if the anxiety is abnormally high and frequent, but I would avoid them to the best of my ability. Best of luck to you.

Fun fact: SSRIs can increase the amount of time required to ejaculate significantly. This can be frustrating, but useful just the same.

I was previously on Paxil (which is in the same family), and the minimum dosage knocked me flat on my ass. Side effects differ by individual, and drug companies are required to list all adverse effects regardless of their actual probability, so your experience may differ from that of others. Either way, I would recommend avoiding benzodiazepines. They can be habit-forming and are basically alcohol in pill form.

Taken both. Took Prozac for 7 years and had no problems getting off or anything. It did wear off after awhile it seems and I kept having to increase the dosage.

Took Zoloft for a year and it made me feel like shit.

Paxil is HORRIBLE on the other hand. OMFG stay away from that shit. It's the worst drug ever, I'm not kidding. Run for the fucking hills if someone tries to put you on that shit. I had the worst withdraw ever from it.

I've take just about everything, so I could be pretty helpful in that regard.

I am currently on Lexapro (12 years now) and Klonapen (4 years but previously took it for 6). Lexapro is great but it makes you kind of numb for awhile, which isn't necessarily a bad thing depending on how bad you feel. I longed for that feeling.

I second the benzo thing but I'm on one currently, sooooooooooooooooo...I can tell you it's hard as fuck to get off of. I'm struggle to right now and it's not working. Last time I got off while in rehab. If my dad hadn't got cancer, I would have never take the shit again.

Whoops, had a dupe post when I tried to fix something. Fixed that as well.

I've taken a few but none really stuck. I took Lexapro years ago and it worked fine, but I eventually stopped because shit in my life improved (was going through a rough patch and was pretty down/anxious). Tried it again this past year and had sexual side effects... not limp, but couldn't get there. Needless to say, I wasn't having that shit. I know it can pass, but I wasn't willing to deal with it, so I quit.

Tried Wellbutrin on my doctor's recommendation, which he said had no sexual side effects. This was true, but I still felt a bit crazy and eventually quit that as well.

That's been the theme with me: I can't deal with the adjustment period. In the end I've generally been able to keep myself in good mental shape via therapy, meditation and exercise—if I don't do those, I can get super down. Everybody's different. Faldoe—sounds like we're sort of in the same boat, in terms of low anxiety and being in decent shape. Interested to hear how it works for you.

D.o.S. wrote:I have never taken either.

But this is a jam.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2atr-SKjM8E[/youtube]

Oh yeah. I was talking with the psychiatrist today and he said "Zoloft" and I immediately started thinking in my head: "Z....o.l.of.t."

A more serious response.

Thanks for all the input, guys!

Jwar - Ya I was on Paxil when I was like 16ish and hated it and stopped it cause I felt numb.


Some of the concerns I laid out to the psychiatrist was that I don't want to be numb or altered significantly. Its kind of exaggerated worry as he was saying we would start with a low dosage.

He mentioned CBT and I already meditate a little but I need to be dedicated to it. I'm also a light cig smoker and I've been trying to quit.

I used to smoke copious amounts of pot from 16-22 or so, but that ended up making my depression worse and I quit for a year and now smoke pot maybe a few times a month and its like one hit and thats it.

I also don't want to do the Benzo route because - as everyone has said - they can be addictive. And I'd like something that can ideally lower my anxiety to give me an idea what some sense of normalcy is like. I told my regular therapist that I think I've lived with anxiety for so many years that my kind of baseline would be seen as like mid level anxiety to a unaffected person and thus what would be elevated anxiety for me could be high anxiety in that same person.

PopVulture - thanks for the input. Are you really sensitive to things - substances? Like if I have a stuff drink - or even a beer - I can feel it's effects quickly. I'm also concerned about the adjustment period.

I think I really need to put my effort and energy into more exercise, boxing, meditation, other things to build confidence and focus and exhaust those approaches before I turn to medication.

Faldoe wrote:PopVulture - thanks for the input. Are you really sensitive to things - substances? Like if I have a stuff drink - or even a beer - I can feel it's effects quickly. I'm also concerned about the adjustment period.

Yep I'm pretty sensitive to things. Not booze, though... I liked it quite a bit and had a somewhat ridiculous tolerance, but that's a whole other story (in short, I had to stop). I do take a low dose of xanax now, and I've had zero problems with dependency with it. I usually only take half of one, and probably only once or twice a week. Once again though, everybody's different.

I will say one thing—as an ex smoker, I can't even begin to emphasize how much cigs were directly related to my anxiety. I've of course quit and caved many times, and every time I go back to smoking I can feel a strong, edgy feeling come back immediately. I really think it's one of the absolute hardest things to quit, but so very very worth it for people with anxiety. I mean, it makes perfect sense... people reach for them when they're stressed, but nicotine's a stimulant and really does nothing but ratchet things up.

Yeah, exactly. I don't smoke that much - maybe 1-2 cigs a day at most - but even that amount affects me.

I'm really sensitive to anything that can alter my mood.

I'm going to do more research on the meds though. I don't want to look at them as a cure or silver bullet but the possibility that they could provide relief is very alluring.

My experience is secondhand. Keep a diary and share your feelings with your provider. If you don't like a drug make them give you something new. Be picky and be optimistic. Fight for your health because nobody else will.

Yep. And they're definitely not a cure-all, but they can very much help. One of my bandmates is on Lexapro and loves it—it's really done a lot for him. Like I said, my big thing is that I couldn't deal with the adjustment phase, as changes in physicality and mood often freak me out/make me sort of panicky. They do eventually subside though, so power through if ya can. Probably will have positive results