Switching depression meds?

[redmama2]

How to make it easier when switching depression medication so your partner and coworkers don't think you're crazy? I was on Lexapro and it made me manic, I've been weaning off and I now feel like a zombie who wants to cry all the time. My doctor wants me to start a mood stabilizer but I don't want my brain to keep changing like this. I think I do need something else but everything seems to make it worse.

[Dolphin14]

Hi

I make all medication switches on weekends. That's the best I can do for myself to deal with side effects etc

🐬

[redmama2 in reply to Dolphin14]

Thank you. The effects of the switches for me tend to last weeks to months. Do yours last that long or is it usually quicker?

[Dolphin14 in reply to redmama2]

I'm so sorry to hear that.

The " big stuff" usually goes away in a few days to a week. The weekend gives me a couple days to kind of settle in to what I'm facing. Anything else that remains I just tolerate till it finally goes away

[b1b1b1 in reply to Dolphin14]

Dolphin that is a very good idea. I have to start a new blood pressure medication and am nervous. It will be easier on the weekend. I didn't think of that.

[Dolphin14 in reply to b1b1b1]

perfect

Best of luck with your new medication

🐬

[ElephantsHear]

I can sympathize because depression/anxiety really impacts employment; medication changes can affect functioning. Do the best you can. I've been there and it's tough because you need $ to pay bills. You could consider asking your psychiatrist to fill out intermittent FMLA, not for continous time off, but it protects your job if you need to take a few days off here and there to deal with side effects. Psychotropics (psych meds) can mess with energy/ thought processes etc. Also, think about seeing a GYN- moodiness/ difficulty coping can sometimes be related to hormones (mensturation). Be careful whom you share your business with, as humans we often have a tendency to make assumptions about our co-workers or when you point something out people start to look for it (no one notices a scar, for example, but when you point it out they sure can, ie., if you do decide to take fmla keep your reason private or vague. It's NONE of their business; people are judgmental. I've lied about the reason I'm on fmla before. In regard to a significant other, explain you're having an issue and you're working on fixing it. Good luck and tell me how it's going (feel free to DM if you want).

[ElephantsHear in reply to ElephantsHear]

The mis-leading info. was to a nosy co-worker, not HR.

[redmama2 in reply to ElephantsHear]

Thank you for your suggestions. I was just out on FMLA due to maternity leave so I’m not eligible to take more. You’re definitely right, hormones affect it greatly. Postpartum issues are why I have to change it up to begin with :/

[ElephantsHear in reply to redmama2]

Congratulations!!! No wonder you're concerned about medication changes; the med taper may not be the only reason you feel like a "zombie" lol. I hope you post anytime you're feeling any kind of way because there's a lot of us who have raised our kids who would be happy to offer support/ a listening ear/ suggestions. Youtube there's a video series by Dr. Michael Yapko that I found helpful with coping with life. Keep the forum updated (I always appreciate updates on folks/ we learn from each other). Be kind to yourself and give yourself grace (forgive yourself when you make mistakes) so you're not hard on yourself when you think you've not acted how you would have liked to : ) I was a lunatic postpartum (teasing). Best to you and your family!

[redmama2 in reply to ElephantsHear]

Thank you so much!

[Kinlay]

Talk with your doctor. If you are staying within the same family (SSRIs for example), you can usually start weaning down on one med while working up on the new one. This minimizes side effects and provides an easier transition. For me, low and slow (small changes weaning down and small changes weaning up) works best, as I am very susceptible to both side effects and discontinuation syndrome.

[redmama2 in reply to Kinlay]

I am very susceptible to side effects too. I was only taking ~0.75mg of Lexapro (a quarter of a 2.5mg tablet) and I was experiencing mania and heart palpitations. There's not really a way to wean down from a dose already that small unfortunately so I just had to stop it altogether. I tend to have a really strong reactions to SSRIs in general though, so my doctor wants me to try a mood stabilizer next (lamictal) which is a whole different thing with its own side effects 🙃

[ElephantsHear in reply to redmama2]

I take lamictal for anxiety (helps with anxiety/ manic feeling/ moodiness). I have no side effects; the good part is it comes in 25 mg tab to 200 mg tablets (dosage range depends on why you take it(I’m an RN). FDA approved med in 1994 for epilepsy then 2003 as a mood disorder stabilizer. You’re a smart lady to be apprehensive about taking a med; as with anything in life- especially psychotropics- you weigh the pros and cons ; ) Best of luck.

[Hidden]

I took Effexor XR 150 mg per day for a long time. but, that's not a recommendation. quite obviously, all meds effect different people in completely different ways. mood stabilizer's are weird, in my opinion. Keep balking on that one as long as you can. and one question for ya. are you SURE Lexapro makes you feel manic? what if it's just a coincidence? a lot of the SSRI's seemed way worse to me than Lexapro, which is what I take. I'm not even sure it helps with the depression. it seems like a placebo. but among it's various placebo qualities, for me anyway, it does not seem to have any bugaboo side effects. I was taking the Effexor several years ago. My pdoc at that time always gave me samples, because I self payed to see HIM, and the Effexor was really expensive with no insurance. so the samples were great! THEN, the lovely Wyeth Corporation got squirrley about the patent running out. so they came out with this rat poison called Pristiq. totally horrible stuff. worse than useless. I began having all the withdrawl symptoms of EFFEXOR abrupt discontinuation, plus a lot of other BAD side effects from Pristiq. anyway, sorry to ramble on so long. if you don't like Lexapro, I don't know what might be better. are you still weaning off the Lexapro?

[redmama2 in reply to Hidden]

I'm 100% sure it's the Lexapro. I've been on and off it several times now and always have the same manic effect. I had hoped that it wouldn't be as bad this time with such a low dose but it was. SSRIs in general have always had very strong unintended reactions with me for some reason. For example, I took Zoloft for about a week and it made me so crazy depressed that I tried to kill myself 🙃 I wasn't able to wean off the Lexapro as I was taking a quarter of a 2.5mg tablet to begin with, so I had to stop taking it cold turkey about a week ago. I've taken mood stabilizers before and they had basically no side effects, especially Lamictal which is what he wants to start on again, but I'm exhausted keeping up with all of the changes in my mental state.

I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties you've been having with switching medications. Were you able to get back on Effexor? It's available as a generic now so it's not as expensive. The pharmacy I worked at includes it on their $3 monthly meds list.

[Hidden in reply to redmama2]

Hi redmama2, first off all, I was absolutely NOT question your word that the Lexapro has crappy side effects, including a feeling of mania, or being manic. I just wanted to be certain. See? it doesn't do that to me. i don't think it does anything. so for now, it's ok. eh.......😐 about the Effexor, when my psychiatrist at that time gave me the first box of Pristiq samples, he also gave me a script for Effexor. after 3 weeks of Pristiq, I filled the script for Effexor XR, and that saved me from the rat poison effects of Pristiq. But it was 100 bucks. That doc moved to a different office. too far to drive, and he was getting to be annoying to me anyway. So the next doc I found changed me to Celexa, and then to Lexapro. a lady doctor this time. I told her about pristiq, and that I had started to feel the withdrawls from Effexor WHILE I was taking the Pristiq. they were pretty bad. plus, the gnarly EXTRA side effects from the Pristiq. I filled the one script for Effexor and that stopped the brain zapping from Effexor withdrawl, and the S***y effects from Pristiq. she put me on Celexa, after the one month of Effexor, and the fact that I couldn't afford 100 clams a month for Effexor. the Celexa was fine, and she switched to Lexapro, and that's ok too. meaning, it doesn't do anything WEIRD. but that's ME. sounds like Lexapro is not for you. SO, where do we go from here? so, is your quack a general practicioner? or a shrink? maybe there's an anti depressant that won't be so nasty as Lexapro. I don't know WHAT. the older, the better, in my opinion, unprofessional, and non medically trained though it may be! here's a list...........hopefully, this link will work for you 🤯 forhims.com/blog/full-list-...

[Hidden in reply to redmama2]

Oh, I forgot. I have taken Paxil and Zoloft. they both seemed harmless enough. first one I tried was Prozac, and I HATED it. totally hated it. from there I went to Paxil, and as I said, it seemed harmless. i never did go back to Effexor, cause i couldn't afford it. it was not generic at that time. Try to study up on Paxil and Zoloft, on your own. I guess I would "sort of" agree with others who say "talk to your doctor" BUT, for me personally, I don't think any given doctor knows what he or she is taking about. if you have one that THINKS they are always right, that's a huge red flap flapping furiously in my face. and a bigger one is when they won't take YOUR INPUT as part of the equation. again, speaking only for myself, that means immediate change of docs. as in IMMEDIATE. if a doc won't really, and I mean REALLY listen to you, what good is that doc going to ever be to you? none. again, just my opinion. try to find someone smart, open minded, and a good listener. good luck on that. it's not impossible. but it can be a slog. or sometimes, a lucky guess. like "ok, let's try this guy, or lady" and you made a lucky guess? Perfect! right? again, good luck with that! i DO think you need another SSRI, to get rid of the weaning syndrome from Lexapro. Lose the Lexapro. I believe you when you say it effects you badly. You said, you've proven it to yuorseof time and again. so, sounds like you're right!

[redmama2 in reply to Hidden]

I definitely do not want another SSRI, my doctor agrees with me on that. You're right, it's so important to have a doctor that trusts your judgement and listens to you. I'm lucky enough to have found one who listens to my input and trusts me. I've been with him for 10 years now so that helps. He almost values my input too much, our last appointment when I told him the problems with the Lexapro he asked me what I thought we should do. I'm like, IDK, you're the doctor! lol. But he gave me several options and let me choose what I wanted to do, I'm just having a hard time deciding what is best

[Hidden]

No more SSRI's ay? ok, well.......... and you're on such a low does of lexapro now, it seems you could just toss it in the bin, and be done with it. what's the lamictal for again? here'a link to lamictal. the drug interactions always interest me the most. but for you, read whatever is interesting to you personally. does your doc mean it as a stop gap for the lexapro withdrawls? msn.com/en-us/health/drugs/...

[redmama2 in reply to Hidden]

I need it to help with my postpartum depression. I've been on Wellbutrin for years which is an NDRI and it helps a lot with my regular depression, but it's gotten really bad again since I gave birth and I need something extra right now to help while my hormones regulate themselves again. He was looking at the Lamictal as a substitute for the Lexapro since SSRIs don't work well for me and I still need something to help. I did completely stop the Lexapro but now I'm depressed again

[Hidden in reply to redmama2]

you're still taking wellbutrin? what's the daily dose if AI may ask? and the lexapro is no more? if you're still taking Bupropion or wellbutrin, the withdrawls from lexapro should be short. right?

[redmama2 in reply to Hidden]

Yes, 300mg XR of Wellbutrin. No more Lexapro.

[Hidden in reply to redmama2]

I tried to search for hormone therapy. didn't find much, except this depressiontalk.net/hormone-...

[Hidden in reply to redmama2]

according to what I can find on the world wide spaghetti mess (internet) Patients not responding to the initial 75 mg per day dose may benefit from dose increases to a maximum of 225 mg per day of Effexor XR. maybe that will help. and if and when you are ready, switch back to Wellbutrin XR 300 mg

[Hidden in reply to redmama2]

I know you said you didn't want any MORE SSRI's. what about switching from wellbutrin to high octane effexor xr for awhile and see if it helps. and you can always switch back to wellbutrin later on.

[Hidden in reply to redmama2]

Usual Adult Dose for Depression of BUPROPION HYDROCHLORIDE (Wellbutrin)Immediate-release tablets is 100 mg orally three times a day, and if you take that much? or do in the near future, can you ask your doc to just skip the Lamictal?

[redmama2 in reply to Hidden]

I don’t want to stop my Wellbutrin, it’s the only thing so far that’s actually worked well. Also, I’ve been on it for almost 10 years so the withdrawal would be hell. The 300mg XR is the same as 100mg IR three times a day. I meant that I don’t want to do any more SSRIs than I have done to this point. Wellbutrin isn’t an SSRI, it’s a NDRI. SSRIs in general seem to not work for me, I’ve tried many and usually don’t make it past a week. I want to try the Lamictal as I need something else to help for now, I’m just worried about managing the side-effects while it’s getting worked out and how I can not seem “crazy” during that time. My doctor said I could also try Abilify instead of the Lamictal but it causes weight gain as a side effect and since I’m already overweight he didn’t want to put me on it.