I'm Just Going To Throw This Out Here

[SPKrazy]

SSRI's over the years have caused me to develop some sexual side effects

the only "cure" for it is to get off those meds

SSRI's helped me for many years

I'm now off of them

It took over a month of titrating off my paxil, and then taking decreasing doses of prozac for about a week and a half.

I'm taking wellbutrin but it isn't as effective at treating my anxiety... so i take clonezepam, at a low dose, but it worries me nonetheless. My doc says "don't worry" but it isn't his body. I have 22 years of sobriety and while I don't abuse my clonezepam, it does worry me sometimes.

I've had years of therapy and am seeing a therapist right now.

I have lots to be anxious about

amazingly I'm not climbing the walls today.

I guess this is my little rant. It is a shame that the meds that help one problem cause an intolerable problem as a side effect.

Such is life.

:hi:

[blue neen]

1. I am currently having success with the Emsam patch.

I started it in April and have noticed very few side effects.....

It's an MAO inhibitor in patch form, so it bypasses your digestive system, eliminating most of the dietary restrictions caused by other MAO's.

...just wanted to let you know that there is an alternative out there. Check out the info, there's plenty on Google. This medication, so far, has been a godsend to me.

[Maraya1969]

4. Your post just gave me hope. I used to take Nardil many years ago

but I gained a lot of weight, had sexual side effects and cheated on the diet and got REAL sick.

Other than that is was great. :P

Nardil was the first medication that I found on my own that seemed really suited to me and that 2 different doctors would not give me because of the dangers. And then when I found a doctor, (who was a specialist in bipolar) he put me on it without me even saying anything and I got out of the depression in the few weeks. It was amazing. The whole world looked different.

I'm going to check this out but do you know about the other problems like cold medicine and every other damn medicine that says:
"Do not take with an MAO inhibitor drug"?

When Prozac came along that seemed to work as well as Nardil without the side effects but Prozac is just not cutting it for me anymore and I have been having depression on and off for about 2 years now. It's horrible. I've even checked into ECT but in my bumblefuck town they don't even have a place to get it. I'd have to travel to Miami.

[blue neen]

5. I do watch other medications that I take, but the danger is supposedly not

as severe, especially if you are only on the 6 mg.

I used to take Parnate many years ago and had results similar to yours. The med worked great, but the side effects were almost unbearable. I can honestly say, the only side effect I notice with this patch are some minor insomnia and some sweating.

My son is bipolar also, and he just started on Emsam about 3 weeks ago. So far, so good. He will probably increase to the 9 mg. this week, at which point I expect that he will really start to feel a lot better.

No dry mouth, no nausea, no feeling drugged out, no sexual side effects...I pray to God it continues to work this well.

Good luck. If your doctor is not well-versed on it (which some are not at this point because Emsam is fairly new) give him or her all the information you can find. I know the drug reps have been out giving a lot of samples to the doctors.

Keep me posted. :)

[TZ]

2. Its a shame that sometimes the treatments

are almost as bad as the disease (chemotherapy being the big example of this) but what can one do about it? Not much sadly- I watch a relative struggle with prednisones nasty side effects, yet when she stops it the disease (Lupus) is horrible..
You are right that is life...but venting (especially to the mucho supportive folk in this group) always helps.:)

[mopinko]

3. keep trying, friend

i take about 15 pills a day to keep my fibro at bay, including 4 supplements for my cholesterol, because the statins add to my pain. i told this to someone yesterday. he said- that's horrible! i said- it beats the snot out of not knowing what is wrong with me, and not having any treatment at all.
i guess it is in how you look at it. but i went through almost a dozen docs, and god only knows how many meds to find a cocktail that works for me at all. (although right now i am in the middle of a flair up that has added 3 more meds.)
keep trying. you deserve good care that works for you. you just have to kiss a lot of frogs to get there. pucker up.
be well. :hi: