# Question about SSRIs



## Jane (Aug 14, 2006)

I was on Zoloft for about six months, with absolutely no side effects whatsoever. Basically, it cured my anxiety. I have now been completely off the Zoloft for about a month and I feel fine. However, my question is: If in the future, I ever determined that I'd need to go back on an SSRI, would I be able to go back on Zoloft and experience the same degree of success and no side effects or withdrawl symptoms, or would the effects of Zoloft be different? I've heard once you go off an SSRI, it will not be successful again the second time around. I'm just wondering if I should have ever gotten off the Zoloft, since it seemed to be the 'wonder drug' for me. Have I ruined a good thing?


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Where'd you hear that? I hope it's not true b/c I just came off of Lexapro but I'm keeping my refills just in case.


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## Apexcrest (Sep 4, 2006)

No, this is not true.
EVeryone is different though.
Don't THINK about it...Your feeling good right now so who cares...If the time ever comes and you need the zoloft again, I highly doubt it will be ineffective...


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Good good good. I didn't think so because I've never heard that before but it worried me.


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## Guest (Mar 4, 2007)

Yea, i've never heard anything like this, i've been on and off of SSRI's since i was in 6th grade.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Ive never heard of this happening either. Ssri's can crap out on you just like any reuptake inhibitor's can but i dont see why zoloft wouldnt work for you again if you went back on it.


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## shazada (jonathan) (Sep 22, 2004)

I've been thinking about taking some medication for a while, and considering all the side effects I'm not sure i want to. However, it's getting to the point when I think I need a bit of help dealing with dp. I was speaking to a psychiatrist and she recommended, based upon how i feel, that an SSRI would be her first choice to prescribe me.

So now I'm trying to see whether SSRI's do any good, and whether any actually help with the dp itself.

I've been looking through various postings to see what works, but what works for one person doesn't on another, and some dont work at all.

I know that different things work for different people, but are any SSRI's particularly effective in combatting dp? Are there any SSRI's that are understood to be effective generally?

Are SSRI's even the way to go, compared with other medication. I have to say trying to find some med to try is quite confusing, given there are so many, and they all have varying degrees of effectiveness.

If anyone can give me some advice that would be much appreciated. Thanks.


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

From my experience, SSRI's don't do crap for DP. From what I've heard here on the forum, klonopin (clonozepam) (sp?) which is a benzo works the best for DP. But like you said, meds work differently for everyone so you never know.


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## shazada (jonathan) (Sep 22, 2004)

I'll have a look at clonozepam, and see what the psychiatrist says. Thanks for the reply.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Clonazepam cured my dp/dr and brain fog 100%. I had dp/dr and brain fog as far back as i can remember. Even as a child i knew that i was a little different but i didnt know what it was. I always knew i had anxiety and what i later leanred was panic attack's but i didnt have a clue what dp/dr and brain fog was.

I went to see a GP who specialized in psychiatric stuff and she diagnosed me as having generalizaed anxiety disorder, social anxiety i think as well and panic attack's. I asked the GP why i felt so weird all the time and why my brain felt like it was all fogged up like i was suffering from a bad hangover or something. She said it was depersonalization, derealization and brain fog. She described the symptom's and bingo i fit them to a tee.

The only reason i even went to get help was because in the month's leading up to that i was basically non functional. My derealization and brain fog was so bad that i could hardly communicate with anyone. I thought like i was coming down with schizophrenia or something because i felt very robotic like or almost like a ghost. I also felt like i was looking at the world through a dirty len's.

The change was so drastic after starting on the clonazepam that i couldnt believe it. My anxiety went away almost immediatly and my dp/dr and brain fog fully lifted within a week or less. That was over a year ago and it hasent come back since.

So clonazepam is worth a shot. It doesent work for everyone however but it does work for alot of people.


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## dreamingoflife (Oct 22, 2006)

From my own experience with it Clonazepam made me feel ALOT more spacey and I couldn't sleep for nothing made me more alert but not in an anxiety way just couldn't fall asleep but I wasn't nervous the whole time the drug was in my system so it wasn't 100% horrible for me but I wouldn't care to take it again. Just goes to show everyone is different.


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## brandon is not taken (Mar 29, 2007)

I'm on zoloft, 75mg, and i think it is helping. I started taking it about 3 months ago and i was a total wreck at the time. I feel better now, but i am not sure if it is the zoloft or just the natural recovery cycle. Also, I didnt get any sexual side effect, which i thought everyone got. I can still get it up just fine.

If things are really bad and you have already tried improviing your lifestyle with no success, then it is worth giving an ssri a try. Benzo's like klonopin can really help some people to, although i do not support them because of the addiction potential. If you consider a benzo make sure you know what your getting into first as far as tolerance and withdrawal goes.


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## dreamingoflife (Oct 22, 2006)

*obsessivebrandon wrote:*

If you consider a benzo make sure you know what your getting into first as far as tolerance and withdrawal goes.

I agree I have heard some really bad stories about coming off benzos I was on xanax for about 4 months but luckiley I didn't have any bad withdrawal symptoms just more anxiety the first couple weeks but then again i cam off of it slowy reducing the dose every week till it was safe to stop.

But it sucks now because if I want to take the edge off my anxiety alittle i have to take 2mg to even feel anything because of the tolerance thing but oh well I only take it if i really need to...


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Ssri's especially paxil and zoloft the two worst ones or godforbid a snri like effexor also cause rather harsh withdrawal symptoms. So there really is no difference in that regard in taking a anti-depressant and taking a benzodiazepine.

You have to taper off these drugs if youve been on them any length of time and thats that, unless you want to go through a hellish withdrawal. Although some people do get off lucky and suffer no withdrawals.

I went off effexor cold turkey and it was worse then alcohol and opiate withdrawals combined. Even thinking about it gives me the shivers.


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## kioreija (Sep 16, 2006)

Does zoloft have bed withdrawal symptoms? 
I think Prozac is the scum of the Earth. and Lexapro is not far behind. Lexapro may have helped me mentally, but my body couldn't cope with it physically. Zoloft, Doesn't seem to have much effect on me, I have been on it for quite a while.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

kioreija said:


> Does zoloft have bed withdrawal symptoms?
> I think Prozac is the scum of the Earth. and Lexapro is not far behind. Lexapro may have helped me mentally, but my body couldn't cope with it physically. Zoloft, Doesn't seem to have much effect on me, I have been on it for quite a while.


 Zoloft is supposed to be fairly bad in causing withdrawal symptoms from what ive heard. But if you taper off the stuff it shouldnt be all that bad. Also some people do get lucky and they suffer no withdrawals from ssri's but don't bet on that one.

I see your a fellow pink floyd fan by the way.


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## kioreija (Sep 16, 2006)

comfortably numb said:


> kioreija said:
> 
> 
> > Does zoloft have bed withdrawal symptoms?
> ...


Heh. Gotta love the Floyd..

I decided to go cold turkey on Zoloft. Not too bad.. not too good either, though..


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## jimmyb (May 9, 2007)

comfortably numb said:


> Clonazepam cured my dp/dr and brain fog 100%. I had dp/dr and brain fog as far back as i can remember. Even as a child i knew that i was a little different but i didnt know what it was. I always knew i had anxiety and what i later leanred was panic attack's but i didnt have a clue what dp/dr and brain fog was.
> 
> I went to see a GP who specialized in psychiatric stuff and she diagnosed me as having generalizaed anxiety disorder, social anxiety i think as well and panic attack's. I asked the GP why i felt so weird all the time and why my brain felt like it was all fogged up like i was suffering from a bad hangover or something. She said it was depersonalization, derealization and brain fog. She described the symptom's and bingo i fit them to a tee.
> 
> ...


Are you still on it now or are can you stop taking it after a peroid of time?


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Ya im still on the stuff. I have no idea if the dp/dr and brain fog would return if i stopped taking the meds but i really don't want to chance it. Clonazepam doesent give me any side effect's at all and a few pain conditions i have would get much worse if i stopped taking it as well so im going with the if it ain't broke don't fix it thing.

If all i have to do to keep dp/dr, anxiety, panic attacks and brain fog away is take 2mg's of clonazepam 3 times a day so be it. It's a very small price to pay in my opinion. Hell people with high blood pressure have to take pill's everyday for the rest of their life so what's the difference between taking something for that and taking something for a mental illness.


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## lpolo69 (Aug 8, 2007)

Alright everyone ive done a ton of experimenting with all sorts of combinations and figured out the the best combination for me at least with dp is taking 5mg of VALIUM and in my pocket an emergency .25 of xanax if anxiety gets crazy........SSRI's dont do crap for you trust me!!!!!!!Ive done 2mg per day but all that really does for you is make u crave the benzo even more. I also tried clonozepan and that didnt do anything for me . Effexor xr had brain zaps when coming off of it ..


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Ssri's do work wonders for some people. It's not that they don't work it's just that they don't work for everyone. Clonazepam didnt work for you but it was a life saver for me. Benzodiazepines are better at treating anxiety then ssri's are though.

I hate xanax and it never did anything for my anxiety. It just has a really shitty feel to it for me. I find valium to be ok for anxiety probley second to clonazepam but it really didnt do much for my dp/dr or brain fog. Granted i might not have been on a high enough dose for long enough as i really never took it much for anxiety. I mostly took it as a muscle relaxant or to go with my weed or beer lol. Don't mix benzos with booze though bad idea.

Ive never gotten a craving for clonazepam or any other benzodiazepine before. Too me they arent euphoric at all for the most part. Well i found certain hypnotic benzos to be somewhat euphoric but i certainly had no craving for them. But then again i use opiates and compared to opiates nothing really seems euphoric.


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