1. < Depression & Anxiety

Best "Senior" Antidepressants

Posted by briarrose @briarrose, Oct 29, 2023

I just posted a question re: weaning off Paxil 10 mg. and with my reported "brain fog" forgot to ask a further question. Sorry about that.
I am in search of a new antidepressant for my severe anxiety and depression. I was on mirtazapine 30 mg. for 22 years and found through GeneSight I was not metabolizing it at all. Thus the switch to Paxil 10 mg. which is not really working well for me. I am a female, 68 years old and sensitive to all medications. Any thoughts on what is tolerated the best for seniors? I will run this by my psychiatric nurse practitioner of course but reaching out to others for thoughts.

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tonilynette1990 | @tonilynette1990 | Apr 8 10:22am
In reply to @daveshaw "Try Zoloft and Wellbutrin. They are very complimentary. So much so that they call the combination..." + (show)
@daveshaw

Try Zoloft and Wellbutrin. They are very complimentary.
So much so that they call the combination Welloft. I also take Buspar and clonazepam. I recently cut my dose of Zoloft to 50mg from 100mg with no side effects.
Good luck to you.
Good luck to you.

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I tried both welbutrin made me feel like bugs were crawling on me and zolof just did nuthing

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briarrose | @briarrose | Apr 8 12:51pm
In reply to @dalexis00 "I'm in my own cause my son and family are too busy. I'm 74, concerned about..." + (show)
@dalexis00

I'm in my own cause my son and family are too busy. I'm 74, concerned about the future and having to find a younger person to take over my executor papers.
I have no idea what to do or how to find someone. All my ppl I could ask are also my age.(They did say yes, they can help) but think a younger would be helpful as a second person.
I really don't know what to do.

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Do you have a lawyer or CPA who does your taxes?

They most certainly can help you with your executor papers and even be the executor of your estate when you pass and can be in charge of your wishes when you pass. I found it's actually common for these professionals to do such a thing for their clients. Forget your son...another case of a son too busy for his Mom when she needs him. Very sad.
Good Luck! This is an easy fix. You are not alone, believe me.

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hmburk | @hmburk | Apr 9 6:40pm
In reply to @dchrzano "16 yrs ago I started my ssri journey with Paxil which was wonderful for a while..." + (show)
@dchrzano

16 yrs ago I started my ssri journey with Paxil which was wonderful for a while then just stopped working. Coming off of it was difficult due to brain zaps and other weird feelings but it was possible. I gained 100 lbs in one yr from Paxil and the doctors kept telling me it wasn’t from Paxil. Well yes, it was and also is with every other antidepressant except Wellbutrin which didn’t help w my panic attacks. I’m 61, Cymbalta helps but also makes you hungry and gain weight. I’d like to come off Cymbalta bc of the weight but only missing one day I had bad withdrawal. Not sure what to do.

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There is another support group called Cymbalta Hurts Worse which tells you how to wean off Cymbalta. It took me 3 years following the guide lines but able to successfully get off with little to no withdrawal symptoms. I ended up being on Cymbalta for 10 years because 3 times I tried to stop it and couldn't. Good Luck

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dchrzano | @dchrzano | Apr 9 10:00pm
In reply to @briarrose "dchrzano, with all SSRIs and SNRIs, there are very few (if any?) that you can suddenly..." + (show)
@briarrose

dchrzano, with all SSRIs and SNRIs, there are very few (if any?) that you can suddenly stop.
Speak with your ordering physician/NP about weaning off of it.
You must have a plan in place to gradually decrease your dose over time. And it may take months for you to come off it without major distress to your mental health and awful withdrawal symptoms. But it can be done.
I have found some prescribers wean you down too fast. Be careful of this. Go nice and slow despite the length of time it takes. It will take cutting the pill in small increments to wean off. Suddenly stopping one pill (or pills) will not work as you found out. Get a pill cutter...you will cutting it in tiny pieces for a length of time on a daily basis.
Good luck and have patience!

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Thank you I know…I was going to try to skip one day every two days and gradually wean off. It’s actually 26 yrs I’m on ssri/snri’s. I wish I didn’t need them but I’ll probably have to take for the rest of my life. I asked my NP to switch me to something else but he’s reluctant bc it’s also for fibromyalgia which I have but honestly it doesn’t help my pain. Next appt I’m telling him I want off.

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dchrzano | @dchrzano | Apr 9 10:01pm
In reply to @dchrzano "16 yrs ago I started my ssri journey with Paxil which was wonderful for a while..." + (show)
@dchrzano

16 yrs ago I started my ssri journey with Paxil which was wonderful for a while then just stopped working. Coming off of it was difficult due to brain zaps and other weird feelings but it was possible. I gained 100 lbs in one yr from Paxil and the doctors kept telling me it wasn’t from Paxil. Well yes, it was and also is with every other antidepressant except Wellbutrin which didn’t help w my panic attacks. I’m 61, Cymbalta helps but also makes you hungry and gain weight. I’d like to come off Cymbalta bc of the weight but only missing one day I had bad withdrawal. Not sure what to do.

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“26” years ago not 16…sorry can’t correct above.

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