Trying to find the right medications for my depression/anxiety

Posted by brit @brit, Jan 10, 2019

I have had depression for quite a few year now. I am in my 70's and found it harder to deal with. My psychiatrist has been working with me trying to find the best medication. So far no luck. He is very dedicated and does a great job trying to help. Right now I am takin 2 medications but they don't seem to do the
job either. They are Doxepin 25 mg and chlordiazepox. Help!

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@tsmalls

Hi I just have a question and not sure who to ask and also wanted to see if anyone has done this if it's okay and how they felt I recently stopped taken my meds quetiapine 25 mg and sertraline 50 mg I was taken the 25 mg at night and the 50 mg in the morning there both once a day I haven't been on them long , since July they have helped however I wanted to try to take myself off and try other natural things like liquids this one I got from a botanical store it seems to be doing good or either I can't really tell if it is or not because I believe I'm having withdrawal symptoms from me stopping my meds I don't like this feeling it's a constant nausea feeling day and night I feel dizzy too but it's more nausea than anything smh so what I want to know is if starting my meds back is a good idea or not it's been five days now I didn't tell my doctor because I didn't want him to be upset with me or anything smh I don't know what to do I just want this nausea to go away already

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@tsmalls Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Like @marionwilhelm said, your doctor is your ally, and on your side in guiding you to better health mentally and physically. There should be no secrets that you hold back from him/her. You will find that most medications taken for mental health conditions should not be stopped abruptly. If they are going to be stopped, it is done gradually. Can you contact your doctor and explain what you have done, and get some guidance?
Ginger

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I am 72 and have also been taking anti depressants for many years.Right now I take aripiprazole and cymbalta. I was also diagnosed with ADD so now I take concerta for that. The concerta seemed to be the missing piece in my treatment. I also see a therapist when I have some rough patches. All of these components have helped me over the years. Good luck in finding what works best for you.

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@tim1028

Ginger, I appreciate your reply and the link to the Journaling discussion. Yes, I prefer low-and-slow regarding new medications. I expect that in a a month or two, I'll know more about how the new anti-anxiety med is working.

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So far, so good with the anxiety medication switch, tapering citalopram while adding low-dose Zoloft. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I plan to go low and slow in transferring from one SSRI drug to another.

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@tim1028

So far, so good with the anxiety medication switch, tapering citalopram while adding low-dose Zoloft. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I plan to go low and slow in transferring from one SSRI drug to another.

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@tim1028 Good to hear things are going well! Will you let me know how you feel once established on Zoloft, if you notice any difference? I am curious!
Ginger

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@gingerw

@tim1028 Good to hear things are going well! Will you let me know how you feel once established on Zoloft, if you notice any difference? I am curious!
Ginger

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I've completed the low-and-slow switch from Citalopram 40 mg, which I've been taking for 11 years, to Zoloft (sertraline) I just increased the dose from 25mg to 50 mg, which I plan to continue until I talk, to my physician at the end of the month. It feels like it is working well so far with anxiety level pretty well controlled. No side effects. One of the reasons my physician switched to Zoloft was its wide dosing range, which allows increases as needed to the max dose

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@tim1028

I've completed the low-and-slow switch from Citalopram 40 mg, which I've been taking for 11 years, to Zoloft (sertraline) I just increased the dose from 25mg to 50 mg, which I plan to continue until I talk, to my physician at the end of the month. It feels like it is working well so far with anxiety level pretty well controlled. No side effects. One of the reasons my physician switched to Zoloft was its wide dosing range, which allows increases as needed to the max dose

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@tim1028 It's good to hear you are feeling better! And once again, proving that everyone has different reactions/ successes with medication. I wonder what you physician will have to say when you see him?
Ginger

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@gingerw

@tim1028 It's good to hear you are feeling better! And once again, proving that everyone has different reactions/ successes with medication. I wonder what you physician will have to say when you see him?
Ginger

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I'm sure my doc, who knows I like to take the lowest dose of medication that will get the job done, will be pleased that this new anxiety med is working well so far. I went thru a year of trial-and-error with statin meds before we found one that I could tolerate (rosuvastatin 5 mg every other day).

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@elwooodsdad

I'm 71 and have had dysthymia(constant low grade depression)for at least 30 or more years. I have had issues of late, and changed medications twice. Tried trintillix, and it was not good for me. It is expensive, but when it works, it is the holy grail. Changed to Prozac about ten days ago, and some Klonopin for anxiety/sleep. Slept for 9 hours last night after a long bout of insomnia. It's a crapshoot to get the chemistry correct. Just be sure you have a doctor who will work with you.

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Is the Prozac working for you?

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@rosa66

Is the Prozac working for you?

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Yes it is, thankfully.

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@fabgal17

Hi everyone. I just joined this site. I’m 49 years old . I’ve been struggling with hormonal issues for past 12 years. I’ve been taking Effexor Xr for at least 10 years now. I just found out that I’m going thru menopause. I’m feeling sick everyday. I have lots of weakness in my legs, exhaustion, lack of appetite at times, constant dizziness. I’ve been going to
many doctors and no one is able to help me. I feel that Effexor isn’t helping but making me even more sick. Everyday is becoming a struggle for me. hope someone can make some good suggestions. I’m considering to check myself in hospital and run all tests to figure out what’s going on?

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You might need to get off Effexor or you might be low in vitamin d, I had severe weakness and had to go on vitamin d, I’m also on Effexor extended release maybe that was my problem to, it might take out our vitamin d, it’s so hard to tell what’s causing what. But I hear you I’ve had a terrible time with antidepressants, it could well be the effexor because you’ve been on it for along time. Maybe switch to switch to something else, sometimes they just stop working that happened to me with another med.

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