effexor vs prozac

[Guest guest]

If one SSRI is no good for you, yes, it is smart to try another, as they are not at all identical in side effects or even therapeutic effects. Effexor is one of the stronger SSRI's and when I took it, it appeared to have a harmful effect on my immune system--I would ask your psychopharm person to start you on a very low dose. It works on several neurotransmitter axes and from my and my friends' experiences with it, seems to be a very strong antidepressant. A little goes a long way, and my problem with it probably came from being overdosed (300mg for a 150lb human is way too much unless the case is very unusual). I had a problem with libido on Paxil but I do not remember having one on Effexor, but I think all the serotonin reuptake inhibitors are capable of doing this. Some have anticholinergic effects that others lack, also (constipation, dry mouth, blurry vision).An alternate suggestion unless your depression is deep might be to try GriefReleaf from Herbalist & Alchemist, run by Winston of Rutgers, probably the nation's leading herbalist scientist researcher, who puts up some of his concoctions for purchase online. I have tried GriefReleaf and it does work about as well as Cymbalta--ie it is gentle but effective. But you have to mix it in water at least three times a day.Cymbalta seems to me to be gentler than the older SSRI's--I believe it is a new generation drug. I also found that it worked sooner and that I didn't crash when withdrawing from it.re: another topic on depression and food and life management: some of the symptoms of deepening depression is anhedonia, apathy, and loss of appetite--so telling yourself to NOT stay in pj's all day in a darkened room and not eat or bathe is good, but if you are already depressed, those are the very things you may need outside help to do. That is, if you can motivate yourself not to live this way, you are probably not very depressed already; if you are already very depressed, you will not be able to just decide or resolve not to live this way, and will require outside help of a human or chemical kind to redirect these behaviors that just go with established depression.--Hugo