New to this need opinions

[Aerochick]

Hello,

I am a 41 yr old woman who worries and stresses over everything & anything.  I have not had a decent nights sleep in forever and a day.  I just tried Paxil for a short time and between the weight gain and the sexual dysfunction I said NO WAY.  I have just started Wellbutrin per some friends highly reccomending it.  Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this???

Thannks Nicky K.

[OneScaredBuckeye]

I've never tried Wellbutrin, but I did take Paxil once and LOVED it.  No bad side effects at all.  I went off it and when I tried it again, it made me feel awful.  A lot more nervous than without it.  I've heard that Wellbutrin isn't supposed to have sexual side effects, but given the choice between being relatively free of anxiety and having a lousy sex life or having a terrific sex life and still having a lot of anxiety, I'd choose the lousy sex life and reduced anxiety any day.  The people I know who've taken Wellbutrin have actually had an increased libido, but it didn't help much with anxiety.  Some have found Wellbutrin even made their anxiety worse.  I'd think you'd do better on a benzodiazepine, despite the fact that they can become addictive, but those, too, can reduce libido.  They haven't with me, though.  Good luck in finding what's right for you.

[Mark TX]

I'm a 47 y/o male who is weaning off klonopin... and will soon be totally med free for the first time in a decade.  I have never taken a medication that works wonders.  Some seem to help for a while, but come with their own side effects and problems.  I've come to the conclusion that for me, at least, drugs simply aren't the answer.  I don't know how many different drugs (15 at last count) or different doctors I need to try before I try something new.  Most of my family are supportive of my decision to look for alternatives.  

I'm focusing on reducing stress, good nutrition, and other techniques for maintaining my mood and anxiety levels.  I can't say I'm doing a whole lot better... but I'm doing no worse than when I was on the medications.

I do know one thing about Welbutrin... it was one of the least offensive medications in terms of side effects that I tried.  But it did nothing for helping me quit smoking.  I finally did quit smoking... no thanks to the drug.  Hard to know if it did anything for anxiety.  I was relying on klonopin for panic attacks for years... so any impact from the Welbutrin wasn't noticeable.

Good luck!

mark

[tandria03]

I personally think the key to this is that different medications work for different people.  I also responded very poorly to paxil for my anxiety, but have been nearly panic attack free on lexapro.  I also take 100mg of trazadone at bedtime to help me sleep.  I agree with the above poster that while drugs are a short term answer, the goal is always to find the source of your particular problem and work on ways to some day to be medication free.  I have suffered from GAD and panic attacks for six years.  I am only 24.  I was to a point where I was having multiple panic attacks every day and it caused me to become suicidal from all the stress.  I tried everything I could and prayed like crazy, but finally decided to try the medication and for the first time in six years, I can function like normal.  I can drive alone, I don't think I am dying and I do not panic when I meet someone unexpectedly.  I would say to not give up finding a medication that works well for you, but after you find one that gets you to a place of clearer thinking, work on how you can help control your anxiety.  Usually some therapy (I chose to speak to a pastor), lessons in self talk and combo of the right medication can bring tremendous relief from the grips of anxiety.  Good luck and I hope all goes well.