Just started using tofranil . Any advise?

Hi
Having been on and off Paxil for the last six years , I decided I wanted nothing more to do with SSRIs as they are too  difficult to come off. I ve been off meds for the last few months now and was congratulating myself on feeling relatively well without them , but then the depression swooped back with a vengence . I  really did not want to take anything but felt suicidal and panicky and decided Id better do something.
My Doc now has me on Tofranil (25mgs)for the last four days . I find it really hard to sleep with this drug  , chronic anxiety feeling in my tummy and head at night and a weak faint feeling during the day. Please tell me that this will pass . Im so tired of drugs and their side effects but I know I need to take something as I have a family and  a good job and need to be functioning properly .
Ive also read that tofranil can cause weight gain . Is this always inevitable or is it just in some cases ? If so , what can I do to avoid gaining weight ? This would be a real problem for me and would only make me more depressed . Ive always taken pride in keeping fit and slim and I d hate to lose this .
Any advice  welcomed
Maebh

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

since you didn't gain weight with Paxil, it is unlikely you will with Tofranil.  sometimes Tofranil is assosiated with low blood pressure, which could cause some of the faintness and instability during the day. An alternative to Tofranil is Zoloft, which is easier to get off and not assosiated with weight gain as much as even Paxil.

[Felipe Gonzalez]

I want to ask you if you have tried with Prozac(fluoxetine),even though is an SSRI it worked very good in my case(depression and panic as well ).I combined fluoxetine with XANAX 0,5 mg(Alprazolam).I know Paxil(paroxetine)have difficulties with withdrawal cos the short half-life in the plasma.Fluoxetine has not that problem cos its half-life is 4-16 days though abrupt withdrawal of any kind of these drugs is not convenient.Using fluoxetine can make weight loss but it is very relative.It is important to know the side-effect of the drugs but you must think they are not to come to you.To defeat depression we must take into account that we are persons with a mood disorder,we are not 'depressed people' so we must fight hardly to improve our self-value and our life's quality.

Felipe