SSRI Comparison

[dave]

My mother is 85 and has been diagnossed with clinical depression.  Compounding this, she recently had a stroke.  We tried 10mg Paxil for 40 days and it seemed to help but she developed insomnia, diarea (diarrhea) and seemed hyper (although she was also on antibiotics at the same time).  Is there any information which compares the results of the various SSRIs on depression including the side affects of each? I've found information on each product indipendently but nothing that would compare them to each other in a manner that could help to determine which to try.

Additionally, do some side affects taper off over time?  What happens with different dosage levels?  We took her off the Paxil but is it possible we stopped too soon or should have tried a different dosage?

Are there other choices besides the SSRIs?

[HFHS M.D.-SW]

Dear Dave,

Fortunately for your mother there are a number of antidepressants that are effective for depression.
SSRIs or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors are medications such as Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Prozac and Luvox.
Most of these medications are equally effective for depression, but there side effect profile differ.
Ironically the same medication may cause different side effects in different patients.  For example, Paxil is sedating in over twenty percent of patients, yet may cause insomnia in ten percent of patients. Prozac may cause constipation in some and diarrhea in others.
Hopefully your mother is being followed by a psychiatrist who can recommend the medication that would best fit her profile.
The majority of side effects resolove with the duration of treatment, but they may reoccur if the dosage is increased.
The benefits of medication versus side effects needs to be evaluated by the psychiatrist.
It is important that your mother follows up with a psychiatrist experienced with geriatric patients.

My Best Wishes,

HFHS M.D.-SW

[sixkids]

I would like to know the difference in cymbalta and celexa in terms of weight gain effect ? my son is disabled and non-verbal so we can only go by his behavior --- the cymbalta  seems to cause more emotional outbursts -- but the weight gain on celexa was too great to continue -- any advice?

[AJC]

Please do thorough research about SSRI anti-depressants. They can be very dangerous. Don't be fooled by the nonchalant message we receive through our health care providers. I believe they have been misinformed as to the addictive qualities these drugs have as well as severe adverse reactions they can cause to the nervous system. My advice, look elsewhere for an answer to these problems. Don't take the easiest route offered which is often an SSRI. (Google_SSRI,withdrawal) for starters.

Good luck,
T

[AJC]

Look up "Gwen Olsen" on youtube or google video.