Trying to decide between Lexapro, Zoloft or Prozac - Very nervous.

[JoeD350]

Hey all! I've been battling anxiety and panic attacks (mainly pertaining to my health - health anxiety) for about 17 years & took Lexapro for about 15 of them. It helped me a lot until I started researching them. I stopped taking the Lexapro just about 3 years ago because of things I've read and my daily headaches (which continued after stopping the drug). I have been trying to handle it on my own and change my lifestyle to be as healthy as possible. I can go a while without incidence but then it rears it's ugly head and hits me hard.

Anyway, my primary doctor suggested I go back on Lexapro. Another doctor I see suggested Prozac because it's not as strong. Recently I decided to see a psychiatrist, she recommends low dose Zoloft. The problem I have is this will be a life long thing and from what I read, there are a lot of scary things to be said about the unknown and known side effects of SSRI's. You'll hear about Sudden Cardiac Death, Chemical lobotomy's etc, Qt Longation, etc etc.

So, I guess my question is out of these 3 are any safer than the other? How about better for GAD, Panic? I keep thinking about the long term effects that I could be causing myself by NOT doing anything and feeling stressed all the time..it's a tough decision. Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks for reading my rant!

[JoeD350]

Thanks again for the suggestions. I decided to start at a very low dose of Zoloft (12.5mg) and slowly work up if needed but want to try to keep my dose as low as possible.

[Artsmartmom]

You are a trooper for coping with this for so long. Lexapro & vistaril are working well for me, combined with vitamin supplements & counseling. Eating healthier, walking, & telling fam & friends all help, too. The talk therapy is so important, because it helps you cope with attacks, & I am now able to get through them faster with the tools & advice from a psychologist. She explained that after several months of coping well with the death of my baby boy, this sudden barrage of panic attacks is due to a habit of focusing on the future & being fearful of bad things happening. Just understanding that helps me remember to live in the present more.

[Paxiled]

Every drug has negative effects, and ssris have many, but I don't think they have the ones you're suggesting.  The worst problem with them is trying to stop taking them, which can be hard to impossible, but of course many will have side effects.  Lexapro and Celexa are notorious for causing head pressure, and often when you take a drug this long the effects can be permanent.  I've never heard of the things you mention, but I don't doubt you saw evidence of this, but as the above says, you already know Lexapro won't do this to you.  Prozac tends to be not as good for anxiety because it is a more stimulating ssri, though nothing like snris or wellbutrin, but it's probably the safest to take because it has a long half life in the body whereas all the others leave the body very quickly.  Again, this has more to do with the problem of quitting.  Zoloft probably has the best record for working on anxiety, but it has a reputation for more side effects than Lexapro and a reputation for being harder to quit, though nothing comes close to the difficulties of Paxil.  Possible side effects are vast -- from your headaches to weight gain to personality changes -- you're dealing with the brain here -- so if you know you tolerated Lexapro well and can't solve the problem without medication, maybe that's the best way to go.  And you know it worked.  

[JoeD350]

Thanks TNKS, I appreciate that! I'm still up researching the negative side effects of SSRI'S, which isn't helping me lol. I think I need to just go back on the lex, because your right it is all about the quality of life and mine was more peaceful ON Lexapro.

[TNKS]

I had the best results from Lexapro personally.  The others have me more anxiety or the side effects were tough deal with.  Just speaking for myself.  This is a life long illness like diabetes, all about quality of life. Wish you the best!!

[JoeD350]

Good point, there were some side effects but they were pretty tolerable. I was kind of curious if another drug may help me even more. But all in all, it does seem like the safest/known route. Thanks for your suggestion!

[LRon]

If you took Lexapro for 15 years and apparently tolerated it well, why not go with that? Unlike the other two options, it's a known entity for you. And the fact that your headaches didn't go away after stopping it shows that it might not have had anything to do with the Lexapro. It's important to realize that the vast majority of people who take SSRI's have no problems. The likelihood of your having any serious side effects are very minimal. Hope that helps!