Ssri vs snri?

[your pathologist]

So i was on Paxil [ssri], and the stuff gave me constant brain fog, disrupting my sleep to nearly nonexistent when i got off it (cold turkey-what a mistake, the withdrawls lasted months and turned me into a literal zombie who didnt move for 2 months) to this day still confused agitated low fuctioning cognitively and its caused a lot of my reasons for CTB.
I still have some hope, that maybe i can find something to help regulate my sleep patterns and hopefully get some assemblance of normalcy back to my body and my brain.... i guess my question is did anyone have ill effects from SNRIs? Particularly Cymbalta?
Im scared to be put on another antidepressant but im at the end of my rope quite literally and this is what they threw at me today.

Whats fucked up is the family practice dr literally said "well im not a psychiatrist.. and youre wanting an answer about whats going on in your head and just want it to be fixed but mental health doesn't work that way. I can test your blood but it cant tell me what chemcial imbalances you have in your brain..." sorry just needed to vent. By the end she said "so do you want to try this out or not? Cuz im not sure how else to help"
I just want help. I cant do this on my own. Fuck.

Edit: paxil is an ssri class

 

[LifeSick]

I have taken neither. But I was on a low dose of trazodone for insomnia, but at this dosage it really doesn't have antidepressant effects. I stopped taking it when my sleep got better, even though my psych wanted me to keep taking it because he thinks it might help with anxiety. Since i'm not getting better he wanted to put me on either an SRNI (effexor) or Wellbutrin (which is an atypical AD, it doesn't affect serotonin at all). He choose the wellbutrin and I already bought it 3 days ago but haven't mustered the courage to take it.

 

[Angst Filled Fuck Up]

Cymbalta was recommended to me too, but in the end I went with Celexa. Even though it makes me tired and useless in the sack I would say it's been worth it and has helped me become relatively anxiety free compared to where I was at. It's definitely a long term thing though. Took me several months but I was ultimately more even-keeled, so maybe check that out if you want. Definitely recommended if you're having daily anxiety issues.

 

[Dogsbody]

Cymbalta spiked my anxiety to the max.

 

[your pathologist]

Welp i just took my first 30mg dosage tonight before bed. Hopeful to see what happens, thank you for your input

 

[starcrossedfate]

I take Cymbalta 60 mg every morning. Does it work? Well, here I am.

 

[Sharethepain]

I was on several SSRIs but ultimately stopped taking them because of the same fog you mentioned. My brain was clouded all the time, I couldnt think fast and could only manage to think about one or two things at once, while without it I can process things much faster. I think it was a good call to stop honestly, I feel like taking meds is just running away from the problems, especially if its SSRIs, since they dont fix anything in the long term, rather the opposite.

Also for the sleep you can buy supplements like melatonin if you havent tried them yet, there should be several more options as well, although this one comes to find first. You can even try to just tire yourself out a bit by some physical activity during the day, it sometimes helped me fall asleep. I hope you find somethings that suits you and works for you.

 

[Rex]

I tried 2 SSRI and hated both of them. Refused to try another so I got given an SNRI called Strattera, I've noticed a increase in focus and concentration which has helped. Will see how it goes past the 2week mark, but after a few days on it already I can tell it's WAY better than the SSRI's i was taking in the past.

 

[your pathologist]

I tried 2 SSRI and hated both of them. Refused to try another so I got given an SNRI called Strattera, I've noticed a increase in focus and concentration which has helped. Will see how it goes past the 2week mark, but after a few days on it already I can tell it's WAY better than the SSRI's i was taking in the past.

At the two week mark they want to increase it from 30g to 60g so, im only on dose two of 30mg and feel pretty, well, the same so far

 

[scales]

So i was on Paxil [ssri], and the stuff gave me constant brain fog, disrupting my sleep to nearly nonexistent when i got off it (cold turkey-what a mistake, the withdrawls lasted months and turned me into a literal zombie who didnt move for 2 months) to this day still confused agitated low fuctioning cognitively and its caused a lot of my reasons for CTB.
I still have some hope, that maybe i can find something to help regulate my sleep patterns and hopefully get some assemblance of normalcy back to my body and my brain.... i guess my question is did anyone have ill effects from SNRIs? Particularly Cymbalta?
Im scared to be put on another antidepressant but im at the end of my rope quite literally and this is what they threw at me today.

Whats fucked up is the family practice dr literally said "well im not a psychiatrist.. and youre wanting an answer about whats going on in your head and just want it to be fixed but mental health doesn't work that way. I can test your blood but it cant tell me what chemcial imbalances you have in your brain..." sorry just needed to vent. By the end she said "so do you want to try this out or not? Cuz im not sure how else to help"
I just want help. I cant do this on my own. Fuck.

Edit: paxil is an ssri class

Your family doctor is pretty great, they were honest with you about what they can and can't do and what they know.

I studied drug interactions and brain chemistry in depression only a little bit but my understanding is that a multidimensional approach is the best one. You already know sleep is a major factor.

Why did you stop the Paxil? It's possible that being on it helped balance your brain chemistry. If SSRI did not work for you, SNRI isn't a bad option, but also keep in mind that SSRIs are very different types of medicine, for some reason people have different responses to different SSRIs and sometimes one might work while another doesn't. Unfortunately it's a trial and error.

However, you don't have to go through endless cycles of trial and error. If you've tried a certain number of SSRIs your depression is considered treatment resistant and you have other treatment options like secondline and tricyclic antidepressants, dopamine focused antidepressants like Wellbutrin, TMS, ketamine, ECT, Magic mushrooms, etc. I've heard of some psychiatrists going as far as prescribing amphetamines for treatment resistant depression. There are also incredibly expensive and rarely used things like vagus nerve stimulation (I hope I got that right). I think TMS is the most commonly used one next on the list.

Another consideration is that medication alone is rarely enough, therapy and lifestyle changes make a huge difference. Especially in the cases of depression with primarily biological causes, sleep regulation and diet can have a huge positive impact. In one famous study, exercise was as effective as SSRI medication.

I hope you find the answers you're looking for. I haven't tried SNRIs personally but I highly recommend trying it if you want to improve your depression and haven't already tried it.

Also, since your family doc said they're not a psychiatrist, maybe it's time to find one instead of a family doc who understand more complex cases, family docs are really or equipped to handle depression like the type that would be typical for people who would visit this sub.

 

[your pathologist]

Your family doctor is pretty great, they were honest with you about what they can and can't do and what they know.

I studied drug interactions and brain chemistry in depression only a little bit but my understanding is that a multidimensional approach is the best one. You already know sleep is a major factor.

Why did you stop the Paxil? It's possible that being on it helped balance your brain chemistry. If SSRI did not work for you, SNRI isn't a bad option, but also keep in mind that SSRIs are very different types of medicine, for some reason people have different responses to different SSRIs and sometimes one might work while another doesn't. Unfortunately it's a trial and error.

However, you don't have to go through endless cycles of trial and error. If you've tried a certain number of SSRIs your depression is considered treatment resistant and you have other treatment options like secondline and tricyclic antidepressants, dopamine focused antidepressants like Wellbutrin, TMS, ketamine, ECT, Magic mushrooms, etc. I've heard of some psychiatrists going as far as prescribing amphetamines for treatment resistant depression. There are also incredibly expensive and rarely used things like vagus nerve stimulation (I hope I got that right). I think TMS is the most commonly used one next on the list.

Another consideration is that medication alone is rarely enough, therapy and lifestyle changes make a huge difference. Especially in the cases of depression with primarily biological causes, sleep regulation and diet can have a huge positive impact. In one famous study, exercise was as effective as SSRI medication.

I hope you find the answers you're looking for. I haven't tried SNRIs personally but I highly recommend trying it if you want to improve your depression and haven't already tried it.

Also, since your family doc said they're not a psychiatrist, maybe it's time to find one instead of a family doc who understand more complex cases, family docs are really or equipped to handle depression like the type that would be typical for people who would visit this sub.

Thank you for your insight this is the first time I saw this, I'm glad I went back through.