Guest calley Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I have been all over the fuc*in road for years taking meds and then not aking them. I was on cymbalta for a while and did OK with the OCD< but not great. I then just tried Lexapro because I thought the cymbalta was making me upset sometimes. Now the lexapro is just making me tired and not helping with the ocd at 20mg. so I guess I need the Neurepenephrine help the Cymbalta has, but should I try effexor or just go back to Cymbalta and maybe let the doc add in neurontin and/or provigil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null0trooper Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I then just tried Lexapro because I thought the cymbalta was making me upset sometimes. Now the lexapro is just making me tired and not helping with the ocd at 20mg. so I guess I need the Norepinephrine help the Cymbalta has, but should I try effexor or just go back to Cymbalta and maybe let the doc add in neurontin and/or provigil? If I recall correctly, the SSRIs have the best track record for OCD. They work by maintaining serotonin in circulation longer and generally at higher levels than your brain usually manages by itself. A consequence of this is that all serotonin receptors in your brain have a higher chance of being activated longer and harder - not just those involved in OCD - so being tired all the time is a very common side effect (of taking something that's anxiolytic without having the anxiety.) The norepinephrine reuptake inhibition that Cymbalta does, usually helps combat sleepiness and sexual dysfunction from the serotonin reuptake inhibition ... but with that can come anxiety, irritation, and all the other effects of turning on more norepinephrine receptors. So yes, the Cymbalta may have helped make you more upset than your situation merited. It probably also helped prevent you from feeling so tired all the time. It's a balancing act. There may not be a combination of medications that removes your OCD symptoms without adding other unwanted effects. For all I know, decreasing the Lexapro and adding the Cymbalta back might work better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 The deal with SSRIs for OCD is that the doses need to be really high. Many OCD specialists are giving more than the recommended max doses for approved indications. Cymbalta worked well for me, but I'm going back to paxil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Calley Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 The deal with SSRIs for OCD is that the doses need to be really high. Many OCD specialists are giving more than the recommended max doses for approved indications. Cymbalta worked well for me, but I'm going back to paxil. Is paxil better than Cymbalta? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.