Effexor & Lexapro

[HuggyBear]

Howdy all

Got a cocktail query - over in the UK cocktails aren't really big in my expereince, certainly no GP, pdoc or therapist has ever suggested one. First some background though.

31 year old bloke. Depression and anxiety sufferer, v. dodgy self sabotage history. Been on a shed load of meds over the last 10 years. Most successfully on Effexor for about a year when I was brill on 75mg every second day(!) at the end. Then, thinking I was better (!) I withdrew with ease and six months later I was all over the show.

Went back on Effexor, ramped up to 225mg per day for about 6 months. Didn't really shift the depression and the side effects were nasty. Withdrawal this time around was v. nasty. Went 5 months trying natural supplements (pah!) and recently went onto Lexapro (or Cipralex as we Brits call it).

10mg gave me mini mania then crashed. 20mg has helped the anxiety and the suicidal thoughts but the lack of motivation, inability to concentrate, inability to face life each morning and lethargy is still present...... so, thinking of using up the loads of Effexor I have left by adding 75mg a day.

Why? Well I always found that Effexor is an incredible energiser, really gives me a motivational kick up the ass and reduces my need for sleep (especially in the first week when I get that lovely insomnia side effect).

Question is though, has anyone tried this cocktail? Tried a search but didn't find a great deal. Really want to lose this brain fog, its making me even bloody nuttier than normal!!

Thanks

[ConfusedCat]

Hopefully someone else will answer!

However my concern would be this, at the lower doses efx mostly hits seratonin, just like the lex is doing. You do not want to overload and end up with seratonin syndrome.

Possibly better, if your Doc agrees would be adding wellbutrin. It is also more stimulating and hits SNRI at the starting doses, not seratonin only.

I have heard much of a lexapro apathy, my Doc says it is the number one complaint with it.

Best of luck and I hope there are more responses for you.

CC~

[Velvet Elvis]

You don't want to ever take two medication that do serotonin reuptake inhabition in conjunction with each other as such can result serotonin sydrome which can be fatal.

If you had a manic reaction to an SSRI, you might be better off investigating a mood stabilizer.

[echoecho]

I have recently been on Prozac and Paxil which didn't work.  Now I just started on Effexor and Paxil.  does anyone have any experience with this? 

[whitenoise]

I'm in the same boat. Effexor made me anxious, so I got changed to 20mg Lexapro which worked excellently for anxiety but made me physically fatigued.

Out of curiosity, I took a small dose of effexor I had left over and I felt more energy almost immediately, the fatigue lifted and I could even work out like I used to. So the lexapro/effexor combo seems like the way to go.

I'm going to talk to my doctor about taking both at the same time or a NARI (like reboxetine) instead of Effexor.

I've tried most other SSRIs and they either don't work or have horrible side effects (Paxil I'm looking at you).