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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by bob on July 9, 2001, at 18:32:57
I have taken nearly all the SSRIs during the course of my illness, with the exception of Luvox. Every SSRI with the exception of prozac made me a hypersomniac to varying extents, with a general malaise and lack of energy. Prozac was different, as both times I tried it, it crescendoed into a panic attack and I had to stop it quickly.
Now, I have been on Luvox for about 2 months, after a terrible experience with Topomax that gave me some of the worst moments of my life when I was weaning off of it. I thought I was starting to get better of Luvox, but now when I am having trouble sleeping (something I NEVER experienced on the other SSRIs) and when I awake in the morning, I am shaking and trembling. Sometimes it builds to where I feel slightly sick. My question is: COULD THIS BE THE MEDECINE? I've always been told that Luvox is very good for anxiety - but it does not seem to be helping much at all. I also have always overeaten on the other SSRIs and now I can hardly eat. I have a slight fear that my experience with the Topomax changed my body chemistry somehow, and I can no longer respond appropriately to the SSRIs. Has anyone ever heard of this???
Posted by SalArmy4me on July 9, 2001, at 21:39:51
In reply to Luvox: tremors and shakiness and anxiety, posted by bob on July 9, 2001, at 18:32:57
You might want to use some over-the-counter Benadryl for sleep. If your insomnia or lack of connected-sleep gets too bad, you may want to ask your doctor for some benzodiazepines or trazodone.
Posted by Mitch on July 9, 2001, at 23:41:32
In reply to Luvox: tremors and shakiness and anxiety, posted by bob on July 9, 2001, at 18:32:57
bob,
I wonder if perhaps since Prozac was so "activating" you weren't taking that much of a dose and that NOW you are taking a relatively higher dose of Luvox and you are just experiencing a problem with too much SSRI. SSRI's are very notorious for aggravating insomnia. My brother-in-law had it on Paxil. I have had it on all of them. My sister is now having sleeping problems and excessive daytime sleepiness from her Prozac (it would take a truck-load to make her panic, though).
I guess the question, bob, is what are you doing taking SSRI's with all of these sleep troubles?? Is it OCD or depression, PTSD??
Of all of the SSRi's Paxil and Luvox I hated the most. I felt like a lead-suited zombie. There have been studies that show that Prozac can be effective to prevent panic in people with doses as low as 15mg/*week*. I could never tolerate Prozac more than 5mg/day-NEVER.
> I have taken nearly all the SSRIs during the course of my illness, with the exception of Luvox. Every SSRI with the exception of prozac made me a hypersomniac to varying extents, with a general malaise and lack of energy. Prozac was different, as both times I tried it, it crescendoed into a panic attack and I had to stop it quickly.
>
> Now, I have been on Luvox for about 2 months, after a terrible experience with Topomax that gave me some of the worst moments of my life when I was weaning off of it. I thought I was starting to get better of Luvox, but now when I am having trouble sleeping (something I NEVER experienced on the other SSRIs) and when I awake in the morning, I am shaking and trembling. Sometimes it builds to where I feel slightly sick. My question is: COULD THIS BE THE MEDECINE? I've always been told that Luvox is very good for anxiety - but it does not seem to be helping much at all. I also have always overeaten on the other SSRIs and now I can hardly eat. I have a slight fear that my experience with the Topomax changed my body chemistry somehow, and I can no longer respond appropriately to the SSRIs. Has anyone ever heard of this???
Posted by SalArmy4me on July 10, 2001, at 0:44:45
In reply to Luvox: tremors and shakiness and anxiety, posted by bob on July 9, 2001, at 18:32:57
Does the tremor last the whole day, or is it just in the morning?
Posted by bob on July 10, 2001, at 11:33:11
In reply to Re: Luvox: tremors and shakiness and anxiety, posted by Mitch on July 9, 2001, at 23:41:32
> bob,
>
> I wonder if perhaps since Prozac was so "activating" you weren't taking that much of a dose and that NOW you are taking a relatively higher dose of Luvox and you are just experiencing a problem with too much SSRI. SSRI's are very notorious for aggravating insomnia. My brother-in-law had it on Paxil. I have had it on all of them. My sister is now having sleeping problems and excessive daytime sleepiness from her Prozac (it would take a truck-load to make her panic, though).
>
> I guess the question, bob, is what are you doing taking SSRI's with all of these sleep troubles?? Is it OCD or depression, PTSD??
>
> Of all of the SSRi's Paxil and Luvox I hated the most. I felt like a lead-suited zombie. There have been studies that show that Prozac can be effective to prevent panic in people with doses as low as 15mg/*week*. I could never tolerate Prozac more than 5mg/day-NEVER.
>
> > I have taken nearly all the SSRIs during the course of my illness, with the exception of Luvox. Every SSRI with the exception of prozac made me a hypersomniac to varying extents, with a general malaise and lack of energy. Prozac was different, as both times I tried it, it crescendoed into a panic attack and I had to stop it quickly.
> >
> > Now, I have been on Luvox for about 2 months, after a terrible experience with Topomax that gave me some of the worst moments of my life when I was weaning off of it. I thought I was starting to get better of Luvox, but now when I am having trouble sleeping (something I NEVER experienced on the other SSRIs) and when I awake in the morning, I am shaking and trembling. Sometimes it builds to where I feel slightly sick. My question is: COULD THIS BE THE MEDECINE? I've always been told that Luvox is very good for anxiety - but it does not seem to be helping much at all. I also have always overeaten on the other SSRIs and now I can hardly eat. I have a slight fear that my experience with the Topomax changed my body chemistry somehow, and I can no longer respond appropriately to the SSRIs. Has anyone ever heard of this???***************
I am taking SSRIs for a number of problems. Obsessive thinking, anger, agitation, anxiety, and depression. All of the other SSRIs helped with these things to some extent, but eventually degraded to where I was sleeping too much, all the time. Effexor was particularly egregious, as was Paxil. Celexa wasn't too bad, but it didn't work that well. I took Anafranil before I tried the SSRIs and gained 50lbs, as well has eventually developing the hypersomnia problems. I promised myself I wouldn't go back on a tricyclic type medecine. I HATED the side effects. Effexor was the best medecine for me therapeutically, but I couldn't live with not waking up until 4pm.
Luvox seems to be the only SSRI that is keeping me awake, nervous, and irritable. Maybe like you said, I'm on too high a dose?
Bob
Posted by bob on July 10, 2001, at 11:36:39
In reply to Re: Luvox: tremors and shakiness and anxiety, posted by SalArmy4me on July 10, 2001, at 0:44:45
> Does the tremor last the whole day, or is it just in the morning?
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
The tremors are just in the morning, but they take awhile to go away - maybe an hour or two. It does seem to be getting worse though. I don't know.
I already have a prescription for Klonopin and was taking about 3/8 of a milligram per day throughout the day. I'm now increasing it to try to counteract this shaking in the morning. It's almost like I drank 5 cups of coffee. I'm thinking maybe 150mg of Luvox per day may be too much.
Posted by bob on July 10, 2001, at 12:35:11
In reply to Re: Luvox: tremors and shakiness and anxiety, posted by SalArmy4me on July 10, 2001, at 0:44:45
> Does the tremor last the whole day, or is it just in the morning?
> > > > > > > > > > > >
I'm getting tired of trying these medecines. The only major class I haven't tried is the MAOIs, but I don't think I'd survive the washout period. (I crash VERY hard without meds) I also don't like all the medecine interactions, not to mention the restricted diet.
I will possibly have a chance to try VNS this fall - and I'm thinking seriously of doing it. It's not like I don't get any response at all to medecines, they're just insufficient or inappropriate responses. I'm still quite dysfunctional on them. The one that made me functional for awhile - Effexor - eventually degraded into severe over-sleeping and a reduced ability to concentrate, plus a loss of drive.
Bob
Posted by CraigF on July 11, 2001, at 7:11:43
In reply to Re: Luvox: tremors and shakiness and anxiety, posted by bob on July 10, 2001, at 12:35:11
Bob:
you said Celexa wasn't bad, but not too effective. What if you were to try that again, but augment with an AP, such as Risperdal, Zyprexa, or Seroquel?
They can help with sleep and deal with a lot of your symptoms.
Posted by bob on July 11, 2001, at 10:44:17
In reply to Re: Luvox: tremors and shakiness and anxiety, posted by CraigF on July 11, 2001, at 7:11:43
> Bob:
>
> you said Celexa wasn't bad, but not too effective. What if you were to try that again, but augment with an AP, such as Risperdal, Zyprexa, or Seroquel?
>
> They can help with sleep and deal with a lot of your symptoms.Do they make you sleep more, or less? With most of the SSRIs, I can't get up in the morning.
This is the end of the thread.
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