Anti-depressants and IBS
#71661 - 05/19/04 12:18 PM
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Mary Ann
Reged: 05/05/04
Posts: 12
Loc: Pennsylvania, USA
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I'm new to the IBS thingie. Does anyone know which anti-depressant is better to take if you have IBS-C? I've read articles on both Paroxetine (Paxil) and amitripyline. I haven't been able to tell which one will work the best for my problem.
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Hi. I take Zoloft and it seems to help with my IBS. I have IBS with constipation and diarrhea alternating. However my mother takes Paxil and it seems to help her a whole lot. She most has constipation with her IBS. Hope this helps. I'm kinda new to this also. Good Luck.
Ashley
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Hello and Welcome. I am also IBS C. I have been on zoloft and Lexapro and currently on Wellbutrin. I haven't noticed any of them to affect the C. They have all worked about the same. Check out the library section of this board, there are articles on the subject. also do a search with no time limits on antidepressants and you will pull up a lot of posts on the subject!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Wellbutrin gave me (and a friend of mine) terrible C. With Zoloft, I had D for the first few days, then everything leveled off. I think a lot of these cause problems one way or the other the first week and then your body settles down. So don't give up on them after a day or two. Your body has to adjust to the med.
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Paxil is the most non-addictive anti-depressant. I am one of those people who hates taking meds (especially if I think they are going to become a part of my life), so I research them like crazy beforehand, and so far I am med-free (just vitamins and fiber). If I had to start taking one, it would definately be Paxil. Paxil controls anxiety BEFORE it happens...whereas some others like Xanax just calm you down when you having anxiety attacks. My GYN has even said that if I need to take Paxil, it's the safest one to be taking when you're pregnant. Good luck!
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~Cara~
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Re: CARA0453
#71863 - 05/20/04 08:02 AM
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michele
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 6886
Loc: southeastern michigan
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I am on Wellbutrin and I'm trying to get pegnant. I have also heard that Paxil is one of the safer one to take while pregnant. Do you know it if is secreted in the breast milk??? I know that Wellbutrin IS and Zoloft ISN'T but don't know about Paxil. I am going to try to stop the Wellbutrin at least for the first trimester, that seems to be the most important time to stop them because the major organs are forming but I'm terribly afraid that I am going to have to go back on something.
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Paxil is one of the hardest AD's to discontinue. Many people feel horrible when they try to discontinue it. I have a friend who's an RN whose husband felt like he had the flu every time he tgried to stop it. It took months for him to completely get off of it. I've had several friends who've experienced the same problem with Paxil---and it has nothing to do with the dosage. Some took a low dose and some took a high dose. There's tons of info about this online if you do a search.
I've never taken Paxil, so I can't speak from experience, just what others have told me. I did take Zoloft for a long time and have taken Wellbutrin and Celexa---and had no problem discontinuing any of them. Paxil has a bad reputation for this. It was all over the news media not too long ago.
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Yes, Paxil does enter the breast milk - it's a very very small amount. I would just talk to your GYN about the meds - if you need to go on something, don't worry! My GYN is so cool about things like that - there are no studies that say these meds harm babies. Good luck getting pregnant!! 
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~Cara~
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Wow. I did not know that.....but as for me, I had absolutely no problem going off Paxil. Neither did my neighbor. I was on Xanax before though, and I was addicted to it for awhile, which I HATED. I'm sure everyone has different reactions to different anxiety pills - if everyone reacted the same there'd only be one brand!
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~Cara~
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I ruptured an ovarian cyst in '99, and began to have terrible anxiety attacks. Two years of therapy and a little Xanax along the way helped tremendously.
The only person I knew who had Paxil had a horrible time coming off the drug. She told me that even though she wasn't having any more children she read in the patient leaflet that it can get into breast milk in small amounts.
Back to lurking in the corner 
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White Dot
Making life miserable for 10 pins everywhere
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These two are actually two seperate kinds of drugs. Xanax is an anti-anxiety med, and these can be highly addictive. Paxil however, is an SSRI anti-depressant, which will also treat anxiety, but it's designed more for long-term use, whereas Xanax is more to be taking as needed.
It may be true that Paxil is less addictive than Xanax, but as far as the actual anti-depressants go, Paxil is one of the hardest to get off. I have read tons of studies on this, very few people can discontinue this drug without a problem. It's taken me almost a year to get off it, because of the horrible withdrawal symptoms 
Just wanted to let you know...definately read about Paxil if you want to start taking it. I had great luck with it both for my anxiety and my stomach, but had bad side effects (40 lb weight gain, sexual side effects) which is why I went off it. To be honest, despite the relief it gave me, had I known how hard it would be to stop I never would have gone on it to begin with.
Kelly
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My husband was on this stuff for years. And he had the hardest time getting off of it. It was torture!!!! VERY bad side effects when he was getting off. It took him about a year to get off of this also. He had to SLOWLY lower the dose! I wouldn't reccomend paxil to anyone! He is now on celexa and has withdrawl symptoms if he misses a dose or two.
I also have 2 sisters who were on Paxil, they had the same horriable trouble. It took them a long time to get off Paxil too. They also had withdrawls if they missed any doses!
Good luck....If I were you I would stay away from Paxil!
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I found out the hard way, I have taken several anti's and sleep meds that were promised not to be addictive. Those are the ones that cause the worst withdrawals. They are addictive, Ambien (sleep med), horrible withdrawals. I have not been the same person since before taking it, my doc never told me it was designed to take for a few weeks. I took it for several years.
A lot of people dont know this, but Paxil will pack on the pounds, fast!! Be very careful with it. These are all considered powerful drugs, I would be very wary of taking anything like this during a pregnancy!!
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They also dont tell you that these same meds can be extremely addictive. I have suffered through this and wouldnt wish it on any of you.
I would be so afraid to take any meds during a pregnancy, the drug companies for sure dont want to let it leak out how powerful these drugs are! Be careful and good luck.
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Not encouraging news about Paxil.  I've been on it for two years without any problems. I didn't have weight gain with it either. I deal with nightsweats during PMS and my Gyn. thinks it is from the Paxil.
Withdrawing from Paxil sounds scary and hope my doctor knows how to handle it.
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