# SSRIs & Increased Agitation



## Spider1 (Jan 14, 2002)

Hello,I have been taking Prozac for a little over a month now. I am only on 7.5 mg, I am supposed to be working up to 10mg, but I have noticed much increased anxiety and agitation on the stuff. Well, i am on it for ANXIETY, so that is not good. I am taking Klonopin as needed, and the DOC thinks I should just increase my Klonopin to offset the Anxiety from Prozac. Are there just certain people that can't tolerate SSRIs like that or what? I had a very similar reaction to CELEXA.


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## slacker (Mar 23, 2002)

Of the SSRI's, Celexa, and especially Prozac, are considered the most "excitory," causing agitation, anxiety, insomnia, etc. Paxil, and especially Luvox, tend to be sedating. Zoloft is supposed to be neutral. There's often some stuff in the first couple weeks, but youve been on it for a month, so...maybe its time to try something different. A LOT of people don't tolerate them, don't feel like your the only one, and Prozac is probably the worst offender. Lemme guess, you're dealing with a GP, not a shrink? Trazadone or Serzone are sometimes used with SSRI's to negate that effect. You don't mention any physical problems like nausea, diarrhea, headache, etc. If the agitation is the only thing bothering you, you'll likey tolerate one of the other 3 SSRI's, that usually don't have this effect. If the problems are going to go away, they will probably show signs of doing so within a couple weeks after starting...Did you tolerate 5 mg's?


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## Spider1 (Jan 14, 2002)

Well, It's hard to say. My main symptom is NAUSEA and fatigue, and also anxiety, which is why I started taking these drugs. I have bumped myself down to 6, and i feel a little bit better. I called my shrink (I am seeing one of those) on monday and tues, and it is now thurs and he hasn't called me back. He sucks anyway. Everytime I go in there he has to completly review my case from scratch, and suggests medicines and treatments I have already tried. Anyhow, I am kind of at a loss as to what to do at this point. I have tried Celexa & Paxil and they both made me very agitated(along with the PROZAC now). I just constantly feel really agitated and pissed. I can't stand anything. I don't know if it is the meds or how my anxiety is effecting me in general. Life seemed much more simple without any meds at all.


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## slacker (Mar 23, 2002)

Was the agitation a problem, before you started on the anti-depressants? Serzone, Trazadone, and Remeron can be good choices when people don't tolerate SSRI's well, or in combination with SSRI's. They help a lot with agitation and anxiety, and in a different way than the benzos like Klonopin.


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## bellyknot (Jul 24, 2000)

I can't take SSRI's either, and I know that pissed off and angry feeling. Its kind of like super bad PMS. Serzone works great for me, for anxiety and agoraphobia.


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## Guest (Oct 1, 2002)

There are certainly lots of folks that don't tolerate SSRIs well at all...


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## slacker (Mar 23, 2002)

Did they give you problems, 4willieC?I felt pretty weird ard first but its all good now.


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2002)

Absolutley....I had a hard time getting beyong the initial stages with all of the SSRIs I tried..I ended up just taking Buspar and nothing else.


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