5htp Antidepressant

Question: Moving to 5htp from paxil with Doctors oversight, this is really important to me, need thoughts...? In December of this year, I am going to slowly wean off of paxil, and move to 5htp. I went on paxil for mainly anxiety, which it completely took care of, and I've read tons of success stories on 5htp. My question is, what are peoples experiences and thoughts with 5htp or moving to it from an antidepressant?

Answer: My "off the top of the head" thought on 5-hydroxy tryptophan (5htp) as a replacement for paroxetine (paxil) for depression is that it is no better. It is a "health food over the counter" supplement and has not been shown in scientific studies to improve depressive conditions. You can bet if there were any advantage in the use of 5htp over paxil the pharmaceutical industry would have seized on it and made it a prescription medication so they could profit from it. Paroxetine is an SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor) and has had much success but some detrimental lawsuits filed because of alleged bad effects from it. These lawsuits may be just opportunistic. The fact that you say it (paxil) completely controlled your anxiety problems makes me wonder why you want to change. Go to "5htp" and "paxil" in Yahoo! web searches to find out more details on these chemicals. Wikipedia has good summaries. Good luck with your anxiety/depression, good mental health, peace and love!

Question: anyone on 5htp - does it work for depression and anxiety? Also, does it interfere with the implanon contraceptive implant? My doctor doesn't know about the interference between the two but recommended it as an alternative to ssri antidepressants. If anyone has had experience with 5htp please let me know if it worked, any side effects, whether it helped anxiety as well as depression, etc. Thanks! Ruth. Also, does it interfere with the implanon contraceptive implant? My doctor doesn't know about the interference between the two but recommended it as an alternative to ssri antidepressants. If anyone has had experience with 5htp please let me know if it worked, any side effects, whether it helped anxiety as well as depression, etc. Thanks! Ruth. Ps for people who are suggesting SSRIs, I'm trying to find alternatives to these - 5htp is a natural plant hormone which can help to increase levels of serotonin in the brain. It has very few side effects compared to SSRIs such as fluoxetine, hence the doctor recommending it to me. Thanks for your responses.

Answer: I know a couple guys that swear by 5htp for both anxiety and depression. It works much like the SSRI's with antipsychotic or anxiotic action. I have no clue about contraceptive interaction. The SSRI' s tended to conk out on me after a while. I have been on Effexor for about 9 years and it works well for me, it is an SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine).

Question: Moving from paxil to 5htp with doctors supervision, need thoughts and opinions...? In December of this year, I am going to slowly wean off of paxil, and move to 5htp. I went on paxil for mainly anxiety, which it completely took care of, and I've read tons of success stories on 5htp. My question is, what are peoples experiences and thoughts with 5htp or moving to it from an antidepressant?

Answer: Congratulations!! It's always good to hear when people try to get off drugs. The best thing that I hear from customers about 5HTP than any anxiety drugs is that 5HTP doesn't have much of any side effects, while most drugs have a huge list of side effects. I'm very happy for you that you found a doctor that believes enough in natural products that they are going to help you get off Paxil and start 5HTP. Congrats again!

Question: Has anyone ever taken 5HTP for depression and did it work for you? What about SAMe? I've experienced too many side effects from antidepressants and was wondering about natural remedies.

Answer: Q. Is 5-HTP Safe to Use for Depression? A. Chemically speaking, 5-HTP is a transitional compound produced when the body converts the amino acid Tryptophan into other compounds such as Serotonin and Melatonin. Concerns about 5-HTP have arisen because its precursor, L-Tryptophan, was banned by the FDA in November of 1990. The FDA's decision to remove all tryptophan-containing supplements from store shelves was in response to an outbreak of Eosinophilia - Myalgia Syndrome (EMS) that was linked to the use of tryptophan. EMS is a dangerous and potentially deadly blood disease that is usually associated with parasitic infections or severe allergy. From July of 1989 to December of 1990, more than 1500 cases of EMS and 27 deaths were associated with the outbreak in the United States. In a report released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in August of 1992, researchers revealed the tryptophan was not the cause of the EMS outbreak. The CDC, working with scientists from the Mayo Clinic, the Oregon State Health Division, and the Minnesota Department of Health, traced the cause of the EMS crisis to a contaminant found only in batches of tryptophan manufactured by a single Japanese company, Showa Denko. Showa Denko, the source of up to 60% of all the tryptophan sold in the United States, had produced an untested manufacturing process that reduced the amount of activated charcoal used to filter fermented raw tryptophan. Some reports suggest that purity may a potential problem for 5-HTP as well. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have urged caution in the use of 5-HTP. In the September 1998 issue of the journal Nature Medicine, scientists at the Mayo Clinic reported finding low levels of impurities in retail samples of some dietary supplements containing 5-HTP. One of these impurities was identified as "peak X", an impurity reported several years ago in a product containing 5-HTP that was used by two siblings who developed eosinophilia and their mother who developed the eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS). Mayo Clinic scientists notified FDA about their findings shortly before publication of this report. FDA analyzed several samples of bulk 5-HTP and finished product. FDA investigation has confirmed the presence of "peak X," as reported in the Nature Medicine article. Moreover, additional analyses by FDA, although limited in scope, found that some 5-HTP-containing dietary supplement products or ingredient sources of 5-HTP contained one or more additional impurities. No cases of EMS resulting from 5-HTP use have been reported, however. While 5-HTP, in a pure form is not a risk for EMS, there are some cautions to be observed in it's use. 5-HTP should not be used if you have the following medical conditions: Cardiovascular Diseases; Extremely Elderly Persons; those with Parkinsons; Disease, Cancer or Autoimmune Diseases; Lung Diseases; Chronic Alcoholism; Liver diseases; parasitic infection; AIDS; Anorexia Nervosa; Low protein Diets; Severe allergies; Myalgia; Peripheral Neuropathy; Rash or Flushing; Edema; Nausea; Diarrhea; Sickle cell anemia; hemophilia; Pregnancy Do not use 5-HTP is you are currently taking any of the following medications: Anti-depressant drugs; Monoamine oxidase inhibitors; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; Tricyclic medications; Weight Loss medications; Anti-parkinson medications; Barbiturates and other tranquilizing drugs; Antihistamines and cold medications; Alcoholic beverages; Intravenous drugs; Cancer chemotherapy or antibiotic medications. Warning: Dosages of 5-hydroxy L-tryptophan (5-HTP) greater than 100 milligrams per day should be taken only under the guidance of a physician. 5-HTP use at doses greater than 100 mg per day should be taken with the prescription drug carbadopa to prevent excessive levels of serotonin production in the peripheral blood circulation. 5-HTP can increase the effect of tranquilizing drugs and can impair the ability to drive an automobile.

Question: antidepressant interactions? i am going to try lexapro recommended by my GP, and just stopped taking the natural supplement 5HTP. how long should you wait before changing a drug with another drug if there are possible interactions?? thanks.

Answer: This is a question for your GP. Few if any of us have all the information needed to answer your question correctly and safely.

Question: 5HTP, effective? Why is it non-prescription? I have clinical depression. (genetic) I have tried SSRIs as well as SNRIs etc. I am off them trying the holistic route currently and reorganizing my life yet it has proven to be difficult. I am currently about to attempt megadosing in B vitamins / meditation etc yet another thing has caught my attention. 5HTP, I never really considered it because it is over the counter which led me to believe most options are inefficient (i.e. st johns wort proves to only be mildly efficient). As well my depression is not of any standard depression related to everyday life or problems. Anyway I've read it truly increases the amount of serotonin within the brain (actually producing it, as oppose to an SSRI blocking the receptors causing the brain to just hold more of it), as well many who have not responded to antidepressants have found it to work well. I suppose I'm curious on the big picture. Why do SSRIs require a prescription yet this does not? They are all somewhat similar, if anything I would think that one could do more harm taking excess 5HTP than an SSRI. Any thoughts of effectiveness? (I'm assuming perhaps its not very effective then, though I've read some interesting things) Sorry for the long randomness. If anyone has any comments/thoughts regarding all this it would be GREATLY appreciated. Another thought. 5HTP constantly talks about appetite, insomnia, fatigue etc and how it is beneficial. I rarely see those claims with SSRIs and in fact taking them made those specific qualities worse. Just thought that was odd since the two are fairly similar. Thank you both VERY much. Both responses were extremely informative, personal and very detailed. Which is exactly what I was looking for. I suppose I'm not sure what to do as I've definitely read lots of different things. I'm currently practicing meditation and working on behavioral therapy and I'm looking for the last bit as the two of those can't really fix an imbalance. [I've only tried Lexapro for an SSRI, I was up to 30mg and I suppose since it didn't work well and I gained 40lbs I'm reluctant to try another, when I really should.] Az your info makes a lot of sense, now I'm thinking twice about 5HTP. It really goes back and forth between the opinions about it. I have seen a couple excerpts similar to your post. Since it is fairly immediate I suppose I shall try it anyway, I do see lots of positive responses. (though I always attribute those with mild depression) Anyway I'm sure I'll be messaging you in the future Az as well. WOW I type too much.

Answer: 5HTP is largely crap. However it does tend to do a very minor bit, and tends to do so reliably, but it cannot do more for that for very specific reasons. You cannot directly load your brain with serotonin - it does not get transporterted into the brain. The idea with 5HTP is that you can load up on what the brain turns into serotonin like you do with LDopa in Parkinsons patients. This works minimally, which is why the results of 5HTP are rarely spectacular. There's two reasons for this. One is that the brain doesn't seem like like taking up 5HTP. It's designed to take up pure tryptophan as the precursor. Secondly, is that 5HTP must be converted to serotonin by an enzyme called L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase. Without this step, it just sits there as 5HTP. When you start dumping 5HTP in the brain, you start to saturate that enzyme, now keep in mind that the enzyme itself can only go so fast. But beyond that, the brain keeps -rigid- control over how much of each neurotransmitter is made. The conversion of 5HTP to 5HT(serotonin) gets squelched down, and the brain starts dumping serotonin through various means to keep the levels where it wants it. This is particularly why it's impossible to induce serotonin syndrome with 5HT, but also why its effectiveness is so limited. You can only push so much before the brain shuts down the party, and unless you're going to start shooting the stuff into your spine, it can control better than you can load. We see the exact same thing with L-Dopa in parkinsons patients. The more they take, the less they get out of it and the more the brain shuts it down - which is why its use is so carefully monitored. L-Dopa takes longer though because of it's unique position in biochemistry. There's actually more and more research being done that draws attention away from the neurotransmitters themselves - basically we're not starting to think that neurotransmitter reuptake is less important than we thought it was in treating depression. It's still clearly important, and things don't work correctly without it, but we've realized that antidepressants also play with another set of signalling molecules that activate brain-derived neurotrophic factor - which alters how nerve cells grow and connect to each other, particularly in areas where cell degeneration are thought to be important in depression. This is looking to be overwhelmingly big, as it's been found that electroconvulsive therapy, the basic last line for depression is also working on BNDF. Given ECT has lacked a very good mechanism for... well forever.. this is pretty big. This looks majorly important in fact. Secondly, just increasing serotonin isn't quite... it. 5HTP increases the supply minorly. Reuptake inhibitors actually increase the signal itself by being present in the synaptic cleft and potentiating the signal there. Or so the present evidence says. Feel free to toss me a message about anything specific. I spent most of this summer up to my eyeballs reviewing papers on various antidepressant bits. Edit: It's actually not the case that the first one always works. The average is probably in the range of 2-3 antidepressants tried before you find one that clicks. 40lbs of weight gain is quite substantial however, especially on Lexapro which is the most mild and well tolerated of the SSRIs. There's actually some interesting research out there about a polymorphism not in the gene for the serotonin transporter itself, but in the piece of DNA that controls its expression - the promoter. People with a shortened promoter have much higher incidences of depression and respond much poorer to conventional antidepressants. And as for adding 5HTP, go ahead. You may get some use, you may not. It's also perfectly safe to combine with most antidepressants. While it's theoretically possible to induce problems like serotonin syndrome, the clinical evidence says that there has never been a case of this with conventional antidepressants. The one exception would be MAOI antidepressants, which impair the brain's control over production of monamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin.

Question: Isn't it stuppid to have Antidepressants that attack the symptom and not the cause instead of doing just that? Why take SSRIs if you can just change your diet and take 5htp and vitamins to naturally restore those chemicals lost. Its harder but its better and its worth it. Anyone can pop a pill but doing a combination of natural things works better. John- The drugs cause many problems. And no they are not effective. They are 50% effective at best and 5% effective at least. I think that's sad. The real herbal medicine is what works.

Answer: SSRI's have been proven safe and effective in most people, if taken as directed and especially if combined with therapy. For many people, their depression is severe enough that "natural" methods are not enough to help them. Or, for some people, they need the antidepressants to help make them feel better quickly while they work out other issues (if they have other issues) long-term in therapy, which allows them to keep their symptoms in control enough to work out the root cause. It is not stupid or weird to take antidepressants.

Question: Antidepressants and love..? Ok, well, let me start by saying this.. I've been in love twice so far in my life. First time lasted 9 months. Second time lasted 2.8 YEARS. Both times, the person never loved me back. Each time I was beyond miserable. My entire life, everything changed - I felt terrible, I thought of the person i loved 24/7, I felt EXTREME butterflies almost all the time inside me... I became very jealous over anything - I even started to hate sex (even though I've never had it before), because the thought of the person I loved having sex with anyone made me feel sooo jealous... It completely would over-take my life every-time I fell in love with someone, who didn't love me back. I had constant butterflies, I felt super depressed, i couldn't enjoy anything anymore - the only thing my mind could think about would be that person. It's pratically un-livable like that... I guess i have extreemy OCD when it comes to love.. But I also get attached to other things too - such as places I used to live, certain cities/areas... i just get this sad feeling whenever I think of them. I just guess I get attached to everything too easily and too strongly... but getting attached to people is what makes me really depressed. Now I'm starting to fall for someone else now. The entire day I've just felt butterflies all in my stomach. I can't stop thinking of them. I CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN! Unless they love me back, which I don't know if that'll happen, then I'm going to fall in this hopeless love hole again.. And it'll just ruin my life to the point of not even wanting to live anymore.. So I wanted to know... Do antidepressants, or 5HTP (the natural supplement that increases serotonin), will that help me? I hear that low serotonin levels can cause "attachment to things or people and OCD". Is that true? I mean love is a great thing... But when you love someone who doesn't love you back, all I do is feel terrible 24/7, feel butterflies 24/7, feel very depressed 24/7....

Answer: Do you tell them you love them or just assume they know and keep quiet about your feelings too? Don't let a few bad relationships make you think that you have a problem. Getting attached to certain places and areas is just developing fond memories and there is nothing wrong with that either.

Question: I think my friend is dead.... what to do? I think my online friend killed himself last night (he left me a message). I'm pretty sure he's dead and I don't have his phone number. Now I just want to cut. I'm already seeing a counsellor and taking 5HTP (which is used as a mild antidepressant). What should I do? I can't tell my parents and I'm 15 years old.

Answer: u need to tell someone,,what if ure friend is half dead,n is hanging on till someone trys tp help him,,if his any kind of friend at all to u,,tell someone,call 911.

Question: Has anyone been on Lamictin to treat depression but made your mind feel very empty? Hi, Iv'e been on Lamictin for about two months now and I'm on 150g a day. My mood has felt stable in the fact that I don't feel sad but I'm now dealing with the feeling that my mind is very empty and that my thoughts don't give me any drive to do anything. Could this feeling be from the Lamictin? I'm also on a natural antidepressant called 5 HTP and since I've been on that I haven't needed a sleeping tab anymore and my anxiety has diminished. Should I possibly move away from the lamictin and just try out the 5HTP?

Answer: I took it for a year and a half, and turned into a zombie. I didn't even realize it myself, people around me that didn't even know I was on it were asking me if I was ok. I couldn't find my words, fumbled with typing and writing, and my hair thinned! tough on a girl, those extensions hurt. After about a year, my doctor added Wellbutrin to counteract the problem and it did help some. Maybe you could ask about this or something similar. Eventually, I decided I wanted to wean off it completely with my doctor's help. I now take Wellbutrin alone with good results. It may be time for you to ask for a change. Lamictal is great for most, but not all. I wish you luck :)

Question: Is it possible I have severe Serotonin deficiency? Is it possible that I have a Serotonin deficiency? So I have problems with my health. Some are sugar/candy craving, anhedonia/emotionlessness, no pleasure in anything, no motivation, tiredness, and oversleep. I do not like to face challenges and run away from stress because inside it makes me feel really anxious. I have doubts about my abilities when its time to do something. Doubts I feel that stem from anxiety. I get suddenly all anxious when its time to do something. I cannot relate or have anything to say. I am all reticent. I do not have nearly the social life I once had. I lost many friends and people do not like my company because I cannot get excited over anything. I cannot concentrate and have realy bad memory problems that I never experienced before. My thoughts sometimes race and I forget what I thought about moments before. My hands and feet get cold easily. Throughout the day I am tortured with constant negative thoughts about my past that isn't such a big deal. Over and over I remember bad events that happens. I have little sexual desire. 5htp helps there and with motivation a little. I do not have constant sad mood or emotions. I do not have suicidal thoughts but a few times I did! I felt so depressed and hopeless that nothing will make me feel better! I have plenty of hope but I was so depressed. It happened when I messed up my body more. But right now I mostly just do not have any emotions! There are many more symptoms though. It is all because of my history of anxiety and taking antidepressants. I already wasn't fine and antidepressants made it worse. I wanted to know if low Serotonin causes these. I have tested my neurotransmitters and got severely low serotonin. I have 1/3 Serotonin of optimal. I wanted to know if low Serotonin truly leads to these?

Answer: It does not really work like that. What antidepressants did you take? When did you take them? How long did you take them for? Also a test for your serotonin levels does not really provide any valuable data. It does not float around in your blood like other things and you can't think about depression or serotonin on such a simplistic level. You can't take serotonin and really increase your levels and be happier, it just does not work like that. Since I don't know you and I don't know your medical history I don't know why you think antidepressants have made everything worse. Perhaps they did? But what are you basing it on? If you think that because you took antidepressants yet you only got worse therefore the problem was the antidepressants you can't make such an oversimplified statement. There are a lot of anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants and clumping them together is far too broad. You sound more apathetic than anything else, and certainly somewhat anhedonic. You sound like a classic case of major depressive disorder. Serotonin, along with several other neurotransmitters, do contribute to mood, anxiety, depression, and many other problems. However serotonin is certainly not the only neurotransmitter involved, many people take medications that alter dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, or any combination of one or more. But really it is not known exactly how serotonin alters mood. Much of pharmacology and neurosbiology is just theory. It does sound like you need help from a doctor. I don't know if you see a psychiatrist, or you once did but you might benefit. There are drug treatments and therapy and most people with depression and anxiety can live a normal life, finding the right treatment might take time but I bet you can. Even if you hate the idea of taking antidepressants or you think a psychiatrist will make everything worse you need to consider it. 5-HTP is not going to be your answer, that I can guarantee. I can also tell you that severe depression does not just get better, you must be proactive and find treatment. And it does not matter if you have a serotonin deficiency, what matters is finding out what can help you.

Question: Is it possible that I have a severe Serotonin deficiency? So I have problems with my health. Some are sugar/candy craving, anhedonia/emotionlessness, no pleasure in anything, no motivation, tiredness, and oversleep. I do not like to face challenges and run away from stress because inside it makes me feel really anxious. I have doubts about my abilities when its time to do something. Doubts I feel that stem from anxiety. I get suddenly all anxious when its time to do something. I cannot relate or have anything to say. I am all reticent. I do not have nearly the social life I once had. I lost many friends and people do not like my company because I cannot get excited over anything. I cannot concentrate and have realy bad memory problems that I never experienced before. My thoughts sometimes race and I forget what I thought about moments before. My hands and feet get cold easily. Throughout the day I am tortured with constant negative thoughts about my past that isn't such a big deal. Over and over I remember bad events that happens. I have little sexual desire. 5htp helps there and with motivation a little. I do not have constant sad mood or emotions. I do not have suicidal thoughts but a few times I did! I felt so depressed and hopeless that nothing will make me feel better! I have plenty of hope but I was so depressed. It happened when I messed up my body more. But right now I mostly just do not have any emotions! There are many more symptoms though. It is all because of my history of anxiety and taking antidepressants. I already wasn't fine and antidepressants made it worse. I wanted to know if low Serotonin causes these. I have tested my neurotransmitters and got severely low serotonin. I have 1/3 Serotonin of optimal. I wanted to know if low Serotonin truly leads to these? Kelle- I assure you antidepressants did cause this. I had problems before them, that is true, but they made it worse. That is definitely true.

Answer: Not enough seratonin does cause this. It is called depression. Anti depressants increase the amount of seratonin that stays in your cells. It wasn't the meds that made you worse. It was either not taking the meds properly or not seeing your doctor when the depression didn't improve. There are hundreds of seratonin reuptake inhibitors available.

Question: Are there any OTC supplements that work for depression? I had been taking different antidepressants for years and I want to try something natural, but that actually works, but without the side effects of SSRIs like prozac, lexapro or zoloft. Many antidepressants have sexual side effects or weight gain, headaches, insomnia, etc. I don't have health insurance anymore so I can't afford refills anyway. Does 5HTP or St Johns Wort work and how many mg of each do you have to take for it to be effective.

Answer: usually around 600mg of 5-htp at night similar for stjohns wort

Question: i have suffered from depression for a long time can any one advise me ? i suffer from depression and have tried fluoxetine and citalopram. These both worked while i was on them in that it lifted my mood but i hated the side effects and how they take away my libido. I know i am depressed - even more so than before and for the first time it is really impacting on my work . i usually hide my depression , my husband does not know that i have been on antidepressants but this time i have lost interest in everything and my husband is noticing. i just wondered if there are any other anti depressants to try? i already take the fish oils and do lots of exercise (to obsessive levels) and have tried st Johns wort and 5HTP. what do you think? i think of suicide every day and these feelings are stronger i think because the reasons to live for are gettting less and less. For example my youngest child just left home and i miss her so much and my dog has been diagnosed with cancer. I dont have anyone to talk to about this. I dont want to burden my children and i feel that all i do is moan at work and am so negative. I am struggling to keep going at work and during a meeting i was standing at the window and felt like jumping out it!. I try so hard to put on a front and pretend that i can cope. Like today there is nothing i want to do i just want to go to bed and stay there. what do you think?

Answer: like you i suffer depression, i kept it from my partner and tried to hide it from myself. i went to the doctors who gave me sertraline ive been on them now for 2yrs. ive told my husband and if im having a down day i talk to him. thats what you need to do asap, go and see you doctor again tell him how you are feeling and talk to your husband. don't keep everything bottled up. having depression is nothing to be ashamed of, ive learnt that now it's time you did to.

Question: Alternative remedies/vitamins for depression? Can you list any here please. I'm already taking 5HTP, zinc, fish oils, b vitamins. I can't take SJW as I'm on the contraceptive pill. I can't exercise much as I have serious physical health issues. I already swim. I would like to take prescribed antidepressants but have reacted very badly to several different ones now, so am going to try herbal things. And before anyone says it, I know "just cos it's herbal doesn;t mean it's safe." Screw you. I'm going to try herbal because I don't have many options right now. Cheers. Just to confirm, I really CANNOT take antidepressants. I've been stupidly patient, even staying on some that made me really ill for almost a year, and then couldn't get off them. So just take my word for that please :)

Answer: Hmm. That's a tough one. Most herbal remedies for depression actually are pretty safe, and a couple of them (SJW and omega-3) are scientifically proven to work. How long were you taking omega-3? SJW acts very quickly, whereas I found that omega-3 takes a few weeks to reach a high enough concentration in your brain. It took my about a month, but eventually I looked back and realized I'd been slowly getting better the whole time - it just happened at such a rate that I didn't notice at the time. This is a bit of a tough one. I can't think of any other herbal remedies you haven't tried. You mentioned you tried antidepressants. Did you try the atypical ones? There are many types of antidepressants. Most doctors start with SSRI's, but what about MAOi's, or stimulant-derived antidepressants? Worth a shot. Perhaps also try light therapy. It's usually used for people with SAD, but it helps with any kind of depression really. Diet is also important. Cut of caffeine. Cut out sugar. Reduce gluten, wheat, and any artificial consumables. It will make a difference over time. Good luck.

Question: What can ease SSRI Withdrawal and PSSD? I was put on a merry-go-round of antidepressants (including lexapro) when I was 13 and my family felt it was more likely that my brain was messed up than my life and growing body were. A few years later I told my doctor that I didn't want this anymore and I was ready to go back to a prescription-free existence. Immediately after my Lexapro regimen was depleted, the Post SSRI sexual dysfunction kicked in. I began to experience rapid ejaculation with completely pleasureless orgasms. I was aware of this withdrawal problem but it persisted for over six months before I caved in on myself and went back to Lexapro. On doctor's advice, I started a half-dose of my old pills and the problem seemed half cured. Slightly premature ejaculations with slightly pleasureless orgasm. A recent board told me I should switch to 5HTP instead, but won't that cause similar problems if I ever stop taking it? I'm a month clean of Lexapro again and I'm losing my mind in hopelessness. Is there ANYTHING I can do?

Answer: the only way i knew to get off antidepressants was to just do it as slowly as i could...so i gave myself between 6 and 12 months to get off them so i didnt feel the horrible side affects too badly..i really do sympathize with you because it is a very hard thing to have to do and i know how you feel..if i were you i would go back to a normal dose until you are feeling better..then write out a plan ,..decrease the dosage very very slowly judging by how you feel dont go lower until your feeling ok..i used to break mine into 4 pieces until finaly i was happy enough just on a quarter...also i would skip a day then gradualy skip 2 then 3 until i was weaned off with out feeling like ending it all.... it takes courage and strength ..i really do with you both...get plenty off sleep and excersise ..eat well and take care