I have MAV and am of course super-sensitive to all medications. I recently have started antipressants for depression, though if they were to help my MAV that would be amazing! I started off with Lexapro, which caused a lot of dizziness in the morning, and on some days I woke up with vertigo. I started it at 5 mg every other day, then 5 mg a day. The dizziness never went away, and after 6 weeks my (primary) doc switched me to Zoloft.
I started the Zoloft at 12.5 mg a day. I had dizziness in the morning on this one too, but wasn’t as bad as with the Lexapro. I still felt depressed so doc upped me to 25 every day with the hope that I would adjust. I’ve been at 25 daily for 5 days and am feeling dizzier every day. I’m losing hope, here. I’m really hoping I’ll adjust since I need it for depression.
So to those of you with a similar experience, do you think my body will adjust? I’m supposed to see the doc again in two weeks from tomorrow. That seems like a long trial period to me, though. What do you think?
Your body may adjust; it is too soon to tell. Can you try taking the med before bed instead of the morning? I was on Zoloft for about a year and a half, and I took it at night. One caution: when you go off Zoloft if you end up taking it for a while, wean yourself off very slowly because it often causes vertigo and/or general dizziness as you discontinue it.
If the Zoloft doesn’t work out for you, amitriptyline might be a good drug to try next. It is a tricyclic antidepressant that is also a first-line med for migraine prevention. I’m taking 20 mg. at night now, and it seems to be helping. It also helps me sleep!
Hi,
I got worse dizziness on Effexor and also Amitryptaline. I think it just does that on certain meds…Cymbalta was helpful for me…as was Remeron, but Rem pooped out pretty quick. I find that taking a benzo (Klonopin) helps with the dizziness, and the antidepressants help with the depression/anxiety that tends to accompany this stuff.
I would try to start with lower amounts if the dizziness it too bad and see if it gets better over a period of time, but if it gets worse and worse as time goes on, it might be the wrong drug for you. Lexapro was my first and it continued to get worse, so I couldn’t take it. It just might mean that you need to move on.
Kelley
I think Lexapro was not good for me, too. I tolerated it okay, but lost nothing by going off it when the prescription ran out . . . and I think that’s when my libido came back!
Hi,
Mosat of the Meds I have tired , anti D’s and antiConvulsants have made me more dissy at first, it might take a couple of weeks to stop.
Effexor was one of my med trials and it kept me awke all night, maybe it was too strong, I’ve never done well on SSRI’s (insomnia!!!)
I know my new meds tricyclic antidepressants (prothiaden ) are helping me, via making me my sleep patterns better.
I’ve been at around 70% better due to my sleeping problems being fixed.
I wish you well.
jen
xoxo
