AboutBarbara Judge Expertise Outpatient pharmacy and general health. I have recently completed a Pharmceutical Care Certificate Program offered by Purdue University (Spring 1999 completion). I have personal experience dealing with terminally ill persons and their needs, as well as their families` needs. I graduated in 1984 from Pharmacy School and have been a Licensed Pharmacist since then. I have 18 years retail pharmacy experience. Prior to my pharmacy training I have 3 years hospital experience as a Nurse`s Aide.
Question I've been given Pexeva at 10mg/ to try as an alternative to prior SSRIs I've taken, all of which I've dropped due to weight gain. I have searched the internet and found nothing to suggest that Pexeva would not cause the same type of weight gain side-effect as Paxil.
I have "run the gamut" taking SSRI's which I know have caused metabolic/weight gain issues. My psychiatrist and I
agree on my need for an antidepressant but he tends to be in denial about the notion that most of them cause weight gain.
He suggests taking a 4-5 week course and reporting back to him. Question being, what would possibly make this variant
different from Paxil with regard to the prospect of weight gain - which I most definitely did experience on Paxil.
Thank you! I am pondering this vs. Wellbutrin and even, lowest-dose Ritalin to at least deal with motivation...
Waiting on this to try and figure it out before I embark on any potentially metabolism-changing new Rx needlessly.
Thank you very much for any insight,
Mike
Answer Pexeva is not significantly different from Paxil in side effect profile. They are both paroxetine, in different salt forms. This means they have different inactive portions of the molecule which falls away when the drugs dissolves and is absorbed into your bloodstream.
Wellbutrin is not an SSRI and may be a good alternative for you to try if there is nothing in your medical history to suggest otherwise. Ritalin is not indicated for depression. It is also highly addictive and should not be prescribed when not necessary. I would not think Ritalin would be a good alternative to even discuss with your doctor. If you have exhausted the SSRI's I would talk with him/her about Wellbutrin and see if your psychiatrist feels that is appropriate for you.
