in about 2 weeks i have to go back to see my psychiatrist about how im doing and the progress im doing so far. At this point im taking alprazolam occationally but not everday to level with my panicky feelings. And i've been more homebound lately and i wanna go back to classes, look for a job and get a car and do things like i used to do, so i may decide to take up on his offer on taking SSRI's. when i 1st spoke with him about my panic disorder he recommended prozac ithink, im not sure. But i denied and tried to do things semi-natural with alprazolam for those times i can't control my anxiety. I heard about the side effects of these kinds of medications and i am wondering of what brands other people take like prozac, zoloft, celexa, or any of those kind of things and what kind of side effects they experienced so i can discuss with my psychiatrist next time. so leaving your experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi,
I take Zoloft. It was hard for me to get in my system but I have found that it has helped. Before I was on it I could barely leave my house, couldn't sleep in my bed (had to sleep on the couch). Basically I couldn't function without first taking Klonopin.
Side effects: At first it gave me awful headaches, a really weird headachey sensation behind my eyes, it made me dizzy, made me even more anxious at first. You have to give it time to get into your system and allow your body to adjust to it. Weight gain is a big side effect for me. I've gained about 20 pounds in the past 6 months because I constantly crave sugar and carbohydrates now. But that could be an effect of the medication and just anxiety in general. After my body adjusted to it the side effects are not noticable. I have none really, aside from the weight gain. I've struggled with weight for most of my life, but it got worse when I went on Zoloft for the first time at about age 14.

thanks for the reply!
the side effects don't seem so fun haha but they sound like the other side effects i heard of these medicines. the weight gain would be a big plus for me since i lost 13 pounds and i weigh around 120 and i've been trying to gain weight but been losing my appetite becos of my anxiety.
is the klonopin something similar to the xanax btw?

Klonopin and Xanax are similar; they're both benzodiazepines. Klonopin is longer lasting though. I would not have survived without it in the beginning. I haven't taken it in months and try not to.

I took Paxil for many years and think it helped quite a bit. As with any SSRI, when you first start taking it, you will feel pretty bad. But those effects tend to wear off in a few weeks. As for long-term side effects, I don't recall having any bad ones with Paxil. Maybe a little sedation, but that was about it.

I'm now taking Lexapro. The jury is still out on that one. It does seem to help with the panic attacks some, but I still don't feel great. Side effects have been mostly mild, though.

-Jeremy

Hmmm...would a very low dosage of an ssri to eventually going to a moderate dosage be helpful in decreasing the side effects as well?