View Full Version : Combinations - SSRI’s/SNRI's and Benzodiazepines
MegaLab420
24-01-2005, 21:50
Hi all!
I am currently on Effexor Cr and at 150mg a day. I have been doing some serious jaw clenching that I believe is from the medication. I have family members that have TMJ (lockjaw disorder)
Does anyone else experience this? I read that a muscle relaxer is a great way to relax the jaw muscles, but my physician is reluctant to prescribe valiumfor me. I told her to fuck off under my breath and figured I would just make some valium.
Can someone explain why physicians are so difficult?! Anyone else grinding the enamel off their teeth?
ToxicMind
25-01-2005, 00:29
Your doctor might be cheap with the valium since it has a higher abuse rate/potential then a lot of other drugs. Some docs dont want to be responsible for giving people drugs that they can become addicted too, unless theyre absolutely nessecary. or maybe she already wrote way to many benzo/narcotic rx's and doesnt want too many rx's showing up with her dea # on them, who knows. But the fact that your doctor wasn't willing to give you anything at all for your jaw clenching is not a good sign. Grinding your teeth/clenching your jaw can do some serious dental damage, i suggest talking to another doc to see if they will give you something. They should at least recommend something to help you with it.so if you can, trying another doc before you start self prescribing would be a good idea.
Micklemouse
25-01-2005, 08:33
As the song says,'You took the words right out of my mouth..'! Toxic Mind's spot on about your doctor's reluctance to prescribe a benzo, especially Valium, which being short acting has a high dependency risk.
I'd suggest talking to her about changing your antidepressant, or at least reducing the dose. Effexor (Venlafaxine) isn't a SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor), it's a SNRI (Serotonin and Noradreneline Reuptake Inhibitor), and is quite a stimulating medication. As a stimulant, heightened anxiety, increased heart-rate and tension are all pretty common 'side-effects'. Jaw-clenching and 'chewing the cud' (involuntary chewing motion) are also potential 'side-effects', I'd imagine doubly so if there's a family history. The theory is that if you boost your Serotonin levels, then there is a depletion in certain Dopamine transmitters, specifically the ones responsible for involuntary muscle actions and fluidity of movement. This can sometimes lead to a set of Parkinson-like Symptoms called Extra Pyramidal Side Effects (EPSE), such as tension in the jaw, neck, shoulder and wrist joints, restlessness and physical agitation. This is more common with the older antipsychotics, but not unheard of with the newer antidepressants.
Go back to your doctor, and discuss tweaking or changing your antidepressant. Maybe talk to her about counselling or self help groups to help deal with the anxiety. Benzo's are not the most effective way to deal with this in the long term, imho, although I can totally see where you're coming from!
Good luck!
aMorphius
27-01-2005, 06:00
Ben there done that.
I've had similar experiances with these stimulating SRI's. Had to take
various benzo's to keep the teath grinding to a minimum. Had problems
with most of them except clonazepam which is long acting and, for me,
had little or no buzz potential (therefore little desire to take "a few extra")
Also doctors are like supermarkets; if you don't like one, keep shopping!
just my opinion.
MegaLab420
08-02-2005, 18:43
Wow, this is awasome, you guys reallydo understand what im going through, and knowing that im not alone is great.
I have switched doctors, and the doc said he thinks I should stay on the same amount of Effexor, and in addition he prescribed Propranolol, a blodd pressure medication that supposedly releaves you of unconscious tension?! I decided to take it upon myself to start weaning myself off the Effexor. I am now down to 75mg.
It's amazing.. these doc's don't want to prescribe you benzo's because they are "addicting" but they will practically shove antidepressants down your throat, which, are extremely physically addictive.
Have you ever missed a dose @ 150mg?! You are reminded.. you are deffinetly reminded...
Micklemouse
08-02-2005, 18:55
Glad to be of service, Sir/Ma'am! Good luck with the weaning. Did the Propranolol make any difference? It would make sense as Effexor can raise the blood pressure somewhat, although it never ceases to amaze me that doctors continue to prescribe medicines with unwanted effects that people find unacceptable, then bung another tablet on top to deal with it, especially when it comes to antidepressants! Doctors - http://www.drugs-forum.co.uk/forum/smileys/smiley7.gif !
Anyhoo, like I said, best of luck!
MegaLab420
11-02-2005, 20:19
Ya know, Micklemouse, I really can't tell iif the propanolol did anything. I think this shrink is playing games with me.. I think he prescribed that to make think it would help, but it didn't make any difference, I still grind my teeth and I am still getting migranes around the same time each day (5-6pm)
It has to be stress related.. with so much anxiety stemming from my hobby/job ;) ;)
Whoever said alchemists don't earn their money...
On a brighter note, I ordered myself a perscription of Klonopin (2mg) from an online pharmacy and it seems to be helping with anxiety/paranoia. The depression is still there too, but they may be drug induced (too much herb).
Oh yea, I don't excercise nearly enough either.. the effexor has caused me to gain about 30 lbs over the past 6 months. I think it's time for another meth run! ;)
Ben there done that.
I've had similar experiances with these stimulating SRI's. Had to take
various benzo's to keep the teath grinding to a minimum. Had problems
with most of them except clonazepam which is long acting and, for me,
had little or no buzz potential (therefore little desire to take "a few extra")
Also doctors are like supermarkets; if you don't like one, keep shopping!
just my opinion.
I was on an ssri celexa and clonazepam had little to no effect on
me. I have been off the ssri for 3-4 months now (compleatly out
of my system) and took some clonazepam and don't really remember
the last 3 days (very blotchy, I forgot more than I remember)
Benzhead
23-02-2005, 16:14
Venlafaxine(Effexor) hasn'tinterefered with the efficacy of benzos in my case. My issue is the lengthy term of my benzo(Clonazepam) therapy that has resulted in the development of tolerance.
Given that I'm on 4mg/day, this was almost a given.
I find it odd that Effexor has caused you to gain weight. For me, it initially lessened my appetite, then after the week of adjustment to the meds, my appetite was restored to normal. Yes, I am aware that eveyone's a bit different when it comes to pyschopharm. therapies.
Go easy on the Clonazepam(Klonopin). 2mg tabs are pretty strong, and I hope that the 'meth run' crack(no pun intended) was an attempt to lighten the discussion.
Effexor was the med that lifted my depression after five years of drug trials. As I'm sure you're aware, ofttimes anti-depressants require both up to six weeks to have any benefit, as well as dosage adjustments.
Cheers,
T
shaun3416
11-05-2005, 13:46
Hello everybody, my Dr. put me on temazepam about a month ago and during the time, which consisted of a week-long therapeutic approach, nothing happened at all. I have never used or abused any other drug, I don't drink or smoke or anything like that. And I have never used a benzo before this so I'm wondering why they have no effect on me. He said to take 7.5 mg of them and if that doesnt work then to take 15 mg's worth...but that hasnt been working either. So I then tried 22.5 mg's worth and still, no effect. I also then tried 30 mg's worth and I still was having my stupid insomnia. I'm wondering if this benzocould ever be effective for me, and I was also wondering what you think some other options would be, he hasput me on ambien before too but they just gave me really bad headaches and worsened the insomnia. Is there anything else I should ask him about? I am just so, so tired of not being able to sleep; I really think its slowly killing me?Does anyone also know if sleep deprivation can cause death,I was just wondering that cuz some days I feel like a totalzombie. Ive also been put on trazadone before when I was like 16 or something because like usual Dr's freely hand out antidepressants, and at this moment because of all my sleeping problems my Dr put me on 50mgs of Zoloft, can this Zoloft in my system be contributing to the ineffectiveness of the temazepam? One more question, ha ha, what are peoples stories about diazepam, does it work pretty well? Sorry for asking so many questions but I am just so tired and finals for school are coming up so thats why Im so interested at this time. Well thanks alot!
Hey,
It's unusual you don't have much reaction to the tem's... I suffer from insomnia too, and tem's used to be the one that wasassured to make me go to sleep. 30mg should be enough to at least make you VERY aware you took something. Tem's are strong sleeping pills... If they don't work, then i very much doubt diazepam will be any better. Valium is more for anxiety i believe.
They're not sleeping pills, it's anti-siezure medication for epilepsy, but maybe ask your doctor about neurontin(gabapentin). It's sometimes used as an anti-depressant too. When i take some, depending on the dose, it's almost impossibe to stay awake... But they sometimes make me very giddy too. http://www.drugs-forum.co.uk/forum/smileys/smiley36.gif Maybe even try something like melatonin. Alot of people swear by it... take a look at http://www.erowid.org/smarts/melatonin/ be sure to check out some of the experience reports to.
Bandito.
BlueMystic
16-06-2005, 23:32
[QUOTE=bandito]Does anyone also know if sleep deprivation can cause death,I was just wondering that cuz some days I feel like a totalzombie.[QUOTE]
Sleep deprivation can cause depression and even schizophrenia in extreme cases. All in all it's not too healthy for anyone.
Just keep pushing your doctor to keep trying different meds or combinations of meds until you find what works for you.
its supposed to say diazepam
Micklemouse
03-11-2005, 17:01
Should be fine - no interactions that I can find. Benzo's are used clinically in conjunction with ssri's, to deal with the anxiety of being depressed and in hospital, and also to counter the speedier side effects of ssri antidepressants...
spacey777
27-02-2006, 22:06
I've been on Prozac for the last three months after refusing anti-depressants for along time and find that my life has improved.
I tend to drink alcohol to cope with anxiety/stressful times (about once a fortnight) but of course my body doesn't like alcohol and I cannot do hangovers so it is not a good remedy for me.
I have a clinic apointment tomorrow and have been frantically searching the net to find out whether the valium I hope to get prescribed is indeed compatible with the prozac?
Do you know of any other 'mellowing' drugs which i can ask my doctor for that wont interfere with the SSRI?
Many thanks for any responses, particularly if i recieve in time for tomorrow appointment!!
Christina(<
spacey777
28-02-2006, 17:33
Got the valium off the doc so all is good.
Forthesevenlakes
28-02-2006, 18:18
yeah, the valium would be cool with it. i'm not sure why this is in the opiates forum, but opiates would probably be okay with ssris too. just look up the prozac drug info online, that will tell you what its not compatible with. but any benzodiazepine (or for that matter opiate..with the possible exception of tramadol) should be compatible.
SSRI's are definitely NOT compatible with Tramadol. They are very dangerous and reduce your seizure threshold. They should never be taken with Tramadol (particularly if you also drink alcohol).
Forthesevenlakes
01-03-2006, 05:03
jatelka..thats what i was thinking. tramadol seems to have a particularly nasty amount of side effects and contraindictions with other drugs. seizures have been known to occur at therapeutic doses when its combined with other medications, or at recreational dosages when its not combined with anything!
Nagognog2
01-03-2006, 13:27
Bongo tried tramadol. It made him sweat like a pig and feel like he was almost on an opiate. No itching. No euphoria. Just sweating. Blech!
scotty6435
08-03-2006, 17:57
I'm currently on 60mg (yes, max dose) of citalopram and enjoy up to 150mg of tramadol every now and again. Although I haven't had a seizure in my life, I do find I twitch a little more than usual after taking it :P
I'm currently on 60mg (yes, max dose) of citalopram and enjoy up to 150mg of tramadol every now and again. Although I haven't had a seizure in my life, I do find I twitch a little more than usual after taking it :P
Welcome to the forum:)
Please use "SWIM" (someone who isn't me) or "My Flamingo" (or something similar) to avoid self incrimination.
It's also worthwhile learning to "UTFSE" (use the forum search engine) before Pinkavvy does his special educational signature;)
SWIM would also strongly recommend that you do not use SSRI's + Tramadol together: Just because you've been OK so far doesn't mean you will continue to be so. They are BAD NEWS.
Now Back on topic: "Advice on Valium"
Fantasian
08-03-2006, 18:32
SWIM has used Tramadol at very high doses 250mg + 300mg and has had no problem with seizures, SWIM would feel very ill the next day but after 36 hours SWIM would feel alright again. SWIM has combined Tramadol with Diazepam and combined Tramadol with Codeine which SWIM was told was dangerous but these were times when SWIM didnt really care.
When SWIM combined Tramadol and codeine and diazepam (valium) in a high dose he lost his memory of the event except that it was very sedating and enjoyable. If SWIM remembers correctly he ingested 200mg Tramadol 190mg Codeine and 10mg Diazepam.
SSRI's and Tramadol is a very bad idea due to SS (Seratonin Sydrome) it's not worth the risk. No problems with combining Diazepam and SSRI's as far as i know though. Especially at Theraputic doses i think you would be fine.
kritikal
29-03-2006, 04:10
Nearly all drugs are fine with an SSRI. Unless they also Inhibit the reuptake of Serotonin or thin your blood. Oh and NO MAOI's!!!!
I am on Paroxetine and my bloody stupid doctor prescribed me Tramadol. Not a cool feeling at all, terrible anxiety and had me scared for my life. Next day went to the Hospital and was given Oxycodone which was entirely safe with the Aropax and i enjoyed it very much :). Since then another doctor has given me Diazepam, Temazepam and propoxyphene which have had no adverse reactions to the Aropax and are very enjoyable. Oh i also have some Panadeine Forte(Tylenol 3) left over but that has come nothing close to curing the pain unlike these others have!
One thing i have noticed though is that Benzos and SSRI's especially with Alcohol and/or Weed make you very Obnoxious, but you dont really give a shit at the time!! :D
Forthesevenlakes
16-04-2006, 00:06
Interesting final statement, SWIK! But the first part validates what SWIM was saying earlier. Not sure why tramadol is an unscheduled drug when (to SWIM) it seems more dangerous than weak opiates like codeine. On the topic of benzos, SWIM has noticed that some of the discomfort from tramadol combinations, like shakiness, anxiety, feeling faint, can be alleved with 5-10 mg diazepam. Its just enough benzo to feel at ease, without inhibiting one's daily routine.
Nagognog2
16-04-2006, 00:33
Considering the toxic reaction that Bongo had with tramadol, without it being combined with anything, I would not suggest mixing it with a benzodiazepin. Or anything. I would suggest telling any doctor who prescribed it that one refuses to take same and ask for something - anything - else. Even a aspirin. I think that rather soon we will see tramadol pulled off the market altogether. In the meantime - please don't mix that muck with a benzo. What was okay for one might cause a serious problem for another.
kingkenny
16-04-2006, 19:13
I've never had anything more than a very mild hangover off tramadol, and then only when taking large amounts (500mg+) or when I havent' had any for a while, I love it personally.
Fantasian
17-04-2006, 02:50
Considering the toxic reaction that Bongo had with tramadol, without it being combined with anything, I would not suggest mixing it with a benzodiazepin. Or anything. I would suggest telling any doctor who prescribed it that one refuses to take same and ask for something - anything - else. Even a aspirin. I think that rather soon we will see tramadol pulled off the market altogether. In the meantime - please don't mix that muck with a benzo. What was okay for one might cause a serious problem for another.
Nanognog2 u really think they'll pull tramadol off the market, i still find it very useful for my pain. (completely aside from SWIMs recreational use)
chemistUK
07-05-2006, 21:28
I've been on Prozac for the last three months after refusing anti-depressants for along time and find that my life has improved.
I tend to drink alcohol to cope with anxiety/stressful times (about once a fortnight) but of course my body doesn't like alcohol and I cannot do hangovers so it is not a good remedy for me.
I have a clinic apointment tomorrow and have been frantically searching the net to find out whether the valium I hope to get prescribed is indeed compatible with the prozac?
Do you know of any other 'mellowing' drugs which i can ask my doctor for that wont interfere with the SSRI?
Many thanks for any responses, particularly if i recieve in time for tomorrow appointment!!
Christina(<
I hope this is of use: SWIM has been on 20 mg fluoxetine too... and for just over 4 years now. Use of diazepam has had no negative effect on the SSRI that has been noticed. Unfortunately however, excessive intake of alcohol has caused behaviour more irrational than expected had person not been under this medication. Same exactly for SWIM's sister! (except she has been with prozac only 4 months). SWIM is confident that diazepam and SSRI's work on different parts of biological system and should not be competetive.