# Why does SSRI make anxiety worse at the beginning?



## lepatriinu (Jan 12, 2011)

Hi u all!
I've been wondering why it is quite normal that SSRI meds worsen your anxiety symptoms in the beginning of the medication. Somewhere is even said that this worsening is good thing, because it tells that the medication will propably work good for those whose symptoms get worse at start. SO I'm now interested the actual mechanism why this is happening? Does anyone know?

I'm not on med myself, but I noticed that starting to walk those long walks made my anxiety a little bit worse. I'm just wondring that maybe this is good sign? They say that exercise can work better for depression than meds.


----------



## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

lepatriinu said:


> Hi u all!
> I've been wondering why it is quite normal that SSRI meds worsen your anxiety symptoms in the beginning of the medication. Somewhere is even said that this worsening is good thing, because it tells that the medication will propably work good for those whose symptoms get worse at start. SO I'm now interested the actual mechanism why this is happening? Does anyone know?
> 
> I'm not on med myself, but I noticed that starting to walk those long walks made my anxiety a little bit worse. I'm just wondring that maybe this is good sign? They say that exercise can work better for depression than meds.


In my experience the first 3-4 days of taking them makes my anxiety ten times better. Although by the 5th day things are hell, which is what im experiencing now.


----------



## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

lepatriinu said:


> Hi u all!
> I've been wondering why it is quite normal that SSRI meds worsen your anxiety symptoms in the beginning of the medication. Somewhere is even said that this worsening is good thing, because it tells that the medication will propably work good for those whose symptoms get worse at start. SO I'm now interested the actual mechanism why this is happening? Does anyone know?


when a treatment with ssri is started the drug is activating at first (and the more selective, the more activating, like citalopram) so you get anxiety and insomnia, akathisia way before the drug starts affecting your mood so that's why there's suicide risk at the beginning of treatment.
SNRIs are much different so you might experience instant relief with them.


----------



## cham56 (Nov 18, 2011)

That's the truth. 2 weeks of feeling almost invincible socially, and now the fears are slowing creeping back into my head. Is 20mg not enough? Do I wait for a change to happen? Paxil going on month 3.


----------



## lepatriinu (Jan 12, 2011)

swim said:


> when a treatment with ssri is started the drug is activating at first (and the more selective, the more activating, like citalopram) so you get anxiety and insomnia, akathisia way before the drug starts affecting your mood so that's why there's suicide risk at the beginning of treatment.
> SNRIs are much different so you might experience instant relief with them.


Thank you for the answer. So physical exercise wont propably make the same kind of activation?


----------



## Sensitive Guy (Jan 17, 2012)

lepatriinu said:


> Hi u all!
> I've been wondering why it is quite normal that SSRI meds worsen your anxiety symptoms in the beginning of the medication. Somewhere is even said that this worsening is good thing, because it tells that the medication will propably work good for those whose symptoms get worse at start. SO I'm now interested the actual mechanism why this is happening? Does anyone know?
> 
> I'm not on med myself, but I noticed that starting to walk those long walks made my anxiety a little bit worse. I'm just wondring that maybe this is good sign? They say that exercise can work better for depression than meds.


Hi

Some good news here. When I had very bad anxiety and depression my Doctor put me on 40 mg of antidepressants daily. After about 3 weeks after this they started working. Still felt depressed but not as bad as i did. The horrid anxiety went over a little time too.So they worked for me.

SG


----------



## Cletis (Oct 10, 2011)

Probably has something to do with the increased serotonin levels.


----------



## mikoy (Aug 12, 2010)

It's 5-ht2c receptors agonism.


----------



## lepatriinu (Jan 12, 2011)

mikoy said:


> It's 5-ht2c receptors agonism.


Are you sure? Can you tell more about this?


----------

