I have panic/anxiety and have tried Celexa (was allergic..Face swollen and hives); Just came off Zoloft because the doc said it made my behavior hypo-manic. He said he's noticed that pattern with both SSRI's that I have taken so he prescribed me Vistaril in hopes that it works..My question is has anyone else ever heard of this or not been able to take SSRI's?

I am so tired of playing this merry go round and want some relief.

I also take Xanax as needed and haven't had a problem with that. It works super for panic!

Hi state of delusion,

Sorry you're having such trouble. I have heard of SSRIs causing hypomania/mania in people with bipolar or mood disorders but not just in people with panic. Do you have depression at all because I suppose if not, if you don't have low levels of serotonin anyway, then these tablets will heighten your already normal levels so that may cause the mania. Unfortunately I'm just doing guesswork. I'm sure that someone who is a little more knowledgeable will come along soon.

PRT xx

I go into a hypo state with ssri's I have found the only one I can take is effexor. This time around I have a new doc who gave me citroplram and mirtazapm and I was off the wall feeling so edgy I wanted to crewl out of my skin. Now i take 100mgs of seriqoul inthe mornings with 112.5 mgs of effexor and at night I take 300mgs of seriqoul at night. I also have .5mgs of lorazapam to take when needed for anxiety. I can't wait till Canada has pristqic because I have been off and on effexor so much in the last 20 years that it doesn't work that great for me anymore.

As PRT has said I have been DX'ed BPII, the lesser Bi-polar and these meds seem to be helping but not as much as I have hoped. I see my doc in a month and if it is not better by then I will be asking for something else to add to the mix then.

Hi PRT,

No, I do not have depression at all. I only have anxiety and panic. Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know I'm not the only one who's had this problem as I was concerned when my dr first told me this. I'm not sure why SSRI's seem to cause hypo-manic bahavior in me however, it may be like you said that I'm not depressed therefore my serotonin levels aren't low.

I can't/won't take SSRIs by themselves...doctor put me on lamictal and claims it'll stop me from going off my rocker on zoloft, if I do go back on it...which is only going to happen in a state of desperation...Anyways, panic and anxiety can also be a result of low serotonin, and in studies where healthy people took medications like Zoloft (and probably including Zoloft) basically nothing interesting happened to these people, some side effects...so, really the idea that your serotonin levels are normal and that's why you got hypomanic is probably not correct...

Now, did you know that mania/hypomania can make anxiety panic about a zillion times worse? In fact, it doesn't have to be euphoric at all...and depression isn't always more often than manic/hypomania for some rare people...and of course, there is always "soft bipolar"...ah well.

Also, zoloft is one of the more stimulating antidepressants, it's not as stimulating as prozac, but it's up there...so perhaps you're doc is seeing hypomania, but really it's just an increase in energy and what not as a result of the stimulating effects of zoloft, increased anxiety, energy, insomnia, inner tension etc. are all side effects of zoloft.

Anyways, before my doctor decided hey, this chick needs a mood stabilizer, he advised me, just because you get manic or hypomanic on one antidepressant doesn't mean you're necessarily bipolar or going to react that way to others...people are strange and the medications some people require are even stranger..

Thanks for the reply peanutbutter :)


This is just really frustrating to go through. I almost feel like he's starting to second guess his diagnosis of panic/anxiety...Although I've been to 4 or 5 different doctors trying to get help and they've all had the same diagnosis...He didn't stop my Xanax for panic as needed (although I've heard if you're bi-polar Xanax is not a good drug to use) but I've not had any problems with it and it works wonders for panic. I really had a lot of hope for the Zoloft as I've heard it's a good drug and has worked wonders for so many. I just hope this Vistaril works for me so the merry go round of drugs can stop.