Depression and Anti-Depressants
glowbaby
Australia Posts: 29
Hey All - i'm not sure what to expect posting this, but i thought i might reach out to the PJ community. :roll: I have been suffering depression for quite some time now - after many sessions with a psych and no change in my train of thought, i finally gave into the recommendation of taking drugs. i know i'm not the only one out there, but i have recently (this morning) begun taking anti-depressants.
I just wanted to know what other peoples thoughts and experiences are about the drug... does it help... does it change you... do you lose yourself.. etc? i'm a bit dubious on whether i should be taking them, mainly out of fear :?
Anyways - i hope you can be honest/open about this with me. PM me if you want to remain private.
xox
I just wanted to know what other peoples thoughts and experiences are about the drug... does it help... does it change you... do you lose yourself.. etc? i'm a bit dubious on whether i should be taking them, mainly out of fear :?
Anyways - i hope you can be honest/open about this with me. PM me if you want to remain private.
xox
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
Im a pharmacist so i may be able to calm some of those fears you have
Thanks for your reply... its called Cymbalta. I'm start on a low dosage for the first few weeks and then increase it apparently. :oops:
Unfortunately, I can only share negative experiences with Anti-Depressants in my family (which is why I've been very reluctant and hesitant so far). My uncle was completely beside himself and had to quit, because he decided he did not wanna live like that.
My grandfather also totally lost it and even ended up killing himself. We are not sure, but he probably took different drugs at a time and that's what caused him to take this step.
I think it is really important to find the right drug! What are your experiences so far, but it's probably too early for that?
I really hope it will help you!!
Let me start off by saying good on you for a psychiatrist, although it may not feel like much, when taken with drugs it is far more effective than either alone.
Second, some drugs work for some people, and others don't, antidepressants are a prime example of this. So in response to your question.
Does it help? Yes it certainly does help. Having seen people on the verge of suicide to being fully functional happy human beings, they certainly do help. And don't be distracted if your first antidepressant doesn't work, there are many out there to try. Also keep in mind that during the first few weeks the chances are you may feel a little bit worse (as in it's not working). This is common, and is part of the way the drug works. Give it atleast 6 weeks (unless you have side effects which are severe/unbearable) before you decide with your doctor that you don't want it anymore. Again, be patient.
Does it change you? A difficult question, does it change who you are, no. Does it change the way you feel, then yes. You will still be the same person, however you may wish to go out more, feel better about yourself, and things like that.
Do you lose yourself? Ive never heard of this with antidepressants, moreso you can lose yourself if you let the depression take a hold of you.
Last thing ill touch on is are they addictive, NO they arent, not at all. Do you get withdrawal side effects. Yes you can but these do not mean you are addicted, its just the way it works.
If you have any specific fears on antidepressants, or your particular one or any other info feel free to PM me or post back here. Ill be happy to help
thanks tinachen - i hope the thread helps you too... i'll let you know how i go with it. xx
Firstly - thankyou thankyou thankyou! You've been more help than i ever expected. Thanks for your time in replying as i feel maybe others will benefit from your experience and knowledge when they read your post.
we'll see how this goes for me... fingers crossed :oops:
If one of the side effects of the medication is a symptom of the condition you're trying to cure, don't take it.
Example:
If a potential side effect of an anti-depressant is "thoughts of suicide,"-- NO GOOD.
Definately one fear factor... they tell me only 1 in 100000 people suffer a side effect to the drug... who knows how accurate that is...? :roll:
I don't know for sure. What I do know is that a friend of mine was depressed, and only got worse after taking an anti-depressant, and eventually committed suicide. I don't know which drugs he was on, but he was also on pain meds for severe back pain. Maybe the mix of the two was what made things worse? Still, he was on prescription for both.
Have you tried a holistic approach first before going this route? Maybe it's worth trying to exhaust those options first?
I've been blessed with great health, and thank God for it all the time. I don't think I've ever had clinical depression, but I certainly get the blues. I'm at my best mentally, emotionally, and physically when I take "textbook" good care of myself -- eat right, exercise, and above all else drink tons of water. I don't mean to trivialize depression in anyway because thankfully I have never had to personally understand it, but I want to believe that the solutions are not as pharmaceutical as many tend to think, but come from an intense effort to stave it off-- good health practices, and surrounding ourselves with the people we love and care about the most. Also, art that touches us, a change of scenery, or anything else to bring about the positive as often as possible. Put yourself in a situation where you personally matter the least-- charity, volunteer work, give love and one day you will receive it back tenfold. Above all else, LIVE. Take life by the balls every second you can which requires a certain degree of mind over matter. It sounds simple, but when you break it down, it can be a lot of work, and may that's why it might the road least traveled in trying to fix this problem.
If none of that is working after a very very serious effort, chemical might be the way to go (after holistic). I am a firm believer that each person's health is completely unique, and that even with hoardes of statistics and studies, only the best doctors realize this. You still have to be your own doc, and constantly examine your situation.
Clinical depression has nothing to do with just 'the blues'.
That's the problem with clinical depression, you don't have that initial 'intense effort'. It's not a question of 'pulling yourself together'. Your brain can't function that way. The right anti-depressant does work. It helps 'reconnect' those bits in the brain. The thing with anti-depressants is that you don't realise they work but one day you notice you can make a decision you haven't been able to take in ages, you can actually get up and go out, etc. It's very progressive...
My story is pretty similar to yours I would say. I have been suffering from depression for about 15 years. In fact ever since I can remember I have wanted to just give up on life. I even tried once. Now I know people say how can you "try", either you do it or you don't, well I had something not work and I finally realized that it was crazy to want to hurt myself and every time that thought would come up again I would fight it the best I could. Fast forward 5 years and I finally asked for help. My psychiatrist initially sucked. he didn't really care to follow up with me, just prescribed me medicine. Being pretty intelligent worked against me as I thouht that the medicine would do its thing and since I had self diagnosed and even self treated...(he gave me the kind of drug I wanted) I thought it would magically cure itself. I didn't like the medicine, but continued taking it for fear of reverting. Well, eventually stopped it for one reason or another and the same behavior came rushing back.
I never went out, hated myself, and put on the smile that many people who suffer from depression know about; the fake, everything is great, no problems here smile. It almost killed me again. I finally realized I could not kick this on my own, I was sick of living half a life and wanted to have what I thought everyone else did. I searched and searched for a cognitive behavioral therapist. I chose that particular kind because it has helped me identify my problem behaviors and given me tools to help get past them. I also told them again what type of depression medication I had taken earlier and asked to start it again. I did. It was horrible. It wasn't the kind of drug I needed to help me. My psychiatrist who did the prescription then gave me another kind.
I have since began to love my life. I took control again and have been honestly happy for the first time in my life. that isn't to say I don't have bad days...everyone does. I have a baby in the hospital right now because of pre-term delivery and this is something I would have never been able to deal with before.
Why say all tht, because it isn't the medicine that fixes you. It is you. The medicine just pushes you in the right direction. I take bupropion and it is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. What you need to do is kep going with the therapy, if you haven't made the progress you want, don't feel obligated to stay with the same person. Pay attention to what the medicine does to your body and your thought processes very carefully. I have never had one side effect with the welburtin generic, but the celexa was awful. I hated it. But if you aren't open with all of your friends and family about what is happening know one will ever know that your behavior is changing and they will never tell you.
I do know this, nothing will work unless you believe in what you are doing. If you are uncomfortable with taking medicine make sure you voice your fears and your concerns. If you feel like your doc isn't listening, find a new one.
But the medicine isn't a cure all, it is still hard and it is still up to you to change your behavior. the Medicine is just a crutch, it is up to you to walk.
sorry this is so long, but if you ever need to chat about what you are going through, you can always pm me. I would encourage you to make sure everyone in your family knows, don't hide it. Be as open as possible because your friends and family want to help you
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
I felt the initial stigma of going to see a psych; I thought they were going to think I was crazy and lock me up forever. I thought when I told the doc what I'd been feeling, he'd look at me amazed and scared and want me taken away. The first psych I went to was an asshole. He laughed at me when I told him my problem. He fucking LAUGHED. He said "of course you're not crazy! do you think Jeffery Dahmer went to a pychiatrist thinking he was insane? If you think are you, you aren't. It's as simple as that, and you are going to be just fine". I was turned off the whole profession for a long time after that douchebag. But then I finally had no choice, and needed to try again. And I've never looked back.
I'm on Cipralex, started at 10mg a day, now up to 20mg as my doc said I shouldn't still be experiencing any anxiety on meds. I was reluctant (I thought I was doing pretty well!), but I went on with the increase anyway. I might ask him next month to let me switch meds, as this one makes me quite dizzy. The Zoloft I was on years ago had no side effects. Needless to say, the day after the Metallica concert this year I was pretty light-headed.
I was having really bad thoughts. They call them "intrusive thoughts". They are a by-product of OCD, which is what my doc said I have a mild form of. You can love your family, friends, etc, but you have a weird violent thought about them, and it won't go away. You can't will it away, but at the same time, you know you would never act on it. It scares the living shit out of you, but there is help, and I got it. Women who experience post partum depression have also been noted as having these same thoughts. Even Oprah did a show about it (one woman had to get rid of her microwave as everytime she passed by it she "wanted" to put her baby in and turn it on).
Unfortunately, or fortunately, however you want to look at this, my OCD is mild enough that I wouldn't benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy, so while I'm on meds, they won't get rid of thoughts completely, it helps me manage them and not get so worked up about them. It sucks, as I'd rather not have those thoughts at all, they can be quite distressing, but hey, you gotta live with some shit.
Alcohol and drugs just make it WORSE. I can have a beer or a few, but give me some rye and the next few days I become the vibrating human from all the anxiety. And pot takes my mind to a bad place now. So no more of that either!
Anyway, just know that anything you are thinking or feeling is NOT abnormal. So many people go through it, you are NEVER alone. PM me if you want. Unless I freaked you out with my "bad thoughts" explanation!
Take care of yourself, and I can't stress the positive effects of exercise enough. It really does help.
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
Depression runs in my family and I've had trouble with it off and on throughout my life. I finally decided to get help when my grandmother attempted suicide; I wanted to be sure I never reached that point. Unfortunately, the worst event of my life happened later that week, so it was hard for the doc to diagnose whether my problem was chronic or acute. I got counseling and tried different meds and eventually felt better and stopped taking the meds.
Years later, I was having trouble in my relationship and, in my effort to try everything to work it out, I considered the possibility that maybe I was unhappy because of my propensity for depression, instead of just being in a bad relationship. So I went back for counseling and the doc put me on meds - Paxil. I didn't get any happier, the Paxil wrecked my metabolism, and the shrink's diagnosis was that I was unhappy because my boyfriend was an asshole. I ended up stopping the meds and breaking up with the guy and my life got a hell of a lot better.
Years later, I started feeling depressed again and avoided taking meds. But desperate times call for desperate measures. So I started taking bupropion/Wellbutrin and got to feeling good enough that when I needed to stop for awhile (I thought I was experiencing a side effect, but turned out I wasn't) I decided to just stay off. But eventually the depression came back. It's really good to have the objective perspectives of your friends and family at this point. So I decided to get back on the bupropion and I totally feel like myself again.
So that's my story. I guess my advice would be:
1. Don't let the stigma get to you. You need to do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself. If that means taking meds, then so be it. Anyone who doesn't understand clearly hasn't experienced what you're experiencing.
2. Try to note whether your depression is circumstantial and, if it is, change the circumstances if you can.
3. Enlist your trusted friends/family to help provide an objective perspective, and maybe try keeping a journal or something. This can help you note whether the meds are working.
4. Try different meds and different doctors until you find the right ones. Don't give up on finding something that works and don't stick with something that's not working thinking that's as good as it gets.
Feel free to PM me any time too if you ever want to chat. I hope you feel better soon!
I was given amitriptyline for my nerve pain, and in a really low dose (25mg), although the drug's main purpose is for depression. I'm normally not depressed, but the drug had adverse effects and I immediately felt moody, tired all the time, and depression set in. I simply stopped taking it, and the next day I felt myself again, except for the pain. OP - you can always STOP taking the drug immediately. Then you can call your doc and ask for a different script if you go the anti-depressant drugs route. Good luck!
And it's also good to see that there are more people with the same problem out there. Thanks a lot!!!
I will definitely keep an eye on this threat!
Kudos to all of you for sharing... i appreciate it from the bottom of my heart xx
He is totally against taking meds, he sees them as a placebo.
I told him to try omega 3 capsules.
Since taking omega 3 and vitamin D capsules my mood has improved.
I've been battling anxiety/depression for a while now but never sought medical intervention.
I self medicate with music :?
I ain't got the courage to go see someone, plus I don't want my parents finding out, they'll know if during the week I need to get out of the house for an hour or so. Cannot hide it.
This is a great post here. I totally agree with it.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
I totally agree that the natural way is the way to try first, it's just not all that viable for some. It's too expensive (my meds and therapy are covered 100% through my work), and I needed to get better as quickly as possible for the sake of my wife and daughters (one at the time, now two
I slept a LOT during my rough period. I wouldn't eat (and I'm a BIG guy). I'd get home from work, sit down for dinner with my wife and daughter and stare into space for a bit then go to bed for the night. It was awful.
Anxiety, even while the body is at rest, is exhausting.
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
"what a long, strange trip it's been"
*edit: spelled "stigmatized" wrong.
I mean I'd be totally closed up and not want to tell a stranger I just met all my dark secrets.
I can't bring myself to tell someone I just met all that is bothering me.
yeah - i had/have issues with that completely- i still havent presented my darkest thoughts, feelings, secrets, experiences, actions. I am certain it is to my own detriment - but i did find there was more to the way my thoughts present themseves than i could have anticipated. that part helped. there were also more things i found helpful about her knowledge of depression - made me feel not so alone...? you can always try... i had to as there was only one thing left to lose....