Experience with Antidepressants

[Kuribo]

Hi, I'm wondering about your experiences with antidepressants. I've been severely depressed since 2011 and while much of this is related to my circumstances, I still feel terrible on days when everything has gone as well as it possibly could have. For as long as I can remember, I've almost always felt "blank" when I'm not sad or angry. I'm now sure that it isn't purely a result of my circumstances, and I'm considering talking to a doctor about the possibility of taking mild antidepressants.

I'd just like to get a variety of opinions based on people's experience with antidepressants, so how were they for you?

Thanks.

 

[epath13]

Hi, I'm wondering about your experiences with antidepressants. I've been severely depressed since 2011 and while much of this is related to my circumstances, I still feel terrible on days when everything has gone as well as it possibly could have. For as long as I can remember, I've almost always felt "blank" when I'm not sad or angry. I'm now sure that it isn't purely a result of my circumstances, and I'm considering talking to a doctor about the possibility of taking mild antidepressants.

I'd just like to get a variety of opinions based on people's experience with antidepressants, so how were they for you?

Thanks.

The problem is, that what you experience may not be depression. You have to be 100% sure that it is, indeed depression. It wouldn't hurt to try for a few months or so, I guess. I took 3 or 4 different types because doctors tried to convince me it would work, 1st time doctor said I was depressed, then it was anxiety, then another doctor said it would help with migraine because it was caused by anxiety. Last time my doc had some free samples and asked me if I wanted to try some to see if they could help me to feel more focused last ones were the most insane, I've never felt so hyper in my life and I can already be pretty hyper sometimes anyway, other ones or made me sleepy or had no effect whatsoever. Maybe they would have an effect on actually depressed people, I don't know. My advice would be, work through the circumstances, work through the problems with some help, probably. Fix the cause, don't mute the pain. And then see if you need medication or not good luck

 

[wyverary]

First of all, see a therapist (if you aren't already) before going to a doctor about this. Try a cognitive approach first. I say this in part because you mention "circumstances" (though I would say it regardless). There are many causes of depression, and many ways to treat it, and what works for one is absolutely not guaranteed to work for somebody else. A therapist would probably be able to have a good grasp (if they're competent enough) as to whether this can be worked through, or if you might need some medication to help you along.

As for antidepressants themselves? The stories I've heard from people using them vary spectacularly. This or that medication caused them to feel all dead inside, or made them manic, or didn't work at all, or worked wonderfully. Ask ten different people about their experiences, and you'll get ten completely different responses; so I suppose I can't really comment on that. (For what it's worth, my own experiences with them were invariably catastrophic, but mine is an unusual case.)

 

[Kuribo]

First of all, see a therapist

I don't know how bad it is where you are, but the mental health service here is not good at all. Back in October, I applied to see a counsellor/therapist and had to wait at least six months for a useless, 45 minute introductory appointment. I don't have a clue when they'll get back to me. In some cases, it's been over a year.

I'd much rather not go down the medication route, but I've become extremely desperate.

 

[wyverary]

I don't know how bad it is where you are, but the mental health service here is not good at all. Back in October, I applied to see a counsellor/therapist and had to wait at least six months for a useless, 45 minute introductory appointment. I don't have a clue when they'll get back to me. In some cases, it's been over a year.

Well, isn't that exactly the monkey wrench we were hoping for. Damn. Hopefully our UK members can help you out there. Would it be any different finding a psychiatrist, though?

 

[bentHnau]

They seemed to eliminate the depression, but destroyed sexual response. I would never take them again under any circumstances.

 

[Ereth]

I take an antidepressant, but I also see a psychologist for counseling. This saved my life. (Be aware that results may vary.)

 

[neuroillogic]

I've taken them for post partum depression, but like it's been mentioned, it took away my sexual drive, which is something humans need to be healthy. I'm not saying that from a medical standpoint, of course, but studies have proven orgasm to have many health benefits, and that's not something I want to deprive myself of. I have also taken anti anxiety medication in the past, and that was the only thing that relieved the empty feeling, but I could feel myself getting addicted and quit. Pills are dangerous, and I can only give my experience and advise that you tread carefully. And remember that doctors don't always know what they're talking about, so make sure that you try out different things and find what works best for you specifically. Don't be afraid to let them know if it's having negative side effects or if it's not working. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Tarragon]

I'm from the UK and have been on antidepressants for four years. I only started taking them when it was that or do something extreme to solve my depression. The pills kicked in and zoned me out completely within twenty minutes of me taking them. I was floating on a cloud for months, which was great! Not the typical response to them apparently, but I wasn't complaining.

First stop is to see your doctor and discuss it seriously. Depression is a dangerous thing and help does exist if you seek it. Doctor is first port of call. If you are unsure about whether to take them or not, that's perfectly fine. I had them prescribed to me but didn't take them for a month until I made the decision for me, not anyone else.

Waiting to see someone does take ages, unfortunately. I think it's much quicker going privately, but on the nhs it's a waiting game. You will get there in the end. It just takes a little time.

 

[tlc]

Back when I was about 20 my dad took me to a doctor and get me straightened out. They put me on Zoloft for like a month. I noticed ZERO change in feeling, in that respect I might as well have been eating candy. It did make the ween not work so well but I was still a virgin so it didn't really matter. I know now that it was just being aspie and the life struggles that come with trying to be social.

 

[TallyMan]

I've taken them and they were of variable help. Those I took many years ago (something like amyltriptiline) weren't very good and didn't seem to do much of anything. Had some two or three years ago that worked well - but they caused wild and very vivid dreams. They also left me very tired all day long, but they did work. If you have depression it is probably more important to look at your life, because if your depression is related to your life, then pills aren't really going to do anything to help remove the underlying cause of the problem.

 

[Ereth]

If you have depression it is probably more important to look at your life, because if your depression is related to your life, then pills aren't really going to do anything to help remove the underlying cause of the problem.

That's . . . kind of an oversimplification, I think. It's true that antidepressants don't always work for everyone. But if I could waved a magic wand and "fix" my life, I probably would've done so by now.

Depressive episodes are often triggered by emotional stress or traumatic events. That doesn't mean there's no neurotransmitter imbalance going on before and after the trigger.

 

[Loomis]

...As for antidepressants themselves? The stories I've heard from people using them vary spectacularly. This or that medication caused them to feel all dead inside, or made them manic, or didn't work at all, or worked wonderfully. Ask ten different people about their experiences, and you'll get ten completely different responses; so I suppose I can't really comment on that. (For what it's worth, my own experiences with them were invariably catastrophic, but mine is an unusual case.)

I have to agree with wyverary. I took a moderate dosage of paxil (30 mg/day) for a couple of years and it worked marvelously on my general anxiety. The drug kind of made me feel like I was living in a marshmallow world; it softened all of the emotional intensity: both the good and the bad. Paxil worked so well for me that I learned how to short circuit my anxiety without the drug. So I went off it. I am convinced the two or three years I took paxil helped me greatly in adjusting to life and understanding my anxious interactions with the world. (I took it before I knew I was an aspie.)

A few years later, during an especially difficult period in my life, I went back on paxil hoping it would help me through the hard times I was encountering. The second time was way different. I did not get the same results. So I quit taking paxil and never looked back. As a result of my negative experience in that second round I would never take it again.

You probably know SSRI's (paxil, prozac, zoloft, etc.) increase serotonin in the brain by preventing the brain's natural regulatory system, which reprocesses excess serotonin via a biochemical feedback loop, to do its job. Thus its name: SSRI (Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitor.) For many people this flood of serotonin greatly reduces depression and/or anxiety.

( From Wikipedia: "...serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, and the central nervous system of animals, including humans. It is popularly thought to be a contributor to feelings of well-being and happiness.")

The other effects of SSRI's on the brain's neuro-chemistry and how the brain adjusts to the artificially increased serotonin level is poorly understood. Biochemical feedback loops are ubiquitous in our physiology. The multiple effects of blocking a regulatory feedback process are too complex for science to currently understand; when we mess with our biochemistry there are many unexpected results. Sometimes, however, it is best for our health to do this. My mother had congestive heart failure and took many drugs, some of which blocked biochemical pathways. She lived into her 90's. If she had not taken the drugs she would have died, like her mother, in her late 60's. Ultimately the drugs that allowed her heart to keep pumping for an extra 25 years destroyed her kidneys. Still, it was a good trade-off as she lived independently her entire life.

 

[Full Steam]

I've been systematically fighting through all my exhaustion and depression symptoms, and I've removed the worst, but I still have limited energy and still rarely feel happy.

I know it's not my thoughts causing this, it's more likely some physiological cause.

I've removed all likely diet causes which helped, but something lingers.

I have no other tactics left.

To all of you that have tried them, did you find meds helped, and would you recommend them?

 

[Full Steam]

Should have added that I'm drinking every evening to cope and I want to stop.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

The one I was on didn't work for me but even so I still think they're a good idea if you have no other options or are just too demotivated or lack the energy to try another tactic. But going on a drug is always a roll of the die, you cannot really guess if it's going to work for you or how the side effects that may happen will affect you so you really do need to be accepting of that fact and also be aware that it might take trying other types to find one that works for you in the best possible way. There is no one here who can offer you any recommendation for one type of medication because they're all very subjective to the person. You kind of have to be brave and take the plunge.

Be aware though that you'll need to give them a good few weeks before you'll feel the positive effects so you may well be in for a rough ride. Definitely make sure you know when you're supposed to take them, GPs are absolutely terrible at telling you basic information about them. I ended up taking mine at night instead of the morning for the first few weeks because the idiot doctor didn't think about that, bloody annoying! And if you read the leaflet that comes with them, don't scare yourself at the listed side effects, take them into account but 98% of them won't affect you and because you won't have the existing conditions that are reported by some of these people, mania for example would have been reported by someone with bipolar, not someone with unipolar depression. The side effects that you may well get may diminish over the first few weeks of taking them. I'm a firm believer that if cannabis had the same leaflet that listed all the possible side effects most people may think twice about using it too!

If you do have a rough ride on them, reach out to someone, even if it's us on the internet, it will make the experience a little bit manageable. Return to the doctor if needed. Remind yourself that any bad moments you get whilst starting them won't last forever and that it is a transitory experience. If things go really bad take yourself to a hospital ASAP.

Don't subject yourself to the horror stories on the internet either. Bad idea. As I said, these are subjective experiences and won't tell you how what will happen to you. There's a lot of people out there who have absolutely no problem whatsoever on medication but they don't go about telling people these stories because they don't feel like they need to shout about it to people.


That's pretty much all the stuff I wished someone had told me when I started them. Best of luck if you do go through it with.

 

[Adder1234]

I'm glad this subject came up because I realised the other day that the most relaxed time of all of 2016 for me was when I got given morphine on my way to get my appendix removed. Until then, I had forgotten what it felt like to not be constantly stressed and depressed.

 

[Meg12]

I take Zoloft but this doesn't help for everyone..... I'm experiencing the same thing in regards to I feel there's not much left to do as far as diet, exercise, sleep, etc. The most leveled out I feel is when I do yoga everyday.... but this is not always possible. If I was doing yoga to the point of exhaustion on a daily basis, I'd have it made! Drinking definitely led exponentially to more problems....I do understand how that feels like a quick fix at the time. In general, I just accept that my energy levels are never going to be typical. I can only really do one thing (if that) outside of the house a day... interacting with the world is just too exhausting.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

Yeah, you don't need me to tell you that drinking is a bad idea when you're depressed. It helps in the short time but the psychological effects of it are bad in the long term. It will also stop medication from working, best to quit it.

 

[Suzanne]

Well, I was put on prozac many year's ago, for the wrong reasons. I was depressed, so I thought, because of a decision I had to make, which basically tore me apart.

I put a lot of weight on. I constanstly needed to sleep and I mean: I would get up at 10 am and consider that too early and go for an "afternoon" nap, which lasted 4hrs or more.

I suffered blinding depression and blinding migrains. I could not understand how I could be outside on a beautiful sunny day and feel this sense of blackness pushing down on me, which just made me go into a daze.

I then got a sense that despite the dr upping the dose, that perhaps they are not such a good idea after all and so, tried to wean myself off them, but the whizzing sensation in my head, made me scared out of my wits and felt sure that if I looked at my eyes, they would be going mad!

Something clicked, after 16 year's of being on these tablets and I realised that I had no choice but to do cold turkey and for a month, I suffered dreadful panic attacks throughout the day. And then: NOTHING I could not believe that the headaches vanished and I suddenly did not need to sleep so much and I lost a bit of weight.

I finally came to the conclusion that the anti depressants were causing the depression, because since that time and before, I never experienced that kind of sensation, that I now know was depression.

After doing a lot of research, my finds concluded with: if one does not have a mental issue ie chemical imbalance, then those tablets will actually cause depression.

I thought I had a chemical imbalance, but what proved to be the fact was that it is my environment and past that causes me to suffer meloncholy.

I take natural anti anxiety tablets now and they work an absolute treat for me.

Seeing a psychiatrist tomorrow and will have to calm the nerves, because it is dangerous to have constant anxiety; causes the heart to beat too fast, which in turn can cause heart conjestion, which I discovered whilst being in hospital!

They assumed ( which was fair enough) that my rapid heart beat was connected to overactive thyroid and so, I was put on beta blockers and when I went back to the hospital for a check up, sure enough my heart was beating too fast and they wanted to continue with beta blockers, but guess what? My tension and blood pressure were normal and so, even the dr concluded it was ANXIETY causing the rapid heart beat all the time and not the overactive thyroid.

Sorry I deviated.