Antidepressants - Experiences.. good or bad?

msliu7911

For months now I've been dealing with a series of issues (work, personal, etc.) that have made me go from extremely stressed to depressed. Surprisingly, weight loss is not one of the issues .. I've been losing at a fairly slow but steady rate....

Anyway, my mom recommended I go see a doctor about an antidepressant. Right now I'm against it... as I feel I can get out of this emotional/mental "funk" on my own, it's just a matter of when. I'm also worried about what it might do to my mental state... as I've heard some stories that they make it get worse or you get dependent.

Plus, when my parents were going through a divorce when I was younger.. both of them were taking one and I saw the effects on them.. seemed negative.

If you have any experiences either yourself or with a close family member/friend... good or bad... please share!

Mrsallypants

I take a SSRI called Celexa. I would say the effects are beneficial. Without the drug, I feel like I'm naked walking in the middle of a concrete hot road in the middle of heavy traffic - my mind was racing, I felt extremely agitated and moody, paranoid, had bouts of insomnia, worried restless, and the age old abstract psychological pain with thoughts of suicide.

Celexa evened me out, but the cons are that you feel emotionally numb and impenetrable by outside stimuli (a feeling of being trapped inside your head), creativity and thoughtfulness (i.e. reveries) are greatly hampered which is bad for artists and philosophers, sex drive can be low, and when having sex there is far less sensation. Yet the pros outweigh the cons.

Withdrawal from the drug is unpleasant and consists of extreme agitation (e.g. flipping out over not being able to open a pack of cheese or ziplock the ****er back up), headache, feeling hot and feverish, and episodes of strange dizziness that feels like being kicked in the head by a powerful horse.

pseudomuffin

I wouldn't do it if I were you. Antidepressants are over-prescribed, your doctor would probably write the script for you but the side effects aren't worth it and sometimes they make an existing stress-related problem into more of a chemical problem and then you have less control over the issue.

My parents had me put on antidepressants when I was in high school (had some pretty bad emotional problems/bad relationship but I needed therapy/attention and got medicated instead), I was a total uncaring zombie and remember feeling like there was no point in life because I didn't feel anything anyway. I stopped taking them and after a while they noticed but figured I was doing fine so didn't press the issue. When I was in college I was in a really, really destructive marriage (same relationship as in highschool) and got to the point where I felt like I couldn't handle it anymore. I got a prescription for antidepressants again because I was desperate and my mom was urging me to go to the doctor and get on meds (in her defense she didn't know the extent of the damage my ex was doing so she was just trying to be helpful), I think I took them for two weeks and it was like a repeat of years prior so I threw them out. I ended up leaving my ex at the beginning of the next year after realizing the common theme and all of my emotional issues resolved (blood pressure problems, too!)

I guess the tl;dr of my story is, it's stress related, so try to resolve the stress in your life at the source. Treating it with medication is like putting a bandaid on a much bigger problem. If you have a bad feeling about it, just don't do it.

(Just to cover my butt: I'm not saying no one should take antidepressants at all, some people really do need them to stay level but they are often needlessly prescribed as a panacea of sorts which is not the intention. Medical journal source & an article, there's lots of literature about this on the internet http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21294990 & http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/08/08/antidepressants-overprescribed-in-primary-care/ )

bulbadoof

I'm not a fan of pharmaceuticals, and if you know it's not chronic depression I would heavily advise against them as they do tend to create a dependency. I've heard from multiple sources that omega-3 fatty acids have a beneficial effect on serotonin levels. I've had a few close friends who swear by 2-3 grams of fish oil daily for treating depression, and it has a great effect on your body as well.

I'd suggest talking to your doctor about fish oil supplements, and if she gives you the go-ahead (it can't cause problems but it CAN potentially worsen a handful of already-existing health conditions, so I would definitely get those ruled out first), taking a pill of that along with your daily multivitamin. If you're healthy, the worst that can happen is you'll get healthier.

MyJourney1960

for some people it's good, for others not so good, and for others very very bad. I don't think there is one, across the board, same-for-everyone experience. I don't know where your depression stems FROM (is it simply the stress? are there other underlying emotional/physical issues?) there are so many reasons that could trigger depression, and it is possible that you were able to cope before with the normal stresses of life, but now are feeling overwhelmed.

I would start with your doctor, not to simply ask for antidepressants but to start with a full series of blood tests. Then take it from there.

(And not me, but someone very close to me took antidepressants at two points in his life. the first time he stopped because he said it made him numb and didn't realy solve anything. the second time he went back on the pills because he was feeling suicidal , among other things, and the pills made it 100% worse. luckily we stopped it in time but that experience has definitely scared me off )

msliu7911

I take a SSRI called Celexa. I would say the effects are beneficial. Without the drug, I feel like I'm naked walking in the middle of a concrete hot road in the middle of heavy traffic - my mind was racing, I felt extremely agitated and moody, paranoid, had bouts of insomnia, worried restless, and the age old abstract psychological pain with thoughts of suicide.

Celexa evened me out, but the cons are that you feel emotionally numb and impenetrable by outside stimuli (a feeling of being trapped inside your head), creativity and thoughtfulness (i.e. reveries) are greatly hampered which is bad for artists and philosophers, sex drive can be low, and when having sex there is far less sensation. Yet the pros outweigh the cons.

Withdrawal from the drug is unpleasant and consists of extreme agitation (e.g. flipping out over not being able to open a pack of cheese or ziplock the ****er back up), headache, feeling hot and feverish, and episodes of strange dizziness that feels like being kicked in the head by a powerful horse.

Wow- this is a really good description of the pros and cons. LOL at the cheese, sorry it was giving you problems. :flowerforyou:

Crazy... right now I have all the symptoms you've listed, minus the suicide (thank goodness):
".. my mind was racing, I felt extremely agitated and moody, paranoid, had bouts of insomnia, worried restless, and the age old abstract psychological pain with thoughts of suicide."

Its like my mind is always racing, I'm fairly agitated with my husband all the time (poor thing ) , worry/stress has caused me to just stay up at all hours accomplishing absolutely nothing- when I should really be getting good sleep.

I.E. It's 1:22AM now... I have to be awake to get ready for work in 4 hours. :grumble:

msliu7911

I'm not a fan of pharmaceuticals, and if you know it's not chronic depression I would heavily advise against them. I've heard from multiple sources that omega-3 fatty acids have a beneficial effect on serotonin levels. I've had a few close friends who swear by 2-3 grams of fish oil daily for treating depression, and it has a great effect on your body as well. I'd suggest talking to your doctor about fish oil supplements, and if she gives you the go-ahead (it can't cause problems but it CAN worsen some already-existing health conditions, so I would definitely make sure it's right for you first), taking a pill of that along with your daily multivitamin. If you're healthy, the worst that can happen is you'll get healthier.

Very interesting. I'll look into this. I agree- I'm all about avoiding a prescription if at all possible.

Ideally I would have puppies and rainbows flowing through my home on daily basis to lift my spirits, but I guess since that's not reasonable to ask I certainly need to find alternatives that are beneficial to my overall health!

sozisraw

Cognitive therapy and spiritual philosophies can be a great help!

shadowkat57

All medicines come with costs and benefits. In each individual case, you need to determine if the benefit of the drug outweighs the cost.
For me, being able to function without constant self-sabotage, guilt, lethargy etc etc outweighs the negligible side effects.

Remember that depression is a chemical imbalance, not just a mental state. Sometimes all the positive thinking and lifestyle changes in the world can't get that brain chemistry back to normal, and you need a little help. If you're lucky, it's a temporary state, and you won't need to be medicated long-term.

trudijoy

I took citalopram for a year. At the time I was dead against it - cried for an hour after taking the first one - but I was extremely depressed (situational, some really awful **** had gone down) and I'd reached an impasse - wasn't getting through it, wasn't going to change much. So I took them. During, they helped loads. They dulled things. I didn't feel any extreme emotion - no real joy but no huge rock bottom lows. They enabled me to keep going with my very busy life. I went through withdrawal coming off them which sucked, but I recognise now that I needed them, and 2 years since I got diagnosed I am now back on top of the world.

anemoneprose

We're all chemicals, all the time, & the chemicals change in response to our thoughts & behavior all through life. It makes no sense to say depression is 'imbalance' that needs resetting, like a battery. It's not the same. There are very few people who are in need of pharmaceutical intervention, imo.

There are other ways to short-circuit it. exercise, nutrition, self-care, **learning how to manage and cope with life**. Because that's all the ads are supposed to do anyway, "get you to a level" etc, so you can do that. In the best case scenario (you've 'found your drug' after a year, or five, of messing around with different dosages, different side effects; the whole time, with someone else in control of it), the best thing ADs can do is make you not care about your problems. You still have to figure out how to deal with them.

Change something about your situation.

Mrsallypants

Some people have a predisposed vulnerability to develop psychological disorders, all it takes to elicit this malady is a stressor of some kind (Diathesis stress model). Whether it be a death of a loved one, divorce, job loss, or even everyday problems ramped up to a great degree, some people will have a "nervous breakdown" or go into a state of temporary depression. For others, it can be relapse and substance abuse.

Some people may even develop a temporary severe psychosis that leads to hospitalization. Deep abdominal breathing, walking, meditation, acupuncture, massage, yoga, self-hypnosis, CB T, progressive relaxation can reduce the stress.Such as defeating irrational thoughts, and using the ABC model (http://www.basic-counseling-skills.com/cognitive-behavioral-therapy.html). A huge source of stress is based in our beliefs, namely irrational ones that cause hopelessness.

Conflict resolution would also avail your problems as it seems your relationship is a huge source of stress.

itsnowornevercici

Hi hun.

Last year I was in a non fault car crash and it left me with serious back pains. I was prescribed a pill called amatriptaline (I think thats the correct spelling). I wasnt told at the time, but its an antidepressant.

I was on a 5mg dosage per day. I took one and felt strange throughout the day. A few weeks later I took another (I didnt take them daily as they were really strong and kept me sleeping all the time), I noticed how I felt, like being under a grey cloud and everything irritated me. I would snap at my husband and id get irritable with my daughter. I stopped taking them.

Id only had 2 in the space of a month and those 2 times made me feel suicidal to a point.

I came off them and stuck to paracetamol for the pains.

Each person is different. If you've had bad experiences watching others then I would strongly advise not starting any. There are a lot of great herbal solutions you can look into. Rescue remedy has always helped me. Its more for dealing with nerves but it helps with my anxiety. I dont know if its accessible outisde of the uk but its worth looking into.

pixtotts

I dont trust them... why? I studied psychology.

Antidepressants wont treat depression... wont cure it... its like taking caffiene tablets wont make you not tired.
When you come off them you will be exactly back where you are now and will have to fight it yourself without chemicals.
I see antidepressants as a way of putting it off. Absolutely anyone who is given anti depressants needs therapy instead it should be law that the only way they are allowed to prescribe antidepressants is along side therapy but unfortunately it is not...

I also dont trust them because noone knows how they work! They cause an increase of serotonin in the synapse we know that but we dont know how they cause that or why that helps depression, whether the cause the body to create more serotonin than can be absorbed or if they keep production levels the same but stop the body from absorbing as much. Now it has been a couple year since I graduated so maybe there has been some huge breakthrough.. but I doubt it..

There also non drug ways to make the body have that build up of serotinin....
Exercise! specifically running. "Runners High"
Yoga
Relaxation therapy/meditation
St Johns Wort they think can...
Vitamin B6
5-HTP - some places do this as a combination with other vitamins/minerals called things like "mood food" usually a combination of this Omega 3 and B vitamins.

Just some food for thought.
My personal opinion would be to try the non drug ways first and use drugs as a last resort sepecially as you seem not to want to take the drugs... negative attitude towards taking the drugs can show to make them less effective, I remember reading a case of a woman with depression who would cry herself to sleep every time she took her antidepressants because she didint want to take them kind of defeats the object... Plus it can be done without drugs I'm living proof... I was depressed, suicidal, and self harming I needed parental concent to get medical help so I did it on my own it took a while, but just keep dooing things, one of the major symptoms of depression is loosing the ability to function, so if you can still get out of bed in the morning you can fight it, take pleasure from the small things and keep going
x

Janet_andpie

I've been on-and-off Antidepressants most of my adult life.

Personally I find they "even me out" I feel a bit dull on them, but its a whole lot better than being soul-destroyingly unhappy and trying to kill myself.

Currently been off them for about 5 months. My energy levels are better off them and I use exercise to help regulate my mood. I still get acute bouts of morbid depression for no external reason, but I have a good support network of family and friends who sort me out.

At the end of the day, they work differently for everyone and its your choice. They have helped me, but they are not without their negative side effects.

Dead_Darling

Try speaking to your doctor about alternatives to anti depressants, such as CBT, hypnotherapy, counselling, etc. It's something that can't be taken lightly, and the anti depressants may have a placebo effect on you.

Best of luck

pinkraynedropjacki

Try St Johns Wort. If you are able to get Swisse mood tablets. I take them for my depression & they are brilliant & natural. No side effects at all for me unlike medications.

mockchoc

Bumping so I can read it all later plus I want to say that it took my loved one about three different medications till they became the person I knew them to be. Thank goodness for antidepressants!

jamielynas

I know people who have been on anti-depressants for 30 years, at a certain point you have to treat the cause of the problem, rather than the symptoms

mazdauk

I took citalopram for a year. At the time I was dead against it - cried for an hour after taking the first one - but I was extremely depressed (situational, some really awful **** had gone down) and I'd reached an impasse - wasn't getting through it, wasn't going to change much. So I took them. During, they helped loads. They dulled things. I didn't feel any extreme emotion - no real joy but no huge rock bottom lows. They enabled me to keep going with my very busy life. I went through withdrawal coming off them which sucked, but I recognise now that I needed them, and 2 years since I got diagnosed I am now back on top of the world.

I took citalopram as well. I'd been resisiting for a few months but my Dr felt I wasn't progressing (I'd been trying self-help cognitive therapy (CBT) sites with no benefit) It takes a few weeks for them to properly kick in, then you have to come off them slowly, but they do definitely help. I was actually signed off work for several weeks, but once the tablets kicked in I was able to go back eventually - though the thing which enabled me to come off them completely was finding a new job! I came off them slowly as recommended and had no problems. I did feel very tired the first few weeks taking them though so make sure your Dr signs you off while that adjustment happens.

I don't think they affected my weight particularly, it was me who did that by eating too much of the wrong thing (because that was something which made me feel "better"). I would also recommend some CBT if you can get it. I'm not sure how much it directly helped but having some time when you focus on things you can do and getting back to enjoying them was helpful. As others have said you have to tackle the cause not the symptoms, but by keeping the symptoms in check they help you to focus on getting out of the black pit.

Feel free to friend me if I can be helpful.

ETA as in the quote, it is now 2 years since I started on them and one year since I came off (almost) and I feel brilliant. Exercise can help lift your mood - I did a lot of walking (but didn't lose weight as I was stuffing my face) and wish I'd tried Zumba then as it would have been a great boost.

faithsimmons526

I've been prescribed a number of pharmaceuticals over the years for 'mood disorders' ... primarily depression. Most of them wrecked my sex life or made me gain weight ... or both. Neither of these side effects made my life better. Finally I stopped believing that there was something wrong with me and quit the pills. Had a few issues coming off them, but it was the best decision I ever made.

Some people do need them I suppose ... but most people who've been prescribed anti-depressants probably don't.

Life isn't always easy and often we are faced with one challenge after another. It can get us down. We look around for support but everyone else is facing their own challenges, so sometimes the support we seek isn't available. It can be depressing for sure. Your reaction to it all might lead you to think YOU are depressed, but you might not be. You might just be wanting more and not sure how to get it.

torymichaels

Like a couple of the other responders, I've been prescribed citolapram. Unlike the others, I'm STILL on it. I've been on for more than a year. It has had some great effects on me mentally. I wasn't given it specifically as an antidepressant, but more as a mood evener.

I mood swung BADLY, 0 to ***** in .02 seconds sort of thing. After starting this, within 5 days, the moods evened out some. I'm not saying I don't mood swing any more (my husband would call me a liar if I tried), but at least now I have more control over them.

They did help my depression...a little. I'm still depressed, but I refuse to take more than what I am for it. The citolopram has helped me, esp. in the aftermath of a miscarriage last year.

In no way do they dull my emotions, nor is it meant to. As the doctor who gave it to me explained, it helps the neuropathways in your brain do what they're supposed to, helping with the connections or something. And I think it does. I was very skeptical much of anything would help (my mom was on antidepressants for decades), or if anything it would just dull me out. It didn't. I'm grateful for what I'm taking.

That said, the nurse when I went for a checkup a few months ago and I discussed my depression issues, said that citolopram alone really is only about 30% effective, and really suggested counseling in ADDITION to the medication, said that the combination tended toward a 60-80% effectiveness rate.

cablab

Personally, I have had a very good experience. I have only been taking them for about a month and a half, but I have seen a pretty drastic improvement in my overall mood and energy. I have noticed no real negative effects (including sex life, as several people have mentioned that). I wouldn't even say I feel numb. I feel pretty good.

I have had problems with low mood and anxiety for many years, seemingly with little correspondence to external stimuli. One of the biggest problems was how it would affect my sleep. I tried increased regular exercise and different methods of altering my reactions and the way I process things, but nothing seemed to have any lasting effect. If I was heading for a low mood, there was nothing I could do but ride it out.

I know that I only have a little experience, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

I take Citalopram. I was on 10mg daily for two weeks, then went onto 20mg daily (apparently they tend to ease you in especially if you have problems with anxiety). The first few weeks were pretty weird. My mood was a bit unbalanced and I had some pretty intense anxiety bursts. It did all settle down though.

As others have said though - each to their own. They may not be right for you. I made this choice after plenty of research and many discussions with my doctor.

xfilme

I used to suffer from depression. I was on medication etc. I cannot tell you that you should or shouldnt go on them, but I can shed a little light on whether or not it would help your situation or not.

Firstly, most doctors will prescribe an SSRI, which is effective for those people who suffer from issues with their seratonin levels. In other words a chemical imbalance in their brain. However, for those people who suffer from circumstantial depression (ie. work related worries, or relationship, bereavement etc) it may as well be taken for a placebo effect as there is likely no seratonin imbalance for it to correct. Anti-depressant will not make you filter your thoughts, You wil still think about the same things and they will cause just as much low mood. At most the way you deal with these emotions might be dampened, but at the point you come off them, they will likely just return.

From your post I gather medication isnt the route you wish to take, so why not go for talking therapy which would not only help you deal with the thoughts causing the problems, but also save you having to go on meds against your will. There are no side effects to talking to someone. It can only improve your situation.

I would recommend basic counselling if your depression is short term, but if its a long term problem, I would highly reccommend CBT. Both are available on the NHS (if you are in the UK). If you are in the US, you can get CBT on your insurance if you just do an online search for those covered by your insurance company in your area. Please do come and chat if you need any help, as I cured my depression myself without the use of medication. To date I take no meds for any of my health or anxiety conditions.

ZealousMissJJ

I'm glad I did take them. I was in such a deep, dark place that I think I might have done stupid things if I hadn't been on them. They leveled out the ups and downs (both!) and made me generally more relaxed for once.

It didn't solve any of my problems, but it gave me the time to figure things out. After a little over 6 months I started lowering the anti-depressants. Got off them just fine and didn't really experience any side effects. The only side effect was that I was tired all the time, but I was already tired all the time before I started them. Just a lot of emotional bagage I think.

In any case, good luck and I hope you'll feel better soon.

pinkraynedropjacki

I know people who have been on anti-depressants for 30 years, at a certain point you have to treat the cause of the problem, rather than the symptoms

Really? My mum was schizophrenic since she was 17 all the way till her death at 53 ...what would you have told her to treat? He depression was part of that. Comes a time when people who know nothing OF being depressed should just shhhh.:mad:

dsjohndrow

I took all that junk and it maybe helped a little. What helped that most was running long distances. I feel better than I ever have.

pinkraynedropjacki

I do remember when I went on my last prescribed depressant medication it felt like I was asleep all the time & I would fall asleep (no really I would) at any time I was not moving.

I went cold turkey off them...it's almost killed me but no way I was going to suffer with taking them. It felt like I was being electrocuted constantly when I went off them..... but then even that was better than falling asleep at the drop of a hat.

Been on St Johns Wort for about 6 years now & never looked back. Depression runs in the women in my mothers side of the family.... it's almost a know thing that you will have it if you are a woman on that side.

4theking

Those meds are a bandaids. Have your cortisol and thyroid tested. If either of those two are not where they should be, all your stated symptoms will be present.

Chadomaniac

No need to use them , happiness comes from within . adjust the mind and train it to think positive . I was diagnosed with depression 2 years ago and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone , felt like death , all I can say is that THE MIND IS VERY POWERFUL and we can control our thoughts and lead them in the right direction.

Rho_Ro

The key - we are all different!

My recommendation is that if your doctor feels that you NEED antidepressants, take them remembering that they can take up to 6 to 8 weeks to kick in. And most importantly start seeing a counselor so that you can find answers for all those unanswered questions stored in your head. You will know yourself when you no longer need the additional help so you will be able to wean yourself off the pills.

I have been depressed on and off since my teenage years. I tried St John's Wort but although it seemed to take a bit of the edge off, it just wasn't enough. I was seeing someone at the local Family Mental Health department when I told her that I had considered driving my car into a car on the other side of the road, however I saw the face of the driver and realised how stupid I was. I was admitted to a Mental Hospital where I was assessed and put on antidepressants. When I was discharged I saw a Social Worker who was absolutely fantastic and helped me make sense of everything I had been so stressed about.

I don't remember being zonked out by my medications: I just know that the tears eased up; the fogginess in the front of my head had subsided so I was able to think more clearly. Things stabilised. However I know that if I'm late taking any of my meds, that I do have a reaction every single time, dammit!! And this tells me that the meds are doing what they are meant to do and I just need to keep on keeping on.

Stress is good because it causes change. However too much stress causes you to become distressed! Don't be frightened by it, try and relax and accept it because then you will become stronger and more able to fight.

You will know in your gut what you need to do. GOOD LUCK with your decision.