Hi Val,
I’m sorry you’re struggling so much at the moment with your depression/anxiety, but good on you for reaching out for help – that is a hard point to come to, I have found from my own personal experience.
I can only speak from my own experience on anti-depressants of course, but I feel I must warn you if your doctor tries to put you on SSRIs, particularly Paxil/Paxtine/Paroxetine, which is the one I am most familiar with. If you need medicinal intervention to help you through your hard times at the moment, then I am all for it, and I sort of think that being on my SSRI for 8 months did help me, perhaps. It’s hard to really tell. Anyway, the reason I say to be careful of that drug is that withdrawing/coming off from it once you no longer need it is HORRIBLE and a real struggle. There are facebook support groups for it etc. because the GP’s just do not understand the horrible effects it has on patients. I was on 20mg and in 6 months have only successfully managed to taper down to 10mg. It will likely be another 6-12 months before I can fully come off the meds, and they are making me very ill each time I try and drop down the dosage.
I think you need to do what is right for you, but just felt you should be warned of this particular drug and the effects that Serotonin has on the body/brain/nervous system. Serotonin (SSRIs) re-mould the brain and can help you feel better, but when you try and come off them, can cause difficulty as the brain then needs to remould itself to adjust without the serotonin. Make sure you do your research before taking anything the doctor prescribes – more research than just reading the drug information from the manufacturing company. Find out what you’re really taking and how it could affect you in the long-run. Good luck hun!
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