Anti-depressants: Help?

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This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 5 months ago by Cecia.

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June 30, 2015 at 12:53 pm #79029

Valeria Del Castillo
Participant

Hi everybody,

I am new here, I just made a profile and it really sucks this is my first post, but I need some support.

I have been dealing with anxiety for a couple of years now and was so scared to get help that I only reached out this past month. I live in the UK so I went to my GP and will start counselling at my university next week. My GP suggested to start anti-depressants, but the idea scares me a bit, as I have an ex-boyfriend and a few people I know that do not like them/don’t want to take them. I know there are a lot of people that say that they can become addictive and stuff (I don’t really know that much about them?) and I wonder if any of you might have tried them before, have had any direct or indirect experience for either depression and/or anxiety? I am depressed and have anxiety and its been really reaaaally bad the past couple of months. I do yoga everyday and try to do some breath awareness and trying to start meditation, but I get stressed sometimes I am doing something else other than what I should be doing (aka my thesis). Lately I have had a super negative outlook in life, feel defeated and zero motivated for anything (which hurts me, as life used to somewhat excite me even with my anxiety).

I will not abandon my yoga and meditation and I also have been reading about Ayurveda but find it a bit hard to comprehend without any guidance, I just really need some help (I finally have the courage to admit it) and would like some advice to see if I should try anti-depressants?

All the best and thank you beforehand for your answers.

Val

June 30, 2015 at 7:19 pm #79067

Anonymous
Guest

Dear val:
At 35 I went on Zoloft, it is an SSRI antidepressant. I went up to 400 mg per day then 300 mg per day for years after. I also took Klonipin, anti anxiety and risperdol or Seroquel both which are anti psychotics. I started on Zoloft after complaining about obsessive thinking. The other were added later. Ever few years I tried to get off those and was unsuccessful. After 16 years I tried again and was off all drugs for 3 months. i exercised heavily and started yoga but severe anxiety attacks and I went back on a different SSRI, Luvox, smaller dose as well as the others. A year later I tried again, this time more gradually and this time after more yoga experience and daily exercise and most importantly, after a couple of years of heavy duty psychotherapy, teh first serious psychotherapy in my life (CBT, Dialectical, Mindfulness) where I learned skills how to deal with anxiety. I am now, at 54 and a half free of all psch drugs for a year and a half.

It was H.E.L.L trying to get off these every single time. Every time I tried I felt worse than what brought me to take those in the first place. The anxiety when off drugs was way worse than before. And I wasn’t aware so much that I was depressed until I stopped those. All hell broke loose and although my life is not roses now, it was again HELL getting of those- years of gradual weaning and staying off.

At times I felt better with the drugs but I can assure you my life did not get better one iota as a result of taking these drugs- my functioning was worse adn worse over time, and like any drug they stop working and i took them just not to feel worse.

this is my experience. these drugs do not cure anything at all. At best they should be used for a very short time- months (not 17 years like in my case) and only if one is about to hurt oneself…I hope you find another way.
anita

July 1, 2015 at 1:39 pm #79091

Peppermint
Participant

Hello Val,

antidepressants used to be addictive, but some of the newer ones are not.
I took some antidepressants years back. I was sceptic at first too, why should “I” need antidepressants? And just look at all those risks… .but when they started to really kick in I was amazed how different the world could look (which turned out to be how the world looks to “normal people”). At the same time I had therapy too. After one year I stopped taking the antidepressants and it was absolutely no problem at all, no addiction.
I’m afraid I don’t remember the name of the antidepressants I took, but I’m sure if you raise the point with you doctor and googled the antidepressants he recommends (to be on the safe side), you will find suitable pills for yourself. From my point of view I can recomend it, as long as long as it’s an addition to therapy.

July 2, 2015 at 9:20 pm #79153

Neethu
Participant

Hi Valcuit,
Anti – Depressants are not quiet good. They help to suppress the anxiety, not help you to come out of it completely. Mediation and Yoga are the best tools you have right with you. When you feel that your anxiety is rising just meditate for few moments. I’m also facing this challenge and I know how difficult it is. I do feel a lot of relief when I meditate. Now I’m able to control my anxiety.I do guided meditation for controlling emotions. I got it from youtube. I don’t know if I can share the link here, if you want I’ll share.
Also read a lot of self help books like Awakening the Giant within you by Anthony Robbins. Its a very good book. You get PDF copy of it.
Meditation is the best. It brings lot of changes in our character. Stick on to it. Talk to close friends. You can also talk to me if you feel. Many have overcome this problem with good support and guidance. Avoid anti-depressants as much as you can. But if your therapist suggests then you might have to ask them if you can go without that.
Be positive. Believe in God. He never leaves your side.

July 5, 2015 at 11:45 am #79320

Valeria Del Castillo
Participant

Hi everyone, thank you for your answers! I am sorry I thought this would tell me over email if I got any responses haha.
I am still unsure of what I want to do. I also asked a friend who has been there and he described them as ‘flattening a rollercoaster’ and explained it prevented the high highs and low lows. And like Peppermint said, it is how the normal people probably function and I want to be able to get there at some point. Even if I decide to take them they will be alongside therapy, I’d be too scared to try them otherwise.

Neethu – thank you for your advice, I am starting with meditation and I have about 1 and a half years doing yoga but my practice is getting deeper and it is truly helpful. I also try to read a lot about energy and ayurvedic perspective to see how those can help. Here in the UK they are quite slow with therapy and all so I have my first session at school on Friday and tomorrow I have like an assessment call or something from another place. If you could share your links for guided meditation that’d be great? I have tried a few and I get distracted so I try to just focus on my breath but would like to give it another try.

Thank you all for your answers you are awesome x

July 5, 2015 at 2:10 pm #79324

Anonymous
Guest

Dear valcuit:
There is no such thing as “normal people.”
anita

July 5, 2015 at 8:56 pm #79328

Kaitlin Paige
Participant

Hi Val,
I have been on antidepressants on and off for 3 years, I’m 27. I’ve tried quite a few of them; Lexapro (made me twitch so I stopped taking it after a month), Pristiq (insurance didn’t cover so I stopped), Effexor (had no side effects), Zoloft (I have been on this one almost a year and a half and am currently tapering off), and now Wellbutrin. I was on the roller coaster for a long time, like you said I experienced high highs & low lows. I can honestly say I didn’t give Lexapro or Pristiq a chance to really work. About 2 months after I started Effexor I began to gain weight. Before the antidepressants, I religiously worked out and that was how I dealt with my anxiety (as well as self medicating with alcohol & drugs). At first I loved not having the lows and being “normal” but over time I have become apathetic; I no longer get excited about things, I lost all of my motivation to exercise, I can sleep for days on end- sometimes from 12-14 hours and am ALWAYS tired. My self-esteem has suffered due to my weight gain, so I feel as though I’m in this vicious cycle. I recently switched to Wellbutrin because after doing research I learned that few people gain weight when on this, and it also helps with focus and concentration. I will stay on a low dosage of wellbutrin after the taper is over with zoloft but I have to say, I am tired of being a slave to these pills and have read quite a bit about how it is not recommended to stay on them for a long period of time. I’ve recently realized that even though these drugs may help me presently, I ultimately have to find healthy ways to deal with my anxiety and depression. Hope this gives you a little more insight, good luck!

July 5, 2015 at 10:16 pm #79337
Sarah
Participant
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!
- This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Sarah.
- This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Sarah.
July 8, 2015 at 12:22 am #79487

Cecia
Participant

Hi Val,

I have a bit of a different opionion on antidepressants than most of those who replied here, I think.
I have only good experience with them. I was on Cipralex/Lexapro for some years and it has helped me a lot.
I had no negative side effects and I reacted very well and fast to it.
I took it for mild depression. I was hesitant to try SSris as well, as I too read a lot of negative stories and how withdrawal would be hard and how you would feel worse after getting off them because your brain would be used to the serotonin and not adjust without it etc.

At the time though I really just wanted to feel better and get that little boost so I could start changing my life situation, taking care of myself, working out more etc, so I took it. And, like I said, I felt better within weeks. Might also have been a placebo effect because I felt like I finally did something to feel better – but I didn’t care.
The main thing is to recover and feel ok again.

My opinion is that it is important to improve the chemical imbalance that the brain suffers from in times of depression, anxiety etc.
because there is such a thing as pain memory, also with the brain. The longer you feel depressed or anxious, the more these patterns or pathways in the brain can manifest themselves and the harder it is to get rid of these neural pathways that have formed.

It is know though that not all antidepressants work for everyone and some people just take longer to find one that is working for them.
Maybe this is also why some people have a bad experience with them.

It is important to have a psychiatrist you can trust and who will explain everything to you. And if you take them do so exactly as your doctor says. Never stop taking them from one day to another, because this is when some “withdrawal symptoms” will occur.

Also, it is not true that ssris are addictive. They are not like benzose or opiates.

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon, no matter your decision to try them or not.
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