antidepressants

[oyster]

Have you ever been put on Anti Depressants by a doctor? I've been rather depressed for at least 9 months now. I have essentially all the symptoms of major depression. I have been trying many things, several supplements (st johns wort, 5-HTP, Ginkgo Biloba, omega 3 fish oil ) , meditating , and exercising daily. They seems to be doing little to no good. Oddly enough, I notice directly after exercising my depressive symptoms and anxiety become noticeably exasperated. I have always been prone to extremes of mood, yes I am in my teen years so perhaps that is the explanation for that. However I have never been "depressed" before, meaning I have never been so down consistently for an extended period. I mean I guess I have felt shitty about shitty things but that's different. Today I finally confided in my pop about this depression. He is a kind old man and even told me about a time in his life where he was depressed. Of course he recommended I see a doctor. However , I know the only thing a doctor could do for me that I can't already do myself is prescribe me an antidepressant.

[Root5]

I was depressed. It was situational, so the psychiatrist put me on some drugs to put me in a better mind set so that I was able to deal with it, and then we talked for an hour a week and he helped me develop healthier thought patterns. This helped me to fix what it was in my life that was making me depressed. Once that was done my depression died down over a couple years and I'm totally better now.

 

The funny thing is, though, that anti-depressants made me feel worse. So he ended up putting me on ritalin until I dealt with my problem. It was an interesting and I'm assuming unorthodox experience.

 

I know people who are depressed for no reason. They just stay on anti-depressants all the time. It seems to work for them, but they have do deal with the side effects like drowsiness.

 

Basically with anti-depressants, it's pretty harmless to give them a shot and see what happens. You can just try a low dosage and see if it helps. If not you just stop taking them.

[lumpenprol]

Hey pod, we've had lots of talk about depression on watmm, and several people here are or have been on antidepressants (including myself). As far as I know most studies show that the best solution is therapy plus medication, not medication alone, however unfortunately in the US therapy costs a lot of dough. Some therapists have sliding scales though, so its worth asking your doctor/people in your extended network if they know anyone, or searching online for people in your area.

 

You already seem to be over the biggest hurdle, which is seeing that you're depressed. When I was depressed I couldn't see it, even though I was angry at everyone and ultimately, suicidal. I just felt that I was "right" and "seeing things clearly", while others were superficial.

 

By the way, I think it's been shown st johns wort isn't very effective, fish oil might be beneficial but not in any meaningful way, exercising should help however I'm familiar with what you describe, which is that exercise exacerbates your depression/anxiety. It used to for me, too. At some point your brain chemistry can be out of whack enough that the beneficial effects of exercise don't really work.

 

Are you smoking pot? I think that's the first question that pops up on watmm, but it's a good one. I would recommend stopping all (illicit) drug use first and seeing if that helps...

[brian trageskin]

antidepressants can help but can also turn you into a mummy.

[benc812]

antidepressants are good for getting you out of a snap whenever times are bad, just for starting the recovery process. if you do have those physical symptoms you said, they'll definitely help out for making things better, but most people overlook the role of therapy or at least enacting some (sometimes major) changes in how they approach situations and deal with their psychological issues.

 

antidepressants alone only take care of half the job. since you said you were taking up exercise and the like, this shows that you are at least looking at that side of picture so this bodes well for your recovery.

 

also you said you are in your teens? i also started antidepressants when i was in high school and saw good results. on the other hand, there seemed to be some side effects that aren't particularly nice: metallic taste in your mouth from the serotonin, sometimes manic-like behavior, vivid dreams. also, i'm convinced that they were partly responsible for some moderate weight gain.

 

 

honestly as i said before, my best results came from short-term usage just to help get my energy levels back and at least feel as if i could remedy the doom and gloom perspective. the majority of the work should really be from non-chemical means. either way, good luck to you

 

edit: looks like lumpenprol beat me to the punch on some of this. but nonetheless, agreed....

[747Music]

I have bipolar disorder among other things, so I'm on a couple anti-depressent and anti-psychotic meds. It seems to be working with me so I'll continue taking them. It took a couple different prescriptions until I found the right thing for myself. I still get depressed, but not nearly as much as before I was taking meds. Talk to your doctor about it and see what he/she can do for you. There are lots of options out there without scary side-effects. If my meds stop working for me I may move up to taking lithium, which has scary side-effects. So I'm really hoping that I don't build an immunity to my current meds. I take cymbalta, olanzapine, and seroquel for bipolar and ocd. then i take gabapentin(neurontin) and tec 3 codine pills for my fibro myalgia. Also I take tecta for a nasty case of acid reflux. So I'm on a bunch of different meds. And you know what? They're working pretty well. My point is, don't be afraid of taking meds. Try it out, if it works, then great. If they don't work, then move on to trying something else. But keep going and staying active in finding a solution. Remember that everyone is different with different reactions to meds. So don't get discouraged if the first few prescriptions don't work. Keep at it. I hope things get better for you.

btw, how old are you?

[murve33]

I started having suicidal thoughts both times I took anti-depressants. So be weary.

[Guest Ranky Redlof]

the only thing anti depressants did was fuck me up even more

(made me grow an IDM beard and gain 15 kg)

[eugene]

without linking to tldr, how do you differentiate between general downess, pessimism and cynicism and clinical depression ? at what stage does it become something you need to take care of rather than something "natural", something you can treat yourself ?

[goDel]

Been reading up on an interesting book lately: The Emperor's New Drug. It's basically about research about the (non)effectiveness of anti-depressants. Conclusion: anti-depressants are as effective as active placebo's (active in the sense that they have the same/similar side-effects as anti-depressants. The most fucked up thing is that the most important theory behind the effectiveness of anti-depressants is completely unfounded. The theory is supposed to be that depression is 'caused' by a lack of certain chemicals in your brain. Well, if that were the case, one could argue that headaches are caused by a lack of paracetamol as well.

 

A large part of the book is about how it could be that although medical research is heavily regulated, it is still possible to be potentially completely rubbish.

 

Face it. If they work, it's a placebo thing. So you might want to consider some cheaper alternatives.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Emperors-New-Drugs-Exploding-Antidepressant/dp/1847920837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323563382&sr=8-1

[essines]

i suffer from depression. went to the doctor and he put me on some decent anti depressants. i hated them. they did help level me out but they made me shakey and sweaty, made it harder for me to sleep and hard for me to cum. using them to help pull yourself out of a hole is good but don't rely on them to fix ANYTHING. they merely help you fix yourself. if it's just a situational thing then it may pass. it's up to the individual what they want to do. i went of the meds after a year or so and after a tumultuous time in my life and was in a pretty dark spot for a while. However i managed to turn shit around and for the last month or two i've been pretty fuckin' swell. lots of people treat depression as though it is no big deal, like it just some pussy emo kid crying in a corner. but it is a lot more than that, and a lot more serious. so if you feel depressed talk to someone about it. I talked to my doctor cause i felt comfortable enough around him but he didn't know me personally.

 

good luck man.

[luke viia]

Wellbutrin (not an SSRI) worked for me a few years ago. I stopped taking it after about a year, but it was pretty much exactly what I needed.

 

Lexapro (an SSRI) was possibly the worst prescription experience I've ever had.

 

If you're going to try medication, make sure to tell your doctor as much about your situation as possible. And don't fuck with psychiatrists that hear your story for 10 minutes and hand you a brain-altering prescription. That's quackery.

[essines]

I started having suicidal thoughts both times I took anti-depressants. So be weary.

i lol'd when my doctor told me this but he didn't think it was funny.

[oyster]

You already seem to be over the biggest hurdle, which is seeing that you're depressed.

 

 

I think you definitely have a good point here. It took me at least 4 months before I realized just how depressed I really was, and it has at least given me a slightly calmer outlook on the situation.

 

 

Are you smoking pot? I think that's the first question that pops up on watmm, but it's a good one. I would recommend stopping all (illicit) drug use first and seeing if that helps...

 

 

No, I have not smoked pot since I first recognized what was going on.

 

Keep at it. I hope things get better for you.

btw, how old are you?

 

18

 

without linking to tldr, how do you differentiate between general downess, pessimism and cynicism and clinical depression ? at what stage does it become something you need to take care of rather than something "natural", something you can treat yourself ?

 

For me, the fact that my 'downess' had become consistent and unrelenting regardless of almost anything. It started at the end of my senior year, continued into the summer, even throughout a long trip I took involving many different places and experiences . Throughout this trip until the very last month of it, when I started really sitting down and trying to get my mind around the pain I was feeling, I was smoking pot and drinking. The more I analyzed my state, the more I become aware of the fact that I was truly 'depressed' in the most traditional sense of the word. I have been enjoying things I used to love (such as music) much, much less , my intellect is definitely dulled (I find it harder to concentrate, I read much more slowly, perhaps worst of all is I feel very uncreative in general) , my memory has been worse, and I have been very lethargic and have a hard time sleeping. Also I had began to feel social anxiety in some situations, which believe it or not is something very contrary to my normal personality.

Also, I must admit to having suicidal thoughts when I feel the worst. These are not thoughts of the wallowing in self pity style but rather I generally find myself reasoning as to why suicide is a bad idea .

[goDel]

Pod, good luck with your emotions. If taking anti-depressant help you, do so by all means. But please, take a deep look at what circumstances might cause you to feel down all the time. That's easier sad than done, of course. And from my own experiences, if you're really depressed, your mind does everything to keep the true cause hidden from you anyways. What's probably the most effective is having an open minded friend who's is ready to not judge you in any way.

[SR4]

Wellbutrin (not an SSRI) worked for me a few years ago. I stopped taking it after about a year, but it was pretty much exactly what I needed.

 

Lexapro (an SSRI) was possibly the worst prescription experience I've ever had.

 

If you're going to try medication, make sure to tell your doctor as much about your situation as possible. And don't fuck with psychiatrists that hear your story for 10 minutes and hand you a brain-altering prescription. That's quackery.

 

I tried a number of anti-depressants and they were awful, awful experiences. Turns out I was misdiagnosed?, my current doctor said I have a particularly unique case of ADHD that had gone undiagnosed since puberty. I doubted this myself, but i apparently fit almost everything in the checklist (self-medication with depressants, disorganized, severe anxiety attacks, etc.) but since ive been on the proper medication my life has been irreparably better, and many days I don't even take it. But the important thing to stress is that I didn't become immediately "better" because of the meds, and I would still argue Im far from being "cured." But take it slow and steady, and find natural ways to uplift yourself (exercise, engaging in creative activities, reading) along with the synthetics you are ingesting.

 

Medication might be part of the solution, but its never the whole....anti-depressants can be dangerous things...you just have to be patient and trust that eventually one will suit you.

 

Good luck, and I hope to hear good things in the future!

[kaen]

been dealing with depression/bi-polar/bpd/major anxiety disorder and agoraphobia for the last decade, inbox me if you wanna chat.

[SR4]

kaen's offer also speaks volumes about how important a support system can be, especially when you are in a transitional phase of differing medications, diagnoses, etc. Do not hesitate to talk with anyone willing to listen, it really helps in more ways than you would think.

[marf]

you'll know if you are clinically depressed. its like being dead.

[SR4]

you'll know if you are clinically depressed. its like being dead.

 

do you know?

 

I know from experience that my friend had committed suicide. I remember talking to him a few months before about depression...he said he was depressed but "everyone else was..so whats the point of bitching".....sounds like he was clinically depressed but was not self-aware about his situation...I must respectfully disagree with a clinically depressed person "knowing" how serious it is.

[sneaksta303]

Well this is a good start for that stand up comedy career.

[SR4]

i see what you did there

[Guest boo]

you'll know if you are clinically depressed. its like being dead.

 

do you know?

 

I know from experience that my friend had committed suicide. I remember talking to him a few months before about depression...he said he was depressed but "everyone else was..so whats the point of bitching".....sounds like he was clinically depressed but was not self-aware about his situation...I must respectfully disagree with a clinically depressed person "knowing" how serious it is.

people don't always say what they feel but what they think other people might think or something (hate the way i phrased that but can't be bothered thinking of another way). er, what i'm saying is maybe he didn't want you to think badly of him for being a pussy so said "everyone else was..so whats the point of bitching".

[YEK]

[SR4]

you'll know if you are clinically depressed. its like being dead.

 

do you know?

 

I know from experience that my friend had committed suicide. I remember talking to him a few months before about depression...he said he was depressed but "everyone else was..so whats the point of bitching".....sounds like he was clinically depressed but was not self-aware about his situation...I must respectfully disagree with a clinically depressed person "knowing" how serious it is.

people don't always say what they feel but what they think other people might think or something (hate the way i phrased that but can't be bothered thinking of another way). er, what i'm saying is maybe he didn't want you to think badly of him for being a pussy so said "everyone else was..so whats the point of bitching".

 

well fair enough, but i would assume being as I was one of his closest friends and we talked about pretty important emotional matters before, that he simply was no self-aware enough to fully comprehend the degree of his depression...i certainly wasn't, though for drastically different reasons. I think there are degrees with most neurological problems, its not simply "knowing" or "not knowing" the extent or intensity of your problems...I feel like thats part of the reason so many people don't seek help.