br0kenheArt Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Do antidepressants help heal the pain of a breakup? Link to post Share on other sites
54JA Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 No not really. But I am on celexa, and it helps with some obsessive and extreme thinking. I don't think any anti-depressant will help with the bomb of the initial pain, but helps you be functional if you are so depressed to the point where all you do is lay in bed. Link to post Share on other sites
mightycpa Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Do you think it slows the healing process by masking the pain? I found that embracing the pain and feeling it was the only way to heal. I couldn't avoid it. I'm sure I asked that question somewhere around here earlier. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
writergal Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Are you thinking of getting on an antidepressant OP? Will this be your first time using one for stress? I'm strongly against using drugs of any kind to get over relationships. The best cure is time. The problem with our society is the instant gratification expectation. Recover as quickly as possible from something just isn't realistic. Getting over a break up takes time. The only thing an antidepressant will do is give you side effects and make you even more depressed (depression is a common side effect of SSRIs). To get over a break up au natural: exercise, structure your day with activity, outings with friends and family, work, school, hobbies, get some sleep, journal, post here for support, and give your mind and your body TIME to heal. There is no set "end date" when you'll be over your break up. You'll recover at your own pace (as long as you don't perseverate aka "dwell" which can delay your recovery). To each his/her own. Just my opinion not to medicate yourself. I'm sure some here will recommend the use of medication like antidepressant b/c it worked for them. But why drug yourself up? How does that help you get over the emotional and physical pain? I view medication as a convenient band-aid, a crutch. It prolongs healing b/c it numbs the pain so the person never really recovers and stays in a constant state of feeling numb or apathetic. Eww. Why drag it out? Feel the pain and agony b/c after a while that will disappear and be replaced by feelings of happiness and wholeness again. Link to post Share on other sites
mightycpa Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Are you thinking of getting on an antidepressant OP? Will this be your first time using one for stress? I'm strongly against using drugs of any kind to get over relationships. The best cure is time. The problem with our society is the instant gratification expectation. Recover as quickly as possible from something just isn't realistic. Getting over a break up takes time. The only thing an antidepressant will do is give you side effects and make you even more depressed (depression is a common side effect of SSRIs). To get over a break up au natural: exercise, structure your day with activity, outings with friends and family, work, school, hobbies, get some sleep, journal, post here for support, and give your mind and your body TIME to heal. There is no set "end date" when you'll be over your break up. You'll recover at your own pace (as long as you don't perseverate aka "dwell" which can delay your recovery). To each his/her own. Just my opinion not to medicate yourself. I'm sure some here will recommend the use of medication like antidepressant b/c it worked for them. But why drug yourself up? How does that help you get over the emotional and physical pain? I view medication as a convenient band-aid, a crutch. It prolongs healing b/c it numbs the pain so the person never really recovers and stays in a constant state of feeling numb or apathetic. Eww. Why drag it out? Feel the pain and agony b/c after a while that will disappear and be replaced by feelings of happiness and wholeness again. What she said. I took up running, and learned later that this releases brain chemicals that counteract the effect of breakup brain chemicals. Just lucky, I guess. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
writergal Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Do you think it slows the healing process by masking the pain? I found that embracing the pain and feeling it was the only way to heal. I couldn't avoid it. I'm sure I asked that question somewhere around here earlier. 100% agree with you. Embrace the pain. As a society we numb ourselves with vices (medication, alcohol, drugs, sex) so that we don't have to feel emotional or physical pain. Yet all those vices do is repress the pain down and hide it underneath a layer of depression and numbness, of apathy. The time I spent with Buddhist monks the year I taught in Southern China, I actually discussed this issue with them and they agree with your observation: the best way to heal from pain is to embrace it. Feel your way through the pain to the other side where relief, wholeness, and understanding are. Sounds hokey I know, but I'm not a New Ager at all. Crystals? No thanks. Chanting? No thanks. Mantras? No thanks. But the act of just sitting with yourself, feeling whatever pain or thoughts and then letting them go and not control you is what these Buddhist monks talked about as the healthiest way to deal with emotions. The lesson: don't avoid the pain. Face it. It's only temporary anyway. Everything in life is temporary. Link to post Share on other sites
writergal Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 What she said. I took up running, and learned later that this releases brain chemicals that counteract the effect of breakup brain chemicals. Just lucky, I guess. More than lucky. Smart. You know yourself and trust yourself well enough that you took care of yourself by taking up running as a way to feel the pain and work through it from your breakup. I would love for Big Pharma to go bankrupt if everyone would put down their pill bottles as a coping mechanism and instead listen to their own bodies and minds and embrace their pain naturally and work through it until it disappears. No side effects except wisdom and acceptance. Much better than the side effects listed on pill bottles. Link to post Share on other sites
guest569 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 For me it numbed the pain for a while. Note that it did not "heal" the pain. That takes time. I tried everything else and it really irritates me that people think those who resort to medication are somehow weak, stupid, lazy etc. i am a runner. I meditate, take bubble baths, play with animals, spend time with family. I tried counseling, joining clubs, every lame suggestion. I was severely depressed and wanted to kill myself. Yes, medication helped me. If you find that you just cant cope..As a last resort, it is there. But ask the GP their opinion. Link to post Share on other sites
Justaguy30 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I don't know if embracing the pain is a good thing if you are in so much pain you can't function. I was there after my breakup, my whole body hurt for weeks. It was awful!!!! I still haven't gotten on any meds but ill tell you this. I wish I would have. Link to post Share on other sites
d0nnivain Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Anti-depressants work well if you have a chemical imbalance in your body. If you are depressed & know why, like from the pain of a break up, chemicals are not the answer. You can't get happy from a pill. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronni_W Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 (edited) Do antidepressants help heal the pain of a breakup? No. They do numb the pain...so that is a "help"...but they do nothing to heal the underlying cause of the pain. There is more that can go wrong with using anti-depressants alone...but, as an adjunct to talk or some other therapeutic modality, can be helpful if viewed as a short-term measure for the most immediate, acute, debilitating effects of loss. Edited August 19, 2014 by Ronni_W spelling Link to post Share on other sites
Standard-Fare Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 If you can find natural ways to get your mind in a healthy place, that's always preferable. Exercise is a good suggestion. However, I can say that antidepressants did help me get over one past breakup. When I'm depressed my thought patterns are really circular/repetitive, and prevent me from focusing on much of anything. In the case of one breakup, I found myself stuck in that whirlpool for far too long. Three months into it, I remember trying to watch a fairly simple movie (in a theater, big screen) and I couldn't follow the plot for the life of me. So you can imagine how effective I was with work and other responsibilities at this time. I sought help, went on meds, and within about a month my thoughts were following a more normal pattern (i.e. not returning to this person every two minutes). The meds didn't make me "happy," but they lifted me out of that whirlpool. Just sharing a personal experience. The answer is different for everyone. Link to post Share on other sites
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