Antidepressants??

[Josmatjes]

Hi, just wondering about antidepressants?

Do they seriously help with depression?

And what are the side effects of them?

 

I'm 9 months since dday and I'm still not doing as well as I'd hoped. A friend of mine mentioned taking something.

 

Any advice would be welcome.....thank you

[Jessie1231]

I've been off and on them for a long time. With me, they work for a while but then I usually get over whatever little hump I have and just stop taking them. So yes, they do help you get over problems. It's good to go to a therapist at the same time because that will speed things up as well.

 

The side effects depend on which anti depressant. Sleepiness, sleeplessness, weight gain, weight loss, decrease in sex drive, etc. I've has all these side effects and then some, so ask your doctor what patients usually have with whatever meds you might try. Sometimes the side effects aren't worth the benefits and you'll need to switch. It takes a while to find one that is right for you, but once you do they can definitely help.

[Oneness]

Sometimes they work..I am bipolar, and was on them for years. But during breakups with my exboyfriend, I would up my dose of celexa to what I need in a full blown depression and it didn;t help. What does help me is taking lorazepam, it is generic ativan and in the same family as valium. I take a low dose, ,05 milligrams, and it takes the edge off...the pain goes away. But I don't want to become dependent on them...I orginally took them for panic attacks.

[CarrieT]

They only work - I believe - in conjunction with therapy and carefully guided medical supervision.

 

There are so many different anti-depressants that can cause bad side effects that it is important to have constant monitoring. They are NOT feel-good pills! They manipulate the brain chemistry.

 

My step-daughter has been suicidal for almost a year and we have had to go through four different types of SSIs to find one that worked for her.

 

Just having a doctor give you an antidepressant might work for the placebo effect, but if you are truly depressed, it needs to be a combined effort with a psychologist (talking therapy) and psychiatrist (medical therapy).

[Josmatjes]

I already see a therapist, I'm going to speak to her about what she feels is best.

[ZiggyZoo]

Absolutely they can work, and the side effects are worth the benefits. I've had depression for almost 20 years now, and I've gotten to the point with long-term therapy where I only need meds in times of extreme duress. I think it's great that you're seeing a therapist too, mine was a lifesaver.

[carhill]

Another suggestion, if not already done: Get a baseline physical with complete blood work. Assess for physical or organic causes for your feelings of depression.

 

Based on your description, some of this may be situational. I first came to understand that distinction when discussing depression with our psychologist in MC, as my exW stated she believed I was depressed so we worked that aspect.

 

Do you have a history of mental or emotional issues? That would be another aspect to work with a practitioner.

 

I learned a lot about the brain caring for a mentally ill person. Interesting organ. Lots of stuff has to go right and it's easy for things to be off, from a lot of different places. Some can be physical/organic. Some from stimulus/stimulus response. Some psychological/behavioral. A lot is still unknown.

 

During a few particularly low moments during caregiving and marital breakdown, I tried some of the heavy duty stuff in my pharmacy and noted it kind of dulled things a bit. Best description was that the chemicals caused me to care less about feeling bad, for lack of a better way to describe it. The more mellow of the stuff I tried, Seroquel, probably worked the best, helping me shut off my brain and get some sleep. Fortunately, a medical doctor has to prescribe that stuff for most people. Use any brain drugs with caution, IMO. I certainly was no shining example of caution back then.

 

If, historically, you've felt 'OK' and the docs can't find anything physically, then it's down to life choices and processing. That's stuff a psychologist or therapist can help with. Good luck!