pandagirl Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 I just started taking lexapro a couple weeks ago. It was a hard decision to start taking meds after years of on-and-off depression, but I decided it was worth a shot. So far, so good. I'm having trouble sleeping and I'm a little worried about gaining weight, but I've been able to control my obsessive thoughts A LOT better and my moods are more stable. I'm wondering who else on LS is on anti-depressants, what kinds and if they've encountered any side effects?
era Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Oh gosh, half the people I know are on Paxil - LOL Weight gain is a common side-effect of psychiatric meds.
Beautiful Inside Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 my love is on lexapro he loves it it worked great! he tried 2 other ones did not like them at all! one of my good girlfriends is one lexapro as well and she said it actually has helped curb her appetite she said shes rarely hungry and shes lost weight since shes been on it my bf said the same thing your not hungry when your on lexapro....it might take a month to fully get into your system.
whichwayisup Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Just make sure you exercise daily and really pay attention to what you're eating.. Stay away from white (enriched) bread, carbs etc and if you eat pasta, use whole wheat, not white pasta as that's just pure starch and sugar. Glad you're feeling alot better!
Ross PK Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 I'm on Mirtazapine for depression and anxiety, it seems to be working a bit, but it has made me gain a lot of weight around the mid section, it also makes me crave food a lot too. I've started working out again regulary, so hopefully that'll help me lose some of the weight I've gained.
clv0116 Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 What do these meds actually do? I mean, how does it feel to take them? I've always wondered how strong or subtle they were.
Eve Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 I took anti-depressants for a few day a good few years ago. I have a very sensitive system so they seemed to work almost straight away. I thought they were great but my Husband said that I changed.. in that I lost my fire and didnt care about busting the kids devious plans etc. So I stopped taking them and took up walking instead. It worked and I think it really helped my Hubby to feel like he could help. He was really worried about me and needed to be involved somehow.. I wont tell you what we got up to on our 'walks'.. But, I really enjoyed them (sorry but I cant remember what they were called). I can definately see why people stay on them for so long... really good stuff. In retrospect, I think I could have developed an addiction though. Take care, Eve xx
quankanne Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 wellbutrin, off and on for situational depression due to caring for dying parents, then their subsequent deaths. what an anti-depressant is *supposed* to do is bring your blood chemistry back into whack so that you're not having such extreme responses to normal everyday stimulus. Stuff like stress and chronic pain/illness (which is a physical stress on the body) can deplete certain blood chemicals. I'll post a really good article I found on this site years ago, it does a better job at 'splainin' ... no side effects with my meds, thank goodness, but every person's system responds different. My BFF said wellbutrin was the second one she tried, and it made things worse, while my body responded immediately. the chemical imbalance
clv0116 Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 I was looking more for "what does it feel like to take it" really.
Ross PK Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 A little bit more 'numbed' to the outside world, which is really great if you're so sensitive that little things can get you really depressed or really anxious.
clv0116 Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Does it actually blunt sensation or are we talking a sort of indifference to adversity here?
quankanne Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 numbed? Hmm ... that's not been my reaction. With the depression, it feel like I was existing, but apart from everyone else. Like I was underwater and could clearly see and hear what was going on around me, but still separated by the water. Distant. with the meds, I felt like I was back inside my life, not watching it.
LucreziaBorgia Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 I am on Effexor. It works for keeping away hot flashed brought on by Tamoxifen and it has really kept me from sinking into lows. The only side effect really is that it is nearly impossible to reach the peak of an orgasm. I can get mostly there, but never quite over the edge. It sucks, but the good outweighs the bad, IMO.
D-Lish Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 I take Wellbutrin. I like it, no side effects at all. I also take clonozopam for my anxiety. My depression has lifted substantially (I went through a horrible year where I cried more than I slept and had trouble leaving my apartment). I have also taken: ciprolex (couldn't sleep, hallucinated, symptoms became worse) effexor (felt better but was hungry and gained weight) Seroquel (was so drowsy I couldn't function well). Because we all react differently to medications- meds that work for some, will not work for others. I am a little more hungry now on Wellbutrin (to begin with I had no appetite) - but I make a conscious effort to work out and watch my food intake. Lots of AD's can cause weight gain, but it's a side effect that makes you hungry- so you are in control of maintaining your weight. My gf takes effexor- and she is so much better... but she has put on 30lbs. She's put on the weight because she eats more. So, if you're aware of it, you can do something about it.
Brady_to_Moss Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 I have been on Lexapro for 3 years now. 20 mg. Works good for me.
Storyrider Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 I am a little more hungry now on Wellbutrin (to begin with I had no appetite) - but I make a conscious effort to work out and watch my food intake. I went down to a half dose of the W. It was making me a bit more speedy than I wanted and giving me dry mouth. But I really miss the appetite suppressing aspect. Other than that, it is still working ok. But I accidentally skipped two days of it and felt terrible on the third day. What do you feel like if you accidentally miss it, D? Do you notice?
somedude81 Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 A couple of years ago I was on Zoloft but I stopped taking it after a month. I figured that until I changed my life style the drugs were pointless. Now I'm living in a better place and my life is on track for the path I want it to take but I'm still depressed. So I just recently started taking St. John's Wort. It's far cheaper than most SSRI's has fewer side effects and supposed to work just as well. I've been taking it for 9 days so far and I think I'm starting to notice it working. I've heard I'm supposed to take it for 2-3 weeks till I see the full effects.
Ross PK Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Does it actually blunt sensation or are we talking a sort of indifference to adversity here? I guess an indifference, it's just sorta the way you feel as well.
clv0116 Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 I guess an indifference, it's just sorta the way you feel as well. There was an interesting description of being 'inside' life instead of observing it. Is that a common sensation? Can someone describe that better? Specific examples maybe? This is a very cool discussion.
Storyrider Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 There was an interesting description of being 'inside' life instead of observing it. Is that a common sensation? Can someone describe that better? Specific examples maybe? This is a very cool discussion. Before I got on anti-depressants, I had started having more and more frequent thoughts and feelings of, "I don't belong here." It got to the point where I would work myself into a state over feeling like a stranger in my own life. I had somehow gotten myself to the wrong place, but it wasn't just a location, it was a time and a situation and the end of a winding path that had put me exactly where I was, as a stranger in my own life, and this place I had ended up was wrong, wrong, wrong and not home and could never feel like home, but this not-home place was my life itself. Afterwards, when I got on the anti-Ds, I started to see again that I'm not trapped, that I can choose what happens to me, and have since found ways to make things better and move forward.
Just Angel Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 Does it actually blunt sensation or are we talking a sort of indifference to adversity here? For me its more like meds tones things down so they dont seem so overwhelming and hopeless. with that comes a clearer mind and a better ability to cope with stress and anxiety. The first few weeks on any new med is a bit...fuzzy I guess you can say. Until my body is use to them and the levels are good, Im a bit sleepy and lack much ambition. (still an improvement over wishing I could stay sleeping forever) The only side effects Ive ever exerienced was on paxil, which took away my ability to *ehem* climax. Did have a slight panic reaction to lexapro, but it went away within 2 days.
Just Angel Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 There was an interesting description of being 'inside' life instead of observing it. Is that a common sensation? Can someone describe that better? Specific examples maybe? quote] I frequently felt like I wasnt real. As odd as that may sound. I would stop what I was doing and question myself. "am I really here? am I a real person? do I really feel that or do I just say the words?" Its a very unsettling place to be. My mom had described it as being the passenger rather than the driver in your own car, driving thru your own life. Watching life instead of being in it.
Ross PK Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 There was an interesting description of being 'inside' life instead of observing it. Is that a common sensation? Can someone describe that better? Specific examples maybe? This is a very cool discussion. Could be that before meds, whether you had depression or anxiety you weren't really taking part in life, it was more like you were just watching it. But then after the meds when they help, you are more able to take part in life instead of watching from the outside.
clv0116 Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 When people say things got better, does that mean that they can eventually taper off the meds in most cases?
Ross PK Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 When people say things got better, does that mean that they can eventually taper off the meds in most cases? Yes, you can taper off the meds, but if you're relying soley on them, then you'll just go back to how you were before meds. Some people however will do Cognative Behavioural Therapy whilst on meds, and if the CBT works, they can come off the meds and still have less or no anxiety/depression.
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