Anti-Depressants and medication in general

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R

Rosebolt

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Since mid 2010 i've been taking the anti-depressant Sertraline (otherwise known as Zoloft, so i've read.) Since i've been taking it my depression evolved alot, more or less starting around the time i've been taking this medication.

They say it clearly to you when you begin it that it's not a cure, it's not a magical pill that takes away all your troubles, i didn't expect such. It was to play a supportive role that should be seen as next to the daily group therapy i was having at the time.

Looking back, i've had 2 group therapies, the first lasting around 10 months, focussing on "social anxiety disorder" and the second lasting 14 months, focussing on "PDD-NOS" which is a "disorder" of the autism spectrum. I got the PDD-NOS lable around 20 months ago. I can't say i feel much better since i did back then, and at some times only worse. Loneliness has always played a big part in my depression, and it seemed to have only build up, becoming next to unbearable recently, hence why i'm here now.

However that is beside the point. Sertraline, and SSRI's in general have nasty side effects, slower reaction times, drowsiness, memory loss, to name a few. For me it feels more like these medication are just another way to brainwash people. Keep them quiet, etc.

Having taken Sertraline for more then 2 years i think i can honestly say that i wish i did not start taking it. I've tried stopping once without consent of my psychiatrist, and the withdrawal symptoms were very weird, and annoying to say the least, so i started taking them again. Eventually i told the psychiatrist that i wanted to stop and deal with my stuff without the meds. He saw it as a good thing, surprisingly. However that too didn't end well, and long story short, i ended up taking them again, which i do to this day.

I'm rambling way too much, let's get to the point. Has anyone on here have any experience with such medication? Did it work for you? And how do you think about it?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
 
Hey,

I've had a bad time with depression, and I used meds for 2 years to calm my mind and get a bit of perspective before moving off them recently to a therapy based treatment system.

I first was put on Citalopram, after a short time I upped to its max dose, and aside from a side effect of some crazy, vivid dreaming, it really worked well for me for around 18 months.

The medical authorities changed the allowed max dose of it however, and the new lower max dose didn't work as well for me, so I was moved to Fluoxetine (Prozac) and spent about 6 months on that before finally coming off it this year.

Basically, although they take a while to build up in your system and start working (you'll see the more long-term results from about 6-8 weeks in), they can be very beneficial in helping with some of the chemical imbalance symptoms of depression. Levelling the amount of stuff like serotonin in the brain gives you more of a chance to get your thoughts back in order, and although its not a permenant fix, this provides a great basis from which to begin dealing with the root cause issues that have led to the condition.

Also, the side effects are temporary. Citalopram made me feel high for the first 2 weeks, and for the first few months I'd get some really random side effects (little random twitches that felt like ice cold water going through my mind, short term nausea) and long term odd dreams ( but not nightmares) that were livable-with.

I would say stick with it, and best of luck. Remember, if one type doesn't work - there are other types of AD medication that work best for different people. If you find the right meds at the right dose, with an understanding doctor, you will have then a good stable base-point from which to make a good start on beating the illness.

*edit, when I say "stick with it", I mean treatment/meds themselves, not necessarily this particular medication. If its not worked for you after 2 years, it might be time to try another type.
 
I'm really glad it worked for you. Yes it takes a while to actually work, around 4 weeks they told me. I also have the weird dreams, but i actually like that, livens up the night a bit. Anyway thanks for the advice, like i said, i've had therapy during the time i took it, and i still have regular sessions. But switching to a different type is surely worth considering, thanks!

And again, i'm glad you have had a more positive experience with medication!
 
:)
Also worth noting is that it isn't just the type of medication that can have an effect, but the dosage they have to get just right for you.

When Citalopram's max dose was moved from 60mg to 40mg I had to start taking the lesser dose. Within a few weeks I had developed a pretty severe and very weird paranoia, which is why I was moved to Prozac.
 
Are you sure the paranoia was because of the lower dose, and not because they were withdrawal symptoms? I sound like i don't believe you don't i, that's not how i mean this. Anyway yeah i used to have 150 mg a day, at the moment i have 100 mg a day, and we're probably building back to 150 mg. At the moment i'm putting on a big mask for pretty everyone that i'm feeling well and am alright though, so my psychiatrist might not feel the need to increase it further.

Now upon reading your reply again you said "within weeks" which means it took a while before the paranoia set in after the dosage was reduced. So i guess my thoughts of withdrawal symptoms are wrong.
 
I took Zoloft last year and got a side effect towards the end of the first month or so. Bruxism, pretty bad. I kinda always had it tough but the maedication made it worse. So after talking about it w/ my therapist we decided to stop the medication.

Then I tried Midax and my prolactine began to rise so that had to be stopped as well.

And now I've been thinking about continuing to try medications and I don't think I'm gonna do it for now at least. I don't really feel too depressed now and I'm concerned about the side effects...
 
Rosebolt said:
Since mid 2010 i've been taking the anti-depressant Sertraline (otherwise known as Zoloft, so i've read.) Since i've been taking it my depression evolved alot, more or less starting around the time i've been taking this medication.

They say it clearly to you when you begin it that it's not a cure, it's not a magical pill that takes away all your troubles, i didn't expect such. It was to play a supportive role that should be seen as next to the daily group therapy i was having at the time.

Looking back, i've had 2 group therapies, the first lasting around 10 months, focussing on "social anxiety disorder" and the second lasting 14 months, focussing on "PDD-NOS" which is a "disorder" of the autism spectrum. I got the PDD-NOS lable around 20 months ago. I can't say i feel much better since i did back then, and at some times only worse. Loneliness has always played a big part in my depression, and it seemed to have only build up, becoming next to unbearable recently, hence why i'm here now.

However that is beside the point. Sertraline, and SSRI's in general have nasty side effects, slower reaction times, drowsiness, memory loss, to name a few. For me it feels more like these medication are just another way to brainwash people. Keep them quiet, etc.

Having taken Sertraline for more then 2 years i think i can honestly say that i wish i did not start taking it. I've tried stopping once without consent of my psychiatrist, and the withdrawal symptoms were very weird, and annoying to say the least, so i started taking them again. Eventually i told the psychiatrist that i wanted to stop and deal with my stuff without the meds. He saw it as a good thing, surprisingly. However that too didn't end well, and long story short, i ended up taking them again, which i do to this day.

I'm rambling way too much, let's get to the point. Has anyone on here have any experience with such medication? Did it work for you? And how do you think about it?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

They are a way to control people. Which is why I'd say, you've got a good psychiatrist.

Okay, here's what you do if you can't quit a drug. Tell the psych that you're likely to be addicted, and no matter what you say later, do not prescribe this drug again. Even if you beg and plead. Now, you can either outright dump all the pills in the toilet and flush (my recommendation) and opt for more counseling for help coping with the side-effects, or reduce the pill to half-pill to quarter-pill to none.
 
Got an appointment tomorrow evening to get a prescription from the family doctor. Hopefully that, coupled with therapy, will keep me from snapping and checking out early halfway through this semester. The mixed reactions here do have me worried a bit, but it's only going to be a trial run, so I may not stay on them for that long.

I don't quite follow this whole idea that they're just a method of controlling people. If you're willingly taking a pill to counteract a neurotransmitter deficiency, and are aware of the side-effects, how are you being controlled?
 
Lone Apothecary said:
I don't quite follow this whole idea that they're just a method of controlling people. If you're willingly taking a pill to counteract a neurotransmitter deficiency, and are aware of the side-effects, how are you being controlled?

I am being controlled in that i don't know what chemical waste they put in that stuff, and what that does to me. However this links alot my "conspiracy theorist" side.

I don't think you should worry too much, evidently anti-depressants do work, however i personally believe it will be your therapy that will help the most. I think you'll be fine, just as Lady X said, it's more of a matter of what type of medication works best for you.
 
Rosebolt said:
I am being controlled in that i don't know what chemical waste they put in that stuff, and what that does to me. However this links alot my "conspiracy theorist" side.

I don't think you should worry too much, evidently anti-depressants do work, however i personally believe it will be your therapy that will help the most. I think you'll be fine, just as Lady X said, it's more of a matter of what type of medication works best for you.

Sweet, chemical waste. Let's see if I can't grow me some extra limbs. Probably not. Probably just tumors, but, hey, you take what you can get.

In all seriousness though, I can see why that would bring about concern. Assuming there are no odd things added to the medication, they already have some pretty spook side effects. Got enough Prozac for a 2-week trial run and some Clonazepam in case the Prozac makes my anxiety spazz out (hopefully I won't need that). Here's hoping for no tumors or spooky side-effects!

I don't really have an opinion yet. I'm about to experience it first hand and I've started doing more intensive research now that I know what I'm going to be taking. I shall possibly return at some point in the near-to-moderately-distant future.
 
SophiaGrace said:
Prozac actually has an anti-anxiety effect.

Mmhmm, that's the intended effect. No clue how common it is, but apparently one possible side effect is increased anxiety. Don't quote me on that; that's what the doc said, but I've yet to do enough research to be sure.
 
Been put on loxapine and trazadone for life after a major depressive episode. It makes me kinda numb but calm all the time. I tried coming off them a couple of times but the withdrawal was very bad. I had the shakes and felt like crawling out of my skin. The anxiety was very bad.
 
Lone Apothecary said:
SophiaGrace said:
Prozac actually has an anti-anxiety effect.

Mmhmm, that's the intended effect. No clue how common it is, but apparently one possible side effect is increased anxiety. Don't quote me on that; that's what the doc said, but I've yet to do enough research to be sure.


Oh man that's a sweet Lovecraft sig!! I have that very edition book too :D BIG HPL fan here!

Prozac however, I'm not a fan of.

I was on 40mg for around 6 months and it did nothing for me. I had previously been on Citalopram 60mg which worked wonders, but then the max legal dose became 40... and well if you see my post further it up it explains the rest. So I was on Prozac, but my anxiety wasn't impacted by it. Wasn't made worse, but wasn't made better.

However, SSRIs (which Prozac and Citalopram both are) do often cause a temporary rise in anxiety before they kick in. I had it with both. My doctor confirmed its very common for anxiety patients to experience this. He said the reason wasnt scientifically confirmed, but I believe if you are suffering from anxiety, then the slight side effects you get like "head flutters" (kinda a momentary feeling like ice water in your brain) and slight nausea and "high" feeling could naturally trigger your anxiety response. This goes away as the side effects are temporary, and once they kick in the anxiety level lowers.

I am inclined towards suspicion of mind drugs and especially big pharma , and would not take any medicine without knowing exactly what it is. but... I did a LOT of homework when I was initially prescribed, and SSRIs are not a "mind altering substance". Literally they just stop the gut from re-absorbing serotonin as fast, so it keeps this "happy hormone" in the bloodstream>mind for longer, which boosts the mood. Literally thats it.
 
Lady X said:
Oh man that's a sweet Lovecraft sig!! I have that very edition book too :D BIG HPL fan here!

I know, right. I've been swapping quotes and song excerpts in and out of my sig like mad, but then I saw that gif and couldn't resist. Good to see someone else who appreciates Lovecraftian fiction (which I already suspected based on your awesome desktop).

Lady X said:
Prozac however, I'm not a fan of.

However, SSRIs do often cause a temporary rise in anxiety before they kick in. I had it with both. My doctor confirmed its very common for anxiety patients to experience this... This goes away as the side effects are temporary, and once they kick in the anxiety level lowers.

I am inclined towards suspicion of mind drugs and especially big pharma , and would not take any medicine without knowing exactly what it is.

Hmm, I hope it works for me, but I'm not even a week in yet, let alone 6-8.

Yeah, my doctor said it might be a problem at first. I'm not feeling anything as of yet, so I haven't taken any of the Clonazepam.

I'm not big on psychoactive drugs in general. I don't even like how chatty I get when I ingest caffeine sometimes.
 

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