What do think about anti-depressants?

[Black Sabbath]

My Hubby thinks i should see a doctor and go on anti- depressants, but the way i see it they are not going to stop my lonliness, not going to get me friends and won't stop my hubby always trying to rule my life and i have told him this but he seems to think anti-depressants will stop me feeling miserable...as he says i'm always being miserable!

 

[Badjedidude]

Meds are never the answer. Ask almost anyone that is taking meds for being depressed/lonely, they'll tell you that they're still lonely or depressed. I'll admit that there are cases where someone is lonely because of a chemical imbalance in the brain....but personally I believe that those cases are few and far between.

IMHO, the fewer meds you take, the better (more healthy) you are.

----Steve

 

[ColaFree]

I agree with Steve on that one. The meds won't actually fix you, just make you cope. A friend of mine had been on anti depressants for a while and she quit because she said it was horrible. "You become like a robot" she said. "You walk around, but youre just there"

I'm no expert on this subject tough, so maybe you should consult a doctor if you feel that the need is serious enough, or just to get informed about the exact effects of the drug you would get prescribed. Good luck

 

[Minus]

I never got much benefit from them. The best of the ones that i was one put me into some kind of haze. At least that one allowed me to get a few hours of sleep at night. The side effects were more then i could deal with and i eventually gave them up.

There are newer medications now. I don't know how they compare. They still sometimes, have to try several before they find what is best for a person. Peoples reports seem to be mixed. Some people find them to be a great help to them, while others aren't impressed.

 

[EveWasFramed]

Meds are used to treat the symptons, not cure the issues (one exception is if there is a chemical imbalance for example). I think people sometimes view them as just the opposite. It's like having a cold...you can't "cure" a cold, you can only treat the symptoms. Cold medicine treats the symptoms to make you more comfortable. Medicine can be helpful, but it depends on the reason it's being taken and what the person expects from it.
lol, before anyone says it, I'm NOT comparing loneliness, depression, etc. to a common cold. This is just an analogy, lol.


EDIT: On a sidenote, you may have to try SEVERAL medications before you find one that works best for you.

 

[PoWer2tHePeOpLE]

my personal belief is that meds are a band aid solution and that the core issues are more or less covered up, though i have heard that sometimes there seems to be no (apparent) alternative to the suffering the individual is going through.

i think its a pretty heavy decision to alter the brain chemistry and go further into the unknown. personally i would be frightened to take these powerful chemicals.

it sounds like your gut feeling is that medication wouldn't stop your lonliness anyway and i tend to agree, or your husband from trying to 'rule your life' and it sounds like this is more his idea than yours.. from your post it sounds like he doesn't want to have a 'miserable' wife. sounds pretty arrogant and selfish on his part to me.

if you do decide to 'experiment' with what the medical establishment has to offer in this area then i suggest you try and be as clear as you can be that you are doing it for yourself and not for anyone else, including a society that has a rich undercurrent of stigma against those that aren't smiling and being happy all the friggin time.. seriously, back off world! leave me to my misery if i so choose.

 

[Tyche]

I have been off and on anti-depressents the past six years, finally giving up on them completely 7 months ago. Sometimes they can make you feel worse and more depressed/exhausted. I liked the ones i had that left me feeling calm, but after awhile leaving the house in backwards/inside out clothes and sometimes forgetting to take them, i quit. I'm already stuck on other pills for the rest of my life. They could help, but i figured i didn't want them anymore. It's your decision to make, and your choice. Do you want to fill the void with meds, or find something else instead?

 

[SophiaGrace]

I was on anti depressants..

When I went on them I was crying nonstop. And i was having the type of crying spells where I'd cry and then NOT feel better at all after I had cried (like a person normally would). I couldnt even SMILE. It was that bad...

The anti depressents helped me to stop crying and helped me to learn to smile again...they brought me out of the deepest part of my depression to a point where I could work with myself to bring myself FURTHER out of it.

So...antidepressants DO help when you are SEVERELY depressed...

They're part of the solution, but not the entire solution itself.

 

[Ravager1663]

I'm sceptical when it comes to medication actually helping against depression. I've been on several different ones throughout the years and they never kept me from feeling really depressed. They have, however, helped to lower my anxiety by a good amount. Which can be very, very helpful to some people (especially if you suffer from an anxiety related disorder, like I do).

Anyways, I would avoid any kind of "anti-depressant" unless you truly feel like you need them. The side-effects can be truly bothersome. The ones I take these days, for example, seem to make me feel incredibly tired. So it's basically about choosing the lesser of two evils. There is no magical cure, unfortunately!

 

[CAS]

I echo what 'Ravager1663' said.

 

[*heretostay*]

I dont agree with meds. Every counselor ive been to has tried to put me on meds. I see it the same way as those advertisements that would like you to think you can pop a pill and lose a bunch of weight. it just doesnt work that way.

for me it took a long time to sort things out- four years. i read tons of books, joined forums, meditation, exercise, try to get healthy, make friends, support groups, etc. slowly but surely things seem to be turning around. i was a mess. after i moved in with my husband my life went down the tubes. I didnt leave my house for weeks, slept all day, up all night, didnt shower, got fired from jobs, quit jobs, breaking things in fits of rage, self-injury, medication overdose (not really a suicide attempt. more to try and get attention), and those sort of things. After four years of that im ok now. Im making friends and feeling pretty good about my life. Never used psychiatric drugs. My counselor is very shocked by how much ive accomplished in the last two years. i think she's probably shocked im still alive.

 

[oarivan]

There's a lot of hate for meds these days. I've found they work for me but not on their own. It's not a magical cure for all that ails ya but combined with therapy I've found it quite effective. You could argue its the therapy thats helping me and not the meds but I disagree. I have a friend with clinical depression who takes her meds and leads a slightly better life because of it.