I'm going to ask the doctor for a strong anti-depresant for only a couple of days.

a reply to: musicismagic

Antidepressants take time to get to a therapeutic level in the bloodstream. They typically take 2-4 weeks to actually start working, and they have to be taken every day. And they're not addictive, but improper use or stopping the use of them suddenly can result in some adverse side effects.

a reply to: musicismagic

Thanks guys. But different countries have different policies then America. I don't want to really take a drug, I'd prefer a natural route, but none is available, and with alcohol, well, maybe I'll end up with a bottle of Akadama Red Wine, don't know, but this is something I've never had to travel through before before.

Policies are not the issue. It is the fact that there are no antidepressants out there on the market that are meant for temporary use. They don't work that quickly. Now, if you're talking about anxiety meds, that's quite a bit different. However, if you've got a history of substance abuse, benzodiazepines (which are the most common anti-anxiety meds) are a really bad idea...even one dose can result in chemical addiction.

a reply to: real_one

a reply to: musicismagic

Tell the doctor that you suffer anxiety attacks when you travel and that you have a couple days of being in car coming up.

Tell him you usually take Xanax 2 MG during these attacks. You better not be driving and they are heavily addictive so be careful.

USA is easy to get prescription but more difficult in other Western countries. Enjoy the Benzo coma

eta:

Alprazolam is generic name outside U.S.
edit on 23-8-2015 by real_one because: (no reas

Why would you suggest something like that? Benzos are not antidepressants, they are highly addictive, and the OP alludes to a history of substance abuse. The very last thing someone who has struggled with addiction in the past needs is a sedative medication like Xanax.

a reply to: CJCrawley

Can we just establish some facts here, people?

Yes, antidepressants can take up to 4 weeks to take effect (longer than that is very exceptional). The operant phrase here is "up to"; on the two occasions in my life when I was prescribed them, they took precisely 3 days.

Just because it happened that way for you personally does not mean it will for everyone else. At the very least, it takes 10 days to build up to a therapeutic level in the bloodstream, which is measurable by a serum blood test. Working faster than that is most likely attributable to the placebo effect, not anything physiological.

It is actually quite alarming to see how many people are suggesting that this person take benzodiazepines for undiagnosed depression. They are the absolute worst thing someone with clinical depression can take. They can cause massive chemical dependency and severe worsening of depression, and even suicidal ideations. They are not prescribed for depression. OP needs to go to a doctor and have a proper exam, blood tests and other diagnostics to even know for sure that it is in fact, depression...and then let the doc prescribe accordingly. "Feeling depressed" is something that is very temporary and does not require meds...true clinical depression is not even remotely the same thing, and the only one who can determine that is a physician.

originally posted by: Mugly

cannabis induced psychosis and weaponized skunk

now ive heard it all

Well, live and learn. Deny ignorance, and all that. I prefer to listen to experts in these matters. Are you an expert?

> Substance induced psychosis WIKI
> Cannabis and mental health RCPSYCH

Back to topic...

Mind is a UK charity which I support. Some advice in dealing with depression... > Dealing with depression Mind

a reply to: tigertatzen

Are you aware that the placebo effect accounts for only around 30% of the efficacy of any given drug?

There are plenty of genuinely depressed people who respond rapidly to antidepressants...that's why the medical advice is vague about exactly when they will begin to work. Also, a point which I think you might be missing is that we are only talking about when these drugs BEGIN to take effect; of course, they will usually take a while longer to reach a plateau.

I know this because I have suffered from depression and have taken antidepressants - but I am also a registered mental health nurse and have witnessed various people's responses to antidepressants with my own eyes.

What's this thing about "10 days to build up to a therapeutic level"? Do tell me more about that.

a reply to: CJCrawley

a reply to: tigertatzen

Are you aware that the placebo effect accounts for only around 30% of the efficacy of any given drug?

There are plenty of genuinely depressed people who respond rapidly to antidepressants...that's why the medical advice is vague about exactly when they will begin to work. Also, a point which I think you might be missing is that we are only talking about when these drugs BEGIN to take effect; of course, they will usually take a while longer to reach a plateau.

I know this because I have suffered from depression and have taken antidepressants - but I am also a registered mental health nurse and have witnessed various people's responses to antidepressants with my own eyes.

What's this thing about "10 days to build up to a therapeutic level"? Do tell me more about that.

Like I said, just because you feel that your medication worked within three days, does not mean that it will do so for others. When someone receives an antidepressant such as an SSRI, there are side effects that will automatically make someone severely depressed "feel better", and sometimes within hours. Heart rate increases, blood flow is increased, the person feels more energetic, more alert...that difference can be profound in someone suffering from severe clinical depression.

But for the medication to actually start working well enough to reverse a depressed state, it must reach a constant level in the bloodstream. A therapeutic level. Bringing the chemicals in the brain back into homeostasis. If you are a "mental health nurse", I should not even need to explain that to you. That is something you should have learned in nursing school.

If your meds made you feel better in three days, it was either due to your mind telling you it was working (placebo effect) or due to the side effects that (much like amphetamines) perked you up. But the medicine did not actually "start working" in three days' time. If it did, your case would be gracing the pages of a medical journal somewhere.

Im not a doctor, but anti depressant take a long time to start affecting you, thats why they usually start you off on smaller doses to be able to monitor if theres any changes.

a reply to: tigertatzen

just because you feel that your medication worked within three days, does not mean that it will do so for others.

Never said it did or implied such. My point was that it might happen sooner rather than later.

When someone receives an antidepressant such as an SSRI, there are side effects that will automatically make someone severely depressed "feel better", and sometimes within hours.

So not necessarily placebo?

For example. I was started on one AD, and 3 days later I had a severe panic attack while at work. I wasn't at the time suffering from panic attacks - it came from out of the blue. It was absolutely not my expectation (which was that I would start to feel nice). The doctor recognised this as a problematic side effect with this certain drug; he didn't say, "Are you sure you didn't imagine this? It's only been 3 days, it shouldn't have started to work yet."

No, he stopped the drug, put me on a different one, and then I started feeling really good...about 3 days later.

I have known some patients with advanced dementia start to improve after 2 days. Obviously they had no clue what they were taking or why. So, not likely attributable to the placebo effect.

a reply to: musicismagic

Here's the problem. He won't just give you the strongest anti-depressant. He will first try to decide which family of Anti-depressants are best to treat your problem.

This does not mean you will receive the right drug, because there are multiple families of drugs with plenty of variations under them.

I went through 5 different anti-depressants and yeah they all did something but they didn't solve, or really help my problems.

Some of them made me high, like I couldn't move, I was dizzy, cotton mouthed world spinning messed with my ability to think.

Another made me violent, and I would fly off the deep end for just stupid things I normally wouldn't be bothered by.

Another made me more depressed, very tired, lethargic, Apathetic, I just went dark.

The last Sort of worked, but it eventually made me dark and hateful of everything. I wasn't sad, but I began to believe the world was out to get me and that those that couldn't see what the world was doing to us didn't deserve to live. I conspired to hurt people, and after a fairly good session of thinking about doing really violent awful disgusting things approached my doctor, and we weened me off those anti-depressants starting on very strong anti-anxiety meds, then slowly working me onto weaker ones at lower doses, then off those all together.

Just be careful, there are hundreds if not thousands of anti-depressants and most doctors(maybe even all) pretty much guess at what will work for you. My brother is on one of the anti-depressants I was and it works wonderfully for him. That same one, was the one that made me conspire to do awful things.

Just be careful.

Life comes with it's difficulties, please be sure your issues need medicine before you pursue them.

I could not be happier in my life right now, and do not take any medicine or drugs. If your life feels miserable maybe it's time to look at changing life. The way you live it, who you share it with, or how you choose to experience it... I know that's easier said then done, but that is what helped me.

a reply to: musicismagic

I sympathize for you. I have been there many times, been through a lot of things and have tried many antidepressants for the short term.

Antidepressants take a few weeks to build up in your system. Since every body chemistry is not the same not all people will get the same reactions, thus there is no "best" antidepressants. It may take months for you to find out which one will be best for you or you may get lucky with the first one. In my experience I had pills that made me feel like I was having serotonin syndrome, or like I took a bad extacy pill. No matter what brand on the lowest dose, I get really bad adverse effects so I can't take them.

If you are set on it, you will have to work on this with your doctor. If alternatives are an option maybe try St johns wort or kava. Kava is like a benzo but for me it works instantly, it calms me down and lifts my mood. I understand you need relief and wish you the best on your bump in the road of life.

a reply to: musicismagic
^ what he said. Anti depressants or ssri inhibitors take weeks to work. They have to build up in your system for a long time before they start to alter brain chemistry.

You can probably get Xanax or cholnopin relatively easy though. They are prescribed for nervousness or sever stress. Be careful though, becoming dependent and then stopping cold turkey will send you into seizures. My coworker was prescribed chlonopin after he lost his newborn son. So, they will definitely prescribe for depression.

People have already mentioned it takes time for anti-depressents to work. What hasn't been said yet is that you can't just stop taking them either. Any time you take a drug that messes with brain chemistry you have to slowly wean off of it.
If you try and take high doses for a few days and then abruptly stop, you'll end up feeling worse than the reason you tried them to begin with.

originally posted by: Mugly

originally posted by: stellawayten
so say a friend gave you a couple and it didn't work if they ask were they got it.

.

you guys are giving terrible advice to the OP
this is what a doctor would see as textbook drug seeking behavior which is exactly what the OP is doing.

terrible advice.

hey OP
why dont you do things on the level and go to a doctor and tell them your issue and let the doc, you know, the medical professional figure it out

Tomorrow I'll see the doctor. Maybe something will be prescribed. I'm not at into taking medications unless absolutely necessary. (life saving)

I want to thank all of you for posting and with your suggestions. Again, thanks.

originally posted by: ckhk3
a reply to: musicismagic

I sympathize for you. I have been there many times, been through a lot of things and have tried many antidepressants for the short term.

Antidepressants take a few weeks to build up in your system. Since every body chemistry is not the same not all people will get the same reactions, thus there is no "best" antidepressants. It may take months for you to find out which one will be best for you or you may get lucky with the first one. In my experience I had pills that made me feel like I was having serotonin syndrome, or like I took a bad extacy pill. No matter what brand on the lowest dose, I get really bad adverse effects so I can't take them.

If you are set on it, you will have to work on this with your doctor. If alternatives are an option maybe try St johns wort or kava. Kava is like a benzo but for me it works instantly, it calms me down and lifts my mood. I understand you need relief and wish you the best on your bump in the road of life.

Thanks, it's just that I've never been faced with this situation in life and at my age and living in a foreign country, it is extremely difficult for me to make a right decession on what to do about the situation I'm faced with.

a reply to: tigertatzen

Why would you suggest something like that? Benzos are not antidepressants, they are highly addictive,

Benzos are very good at what they are designed for , and yes they are abused , and yes they are not anti depressants . But in my case they are probably the reason i am still alive , they filled a gap while i went through the anti depressant catalogue until one worked . As for addiction , well in my case yes and no , mentally yes , physically no . I had no trouble stopping ( 4 mg xanax daily ) but to be fair it was a self quitting program over quite a few weeks . Here ( Australia ) it is pretty tightly controlled now and i doubt you could get long term prescriptions . BTW i quit well before these restrictions came into practise .