So Im On Anti Depressants....

Originally posted by wigit
Sorry if you're feeling a little down and anxious. I think you should let it take it's course and wallow for a bit then try to lighten up. That's my advice. If you're seriously ill then get a thorough diagnosis. Don't take the first "script" you're offered.

Just wanted to ask a question of those folk who take anti-depressants. When you get your first prescription, does the doctor tell you how long you'll be on them, or do you ask, or neither?

I was offered prozac once to deal with a muscle problem I have. I binned the prescription because there was no discussion about how the pills were going to help me. I wasn't depressed so what would be "better" when the pills run out?

I'm biased against these sorts of medication because when my gran died my mum got some rashes on her elbows and knees. The doc said it was stress and gave her valium. She should have gotten some ointment, nothing else.

She was on valium, librium, diazepan etc. for the rest of her life and stopping was never ever discussed. That was over 30 years. If she wasn't at work, she slept. That makes me mad.

edit on 16-2-2012 by wigit because: (no reason given)

this isn't just a little down and anxious, its effecting my life in a way i can't do things and its run a long course, years, so i had to get help. I have said no to meds for years, but after a long time of up's and downs, this one being a major down, i went with it.

im also sorry to hear about your mum, no one should be on meds for life for stress, you right there

Originally posted by Mister_Bit

Originally posted by thedarktower
reply to post by imightbe

 

thanks for sharing your first post on my thread btw. Im 26, i have had serious relationship problems as well, lost a person to suicide that was close to me, had a bad child hood, drug problems ect ect. I don't want to say this and make people think, ''aww poor you'', cause i know people have had it alot worse than I, but perhaps its part of the overall problem.

i did speak with a mental health profesional but i just couldnt fully open up about everything, and perhaps i do need to do that. I will see my GP in 3 weeks so i will ask about it. Maybe getting this out will help.

also i need to change my life style and other areas of my life too, one step at a time, but hopefully the meds give me a boost. Day one is over as i started the meds today, just got to wait and see how it goes

We're all rooting for you here! Best of luck

If you feel you need to chat just come on here and talk rubbish with us lot

It's a lot easier to tell things to strangers than people you know.

But you really are never alone, even if you don't know them, there are people out there that do care.

Someone mentioned music though, do you play an instrument? If not stick some headphones one and belt out some good tunes... I always use music as therapy now and tailor my music to my moods.. sometimes it's depressive stuff like The Smiths (put it actually improves my moods) or aggressive stuff like Chimaira or even happy stuff, spiritual stuff like Scared Spirit... use music to channel your emotions

Works a treat for me.

i love music though im not able to play. Perhaps learning something could help? i have a harmonica somewhere, easy enough to pick up and start of with. And i know you are all rooting for me and i am very greatful, wish i could thank you all. P.s I like the Smiths as well

Must add,I posted yesterday about the different medications I had been put on but NOTHING feels as good as a good diet and exercise which is my current "method" of dealing. In January I started this whole "taking care of myself" thing (you know, those resolutions) and Ive never felt better.
If you ever want to chat or ask any questions feel free to PM me. Im a pretty boring and usually at home thanks to the good ol Seattle weather!

reply to post by imightbe

Lots of differing opinions dark tower...I kept busy...went crazy...cleaning out cupboards, aerobics, excercise, cognitive therapy, friends,counselling. meditation...everything...but i still needed that lil bit of med...only small...and I know a lot of you don't understand BUT my Serotonin level is forever medically under par due to hereditary....so...there's another aspect which hasn;t been explored as I had a dr that periodically did tests...So out there there are people who have a real medical clinical problem...Which I am not saying the OP The Dark Tower has...However let this person have a short course of tablets...might just get them on the right road ...cos the OP isn't feeling right?,,,and you can do all those things I have listed and even when your being creative that horrible feeling can still creep in...Just give them a chance...a break whether you agree with meds or not...Might even only be 3/6 months...but set you on the right path back to normality....whatever normality is...lol,,,,give this person a break...a chance no matter what your opinion...I would love Dark Tower to come back in 3/6 months time and see what the prognosis is,.....after all there's been some fantastic advice on here...but lets just see....bless you all this has been a great thread.....xxx

Lastly but not leastly the libido thing is crap....things are slower but i can assure you...still awesome...and there are secrets...like things happening with no partner I will say no more....its a relaxant and lucid dreams sometimes bring on very pleasurable experiences....ooops better not say anymore

reply to post by thedarktower


After I had my son, I was struck with a plethora of medical conditions, depression being one of them.
The Doc thought I might have post-natal depression and gave me Citalopram too. Things started off slowly, but I found it made me feel worse, so I was taken off Citalopram (or Cipralex as was the brand I was using) and put on Fluoxatine (Prozac) and I went to see a counsellor and a psychologist. They realised then that I had a much deeper and older depression which I'd probably carried since my early teens, and also Bipolar/mania. They put me on Depakote, but I'd heard about many instances of friends and partners of friends who had taken it who gained a massive amount of weight while taking it that it put me off.

Now, I don't deny that taking Prozac REALLY helped.
But.
Once I got to a stable enough point where I was able to start getting dressed again every day or go outside (sometimes I didn't leave the house for a week at a time), I decided it was time to change a few things.

Up to that point, I had been bullied by people who I considered to be neutral or even friends. My ex was causing problems for me and my family, sending police to my house for things I hadn't done, contacting my friends and threatening me through them, setting up fake profiles on social network sites and sending messages etc.
And I decided enough was enough.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and I didn't expect changes to be set in stone over night.
But I just stopped letting things get to me. I stopped getting so worked up and worried about things. If someone started #, I would just shrug it off. If I felt down about the way I looked, I would pick out something I liked about myself, or dress in something which made me feel good. Then after I started feeling better, I would gradually stop taking my tablets. I would take one every other day, and then when I felt ok with that, I would take one every two days and so on. People would tell me I should talk to my doctor first, but I know my body best, and I was dealing with it my way. Doctors always made me anxious and I didn't want to feel like I was having to fight to do this my way.

This took a long while to get used to, but I'm there now. I'm probably a bit too laid back now lol.
I still get bad days where I feel like throwing myself in the ocean when I get over stressed, but these days are so rare now.

Don't feel weak for using medication for depression. Think of it as a tool, to help straighten things out until you can work out a plan to get back on track.

Well I was going to go to sleep as its 1.18am pacific time...but I wanted to say this has been a fantastic thread,...even I have learnt a lot and I wish our friend all the best...It has been wonderful knowing that so many of us share the same experiences and are trying our best to deal with the things that trouble us...thank you from the bottom of my heart...One of the best threads I have participated in...everyone has been so kind...at the end of the day Dark Tower you have to decide which is the best course of action to take if not encompass a few of them...Lets face it and this is a thread I have read through thoroughly we are on a journey and all dealing with our own # under the carpet
Thanks dear friends and goodnight and your assistance and advice very helpful xxxx...good luck Dark Tower...feel free to see me as a friend and u2u me......

well its been 8 days now on the drug and so far so good. No bad side effects, except a little tired more than usual and maybe its a placebo effect but i do feel a bit better. And thats just 8 days. I will give it another week and report back, probably make a new post so stay tuned folks and thanks for all the support it really did mean a lot to me as i knew i was not alone

My husband suffered from severe mood swings, Up's and down's but could never put his finger on why he was feeling this way, He said he had this problem as far back as he could remember.

The thing he hated most about the way he felt is that he started to take it out on me and his children, Shouting allot and stuff like that.

He went to the doctors 2 years ago now and was hell bent on not taking any medication, But the doctor spoke to him and sent him to counselling, He finally decided to give them ago and within 3 weeks there was a noticeable change in him, Me and the kids found we could talk to him without getting our heads bitten off. And he seemed so much happier.

He spoke to me one night and I asked him if he felt they were stopping him from being him (as this was his worst fear) And he explained that he felt exactly the same but without the extreme downers and felt he could deal with things easier, Not getting stressed so much.

The doctor did explain to him that he may be on them for life though as he thinks its a recurring depression that he suffers from due to him having these feelings most of his life.

Now my husband is not ashamed (as he felt he was before, In his words "Im a man! I dont want people knowing im taking happy pills!") He is now very open about it and tells people that its not a bad thing to be helping yourself.

Im very proud of him for giving them a chance, And I can say that he is so much happier now and so are me and my children.

So my advice to you would be to definitely give them a chance, It took my husband about 2 weeks for them to level out and lose the mild side effects (fuzzy feeling on the skin, light headedness, slight nausea) So don't give in right away, Do try and give it time to adjust to your body.

Theres nothing wrong with helping yourself

reply to post by justcurious31


im sticking with them, so far so good. Now i feel like changing the way i eat, plan to get a load of fruit and veg tomorrow, and i even did some exercise today, not much but a little. A lot of people are against big pharma and i can see why but not all of it is negative and it took me years to accept the help, i too was like your husband, im a man and wont need no pills to make me better.

sometimes we just need that little bit of help

i have told all my friends and family so they will see if there is a difference in me, positive or negative, and let me know how its going. Thanks for replying

reply to post by thedarktower


No problem, He also changed his diet, Nothing extreme just fresh veg and fruit as you plan to do and we go for allot of walks now.

He found it difficult to accept but I fully understood why he felt that way, Its good that you have shared it with your family and friends, My husband did not allow me to breath a word of it till about 2-3 weeks after he started taking them, When he started feeling a bit better and started to accept it in his own mind.

He has asked me how I "put up with him" As he put it, And I said "I was not putting up with you at all, I was just trying to help you, And be there for you".

Don't get me wrong, It was hard, especially when he would take his feelings out on the children, But I knew when he went through those phases that it wasn't really him and I knew he didn't mean it.

He had a fairly bad childhood and never really learned how to understand or take on board his own feelings...

Now he never stop's talking about his feeling's, The way it should be.

Take care of you

reply to post by thedarktower


I know many people who have put on so much weight after being on anti-depressants, and cite the pills as being the reason. (Seriously, one guy I know gained 70lbs, and my friends partner put on 2lbs every week she was using them)
This is because some pills can make you lethargic and more tired than usual. Being overweight destroyed their sport and social life, since one guy was too large to play football, and the other was a softball coach.
Now I'm not telling you to put you off, but I just think that it's better to be prepared.
If you start to feel a bit lazy and tired, take a walk around the block and get some fresh air.
Also some suppress your appetite, while others claim to have notice an increase, so I guess this is something else as well.

All in all, so far so good! But if you find yourself reaching for a second helping of dinner more often...

Originally posted by Lulzaroonie
reply to post by thedarktower

 

I know many people who have put on so much weight after being on anti-depressants, and cite the pills as being the reason. (Seriously, one guy I know gained 70lbs, and my friends partner put on 2lbs every week she was using them)
This is because some pills can make you lethargic and more tired than usual. Being overweight destroyed their sport and social life, since one guy was too large to play football, and the other was a softball coach.
Now I'm not telling you to put you off, but I just think that it's better to be prepared.
If you start to feel a bit lazy and tired, take a walk around the block and get some fresh air.
Also some suppress your appetite, while others claim to have notice an increase, so I guess this is something else as well.

All in all, so far so good! But if you find yourself reaching for a second helping of dinner more often...

actually i am under weight as being in the state i was in i did not or could not eat, so gaining a few pounds would be good for me, hopefully i do, im at my lowest weight, around 67 kilo, (not sure what it is in pounds) and im 6 foot tall. I have always been thin but now i am under weight for my height so if i gain a bit i'll will actually be glad lol

reply to post by thedarktower


I had panic attacks/sleep disorder that propelled me into crazy land (hallucinations in case you didn't get that ) , so yeah I am glad that I am on antidepressants! People will babble about everything and anything. Let them first experience something, in this case a panic attack. Mine were fullblown, including also feeling of leaving my body and intense burning in my back.

So hail Big Pharma