do ssri really work?

[Slaanesh]

SSRI's never really worked for me, but I know other people who had good experiences with them, so I'm not going to run around calling all antidepressants a scam.

Honestly, the meds that really worked were typically benzos, but those can have some serious side effects, and it's waaay too easy to get addicted.

 

[TheBestUsernameEver]

To be fair sertraline is working wonders for me.

 

[*Justanotherone*]

Yes, they do works. But it sometimes take time to find the best one for you. Ofcourse they have side effects (especially in first 2-3 weeks) and the result isn't usually quick (-/+ 3 weeks). There are not perfect. They won't solve your life problems. They can give you relief and energy to stan up on your feet and get right steps to change it while it's not very possible during major depressive epizod.

 

[Depressed Cat]

I'm currently on a combination of drugs, including an SSRI.

Several years ago, I was on a similar combination of psychiatric medicines and they did help me recover.

I guess the answer is "it depends". Not only on the particular SSRI, but also the other drugs that are prescribed along with it.

 

[little helpers]

define "work":
that a treatment is, on average, superior to placebo in a statistically significant sense, when adherence rate is good (i.e. reasonably low drop-out rate), and results evaluated over the length of time people are expected to follow with this treatment. with the harms subsequently studied, informed, prevented when possible, and suitably addressed following protocols developed.

it's possible to argue that *any* treatment there is doesn't work, *if* we're talking about individuals. and medicine works like that. every harm caused is 100% levered onto the MH client. it is for this reason that psychoeducation, informed consent, structuring feedback, and damage control are paramount.

but it's also clear as day that we don't have these things in place in our system. that antidepressants and antipsychotics are given out carelessly to make us less of a "problem" or a "burden". that the amount of ableism, gaslighting, victim blaming in the MH field is appalling. that so many of us on SS are psychiatric survivors/victims. that addressing the social realities we live in is more looking at the root cause, than having everyone put on smiley faces in unbearable social conditions. that prevention is always superior than treatment. to have us not being forced to dig our own graves, than "preventing" us being buried into or jumping into it.

drugs never ever worked compared to *these* things. social changes and anti-ableism.

 

[AverageFellaEnjoyer]

Is everything you think you know about depression wrong?

In this extract from his new book, Johann Hari, who took antidepressants for 14 years, calls for a new approach

www.theguardian.com

i recently read this article (was linked here)

I found they help

I'm on an SNRI. It helped with my irritability. Still depressed but how the depression manifests is less severe outwardly. Makes others' lives better around me :)

 

[gottago222]

ya they work...: at overcoming SI and wanting to die asap!