Discussion Have you ever benefited from antidepressants?

[HadItAll]

I want to try to be able to cope better, but my history of side effects from medication is pretty nasty.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

Not a one. Using antidepressants to help my depression is like trying to stop a tsunami with a sandbag.

 

[Shadowlord900]

Wanted to originally stay off of them, since the Fluoxetine I had in the past gave me erectile dsyfunction. But a couple of people here recommended I try Mirtazapine to help solve my insomnia issues, so I'm gonna see if I can try to get some from my GP since I was prescribed them before a few years ago.

 

[Darkover]

i've been on fluoxetine and sertraline they've done nothing for me, imo they do not work as intended, i wish there was a happy pill you could just take to make your self happy

 

[looking_for_peace]

my family said they saw a difference... I didn't

 

[Amakishiyo]

I only suffered incredible side effects that kinda made me even more depressed/suicidal but I can't say I tried a lot of different ones.

 

[irie]

I've been on sertraline and escitalopram and they really didn't do anything for me

 

[Soulless Angel]

my new worker is insistent I have to have something, I have said no fucking way, be interesting to see the replies here, hence my pointless comment, so I can come back to it!

 

[Veraz]

I've never tried them, tbh. I've been too afraid of the potential side effects, and constantly reading about the nasty experiences others have had with them hasn't exactly been very encouraging.

 

[_smile_]

Mine saved my life 8 years ago. I believe I have since developed a tolerance and should probably do something about it…

 

[Soulless Angel]

I've never tried them, tbh. I've been too afraid of the potential side effects, and constantly reading about the nasty experiences others have had with them hasn't exactly been very encouraging.

the only side effect ive read about is weight gain, im fat enough thank you! I don't need extra shit that will make me feel worse

 

[Ruma]

I've been on and off Fluoxitine for years and they really work for me.

 

[mongoose23]

I was on low dose of sertraline for a couple of months when my depression + anxiety sent me into an utter breakdown. I did have some mild side effects, but to be honest, it did help stabilize my mood. In hindsight, the sertraline was a good choice at the time. I don't like medicating though, so I chose not to refill and I've been trying therapy + CBT.

 

[heavyeyes]

I tried so many antidepressants over the years that I lost count. They never helped me. I always had terrible side effects.

 

[Remeer]

Hello, I have never taken antidepressants, but members of my family have taken it and from what I have seen it has not helped them, because nothing was solved with it in the end, I don't know if it will have any relative improvement, but It is a problem because of the addiction that they can cause and their side effects.
In my case, in moments of sadness and depression, it has been better to live the entire process, trying to find out about it and talking about it with a confidant or writing it down, since cutting off the process only delays and chronifies the matter.
greetings

 

[HadItAll]

Hello, I have never taken antidepressants, but members of my family have taken it and from what I have seen it has not helped them, because nothing was solved with it in the end, I don't know if it will have any relative improvement, but It is a problem because of the addiction that they can cause and their side effects.
In my case, in moments of sadness and depression, it has been better to live the entire process, trying to find out about it and talking about it with a confidant or writing it down, since cutting off the process only delays and chronifies the matter.
greetings

Yeah... I kind of feel like meds are just an attempt to mask the underlying problem - depressing life. Kind of feels like trying to mask the smell of a dog poop in a room with an air freshener without removing the dog poop. But that's just what my case feels like, as you can see in this thread, for some people meds have helped.

 

[Darkover]

Yeah... I kind of feel like meds are just an attempt to mask the underlying problem - depressing life. Kind of feels like trying to mask the smell of a dog poop in a room with an air freshener without removing the dog poop. But that's just what my case feels like, as you can see in this thread, for some people meds have helped.

good analogy the root source of the deprssion isn't being tackled there just giving you something to cover up the depression

 

[LaVieEnRose]

the only side effect ive read about is weight gain, im fat enough thank you! I don't need extra shit that will make me feel worse

A considerable number of people experience sexual problems too.

 

[Amakishiyo]

A considerable number of people experience sexual problems too.

Theres quite a lot more side effects than just these things.

 

[Remeer]

Yeah... I kind of feel like meds are just an attempt to mask the underlying problem - depressing life. Kind of feels like trying to mask the smell of a dog poop in a room with an air freshener without removing the dog poop. But that's just what my case feels like, as you can see in this thread, for some people meds have helped.

Yes, I read it, antidepressants have clearly helped people in the forum, but you have to be careful because it must be supervised by a competent doctor and hopefully without a conflict of interest, remember that the pharmaceutical system is flawed and is focused more on obtaining money than helping people, is basically a highly lucrative business
if someone is interested in knowing more, they could look at some pages of the book "Drugs That Kill And Organized Crime" by Peter C. Gøtzsche

 

[NeverEnding]

Tried Fluoxetine and had to come off them after less than a week as I felt absolutely terrible. Nausea, could not get out of bed in the morning (no good for work), constantly tired etc. Been on Mirtazapine for 4 years and they have been better but I can't say they are still working, I'm in a really bad place atm. GP is supposed to be contacting me today to discuss alternatives.
I don't have the weight gain issues associated with Mirtazapine, quite the opposite, I am hardly eating anything. It no longer helps me sleep, I have broken sleep 1-2 hours at a time. So yes, they helped me initially but the benefit is limited in my case.

 

[tuyu]

Tried Fluoxetine and had to come off them after less than a week as I felt absolutely terrible. Nausea, could not get out of bed in the morning (no good for work), constantly tired etc. Been on Mirtazapine for 4 years and they have been better but I can't say they are still working, I'm in a really bad place atm. GP is supposed to be contacting me today to discuss alternatives.
I don't have the weight gain issues associated with Mirtazapine, quite the opposite, I am hardly eating anything. It no longer helps me sleep, I have broken sleep 1-2 hours at a time. So yes, they helped me initially but the benefit is limited in my case.

I'm also on Mirtazapine! I've had slight weight gain but I honestly don't mind that because I have trouble gaining weight

Before I was on it, I didn't have sleep issues per se (ie no insomnia) but I think my sleep quality was horrendous (didn't get blood levels checked so not sure why..) Not sure why because I didn't have nightmares etc, and I always fell asleep very quickly. After being on it, my sleep quality improved so significantly that even on low amounts of sleep for a day or two, I still feel really good.

Also, I do agree with the other posters here that medication doesn't solve the root cause of the issue for people like us who basically have existential depression (I think this is a thing… right?). But at least it makes me feel better on a day to day basis (like fucking finally I do not have brain fog or intense headaches on a daily basis anymore and can actually think?! Maybe if I had taken this shit while I was in school, my good grades would be even better).

I've only been on this for a couple of months though. And of course, YMMV.

 

[LittleJem]

Fluoextine was the reason I could get out of bed again - I become bed bound and unable to walk down the street due to depression. It also made suicidal thoughts much quieter. In terms of feeling okay, I probably had two weeks in a year, but it did make things better than before.

 

[guayabas]

I've been on wellbutrin for 10 yrs and it's been a life saver. I tend to have bad reactions to meds, can't even take advil, so it took a while to find something that worked for me. I have adhd in addition to depression so wellbutrin is an extra good fit for me. I def know some ppl who tried many different meds and couldn't find anything that worked for them, I respect that. Just keep in mind, everyone's body is unique and will have varied reactions to meds, good or bad.

I actually initially had a bad reaction to wellbutrin, it made me feel untethered to my body. But bc of my low tolerance to meds, I asked the doctor to increase my dose over the course of months instead of a couple weeks, and I never had side effects again. also if you have bad reactions, stop taking them right away. you don't have to keep taking them if you have a bad reaction

for me it's just nice to not feel completely miserable all the time anymore. I have moments, even weeks, where I'm extremely depressed but they're related to being trapped in shitty life situations. capitalism, ableism, and misogyny are problems too big for meds or therapy to solve. But getting a break from the 24/7 misery, being able to enjoy things, it's so worth it to me. I wish everyone could have that.

pharmaceutical companies are def corrupt, but in a charging wayyyyyy too much money for meds that are very cheap to make way, not a conspiracy to get psychiatrists to push unnecessary medication on the masses way. meds help a lot of ppl. they're not for everyone, but they help a lot of ppl

and iirc, it's SSRIs that commonly cause weight gain and decrease in sex drive. There's other types of antidepressants that don't typically cause those symptoms. I lucked out and had a really good psych when I was finding the right meds for me. He just listed several meds, their pros and cons, and asked which ones I wanted to try. If your psych doesn't do that for you, it's ok to ask what all your options are and the pros and cons.

 

[BBBB]

Yes!

 

[novem]

my only anti-depressant is vodka and it works while i am drunk so far

 

[huntergirl14]

I've heard that antidepressants make you numb/emotionless. Is that true? I mean what could be more numb than being depressed itself?

 

[NumbItAll]

I haven't benefited from them, but they have definitely caused me severe trauma. Luckily the effects are reversible over a long enough time period and I'm about 95% recovered from them now.

I've heard that antidepressants make you numb/emotionless. Is that true? I mean what could be more numb than being depressed itself?

It can happen, numbing pain and pleasure in a way that is uncomfortable at best and possibly very disturbing. For me it wasn't the same as depression, it felt very unnatural, like I wasn't feeling "correctly." Anything that makes the brain function worse is not a good drug imo, more like a chemical lobotomy. But of course individual experience will vary.

 

[Amakishiyo]

I've heard that antidepressants make you numb/emotionless. Is that true? I mean what could be more numb than being depressed itself?

Definitely didn't do that for me, I was just mostly feeling the side effects and that was about it, even at a heavy dosage.

 

[huntergirl14]

yeah ofc it must feel like that. Then what is even the point of taking anti-depressants?
I hate the feeling my depression brings, its not even close to sadness. Its like numbness, draining of energy, internal chaos.