my first time with antidepressants

[wollyewoll]

Hello everyone, for some reasons my doctor has decided to prescribe antidepressants, not only for depression, but also for anxiety.
If there is someone who has taken them and wants to tell me how they work, I would appreciate it.
One more question, how long does it take to take effect?
Thanks

 

[oopswronglife]

2-3 weeks minimum so a lot of people give up since its not instant. It can also take some adjustments in dose and its important to have a working relationship with the doctor for this reason. If someone is just tossing them at you and saying "see me in 6 months" they are doing it wrong. I'd also insist on them offering up a long term plan because whilst these drugs can help you over humps....I've not met anyone on them for lots of years for whom they continue to be effective and without issues. They can help....give them a shot...but be realistic. Also be aware that when they start working you can actually feel worse for those weeks as you go from so down as to be non-funcitonal to having just enough emotion and energy to feel how bad it is. It doesn't always happen, and is survivable and short term so don't be afraid, but for some reason not often explained.

 

[HGL91]

2-3 weeks minimum so a lot of people give up since its not instant. It can also take some adjustments in dose and its important to have a working relationship with the doctor for this reason. If someone is just tossing them at you and saying "see me in 6 months" they are doing it wrong. I'd also insist on them offering up a long term plan because whilst these drugs can help you over humps....I've not met anyone on them for lots of years for whom they continue to be effective and without issues. They can help....give them a shot...but be realistic.

That's my experience too. They should have you follow up in a couple weeks, to see how the side effects are and manage the dose.
I've been on Antidepressants since I was 11, and I'm 28 this month. I've had to change them usually like once every 4 or 5 years.

 

[wollyewoll]

2-3 weeks minimum so a lot of people give up since its not instant. It can also take some adjustments in dose and its important to have a working relationship with the doctor for this reason. If someone is just tossing them at you and saying "see me in 6 months" they are doing it wrong. I'd also insist on them offering up a long term plan because whilst these drugs can help you over humps....I've not met anyone on them for lots of years for whom they continue to be effective and without issues. They can help....give them a shot...but be realistic.

thanks for answering,
One more question, from what I read, can you become addicted to antidepressants? And you can smoke weed if you take them?
Thanks again

 

[Dystopia]

Doctors also don't mention the "discontinuation syndrome" or withdrawal as I would say from taking them long term. Most SNRI/SSRI/Tricyclics take up to 8 weeks for full effect

Most side effects go away after a week or two supposedly. Each medication seems to have various long term side effects while taking them from my experience..

 

[HGL91]

thanks for answering,
One more question, from what I read, can you become addicted to antidepressants? And you can smoke weed if you take them?
Thanks again

Yes. I am addicted to antidepressants. I cannot function without them, even when I have tried to taper off them for a year. For me, I can smoke weed in small doses. I can get easily paranoid on it and feel sick.

 

[wollyewoll]

That's my experience too. They should have you follow up in a couple weeks, to see how the side effects are and manage the dose.
I've been on Antidepressants since I was 11, and I'm 28 this month. I've had to change them usually like once every 4 or 5 years.

My doctor has told me to take them for a minimum of 4 months, he has also told me that if I notice any adverse effects that I call him, I don't need to go back to the office

 

[Dystopia]

thanks for answering,
One more question, from what I read, can you become addicted to antidepressants? And you can smoke weed if you take them?
Thanks again

Weed doesn't have any interaction with anti depressants although I find it funny that weed can help depression/anxiety as well as make it worse in some cases.

Anti depressants aren't addictive but they have withdrawal effects if taken long term. You can taper the dosage or stop them cold turkey although the latter is not recommended by Doctors as some have horrible discontinuation effects.

 

[oopswronglife]

thanks for answering,
One more question, from what I read, can you become addicted to antidepressants? And you can smoke weed if you take them?
Thanks again

I've not ever heard of addiction in the sense people think of when they talk about opiates, benzos, alcohol etc....its more about if you take them they cause an effect...an increased utilization of certain brain chemicals...so if you stop suddenly you are of course going to notice the lack of that effect. It's more of a physical dependency for the effect than a mental desire for it like those others. And as was mentioned if you are on them for a long time its pretty uncomfortable getting off because the side effects of that can last months and months and sometimes longer than that. That's why they are best used with a plan to change things...not as a permanent medicaiton.

Weed is tricky because its not well studied with prescription drugs...different people are effected differently by it and strains...and its never great to mix things. My advice would be not to use it until you sort this out and how it effects you in isolation.

 

[Bagger]

Yes. I am addicted to antidepressants. I cannot function without them, even when I have tried to taper off them for a year. For me, I can smoke weed in small doses. I can get easily paranoid on it and feel sick.

Can relate. Been some months on SSRI and other antipsychotic shit and when i smoke i'm very paranoid about everything, and weed give me so huge anxiety that i barely breathe. Or so i feel.

 

[BipolarExpat]

wolly, It's good you're asking here and please learn to advocate for yourself:

- Call that doc with ANY questions

- Search the exact name(s) / generic names of any/every med your doctor gives you.
(A simple webmd.com is a good start.)
Read about all side effects/interactions, etc.

Hope you get some relief.

 

[HGL91]

Can relate. Been some months on SSRI and other antipsychotic shit and when i smoke i'm very paranoid about everything, and weed give me so huge anxiety that i barely breathe. Or so i feel.

Yeah, they don't interact well. :/ I find that if I have 10mg of an edible, I feel pain free and my anxiety is lessened.

 

[k75]

It would help answer your questions if you told us what medications you've been prescribed. There are a lot of different meds, and they all have different side effects and lengths of time to take effect.

 

[BipolarExpat]

It would help answer your questions if you told us what medications you've been prescribed. There are a lot of different meds, and they all have different side effects and lengths of time to take effect.

And affect different people in varying manners, I'd add.

 

[wollyewoll]

It would help answer your questions if you told us what medications you've been prescribed. There are a lot of different meds, and they all have different side effects and lengths of time to take effect.

It would help answer your questions if you told us what medications you've been prescribed. There are a lot of different meds, and they all have different side effects and lengths of time to take effect.

I have been prescribed deanxit, the doctor has told me to take one in the morning during the first three days, and from the fourth day, I have to take 2, one in the morning and one at noon.
I don't know if you will know this medication, I live in Spain and maybe the medication has another name in the countries where you live

 

[k75]

Unfortunately, it's not available where I am, so I can't give you any first hand info on it. A quick Google search told me its not meant to be a long term medication, so beware of that. Sounds like it's basically just something to get you through the worst of what you're feeling. I'd recommend contacting your doctor and asking these questions directly.

With a lot of antidepressants, you need to take them for a few weeks to really feel the effects. Like everyone else said, they aren't really addictive (although you can have withdrawal symptoms going off), and you have to take them as prescribed to get the benefits. So do whatever your doctor told you as far as that goes.

Some meds don't play well with weed for some people. It's probably a good idea to abstain until you get settled on it, even if it's just to see how you actually feel. Sometimes, if you're using multiple things, it's difficult to figure out what's working and why.

 

[Wayfaerer]

Doctors also don't mention the "discontinuation syndrome" or withdrawal as I would say from taking them long term. Most SNRI/SSRI/Tricyclics take up to 8 weeks for full effect

Most side effects go away after a week or two supposedly. Each medication seems to have various long term side effects while taking them from my experience..

I've taken them long-term and the side-effects had always persisted even if not as much as when you first start them.

thanks for answering,
One more question, from what I read, can you become addicted to antidepressants? And you can smoke weed if you take them?
Thanks again

Yes, you can become addicted to them.

 

[Dystopia]

I've taken them long-term and the side-effects had always persisted even if not as much as when you first start them.

Some go away, some persist. It's the problem with drugs, they effect everyone differently. Unfortunately for me I have a permanent chronic headache from sertraline and probably permanent visual snow from Mirtazapine..

I wouldn't recommend anti depressants to anyone but they seem to work for some people..

 

[catharticEscapism]

They take a couple of weeks to take effect and the side-effects vary from unnoticeable to unmanageable depending on the drug. Everyone's response to the drugs are a little different, though. Some people swear by anti-depressants and for others they barely work at all (or they're zombified by them). My biggest warning would be that they only seem to work for varying lengths of time. I have to get new anti-depressants every 5-6 months because they just stop working.

I've been on them since I was a teenager (and now I'm 31). I wonder how long it takes before I run out of anti-depressants. )8

 

[HGL91]

They take a couple of weeks to take effect and the side-effects vary from unnoticeable to unmanageable depending on the drug. Everyone's response to the drugs are a little different, though. Some people swear by anti-depressants and for others they barely work at all (or they're zombified by them). My biggest warning would be that they only seem to work for varying lengths of time. I have to get new anti-depressants every 5-6 months because they just stop working.

I've been on them since I was a teenager (and now I'm 31). I wonder how long it takes before I run out of anti-depressants. )8

I started on them at 11 and I'm now turning 28 this month, so I can relate.

 

[Juicebox]

I feel them pretty quickly after taking them, but they make me want to do nothing but stare at walls all day every day

Pretty sure they contributed to my last round of rhabdo as well

 

[wollyewoll]

Hello again
I have been taking antidepressants for 10 days, and for now I do not notice any improvement (the obsessive compulsive disorder has taken a little, but very little). How much time should pass to start noticing changes, especially for my anxiety?
Thanks

 

[Shamana]

To be honest they mainly make you numb and destroy your sexual function.

 

[Deivis]

I've been on Prozac for just a month.
Its tricky to observe the train of thought.

Before antideps:
"Everything sucks. Everything is pointless. I don't want to live. I want to die"

On antideps:
"Everything sucks. Everything is pointless. I don't want to live. Full stop"

As if someone removed just one particular thought but left the void room after it....

 

[eve2004]

Hello again
I have been taking antidepressants for 10 days, and for now I do not notice any improvement (the obsessive compulsive disorder has taken a little, but very little). How much time should pass to start noticing changes, especially for my anxiety?
Thanks

It differs for everybody. That's the thing with antidepressants. No one knows if they will work for you and how long before they do. Typically 3-4 weeks though. If after that you don't feel any difference, go back to the doc, they'll either change the dose or change meds.