Antidepressants

[Adventureland]

Do they help? I've started taking Zoloft on the recommendation of my therapist who said I was starting to circle a black hole.

[daysofelijah]

They can, I think everyone probably has different experiences. I took zoloft back in highschool and it worked okay. I found when I tried it again as an adult I didn't care for the side effects. My BF is also taking zoloft right now and experiencing a lot of side effects.

 

I've taken antidepressants the better part of my life, and think I will continue to for the foreseeable future.

 

I settled on Welbutrin and that one works well for me with little long term side effects. It's sometimes just a matter of finding the right one and the right dose that will work for you.

 

Best of luck with finding something to help you. Don't be afraid to talk to the doctor about how it feels and to make adjustments if needed.

[Laura1612]

I have been on antidepressants since 2003 (Celexa).  I have been on a low dose, though my doctor doubled it when my husband was ill so I could cope better.

 

Listen, antidepressants and therapy changed my life and helped give me 14 more happy years with my husband before he died. But they are not a cure-all, they will not necessarily work for everyone, and they should be used with therapy. This is my opinion. I learned how to recognize and accept my depressive bouts, the meds were there to stabilize.

 

Contrary to media perception, they don't keep you from feeling. I cry all the time, and am still depressed at times, but they keep me functioning. They keep me from ending up in bed for six hours because I dropped a stick of butter on the floor.

 

You may have to play around with the type and dosage. And, remember, it could be two months before you feel effects. You must give it time.

 

Laura

[georgina114]

I've been bipolar for a few years and mostly under Flouxetine (Prozac), Diazepam (Valium) and sometimes Citalopram... However, after my husband died a week ago (Dec 21), none if them seems to work  :-[

[Guest nonesuch]

i've been on antidepressants off and on since 1996 or so, and probably cycled in and out of depression for twenty years before that.

 

It may take some time to become effective.  There is a joke...60% of the patients on antidepressants report unpleasant sexual side effects, and the other 40% are lying.  Wellbutrin is the notable exception for many.  I'm happy to report that Trazadone (at least for me) does not seem to interfere with libido, either.  YMMV

 

There are some purists who seem to think any drug intervention pollutes one's body.  (Eyeroll)  After nine months of not sleeping through the night, I had a car accident, entirely my fault, in which I should have died.  It was stupid not to go back on drugs eight months before that accident. 

 

Sleeping through the night is a good thing. So is being able to decide which cereal to buy without blocking the aisle for 20 minutes, or spending the day in bed because you dropped a stick of butter on the floor.