Your thoughts/experiences on Anti depressants?

[silverwex]

Hey guys, any of you on anti-d's? How has it affected you or changed your life?

Do you wish you hadnt gone on them?

Just curious.

 

[Aztec]

Delicate assessment has to be made by MD/DO. Primary care physicians have 5-7 minutes average for consults and to diagnose you that's why patient presents a little blue then doctor gives him/her antidepressants/anxiolytics.

Now my personal experience with it. I've been in several ADs: Prozac, Serzone (watch out for recent studies...not good), Zoloft then Wellbutrin. So far Wellbutrin gave me the less side effects. SSRI usually causes limpi****i (inability to have erection). Not only that to young patients (21 and below) may cause suicidal ideations and may act out on it.

AD alone may take the edge of your blues. Don't depend on it to magically change you to a Casanova after 3-4 weeks of continuous dosage. The best way to treat depression in combination therapy (meds and psychotx -- preferably cognitive behavioral therapy (just my personal choice).

So what are you on right now, friend?


Aztec (Azzy to seebreaze)

 

[ogre]

avoid at all costs. I'm serious. those drugs will eventually backfire on you, in one way or another. that sh*t can f*ck up your head so bad you're could end up in the rubber room. or in jail.

there are herbal and homeopathic remedies that work well without side-effects. visit your local health food store. I mean a good, privately owned, natural/organic place, not a GNC or one of those chains. look for remedies made with St john's wort, kava, nevaton, skullcap, or combinations thereof.

do not trust psychatrists. They are trained by the drug companies to sell drugs. period. Honest shrinks that actually try to help people do so at the risk of losing their licence.

Also, detox yourself. eat a healthy diet, avoid artificial stuff, especially avoid aspartame, sucralose, MSG, and tapwater.

 

[Aztec]

Originally posted by Sazuki
If you get born in this world as a healthy baby, without any mental or physical deformities or abnormalties then I dont understand why one needs to change his chemical inbalance in his brian?

Obviously the parents are responsible and ones surrounding culture after that.

You obviously limited understanding of depression. Not all depression are caused by lack of rearing skills or environment. There are legit reasons why AD are prescribed to people. Therapy, whether with a license pro, religious leader, an eager ear of a friend, is probably the first line of treatment for depression. Then add the medication if necessary on top of that. Someone who's eager or paid to listen is sometimes not enough.


I don't want to deviate from the original question, but if you're depressed and you have no one to boost your spirits, then you have to propped yourself a little, do a little to keep you in motion. Easier say than done but that's better than to keep lamenting and wallowing.

 

[Jariel]

I went on a mild anti-depressant called Citalopram (it has another name which I can't remember). It cured my depression and I felt great, but it affected my behaviour in a weird way. While I was on it, I became something of a camp clown.

 

[XxGodJrxX]

Before you try anti-depressants, you might want to ask yourself WHY you are depressed. Are you feeling inadequate, inferior, have had a traumatic event in your life? Figure out why it is you are depressed and you can get past it. Everybody has been depressed at some point, and most people get past it without anti-depressants. JUST forcing yourself to think positively, can be a good starting point to ending depression.

Depression may be a result of chemicals in the brain, but so is happiness. Anti-Depressants may seem to help out, but they are drugs that could change everything about you. If you just can't get past depression after a while, look up a psychologist or, if you want the drugs, a psychiatrist.

-Freddie

 

[BigWillyStyle]

Clinical Depression has to be medically and psychologically treated. Just "Lift some weights dude and you'll be fine" won't do anything for someone that has depleted serotonin levels in their brain... if one med doesn't help tell your doc and try something else.

Don't expect to "feel happy" just from taking Anti depressants, they bring you out of a pit of emptiness, that's all, they don't make you happy... get therapy for that.

 

[XxGodJrxX]

Although lifting weights may not be a cure for depression, it can definitely alleviate the symptoms of depression. Everybody gets depressed for a reason.

Think about it this way. When you are happy, there is a spike in the chemicals that make you happy (I want to say serotonin, but I'm not sure right now). When are you happy? When some event happens that makes you happy. You are depressed because you do not have a lot of those chemicals in your brain and a lot of "unhappy" ones. How do you increase those happy chemicals? You can take drugs, sure. Working out , Meeting new people, taking up a new hobby, or just excelling at whatever you do also make people happy.

My point is that everybody gets depressed for a reason. Simply saying that a lack of chemicals is the cause of depression is not looking at the big picture. The grand majority of Americans do get seriously depressed at some point in their lives, and most get past it without any drugs. Rather than taking drugs, you should do the best you can at getting yourself out of the hole.

-Freddie

 

[TurboOverCubicInches]

Silverwex,

I have some experience with anti-depressants, and while I am not a doctor, I have done alot of research on AD's and depression itself. First, here are some points to keep in mind before doing ANYTHING:

1) AD's treat SYMPTOMS, not the actual problem.
2) AD's are not yet fully understood by the medical community.
3) AD's are NOTORIUS for VERY intrusive side effects.
4) AD's are prescribed when they should not be, quite often.
5) Depression is USUALLY caused by a life event, lack of self fulfillment for whatver reason, or when "something isn't right" in your life. Rarely is it "medical".
6) Most important: In the USA, the media teaches us that our life is so demanding and beyond our control that AD's are a necessary evil.

In my opinion, unless your so depressed that you cannot get out of bed, or so depressed that it is adversely affecting your work (ie, taking many days off, etc), AD's should be avoided. You MUST look at your life situation, make a list of what is right and what is not. Look at your upbringing (I KNOW this sounds funny, but it IS true, believe me), and see what stayed with you from childhood and how it has affected you. Paint yourself an overall picture of your life, and this wil help you see why you might not feel right.

More than likely, SOMETHING SUCKS in your life right now. Be it job situation, a relationship, living at home, trying to please to many people, or just not living healthy, something is probably not right. You need to try to put a finger on this.

Once you have a good idea of what might be affecting you, you need to go about and change it. This post is getting long and I really can't tell you too much since everyone is different, but here are somethings that will help:

1) excersize (increases serotonin levels, it is fact)
2) socialize with more people
3) try to accomplish something you have always wanted to but never got around to
4) Eliminate things that suck in your life
5) Soul search, all the time

Finally, read Alan Cohen's book, "Why Your Life Sucks". I am 99% sure you will find this quite interesting. Essential reading for every DJ.

If you cannot seem to help yourself (and it DOES take alot of effort), then you can see a psych. But remember, more often than that they WILL prescribe you meds. If you do go, ask about cognitive behavior therapy. They will probably recommend it with some med treatement, but remember, they cannot force you to do anything.

If you DO go on meds, keep some points in mind:

1)different meds work for different people
2)they take a month or more to work
3)they have side effects that you may have to deal with for a few weeks, ie, "feeling weird", nausea, vomitting, aches, anxiety, and so on...
4)they will treat your symptoms but NOT the cause of your depression

I hope things work out. I STRONGLY urge to go the non-meds route. But this will only work if youre willing to examine your life and try to trace the depression. And, this, in my opinion, is the DJ route.

cheers

 

[XxGodJrxX]

That was a great post TurnOver. Something about it caught my eye, and that is the title of the book "Why your Life Sucks". It is really simple in my opinion why your lives suck. The reason that anybody's life sucks is because they perceive it to suck. It is negative thoughts that lead to negative experiences. What ends up happening is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Somebody thinks that their life sucks and the live it just like that, and they never change. The only way to actually make your life NOT suck is to perceive that your life is great. Although it may be hard, or even impossible, to simply get up one day and say "My life rules" after being depressed for a while, you can easily take up hobbies, meet new people, work out, and do whatever it takes to make your life NOT suck.

Make a list of qualities that you think are necessary to have a great life. Do you possess these qualities? If you don't, why don't you? What would you have to do to attain these qualities? After you figure it out, get off your ass and do it.

Our lives are our own to live. Nobody else actually cares if you are depressed or miserable with your life, it only really matters to YOU. YOU do what you have to do to make your life a good one, or live miserably and die miserably. It's your choice. Good luck.

-Freddie

 

[MackJr]

Just an informational post. There is a difference between Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and Counselors.

Psychiatrists are the really dangerous ones. You go to a Psychiatrist to get a pill, end of story. They'll prescribe you one whether you want it or not, because they've been trained on the medical end of mental health. They are necessary for treatment of serious disorders though, like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Maybe overkill for mild depression

Psychologists focus their energy on understanding you via various psychological theories and they're all talk-centered, although they can refer you to a psychiatrist for drugs.

Counselors are general therapists, some with degrees, some without. I'd say don't take a counselor without at least a bachelor's degree unless you can't afford otherwise. They cannot prescribe medication or recommend institutionalization, or any other of the hardcore remedies available to the first two categories.

 

[silverwex]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I was just interested on your thoughts.

Im kinda stuck in a rut in my life for the past few years, doing nothing much.

Parents left house for about 4 days last week and the sense of freedom and independence, albeit for four days!, was immense.

Its just that i keep slipping back to my old self and am too scared... anxious... actually i dont know what the feeling is... to go through with changing things for the better.

I suppose im too comfortable at home... altho my relationship with my parents is quite bad.

 

[XxGodJrxX]

It sounds to me like you don't need any drugs. What you DO need is either motivation or to take the initiative to make things how you want them. It's up to you to get out of your rut.

 

[TurboOverCubicInches]

silver , I am almost in the same situation. I am 25 and still at home. My parents are extremely religious and conservative, while I am very liberal. I have always had to live under their norms and expectations. That led to alot of bad things for me that I am dealing with right now. This is probably the reason for you not feeling the way you would like. When my parents leave town, I feel like a whole different person, like the person i SHOULD BE. Here's what you need to do:

1) start paving your way out
2) you need to do what makes you happy, regardless of what your housing situation dictates.
3) Read a book by Alan Cohen called "Why Your Life Sucks". You can get it off of Amazon.com if you're local bookstore doesn't have it.
4) Begin a confindence-boosting regimen: remember, living under you're parents when you don't get along with them can easily undermine your confidence, even more so if you were raised with some tight expecatations. Some ways to do this are:

a) begin a workout regiment
b) engage in a hobby or sport you are passionate about
c) read this site and apply it

I am short for time. But this should help. Feel free to reply for more from me.

 

[MackJr]

Silverwex,
If you have a job and make money regularly, go ahead and get some counseling. Since you say it's gone on for a few years, it may help you to get outside help to get out of your rut. Don't pay any more than $100 an hour, unless you're wealthy.

Some things you should know:
1. You have privacy. By law, a counselor or psychologist cannot tell anyone that you're seeing them. If they see you in the supermarket, they cannot act like they know you unless you initiate the conversation. Even your parents aren't allowed to know, and if they do know, the counselor cannot divulge the contents of the discussion. The only exception is if you said you were going to hurt someone physically. If you want to kill someone, keep it secret.

2. You should be able to talk with the counselor on the phone about their practices for free, before you commit to a first session. If they say that they won't even discuss their approach without an appointment, walk away, it's a quack.

3. There are all sorts of methodologies, (existential, cognitive-behavioral, freudian (rare) and group therapy), but they all center around determining your goals and helping you take steps toward reaching them.

 

[silverwex]

Thanks guys.

Excellent replies and its all so true.