Positive stories of anti-depressants **NO MEDICAL ADVICE**

LegacyUser

Hi all. I'm 31 year old woman who has suffered with mental health issues for most of my life. To describe them briefly they range from periods of 6 months to a year in really good form where things are going swimmingly and I feel confident and able to cope with all that life brings. Then inevitably I go through phases of a few months where I feel very down. Small things really affect me and I become quite anxious about small things. I'm still able to function when my mood is low, I am able to go to work but at times the quality of my work may not be 100%. I have been attending counselling which has helped to a large degree. I try hard to have regular exercise and generally keep busy.

The counsellor has mentioned them as an option to me and I never considered I needed them until now. My view is that if I am going to have these low periods for the rest of my life that maybe the anti-depressants may help to lift my mood quicker and for longer. As is often the case with medication, I've only heard the bad stories and the negativity around taking them. Due to the fact that I've had these low moods for the last 5/6 years on a pretty regular basis I would be willing to try nearly anything at this stage to see a reduction/improvement. I am aware that there is side effects etc but I would love to hear from people who had mild/moderate depression, the issues you had and the positive difference it made.
Thanks in advance.

Big Bag of Chips

Posters are reminded not to offer medical advice. Leave the prescribing to the doctor. Posters can give their own experience of particular drugs, but cannot make any recommendations.

mistress_gi

I was on antidepressants for a long time, from 16 up to 25 years old or so and I can tell you for sure they saved my life. I was having an terrible time, like my mind wasn't my own, I felt depressed, tired suicide a couple of times and had no will to live at all.
I can tell you this, they work, well when you find the right fit they really work.
I thought I was going to be on them for life and I was OK with that.
Once things started to settle I was able to go off them but if things get too out of hand I would definitely go on them again if that was the medical advice.
So my advice is, if your doctor is recommending the meds, try them. Go in with an open mind, it may take a little while to get the right ones.

ninjabox

Hi, I have had a positive experience overall with anti-depressants.

I was diagnosed with anxiety and mild depression in my early 20s (I'm 27 now). I think my mental health problems is more nurture rather than nature - as I had a very difficult family life growing up.

The first time I went on antidepressants I was in college - but I didn't like them at all, the only way I can describe it is this: they made me feel as though the volume was turned down on all my emotions. So I went off them, and that was that.

Then after I finished college and started working, two life events (long-term relationship break-up and death of a loved one) brought my mental health problems back tenfold. I was so bad that I decided to try anti-depressants again.

This time my doctor put me on a different anti-depressant - and it literally changed my life. I felt I could able to speak to people without panicking, I wasn't putting a mask on in order to get through the week - only to spend the weekend hiding from everyone.

<Snip>

Big Bag of Chips

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LegacyUser

I guess I always suffered from depression from a young age but it got particularly bad 4 to 5 years ago, CBT while it helped didn't solve it for me... I was in a fairly bad way and doctor put me on anti depressants, I can honestly they helped me hugely...for me it was like feeling normal and actually helped me enjoy life once again... Got married, had two kids in that time and nothing really phased me... Can't say it would have happened had I not done anything... I came off them at the start of the year and had a bad wobble which I think was down to life events that happened along with not being on them anymore, I'm back on them now and probably will be for the foreseeable future... No huge major side affects while on them for me... Sex drive is reduced a bit but I reckon most of that is down to two young kids

LegacyUser

Positive experience here too. I suffered with severe anxiety and was eventually prescribed a low dosage of anti depressant. I had resisted any mention of medication for quite some time before that.
After I got the prescription, I sat down with a very helpful pharmacist and asked every single question I had about them. My fears, my questions about how they actually worked, everything. She answered every question. I filled the prescription. I was still hesitant. I knew only I could decide would I take them or not.
I decided in the end that I had nothing to lose, except the anxiety. I had no side effects, none.

Combined with what you have mentioned, exercise and counselling, the mix of all three was what, I believe, brought me out the other side. I found a website called 'nomorepanic' very helpful when I was trying to make up my mind about the medication.

I wish you well.

Lux23

I had a severe depressive episode when I was 21/22 and I was prescribed Lexapro. After two weeks I began to feel better and went off them after about 9 months. I haven't had a relapse since then (I'm 36) despite having a lot of horrible things happen, so my experience was very positive.

Best of luck.

anon999

hi, I was prescribed lexapro for social anxiety. I was frozen out by a lot of people in work and at the same time was under stress because we were building an extension to the house and the bank was dragging its feet on a loan. It all got on top of me. For a period of about 6 months I wasn't sleeping, would be walking the hall during the night in frustration, then I couldn't function at work, etc.

I found lexapro brilliant, there were some minor side effects such as weight gain and a dry mouth at night sometimes. Oh yea, I think for the first week there might have been a bit of tingling but that went away quickly. I just found that it was almost like being covered in a layer of protective foam. Before when someone would blank me at work when I walked past them, I would be constantly questioning myself as to what did I do to cause that, endlessly worrying about it, losing sleep, etc. Then after taking the medication, it was like 'whatever', I couldn't give 2 ****s. Also, I found I was very calm no matter the situation. If a bomb went off next to me, it wouldn't rattle me. I started on 5 mg per day and over time brought it down to every other day and then weaned off it eventually when I felt I was ready.

Teyla Emmagan

I am on anti depressants about 10 years and I find them absolutely fantastic. A total game changer. Without them I would probably have ended up a shut in. I am on my third type. The first didn't suit me, the second eventually lost effectiveness, I am flying on the third. And bar a bit of vertigo on the first one, absolutely no side effects.

Depression is terrifying. If you think medication is worth a shot then go for it. What have you to lose? If it doesn't work you try something else, sin e.

nthclare

I heard a lot of negativity about people playing doctor about antidepressants, saying it turned them into zombies etc

That's because these people were so wound up with that incessant racing mind they weren't used to the chutter slowing down,and they stopped taking the meds, little did they know they were getting better, they're madder than ever now.

Some people lack serotonin like others lack the ability to produce the chemical that reduces inflammation of the joints...

That's why some have to take medication to reduce swelling...

Best of luck op

baby and crumble

Anti-depressants helped me live tbh. Not that I was contemplating ending my life,at all, but I wasn't living.

I did have to experiment (under doc supervision) with different types and doses but once we got it right i never looked back. I came off them, and did go back on for a period of time when I was unemployed but was able to come off them again. I figure I will probably need them again at other times in my life.

The way I see it is if I had a heart problem I'd take medication. If I had cancer I'd take medication. If I had any other medical issue I'd take medication. Mental health is no different, it's just another part of your health that needs looking after.

LegacyUser

Thanks a million to all those who replied. It's comforting to hear positive stories as sometimes you only hear the negative when talking about anti-depressants. In a general conversation a few months back with a friend who is a psychiatric nurse, I was taken aback with how negative she was towards them, saying the withdrawals are awful.
It's something I have resisted doing for a long time due to the negative stories and the fact that I'm doing this alone, in the sense that I won't be telling anyone I am on them.

My counsellor said she feels they might help me and I can explain to the doctor my anxiety and worry about taking them and they would probably start me on a low dose.
Thanks again for those who took the time to reply.

Teyla Emmagan

My doc changed the type I was on in February because the ones I were taking were no longer proving effective (after a very long time). And yes, the withdrawal wasn't much fun. But it didn't last for long. And it was 100% worth it to feel better again. So I would not let that put you off. Some people are very anti medication but you have to ignore them if it is right for you. And until they have walked in your shoes their opinions are meaningless.

Paddy Cow

carlito66 wrote: »

Thanks a million to all those who replied. It's comforting to hear positive stories as sometimes you only hear the negative when talking about anti-depressants. In a general conversation a few months back with a friend who is a psychiatric nurse, I was taken aback with how negative she was towards them, saying the withdrawals are awful.
It's something I have resisted doing for a long time due to the negative stories and the fact that I'm doing this alone, in the sense that I won't be telling anyone I am on them.

My counsellor said she feels they might help me and I can explain to the doctor my anxiety and worry about taking them and they would probably start me on a low dose.
Thanks again for those who took the time to reply.

They shouldn't be if the medication is slowly withdrawn. If people stop taking their medication all of a sudden then yes, they can have severe withdrawals.

pauliebdub

I've taken Lexapro in the past and it made a huge difference to me, it helped to stabilise my moods and I stopped feeling anxious. I also took other steps such as drastically reduce my alcohol intake and to exercise more such as going for long walks as opposed to staying indoors all the time.

The problem I had with it was it severely cutailed my sex life. I lost interest and wasn't able to stay aroused. I came off them after about 4 months and apart from a couple of milder relapses haven't looked back.

Paddy Cow

xzanti wrote: »

I started taking Lexapro back in 2014, when I was finally able to put a name on what was 'wrong' with me. Anxiety.

My first time on them was like someone flicked a switch. I was suddenly able to socialize without freezing up in mid conversation, and all the other splendors that come with the disorder.

I came off them pretty quickly having discovered I was pregnant. Going cold turkey was really not ideal, I felt like sh1t, but I personally couldn't justify taking something like that while pregnant.

I've been back on them about 9 months since my baby was born and to be honest, I'm not getting that fabulous relief that I got the first time around.

I still find myself getting anxious and overthinking. I'm going to bring it up with my GP on my next review.

I was on Lexapro and one day I felt really weird. It was like I was getting electric shocks or zaps in my brain. I was wozzy and felt like I had vertigo. I couldn't figure it out until I realised I had forgotton to take my pill for two days. I took one and a couple of hours later I was fine. I ran out other times and wasn't in a position to get more and the same thing happened. I was on 20mg and when I felt well enough to come off them I did it by lowering the dose by 5mg a month and had no side effects.

The side effects of going cold turkey are nasty and fair play to you for seeing it through.

forestgirl

I take 60mg of gerozac daily. I have very vivid dreams at night,during the day I need to rest and I drift into this lovely sleep, it's a very nice feeling.

mojesius

I take a low dose of lexapro for anxiety.

My anxiety was so bad a few years ago that I grinded my teeth so much in my sleep that I dislocated my jaw and have to have surgery to repair it. I worriesd about everything, things from the past, present and future, silly things but too many things. Constant negative chatter in my head, I felt like I was going mad. I had already attended counselling, which helped change my way of thinking and where I was wrongly focusing my energy.

But then I started doing well in my career, got a few promotions, had some family problems and felt very overwhelmed very suddenly and anxiety was too much. That's when I went on lexapro but also started upping my physical activity a lot - running, gym, pilates, being outdoors. Both combined gave me a balance I never had before.

Tried going off it when I was pregnant and it was too hard so stayed on a low dose with my consultant's recommendation. Was terrified of getting PND but have been okay. It's really helped me but exercise, esp running helped too

carzony

I took medication for my anxiety disorder a few years back and they really helped me function. It got to the stage where I was literally housebound and had daily panic attacks, which were so severe I would still be on the floor hours later recovering from them. The GP gave me the anti-depressants along with other meds that would 'cancel out' my stress/anxiety hormone and this basically allowed me to do things without a possibility of having panic attacks. I very quickly got my confidence back and was at least able to function.

There is a wide range of meds your GP can recommend.