Do antidepressants work?

I'm currently on some anti-depressants and sense starting them I've managed to stop cutting myself, stop trying to kill myself, stop laying in bed all day long, stop have panic attacks as frequently as I use to and helps me feel like "hey, I'm actually trying to do something to make me better" which it itself is a good strange feeling.
I believe that they help dull down the sadness, but they don't eliminate it. They just make it more tolerable. I'm currently on medicine and seeing a therapist. In my opinion, Therapy works better. But if you're done with that, I'd say medication is worth a shot.

 

I currently take Lexapro. I can say that, without a doubt, Lexapro saved my life. When I was 15, I had a panic attack so severe, I had disassociative episode. I felt somewhat detached from reality and emotionally numb. I then became severely depressed and no longer cared about my life. My depression was so severe that I nearly convinced myself that I had died and woke up in Hell, and that my Hell was the emotional suffering. I held onto every ounce of hope that I had left, and kept telling myself that there was hope for me. I finally decided to stop being so terrified of talking about my problems. I made an appointment to see my psychologist, and I opened up completely. She sent me to see the psychiatrist who had me take a test. He diagnosed me with OCD, panic disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and clinical depression brought on by everything else. While my depression wasn't situational, I had a lot of childhood trauma. I guess I bottled up all the things I went through growing up and it finally got the best of me. Within a week of taking Lexapro, I felt much better. My emotions started returning, the fear went away, and my sadness disappeared almost completely. I never, in a million years, thought medicine could make me feel like a human being again.

While I'm on medicine, I don't need to talk about my problems. Lexapro helps me sort out my feelings on my own. I went from having 3-5 panic attacks a day, to having 1-2 panic attack a year (if that). I feel like I can do so many things that I wasn't able to do before.

It's worth a shot. If you've tried other options to get better and nothing else is working, what have you got to lose?

 

I'm bipolar, and was on antidepressants, until they worked a little too well and sent me into a manic phase. I've weaned off them for a while, and my psychiatrist is scared to prescribe some again at this stage, since it could trigger another manic episode. In my experience, they work really well. I don't mind telling people that I'm on medication for bipolar disorder. I think - in my experience anyway - the stigma that used to be there, has mostly faded and more and more people are "coming out" about their mental health issues. If anyone judges you for having to be on antidepressants then they're full of nonsense and don't know what it's like walking in your shoes.

As for not trusting yourself with pills - Do you live with someone who could control your daily dosage? Meaning, can they perhaps hide the pills from you and just give you your recommended dosage each day? I know it's not 100% fool proof but it's worth trying. Just remember that it takes a few days for our bodies to adjust to new medications, so be patient with the process. I think it's great that you want to seek professional help with your depression. That's a good sign to me.

 

If we stigmatised every person who took antidepressants we would be talking about one third of the population in some countries! They are routinely prescribed for a range of emotional problems, so we really should move away from the negative associations that we attach to these drugs. I have taken antidepressants myself.

Responsible prescribing of mild antidepressants means they are very safe for most people to take and they do help to dull the worst symptoms of depression, but they are not and never will be a cure, as some people mistakenly believe. In combination with therapy they can work well, but it takes some weeks before they begin to have any effect, so patience is necessary.

I don't think there is any real gamble in taking mild antidepressants. It might have been different years ago, when all antidepressants were heavily sedating and addictive, but that's really not the case now. The main thing to be aware of when taking any medication is possible side effects or a worsening in symptoms - in which case you should return to the doctor/prescriber.

One thing to bear in mind is that you should only cease taking antidepressants on the advice of your doctor/prescriber. You should never do so under your own steam.

 

There is way too much negative focus on mental illness...and always has been really. It really gets my goat. Most people you meet are dealing or will deal with some form of MI in their lives. Grrrr.

Ok, rant over. Any form of an anti-depressant is a "gamble" in that each comes from a large family of choices. One type may not work for you, but the next one will. So don't feel bad if the first choice does not work for you. Keep at it. Depression is never something to take lightly. Get the help you need ASAP, keep a brave heart, and try what you need to try to get to a safe place.

It is a hard journey, but I'm cheering for you! :icon_bigg

Sebby45

---------- Post added 14th Dec 2016 at 03:26 AM ----------

P.S. You can always pm me if you need to talk.

 

I can say that for me they did. I had a major depressive episode my senior year in high school. I tried to kill myself and just basically shut down for about three months--no school, no work, no nothing. For me I found that my thinking at that point became entirely circular. I obsessed about my problems, thought about them all the time, but I actually always thought the same things. It was like this endless loop in my head. For me the drugs broke the loop. It wasn't like they fixed my problems but they gave me enough distance on them that I could finally actually think about them in new ways rather than just obsessing. In the end I feel like they really allowed me to see my way through that time.

 

I believe that antidepressants have a role to play in the treatment of depression, but other and concurrent forms of therapy should be emphasized as well.

My professor in medicinal chemistry had a flair for the dramatic when he remarked on the "mass of humanity" that uses anxiolytics (like valium) and antidepressants, they are in widespread use, but over-reliance on this therapy alone can mask or postpone addressing the underlying issues that cause depression.

 

Once you get the right dose of the right one, yes, although they don't teach coping skills the way therapy does

 

There is very strong evidence that for major depression, a combination of anti-depressants and psychotherapy (such as CBT) have the strongest impact on treating the symptoms of depression. For minor to moderate depression, psychotherapy and drugs (such as SSRIs, SNRIs, and some other classes of medication that are commonly used) have been shown to be equally as effective. Depending on your age, certain drugs are not indicated, but your physician should be aware of those.

It may take time, and often switching medications or adjusting the dose several times before they are effective, but about 2/3 of patients with severe symptoms will achieve remission with the help of medication.

You should definitely seek help if you need it and don't be ashamed about being treated for anything every. It is still something we don't entirely understand, but its definitely not something to be scared about. If you are in immediate danger of harm, you should seek help right away.

Hope you feel better soon.

 

For me, antidepressants were the answer. I do not believe by any means that depression is always caused by external circumstances. Sometimes it's the opposite, and in such cases medicine is what's needed. No amount of talk therapy or change in my life circumstances would have helped me in the long term. Not every antidepressant will work for every person. For example, my doctor started me on one, I can't remember what it was now because it did nothing. He then put me on another, Venlafaxine, which I can remember because it has been a life changer for me. I feel completely normal now, and depression is something in my past. So if it's not working, tell your doctor; a different one might make all the difference. If your doctor doesn't cooperate, find another doctor for your depression.

 

They don't work if you take them and expect them to solve your problems, but they do allow you to get better with your own strength. When my depression was at its worst, my worst enemy was simply my own mindset; I saw the world through a dark filter and everything was just overwhelming negativity and trying to tell myself otherwise just ended with me ending up further down into the hole. Getting antidepressants simply gave me a fighting chance to improve my own situation and I have done that.

---------- Post added 15th Dec 2016 at 05:36 PM ----------

Venlafaxine is the one I use as well.

 

Kodo,

Major depression is a difficult, remember you are not alone in your struggles. Medication can help but as others have said not every drug works the same for every person and they can take a few weeks to work.

Like Patrick said, don't worry about stigma. You have to do what is right for yourself.

Citalopram seems to work for me along with low dose Trazodone at night to sleep.

Take Care
Dean

 

I've been wondering this too lately.

I have struggled with anxiety and depression since I was 17. While it has gotten better, it is still a struggle with me, mainly more anxiety these days then depression.

My mother has depression and my doctor has tried to prescribe anti-depressants to me but I have been very reticent all these years. I want to now (I think, although I HATE pills) but I don't have the money for the medicine. I barely survive right now

 

Antidepressants do often work for the majority of people that take them. But there's also some people that they cannot help. I used to be on some antidepressants, but none worked and I stopped.

It honestly depends on the person. And if you think that it may help you, you should try it.