So I've been thinking about going on antidepressants. I've been depressed for what seems like forever and lately I've been feeling worse. I was on antidepressants about 20 years ago but didn't like it. The ones I tried didn't help me. It seemed like I only got the side effects and they made me feel numb to the world. Has anyone here had success with antidepressants? Are they better today than they were 20 years ago? I hate the thought of going on medication but I don't know what to do. The depression is unbearable at times.
Disclaimer: I am not a professional, and this is best talked about with a doctor. Medication can be helpful. I think therapy is much more successful, though, for almost everyone. Seeing a doctor about this and considering therapy for sure (If you wish, but I highly recommend it), and maybe medication might be a good step to take. Medication has helped many... but for many it doesn't tackle the root cause. Coupled with the side effects, for many it's about whether it's worth the cost and side effects to take the medication or not. Therapy helps an individual deal with whatever issues one may have, though (Granted, we all have issues), and also allows one to talk about things that they might not be able to talk to with anyone else. I guess the bottom line is that therapy is rarely detrimental unless one has an incompetent therapist, or one with an agenda of sorts, so to speak. With medication, it's something that should be considered more carefully.
I agree with Luthan. Also I do think antidepressants are more sophisticated than they were 20 years ago. But the key is to have the best person prescribing. For example, a specialist psychiatrist will probably have more skills matching you to the right med. Compared to a doctor. It may be a case of trying one, and on different doses, to see how it suits. Different people react differently and so it is often a bit trial and error.
Luthan, I've been in therapy for about a year now. I should have mentioned that initially. I have a very good therapist. She's the first one I've had that I connect with and she's helped me with a lot of issues. My biggest issue, and probably the root cause of my depression, is that I could never come to terms with being gay. We've been talking about it more and more lately and I hate talking about it. It gives me headaches and stomach aches talking about it. I'm married and being gay is really inconvenient. So I'd kinda like to take a pill so I can feel better about the situation. Ug, that sounds really bad. But then again my depression started when I hit puberty so I wonder if I do have some sort of imbalance. If I can fix an imbalance with medication it might be worth it. I also have terrible anxiety. My therapist has helped me with this but lately, I don't know, it's hard getting out of bed sometimes and I've been having some dark thoughts. I just want to feel better and wonder if medication is the answer.
Tough call. The underlying cause of the depression is undoubtedly being closeted. Not only does it cause depression, it has a powerful, negative effect on your immune system. As much as you don't want to hear it, being authentic is the 'pill' that will help to resolve your depression once and for all. That said, if you are really nonfunctional and having difficulty getting out of bed, an antidepressant may help elevate your mood some. It won't make you happy but it might take the edge off just enough to help you function. There are some SSRI antidepressants of the current generation are aubstantially better than the ones of 20 years ago, but they still have side effects and are still not 'magic bullets'. If there's any way you can work on coming out, that's definitely your best bet.
