Do you know of anyone who has had success with Anti-Depressants?

[Philosoraptor]

Just curious. I know of several people who have, and was wondering about pros and cons.

[JesterCS]

1. Not I

In fact the antidepressant I was on had the reverse affect.

IMO, Stay away from Luvox

[Deja Q]

2. Several cons:

1. The brain adapts to the drug; a tolerance builds up; effectiveness reduced.
2. psychological or even physical dependency can be side-effects
3. Many problems that cause depression are due to the environment in which we live. Poppin' pills isn't the answer.
4. Unwanted side-effects like anxiety, nervousness, heart problems, liver problems, et al, can occur.
5. Weight gain is common.
6. Cost.
7. The drug may have no effect. Where's the refund?
8. The drug has the opposite effect. For a depressed person, this isn't exactly good news!
:wow:


The pros are obvious; but they vary from person to person.

[clydefrand]

3. Anti-depressants for depression or other things?

I'm presently taking Cymbalta for fibromyalgia and it helps me to manage the pain. I've never taken them for just depression. Good luck.

[Mojambo]

4. Paxil nearly destroyed my life.

I've been a different person (and not positively so) ever since I went through taking it and getting off it.

[politicat]

5. yep. Many, including me.

I have taken them for situational anxiety stemming from a personal disaster for the last six months. I can honestly say they saved my life.

At least 75% of my clients have been on them at one time or another, and the regimen we use is designed to make getting off of them a reality. I only know of one adverse reaction to an SSRI and one to an MAOI at the clinic I've worked for.

Antidepressants get a bad rap because the media follows the odd story - the one in a thousand or million - not the 99% who have improved lives because of the drug.

99% of the world can eat peanuts, but 1% can't, but you don't see people lobbying congress to pull peanuts off shelves.... (Only for labeling.)

[Warpy]

6. It's made the difference between life and death for a couple

of acquaintances. One more had a terrible reaction to SSRIs and had to go to tricyclics.

Antidepressants work wonders when they are appropriately prescribed but it may take several trials to find the right medication.

They also work best when combined with talking therapy. Try to get that out of an insurance company, though!

[FreeState]

7. Best to ask your doctor but

I have used them twice. They worked both time's- the second time in conjunction with a therapist - and I have not had to use them since.

They do work if you ask me. However a word of caution about asking this online. You can do a search online and find a ton of negative posts about them. I fell - this is me speaking here so I imagine a lot of people here might disagree - but why would you ask someone who is depressed how they feel about the drugs they are taking? The vast majority of people online posting negative comments (not here but online in general) have many more issues than depression alone.

Best ask your doctor and get a therapist IMO

[Mojambo]

8. Make sure you find out who paid for your doctor's last vacation

Because that's been known to influence what certain doctors will recommend.

[AnnieBW]

9. I have.

I've been on Effexor for several years now. It has its downsides (weight gain), but I'm much more focused while on it. I tried to get off of it last year, and got headaches and was listless again.

Anti-depressants are a boon to some, but dangerous to others. It's tough to get the right med for your chemistry. I had to go through about three different meds before I got onto Effexor.

Good luck to you!

[Hissyspit]

26. Effexor made me yawn alot.

I would immediately start yawning right after I took my dose. My doctor said he had never heard of anyone having that kind of reaction, although I think later he did say he had since heard of a few.

[foreverdem]

61. Effexor made me feel like I would jump out of my skin

It made me way too jumpy and hyper. I had great success with Zoloft but it started to give me heart palpitations so I had to stop taking it.

[kittenpants]

62. Now you've got me yawning after reading your post!

:o

[GreenInNC]

10. I have

They have helped me. I have a very strong family history of depression. Myself and several of my cousins have benefited greatly.

[Debau2005]

11. They helped me

I was on Paxil for about 9 months. I was not suicidal, just having trouble adjusting to the anxiety of my fiance being deployed. It made a huge difference in my outlook and my day to day living.

As a matter of fact, it may have helped too well! I realized that I had stayed with my fiance because I did not see that he was part of my "issues." Once I felt better about myself and worked on my personal issues, I let go of the things that were not working. He being one!!

Anyway, under a doctors supervision, that can be helpful. It does vary from person to person.

[ashling]

12. I have

So has my wife

[otohara]

13. I Didn't Like Them

the side effects creeped me out, didn't feel like myself.

[CJCRANE]

14. As a fan of your posts I had to reply...

yes I have a friend on a cocktail of pills and they have helped him to a certain degree. He is a functioning alcoholic and clinically depressed but they have motivated him to do more exercise and get on with is life.

However, bear in mind that I'm actually in England, so the social factors involved may be quite different to those in America.

[SensibleAmerican]

15. No, but I've had success with alcohol

n/t

[Mr_Spock]

18. lmao

That is a depressant, but it has it's uses as well :rofl:

[lizerdbits]

16. I took Pamelor for about 10 years

I gained about 20 lbs in the first few months and even though I'm not taking it anymore it still won't come off even with diet and exercise changes (although exercise makes me feel better physically so I still do it, and it's good for you). My testosterone levels went way up and I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (acne, irregular periods among other things). My menstrual cycle went haywire but has improved since I went off it but my testosterone is still high. I seem to be fine as long as I get exercise and don't eat much sugar. It's cheaper than pills. I just became more skeptical over the years of taking them but I think my doctor has stock in pharma companies. He kept trying to give me other drugs for weight loss but they didn't help, including cytomel even though blood tests showed no thyroid hormone abnormalities. They did help when I first started taking them but I'd recommend making other changes first, unless someone is literally on the verge of suicide.

[Mr_Spock]

17. I had great success with Prozac

I'm really glad it was there when I needed it - saved me during a really bad time.

[longship]

19. I've run the course with several.

I have cronic anxiety/depression, not severe, but treatable. I can live without medication very well, but it's easier with it.

I've taken many depressants, including prozac and related seratonin reuptake inhibitors. The problem with every single one of these is that they kill labido deader than a Tyson chicken. If no depression is worth having no labido, then I guess the seratonin reuptake inhibitors may be your solution.

I am taking Wellbutrin, which is an anti-anxiety/anti-depression med. It is marketted as Zyban for quitting smoking, but is the same identical medication. I've been taking it for years. Works okay and my labido is completely normal.

[flvegan]

20. If it's a SSRI you're looking for, I'd recommend

St. John's Wort.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, blab all you want, ye lovers of Paxil, Zoloft etc.

Big Pharma can try all they want to forget it, bury it, leave it behind. It's still better.

[longship]

23. Do not self-medicate without physician oversight.

I'd recommend speaking to a physician before self-medicating. It's important to get a diagnosis before self-medicating. Then, make your physician aware of your self-medicating regimen so that you can evaluate its success.

[Canadian Socialist]

35. I now use St. John's Wort

when I was really really bad (i.e. clinically depressed), I was using Wellbutrin. After I was stable, I switched to St. John's Wort for maintenance. Seems to work for me, without any side effects. But again, this is purely anectodal... not data.

[patricia92243]

21. Heavens yes! I, personally, have had wonderful results from using anti-

depressants. After my son died, I hate to think what would have happened to me without the meds, and thank God (literally) for modern medicines.

I had an Aunt that we thought had beginning Alzheimer. When we took her to the doctor - he said she displayed classic signs of depressen and put on an anti-depressant. It changed her life!!! She has only one regret- that she did not have access to these meds during the time she was raising her children. She says her life and that of her children would have been quite different - meaning they would REALLY have had their mother.

I could go on and on, but you get the gist.

Best of good luck to you and yours :)

[Rosemary2205]

22. Me.

I was in a car wreck 4 years ago that left me paralyzed and became suicidal. It was bad enough that I had to be institutionalized for a short time to keep me alive. IMHO the combination of the anti-depressants and the therapy helped me to come to terms with my situation and begin to make life choices instead of death choices.

Now I will say I do know someone with life long clinical depression and the anti-depressants do not seem to have made much difference for her. She says a vigilant support system is what makes the difference for her.

[tjwash]

24. Yes I have. Friend of ours. They have done wonders for her.

[Wonk]

25. I had a good friend who had quite a bad experience with Zoloft in 2002

After about 2 weeks on it he'd gone from depressed and feeling suicidal to manic and feeling suicidal, which is actually worse. A couple other of his friends and I convinced him to get off it and find another doctor, who prescribed something else (I forget what it was now, another ssri I think) and my friend has been pretty stable since. Functional. Able to hold down a regular job, and happily married now as well.

[pitohui]

27. i know of more failures but there is a selection bias

i don't myself use anti-depressants and so i am not necessarily aware of what medications other people i know are taking unless there is a humongous spectacular failure (like the bipolar dude on prozac who threatened me w. a gun) or if just by chance the person raises the issue (a friend's brother recovered completely from situational depression because of prozac)

so i see all of the spectacular failures -- kind of hard to hide it when a friend puts a gun in my face or starts raving abt the space brothers -- but i may not be aware of the quiet successes

i am v. much an advocate that if you take these drugs, you take them under a doctor's advice to be sure you don't have a paradoxical reaction

depression is a serious illness, IT KILLS, so take it seriously and make sure your doctor takes it seriously, if a medicine is not working for you or is putting odd thoughts in your head, tell your doctor and try a different medicine, there are MANY options today

if someone you love is acting oddly because of untreated depression, or because of a bad reaction to their medication, please urge that person to tell their doctor

[Fox Mulder]

28. I've never had any success with anti-depressants.

No one in my family has had much success with them, either.

[Misskittycat]

29. Yes. Lots of folks. n/t

[Hissyspit]

30. Prozac saved my friend's life, basically.

He was irrational, prone to violent outbursts and was headed towards disaster.
Now he is a functioning rational person making a living as a college professor.

[moc]

31. Anti-depressants are most effective if combined with talk therapy

specifically cognitive behavior therapy, or CBT. CBT is the only talk therapy approach shown to be effective in clinical trials.

If you think you need treatment for depression, please be evaluated by a qualified behavioral health therapist. Your primary care provider (i.e., internist, etc.) should not be prescibing anti-d's. In most places, master's level therapist work in teams with psychiatrists. For example, my husband is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who teams with a psychiatrist. He does the inital evaluation, then refers to the psychiatrist as needed for medication evaluation. Sometimes the referrals are in reverse, with the psychiatrist seeing the patient first.

The reason I recommend a behavioral health provider is because primary care providers are not trained in the full scope of behavioral assessment. They also may not be up on the latest in terms of psychotropic medication nor will they usually monitor and adjust it as needed. Anti-depressants can be a very effective tool (used in conjuction with CBT), but everyone is different and treatment must be individualized. What medication works for one person may not work for another. Unfortunately, my husband has seen many many patients who were misdiagnosed and prescribed the wrong medication by primary care providers.

In most situations, the medication is seen as a short term tool to facilitate treatment. Most individuals do not stay on medication indefinitely.

Finally, be forewarned there are, unfortunately, many crappy therapists out there. (My husband isn't one of them, of course. ;-)) If you want any tips on how to screen for a good therapist, feel free to email me.

Hope this helps. Best wishes.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

32. Yes me, with Seroxat (Paxil)

The two major side-effects I had were very occassional, but nasty, headaches and the inability to get it up. Neither were a big deal compared to the positives though, namely the ability to function again.

I'd also highly recommend some kind of talk therapy alongside drug treatment. It took a while for me to get into it at first (particularly to trust anyone other than myself), but it was an invaluable part of recovery.

[Maestro]

33. I have, but it took a long time to find the right one.

Effexor made me a zombie, gained weight and completley my sex drive.
Wellbutrin made me dizzy
Serezone was taken off the market because of possible liver damage
Lexapro has so far worked great with very minimal, if any side effects.

[dysfunctional press]

34. wellbutrin worked for me...

along with the accompanying therapy.

[wellstone dem]

36. Yes, my daughter

I believe she would not be here without them.

Unfortunately, it has taken her a long time to find one that worked, and even then, sometimes they quit working.

Prozac--terrible made her worse
Wellbutrim--didn't work
Paxil--
Lexapro--worked for about a year.

Now is on effexor. It does have immediate side effects if you miss a dose. Life's not perfect, but she's still here, she'll be starting college in the fall, she's working.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

37. Me- I might not be alive without them.

Thank god for insurance and for pills that allow me to function.

[Poiuyt]

38. Zoloft saved my life

[onecent]

41. I don't know if Zoloft saved my life, however, I do know

that Zoloft has my panic attacks under control.

Panic attacks are AWFUL...Scary, and awful....I took 50 mg per doc's orders....but wasn't doing the trick.

100 mg of Zoloft...and I'm afraid to stop taking it...

Panic attacks...are just that. PANIC.

Scarey as hell Thought I was having a heart attacks....

I'm concerned about taking Zoloft, but AFRAID NOT TOO.

[w8liftinglady]

54. mine,too...but a caveat

zoloft has a lot of sexual side effects...in other words-it's not you-it's the drug.zoloft pulled me out of a deep depression prior to my divorce.i'm grateful for that.

[CBGLuthier]

39. No, not a one

My own experience was horrible. When I was thinking about killing my whole family I decided it was time to ditch them.

That was the original prozac which denies it can have those effects but I know it is BS.

Of course, I am bipolar and antidepressants are a bad, bad idea for bipolar.

[lonestarnot]

40. Apparently PICKLES! She hasn't committed suicide yet.

[madmusic]

42. Prozac saves thousands of lives

Medical Studies/Trials
Published: Tuesday, 13-Jun-2006

A new study should help alleviate any concern over a link between the use of certain antidepressants and suicide.

A new class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) have been increasingly used to treat depression and have undoubtedly saved thousands of lives, despite concerns of a possible link with an increased suicide risk.

Antidepressants such as Zoloft (Pfizer), Paxil (GlaxoSmithKline) and Prozac (Eli Lilly) are used by millions of Americans.

....

The study analyzed federal data on overall suicide rates since the early 1960s along with sales of Prozac since the antidepressant's introduction in 1988 through to 2002.

The researchers found that the U.S. suicide rate remained steady for 15 years prior to the introduction of fluoxetine, then dropped steadily over 14 years as sales of the antidepressant rose; the strongest effect was among women.

Licinio says the findings suggest that the introduction of SSRIs has contributed to the reduction of suicide rates in the United States.

Licinio also says the psychiatric community fears that the absence of such treatment may prove more harmful to depressed individuals than the effects of the drugs themselves, and most people who commit suicide suffer from untreated depression.

Major depressive disorder affects approximately 10 percent of American men and 20 percent of women over their lifetimes.

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=18426

[izzybeans]

43. I'd say the risk is there is no guarantee.

Just don't expect any choice to end up being a magic bullet and please make sure you understand the side effects as well as understand that coming off anti-depressants is like coming off any addictive substance.

[raccoon]

70. Yes, coming off them is a mofo.

It can be a terrible withdrawal. The medical community started calling it "antidepressant discontinuation syndrome" because "withdrawal" sounds like a junkie.

And it's sometimes hard to differentiate the withdrawal symptoms from the problems the person had in the first place.

But they've helped me and I know several others who've been helped.

[spacelady]

44. Hard telling - is it the drug, or is it me? n/t

[Lydia Leftcoast]

45. Imapramine (an older anti-depressant)

stopped my downward slide in 1990.

For the first time in months I could sleep more than 3 hours a night, and I had the energy to do things besides collapse and stare into space after I got home from teaching.

The main side effects were gaining ten pounds that I never lost and having a metallic taste in my mouth.

After about a year, my life situation changed (with the help of therapy), and with my doctor's OK, I began tapering off.

I've been fine since, except for occasional relapse, but nothing like what happened in 1989-1990.

[Buck Laser]

46. I've been on antidepressants for many years.

The side effects are not necessarily pleasant, but they are better than the depression. There is a wide river of depression from my mother's side of my family. For my daughter, antidepressants have made a normal and highly productive life possible.

I have just started on a new one, Cymbalta, which in addition to combatting depression, provides pain reliefe for the peripheral neuropathy I have as a result of chemotherapy--and that's great. It's enabled me to start on a cardiac fitness program.

[kineneb]

47. me, as well

I have gone through norepineprine and Paxil and am now on Cymbalta. Yes, the body does habituate to anti-depressants. However, if the alternative is continual misery, interspersed with terrible depressive episodes and possible suicide, the medication is preferable. I will probably be on a maintance dose for the rest of my life.

I could have been another statistic, as my great-grandmother was- death by suicide at age 27, leaving behind her husband and two small girls. By age 12, I was suicidal. Grandma spent her last years suffering from geriatric depression (but that is another story). I just wish that I could have been diagnosed earlier. I have been through talk therapy, and was in couples therapy. That was when the therapist told us she could not help until I was in treatment for my depression.

There are side effects, such as on libido, but without medication, I cannot think clearly or function normally.

[tyedyeto]

48. I was on Prozac for about 8 months when...

I was going thru my divorce. No side effects and when no longer needed, I was able to leave the pills behind. But while I took them, it made an impact for the better. The anxiety lessened and I was able to cope much better than if I didn't have the drug.

Been off for almost 5 years now and have no after effects or desire to return to them.

[TahitiNut]

49. Tried Prozac (Rx, of course). It just wasn't for me. By quitting alcohol,

... getting 30 minutes of outdoor exercise (walking meditations) each day, getting at least 6 hours of sleep each night, and watching what I eat ... I've not had a bout of depression in over 10 years. Part of it is cognitive processes that I adhere to - focusing on the many, many "small" things I appreciate and have gratitude for. Fresh air, flowers, sunshine, small animals, whatever - I live in an abundant world! I CHOOSE to be happy. I CHOOSE to appreciate myself.

[mnhtnbb]

50. My husband is a psychiatrist/psychoanalyst in practice for 35 years.

He has had numerous patients benefit from anti-depressants. But he also believes in the value of therapy.

[Ilsa]

51. Yes. Others and myself.

I know plenty of moms that did much better on anti-depressants for postpartum depression.

Since Andrea Yates killed her kids, the OBs I know screen for it and have a psychiatrist avaiable for referra.

I take Lexapro. I wish I had started it as soon as my oldest son was diagnosed with autism.

There are different types of antidepressants, different side effects which may affect people differently, etc. It isn't a matter of "pros and cons" for alot of people.

[steely]

52. Apparently I'm part of the 1% who are allergic to Prozac

Ironically, I actually felt better after a month, but the good was accompanied by deep skin blisters on my hands.
I stopped at that point, and have been reluctant to try anything else. (how depressing?)

[Bluerthanblue]

53. Therapy, Prozac, Effexor, and lorazepam..

keep my feet planted on this earth... most of the time-
Life isn't easy, but it isn't hell anymore-

Side effects, costs (even with patient assistance) and having no insurance at all- or any hope of any insurance ever again...(pre-existing conditions) and the realization that I NEED the meds, are the 'down side'- but for now, it's worth it.

[imperial jedi]

55. I have had success with antidepressants

I am borderline bipolar tilting heavily twards depression. On top of that I have fibromyalgia. for years before medication I would suddenly(like turning on/off a light switch) go fron normal or even happy to so depressed I didn't care if I or anyone else lived or died. then I met a doctor who listened to me for the first time. He put me on elavil(amitriptaline) the change was dramatic. The dark moods disappeared and life was good for the first time in memory. Of course there were side affects. during the adjustment period I had dissociative seizors when I heard certain bells/buzzers. then bad smells and a sensitivity to heat.Well worth it. now I'm on trazadone works ok but I'm thinking of talking to my doc. about going back to elavil.cause it worked better than trazadone.

[rucky]

56. Me.

it got me to change my diet and start exercising, go back to school and get my masters, change my career & now I no longer need them.

whether or not I could've done all that without antidepressants is irrelevant.

[tenshi816]

57. I was on Prozac and then Paxil

for a couple of years while my mother was going through treatment for lung cancer, and for about six months after she died. They helped me cope with my depression but absolutely destroyed my libido while I was taking them. That's a definite "con" in my book.

[cboy4]

58. Elavil. -- but I don't take for depression, I take for heachaches...

I used to get chronic headaches on a daily basis, including crazy migraines.

A couple of friends take Wellbutrin, and that apparently is one of the main anti-depressants least likely to cause sexual side-effects (a major problem with anti-depressants).

[The Anti-Neo Con]

59. Count me out.

I was put on Paxil about 5 years ago for depression and I experienced extreme weight gain (80 lbs. in 4 months). I just learned to "cope" with the depression on my own & was OK then.

[phylny]

60. Absolutely.

Three family members - one immediate, and two extended - have had their lives changed for the better by low doses of Lexapro. In the case of our immediate family member, we saw a difference within FIVE DAYS of taking medicine.

For us, Lexapro has been a miracle.

[Swamp Rat]

63. Stop being so glib and suppressive! Take your Flintstones vitamins to free

:bounce: your reactive mind of negative engrams which lower your tone scale reading on your e-meter. :bounce:

:bounce:

:bounce: :bounce:

:bounce:

:bounce:

:bounce:

[Bossy Monkey]

64. Luvox worked well for me, but did a number on my liver

Paxil also worked pretty well. SSRIs generally are safe and effective, except for the minor liver damage. The latter freaked me out, though, so I've been muddling through without medication for some years now.

PS: I can say and from experience that taking medicine for bipolar disorder when you aren't bipolar is a very bad idea. Tried Lamictal, fell into a bottomless depression immediately. Thought it might be just coincidence, tried it again, same thing happened. Hopefully, it's a good medicine for bipolar disorder, but it wasn't for me.

[femmocrat]

65. Elavil turned me into a "zombie".... all I wanted to do was sleep and

I gained 10 lbs. in the first 2 weeks. It didn't help the migraines, which is why it was prescribed. I changed doctors and I'm doing OK on prozac... the migraines have lessened at least. Question on Prozac, though --- does anyone know if it is true that the dosage needs to be increased over time as the body becomes used to it? I've been really "down in the dumps" for the past few weeks and just can't shake it.

[RagingInMiami]

66. Never been on antidepressants

But I hear a lot of them will kill your sex drive. That would leave me even more depressed.

[seemunkee]

67. Yes, several family members

Sometimes its hard to find the right one though.

[etherealtruth]

68. An emphatic "yes"

Ihave seen them make the difference btw. productivity and an (almost) inability to function ... btw. life and death.

Though the drugs may have serious side effects, may not work for each and every person ... if one is being treated by a skilled practioner, the drugs can truly "save" lives

[MissMillie]

69. I did

I couldn't tell you the pros and cons really. I did gain weight, but quite frankly, I was always gaining weight back then so I don't know that I could attribute it to the meds.

At a time in my life when I really needed help getting out of bed in the morning, Zoloft made things better.