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Did antidepressants really helped anyone?
- Thread starter Mack
- Start date
Yes. I was on them as a teenager, and then went off for 10 years, thinking I could overcome it myself. About a year ago, my wife finally made me start seeing someone, and they got me back on them. It has made SUCH a huge change in the last year. I finally feel like myself again.
Yes and I didn't realize how much they helped until I went off them and now I wish I was still on them
Yes, they have helped me reach a place where my baseline mood is less negative and bleak and I feel more able to take on the challenges of the day. But your doctor is right that they are not a magic pill on their own. A lot of my benefit has come from personal counseling and introspection.
Personally I've never experienced the "zombie" effects that some people talk about. Just feels like they help me keep my head above water so I have the energy and wherewithal to do the important work.
Personally I've never experienced the "zombie" effects that some people talk about. Just feels like they help me keep my head above water so I have the energy and wherewithal to do the important work.
They help me a lot. I don't think they help you feel "happy", they more balances my mood out.
Therapy, exercising, and meditation has helped me tremendously to feel "content" or "happy".
Therapy, exercising, and meditation has helped me tremendously to feel "content" or "happy".
I think the following is a good model for how to think about happiness in general:
1) Baseline happiness - mostly chemical. Some people wake up in the morning at a 3 or 4 out of 10. Some people get really low and bottom out at like 0 or 1. Some people wake up at a 7 or 8 out of 10. This is chemistry at play- dopamine, GABA, serotonin, oxytocins, endorphins. If you're in the low range then you could benefit greatly from SSRIs to get your baseline up.
It sounds like you've tackled this part.
2) Internal/external influences - generating these chemicals through concerted effort. To do this:
- challenge yourself by learning new things. For me personally this is a big key to my own happiness.
- physical activity. Hitting the gym regularly, HIIT, lifting heaving.
- relaxation strategies like yoga/meditation.
- meaningful relationships.
- diet--getting enough complex carbs, B12, protein, fat.
Doing the above creates a powerful feedback loop--boosts your self esteem, energy, ambition, outlook on life, creates a sense of purpose.
Sounds like you need to develop a strategy for creating feedback loops. Maybe sit down and write out how to tackle each one?
Same, OP I'm sorry that medication isn't very effective for you.
The shittiest part of depression is that you can do all the right things and still feel entirely empty.
Hope you find something that makes you feel normal, whether it be Underwater Basket Weaving or taking pictures of your pets and posting it on social media. Best of luck
They worked but as others have said, they did so by making me feel like all of my emotions were zeroed out, including the positive ones.
As someone else noted, I was seeking treatment from a psychiatrist and doing the whole round of support for treating my depression. I don't think the medication would have helped me long term—it was just the short term preventative from slipping further while my psychiatrist and I grappled with my underlying psychological issues.
As someone else noted, I was seeking treatment from a psychiatrist and doing the whole round of support for treating my depression. I don't think the medication would have helped me long term—it was just the short term preventative from slipping further while my psychiatrist and I grappled with my underlying psychological issues.
Sure. Mirtazapin for close to 7 years. Helped a ton with sleep and anxiety, been off them for close to 4 years now, full recovery.
At the same time: this is not actually how they're designed to work. Typical depressions last between 6 and 12 months and antidepressants are designed to counter their symptoms until they resolve themselves. Even without therapy. People who don't experience significant improvement on antidepressant or who experience depressive symptoms for over a year are supposed to switch treatment and/or re-evaluate their diagnosis.
In retrospect, I think my depression was kept fueled by external factors in my social life. So while the meds helped, they didn't solve anything on their own. My depression resolved when those external factors resolved. I suspect this is the case for most people who don't respond well to treatment or who, like me, get stuck in prolonged depressive episodes. The problem obviously being that external factors aren't always easily resolved.
At the same time: this is not actually how they're designed to work. Typical depressions last between 6 and 12 months and antidepressants are designed to counter their symptoms until they resolve themselves. Even without therapy. People who don't experience significant improvement on antidepressant or who experience depressive symptoms for over a year are supposed to switch treatment and/or re-evaluate their diagnosis.
In retrospect, I think my depression was kept fueled by external factors in my social life. So while the meds helped, they didn't solve anything on their own. My depression resolved when those external factors resolved. I suspect this is the case for most people who don't respond well to treatment or who, like me, get stuck in prolonged depressive episodes. The problem obviously being that external factors aren't always easily resolved.
Yes. I took 5 different antidepressants before the one I currently take (Desvenlafaxine) and it doesn't make me happy, but it def has made my baseline mood infinitely better. Seriously, I'm a huge believer in antidepressants now.
The withdrawal symptoms are brutal though and the process of finding the antidepressant that worked for me was not fun as the others I tried made my depression worse or had no effect at all.
The withdrawal symptoms are brutal though and the process of finding the antidepressant that worked for me was not fun as the others I tried made my depression worse or had no effect at all.
Prozac gave me the space in my head I needed to both plan & enact the other changes I needed to make to get me through. I took it in conjunction with 18mths of therapy.
The two go together for me - the drugs to mitigate the worst effects of the depression; therapy to talk through stuff & arrive at coping/healing strategies; through the mitigation effects, being able to implement those actions.
So yeah, worked for me.
The two go together for me - the drugs to mitigate the worst effects of the depression; therapy to talk through stuff & arrive at coping/healing strategies; through the mitigation effects, being able to implement those actions.
So yeah, worked for me.
This is pretty much exactly my experience with my wife. They are an extremely valuable tool in helping people to be better equipped to tackle the other issues they face so they can get deal with the depression.
I believe they actually have genetic tests you can have done that will give doctors a better idea of which meds are more and less likely to work for you. My wife had to go to a mental care facility for a month where they ended up doing these tests for her and it helped them find her current effective meds quite quickly. If you're afraid of experimenting endlessly and are able to have the tests done (unsure of their cost, unfortunately), I would definitely recommend considering this option.
EDIT: generic -> genetic, very bad typo on my part.
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Saint johns wort worked for me. I just eventually started waking up not feeling like shit and stopped taking them. Was never depressed since.
For me, it was like flipping a switch. Before I started taking them, any random event or thought would send me spiraling into a vortex of fear and self-loathing. After I started taking them, I just... didn't. They don't "make me happy", but they make space for me to feel things other than the aforementioned fear and self-loathing.
I am incredibly lucky; obviously most people don't see such a dramatic effect.
I am incredibly lucky; obviously most people don't see such a dramatic effect.
Absolutely. Therapy helped me break through my social anxiety to make the first real friendships I've had in a long, long time. It taught me coping strategies to keep going through depressive bouts when nothing seemed to matter, but it wasn't quite enough. I then tried adding medication; first a couple of SSRIs which I found intolerable due to miserable side effects. But then my doctor offered mirtazapine, and that seems to have helped a lot in lifting the cloud of apathy that's been hanging around me for so long.
Yes. Anti-depressants arent supposed to make you happy, they are supposed to help you manage your depression. Curbing depression doesnt secure happiness.
they just made me even more numb to life than I was before I took them, so I didn't stay on them long. I wouldn't use them again unless I was ever in a really bad way.
that wrote, good riddance to that banshee prick, I'm glad he can't peddle his filth on here anymore. the average edginess level of the forum just dropped significantly
that wrote, good riddance to that banshee prick, I'm glad he can't peddle his filth on here anymore. the average edginess level of the forum just dropped significantly
Antidepressants haven't really done anything for me, unfortunately. But that's probably because they weren't treating the real issue.
Now anti-anxiety medications have been a godsend. Buspirone really took the edge off for me, and made many otherwise unbearable situations fine.
Now anti-anxiety medications have been a godsend. Buspirone really took the edge off for me, and made many otherwise unbearable situations fine.
I've taken 50-100mg Zoloft on and off for 10 years and it works pretty well for my anxiety. I recently started again after having quit for 2 years. I won't go higher than 25mg this time since I'm worried about long term ototoxic effects of SSRI's (hearing loss).
The only side effect I've had with Zoloft was increased libido, lasting longer in bed and more intense orgasms. Which is odd because for almost everyone it's the other way around.
The only side effect I've had with Zoloft was increased libido, lasting longer in bed and more intense orgasms. Which is odd because for almost everyone it's the other way around.
I was on zoloft for about two years and they really helped pull me out of the lonely hole I had stuck myself into. It didn't fix everything but it enabled me to help myself a lot better by helping with the social anxiety and depression.
The only reason I ever took zoloft though was because of meditation and psychedelics, because they also enabled me to see who I was and where I was headed and how I could fix these problems.
The only reason I ever took zoloft though was because of meditation and psychedelics, because they also enabled me to see who I was and where I was headed and how I could fix these problems.
Depends I suppose, they seem to have helped a few people on here from what I have read.
My tale on anti depressants was not a good one though, I was forced on them. I told my school/boarding house I was violently beaten and abused and rather than dealing with the issue they sent me to a psychiatrist and he put me on Zoloft, which basically zombified me. The bullying and violence did not stop and I left high school, but was still on them. I still felt zonked out, zombified and always had a sore stomach. One day I saw a truck coming down the street and I wanted to jump in front of it. I had to force myself to stand on the furthest side of the footpath from the road. I did not want these thoughts, these were not my thoughts. I went cold turkey on Zoloft the next day and never felt better.
My tale on anti depressants was not a good one though, I was forced on them. I told my school/boarding house I was violently beaten and abused and rather than dealing with the issue they sent me to a psychiatrist and he put me on Zoloft, which basically zombified me. The bullying and violence did not stop and I left high school, but was still on them. I still felt zonked out, zombified and always had a sore stomach. One day I saw a truck coming down the street and I wanted to jump in front of it. I had to force myself to stand on the furthest side of the footpath from the road. I did not want these thoughts, these were not my thoughts. I went cold turkey on Zoloft the next day and never felt better.
They helped me, but the side effects ruined my life, I was only able to stay awake for three hours at a time. Tried multiple ones and even cocktails to try and balance them out but after a couple months they all did the same thing, constantly drowsy. For me personally getting off them was one of the best choices I ever made.
I tried some once to rule things out and they didn't work for me, but I have a lot of close friends who greatly benefited from them.
I definitely suggest working with a doctor to see if they will improve your situation.
I definitely suggest working with a doctor to see if they will improve your situation.
So many posters in here that I did not expect to have been on any.... :(
Glad you all made it through.
Glad you all made it through.
I have a friend who turned their life around on an antidepressant. For me personally, no they have never worked. I tried at least 20 different pills over 10 years and never got anything but side effects.
I take Effexor XR and it has helped me manage my depression.
But as others said, antidepressants do not make you "happy". That's where a better diet, exercise, hobbies etc. come in.
But as others said, antidepressants do not make you "happy". That's where a better diet, exercise, hobbies etc. come in.
Fluoxetine has worked for me. I'm not necessarily happier, but it's taken me far away from the lowest point of my depression
This, I had a period of half a year where these came on really strong after some events in my life, and I only started improving halfway after I started on counselling and medication.
Significantly. I am taking Lexapro for gad. Started earlier this year and suffered from pretty bad anxiety issues. Racing thoughts, catastrophizing, anxiety attacks, and what ifs were something I dealt with on daily basis. One day I had a very bad case of an anxiety attack. Usually my regular episodes are only a few minutes long. This one was over an hour long. I was on campus, and I went to the health clinic because I thought I was dying.
The doctor then recommended the medication. I didn't notice a difference for the first few weeks. But then I started noticing that I started to let go of things easier then before. Thoughts lingered less and less. Instead of being scared of something for days on ends, I now only experience a mild discomfort for a few hours.
It's truly liberating to experience what normal feels like. My overall stress levels went down significantly. It didn't impact my personality from what people around me are telling me.
The doctor then recommended the medication. I didn't notice a difference for the first few weeks. But then I started noticing that I started to let go of things easier then before. Thoughts lingered less and less. Instead of being scared of something for days on ends, I now only experience a mild discomfort for a few hours.
It's truly liberating to experience what normal feels like. My overall stress levels went down significantly. It didn't impact my personality from what people around me are telling me.
For me I found them to be a holiday from feeling bad. Like a sticking plaster or an overdraft; a contingency enabling me to bridge a gap behind the scenes.
As such they were effective. But I wouldn't recommend anyone stay on them.
As such they were effective. But I wouldn't recommend anyone stay on them.
OP
OP
Why is that? My doc said that some people should take antidepressants for all their lives.
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It is such bullshit that you have to try out a bunch of them to see if they work for you. Any other medical profession would have a tool or test to find out what treatment you need and meanwhile psychiatrists are like "hmmm maybe try this?". We are still in the Stone Age when it comes to understanding our damned brain.
Helped me, yes, for an anxiety order. Substantially. It was in concert with talk therapy and guidance. After a couple of months the symptoms I was experiencing went off like a light switch. I was just my normal self again.
I understand not everyone is so lucky though, and it can take time to find something that works. But stuff can work.
I understand not everyone is so lucky though, and it can take time to find something that works. But stuff can work.
I should have spoken a lot more carefully actually, with respect to the terrain here. Medical advice shouldn't just be thrown around. Everyone has a unique case and set of circumstances, whereas I have no qualifications or relevant experience beyond spending three months taking an entry-level dose of an SSRI.
With that said, does my post read any better? I'm just saying I found what I took was effective at numbing psychological pain for a time. But I'd say it's wise, as a general rule even, to take as few medical drugs of any kind as possible.
Plus I think it's preferable to view depression as fundamentally temporary (or at least subject to circumstances). Viewing it this way heavily implies the possibility of change, which I think is healthy. Taking an SSRI certainly helped me to 'keep going' through what I was experiencing (a huge amount of job stress, for info). Eventually the circumstances changed and I stopped taking the meds as soon as I could.
It's a limited insight, but it is also a success story.
Teh, I've always hated them, they never seemed to do much at all*
Back when I first started seeing the Psychologist she insisted I stuck to one, but after a month and a half I felt barely any different.
There was this new non-ssri one the GP had me trial about the start of the year, one that released melatonin, and I think that worked quite well. However, I think the actual reason for it working so well is because it was also essentially the ultimate sleep tablet, seeing as melatonin is the sleep hormone. I had the best damn sleeps for that one week, corrected my fucked sleeping cycle in like 2 days, and always woke up fully rested, it was GREAT.
Alas, I'm pretty sure it was also fucking up my liver, as it's apparently hepatotoxic, and the following month a blood test revealed liver problems.
*Except make it irritatingly hard to jack off
Back when I first started seeing the Psychologist she insisted I stuck to one, but after a month and a half I felt barely any different.
There was this new non-ssri one the GP had me trial about the start of the year, one that released melatonin, and I think that worked quite well. However, I think the actual reason for it working so well is because it was also essentially the ultimate sleep tablet, seeing as melatonin is the sleep hormone. I had the best damn sleeps for that one week, corrected my fucked sleeping cycle in like 2 days, and always woke up fully rested, it was GREAT.
Alas, I'm pretty sure it was also fucking up my liver, as it's apparently hepatotoxic, and the following month a blood test revealed liver problems.
*Except make it irritatingly hard to jack off
20 years of 10+ therapists, 5+ antidepressants, multiple antipsychotics and multiple chronic nerve pain meds later im pretty sure some people of us are just destined to suffer. Doing TMS therapy out of desperation at this point.
I tried Seroxat, Aurorix and Abilify, and now I'm on Wellbutrin. I think Abilify might have made me feel slightly better, but the difference was so subtle, it might as well have not worked at all. The others didn't work either. I just suffered from side effects, like being tired all the time or not being able to have an orgasm anymore. I don't really notice a difference with Wellbutrin either. It's getting.. depressing. Ha.
Yes, the evidence is there for them and they largely do help people. Everyone is a bit different though so what works for one may not for the other, biology and chemistry being what it is. It's best to take them alongside other positive lifestyle measures like a good diet and exercise.