Anti-depressants

    Anti-depressants are a touchy subject for people who suffer from depression. Anti-depressants help some people, cause no change in others or, in some instances, can even harm. I went through Paxil and Lexapro before my doctor recommended Zoloft. None of those medications helped me with depression. Paxil didn’t hesitate to add weight, jittery nerves and increased anxiety; Lexapro helped to spin me deeper into depression and suicide — to a point where I couldn’t get out of bed. Once my doctor handed me a prescription for Zoloft, I realized that my end-all-be-all cure for depression could not depend on medicines. I received the argument, “Try all you can before stopping medication,” but I had done all I could on medication. My life was spinning out of control and it nearly cost me— I almost failed to graduate college and nearly lost my summer job at a prestigious magazine. While preparing for a wedding — one of the most stressful events in a person’s life — I quit taking the medication. Some people are better with anti-depressants than without them, but for others, anti-depressant just can’t and won’t do the trick.

UPDATE: Because of a recent bipolar diagnosis, I am currently on Lamictal (lamotrigine) and have been doing well on the medication. I recently came off of Effexor XR after having taken the medication and experience terrible withdrawal effects. More on that here.

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Comments

[amy]

Effexor works for me. Has for the past 5 or so years. No highs, no big lows (unless situational, which is normal right?) No effect on sex drive. Works for me.

Have to agree, some of us have good experiences with anti-deppressant meds and others not so much.

Just wish those that do without can understand that those of us that A-D's really help are not to be frowned upon.

I cannot imagine living as even as I have for the past 13 years without the assistance of anti-depressants. Life always throws some curve balls but nothing I haven't been able to deal with since on the medication.

[Bill Ford]

I've tried all the SSRIs which are complete junk.

Tri-cyclics worked when I was 15 or so...(Tofranil), but the local MHMR won;t prescribe or won't listen to what I have to say.

Effexor XR gave me shocks in my nerves...

Prozac is a placebo...and remeron makes you fat and comatose.

Crap.

[Shawna]

does anyone have experience with cymbalta? I still have too many episodes of depression and anxiety even though I have been on Lexapro for years. My doc wants to add cymbalta.