Can I simply be prescribed Antidepressants?

[BlondieLoxie]

Hi there.
I suffer bad with anxiety and I suspect that I suffer with mild depression too.

I've been on the waiting list for counselling for way too long. It's beginning to impact my everyday life and I need a quick fix until my counselling is available.

Will the doctors prescribe this?

Thanks

[fastdaytears]

Of course they will. Was this not discussed when they offered you counselling?

[phillipp]

Anti depressants aren't a quick fix. They can take months to get into your system and longer to figure out the correct dosage for you.

However if you feel you need/want to try them, make an appointment with your GP to discuss.

[fastdaytears]

They aren't a quick fix though. I didn't find them brilliant, but got them before talking therapy stuff

[AdaLovelacesCat]

IME doctors hand out SSRI's like smarties. However it's not a great road to go down.

[2dogsonthesofa]

There is no quick fix, but antidepressants are often a good idea if counselling is taking a while to happen. Your g.p can advise and will monitor your progress.

[alltouchedout]

They will almost certainly prescribe them. Antidepressants don't work instantly but many people do notice a positive difference within weeks. I'm glad they were available to me when I was depressed. I wanted to die, they were part of me being able to get past that.

[BlondieLoxie]

Will they take away some of the anxiety?

I have days (more often than not) where I just feel nothing. No joy, no desire to socialise, no motivation in work or round the house. The bit that bothers me most, is that I'm not being the best parent to my kids. I see to their basic needs and tell them I love them etc. But I struggle to do stuff with them. I just want to be alone with my thoughts. I can't really go on like this.

It was women's aid support worker that got me booked onto counselling.

[RonSwansonsBestFriend]

Speak to your GP.

Anti-depressants can help the above and certainly make you feel less anxious but it's important you find the right one and take the right dosage.

You also need to be aware that they often make you feel worse in the first few weeks.

Please go to see you GP, you can feel better with the right help.

Wish you well.

[BlondieLoxie]

Thank you for your advice. I will book an appointment monday.

[fastdaytears]

Will they take away some of the anxiety

No one can answer that, but it's certainly worth trying. You may need to keep going back until the dosage/drug is right. I didn't because they had kept me alive and I thought at the time that was enough. I wish I had been back more.

[Bettybooop25]

AdaLovelacesCat

Can you explain what you've said please?

[thecolonelbumminganugget]

In my experience yes, it's not a battle to get a prescription for antidepressants and people have mixed reaction as to whether it should be like that. The important thing is that you get the right mix of treatment to allow you to function well.

I've always got on really well with antidepressants but found counselling wasn't for me. Mental health is a very comlicated thing and it can be good to explore all the options. I also found CBT very helpful, you can start that online I think whilst waiting for a referral to see someone in person.

[Bluechip]

Talk to your GP but there is no quick fix. Mention your anxiety as well as it may be there is a more appropriate medication for that. ADs can take a longtime to have an impact (they didn't work for me but I know others they have helped) and can also make you feel worse to begin with. You need to be closely monitored so make regular GP appts even if they don't ask you too

[AdaLovelacesCat]

what, that they hand them like smarties, or that its not a good route to go down?
IMO they are not a good route because once you are on them, it is hard to stop taking them. You feel a bit removed from situations. your libido is destroyed. You are unable to have an orgasm.
When you stop taking them your libido comes back all at once, so you feel permanantly horny, and not in a good way.
They are serious drugs that are handed out to women too easily, Kind of like valium in the 60s and 70s.

[Memyselfandthatotherperson]

Ada massive generalisation and not at all the case for everyone. Not at all.
The truth is you won't know how you react until you try.
OP I've never heard this and I've spoken to many people on ad's.

[RonSwansonsBestFriend]

Without outing myself I had been around many people on anti depressants and anti-anxiety meds and although they do lessen your emotions a little, no-one has reported no orgasm or permanently low libido. if you were on too high a dose, I could imagine that it might be likely to affect you in that way but then you would discuss this with a GP.

Certainly not the same as Valium.

[AdaLovelacesCat]

" OP I've never heard this and I've spoken to many people on ad's. "

never heard of what Memyself? waht I said? so you are dismissing my experiences? Why would I make it up?

[AdaLovelacesCat]

I did not say they 'were like Valium' I said they are handed out freely to women like Valium was in the 60s....
And the libido thing is pretty common.

[MargaretCavendish]

Ada Those are possible side effects not inevitable. I could orgasm when taking SSRIs. I lost my libido, but then I also stopped having constant, intrusive thoughts about violently killing myself so I could live with my trade-off. Different people have different reactions of course, but I was so scared and ashamed of taking antidepressants before I did, but I have never regretted it. I had some horrible side-effects and coming off them was no picnic but I really think they saved me from total breakdown.

[Girliefriendlikesflowers]

Anti depressants are not for every one and come with side effects, I was prescribed them for anxiety and they made me seriously unwell (fluoxetine) I only took 2 tablets but it took me months to recover mentally and physically.

I found the book Panicking about Panic by Josh Fletcher as helpful as anything for tackling anxiety and also had counselling which was valuable.

[AdaLovelacesCat]

Fair enough margaretcavendish. I found myself unable to orgasm. But as you say, that could be a reasonable trade off.

[PacificDogwod]

ADs are one of the available tools in the tool box to treat depression and anxiety.
As is counselling.

There is good evidence that both work, either one or them alone, or ideally both.
What will work for you is impossible to predict and you'd really need to try an AD to find out what it can do for you.

From what you are prescribing, it sounds worth a trial to me.
They take a minimum of 2-3 weeks to do anything positive for you (you may feel nauseated in the first few days, some ADs can make anxiety worse before it gets better) and more like 4 to 8 weeks before they are fully effective.

[BuonoEstente]

AD's here for the last 4 months. My libido has improved as a result of not being so anxious/depressed. However experiences vary as can be seen in earlier posts. No harm in trying - can always stop taking them (with a doctors advice).

[BuonoEstente]

I should add I'm also waiting for therapy again so they act as a stop gap for me. Just takes the edge off until you can see someone to get to the root of the one of many problems

[LittleMissUpset]

I'm glad you are going to speak to your doctor.

I found counseling helped but it wasn't enough, I've been offered anti depressants in the past but wanted to try counseling, but when I said I wanted to go on them it wasn't a problem.

I'm on my second type, first ones I only took one, and it wasn't for me, so I rang the doctors and they gave me another one straight away, so don't worry if you need to do this, I'm nearly 3 weeks in and am starting to notice a slight difference. My anxiety was worse to start with, but the side effects are wearing off now.

I would quite happily take them forever if I need too, as I am finally sleeping properly and have an appetite, so it's worth it for me!