Wil antidepressants make me happy or numb?

[SleepingStandingUp]

I'm thinking I should ask the GP about being prescribed them but I'm worried they'll make me feel more numb not happier.
I've not taken then since approx 2002 when they totally messed me up

If you take the right ones for you then you should feel “normal” (I smiled naturally for the first time ever about 6 weeks after starting them)

Might take a while to find the right one though

Some can be a bit numbing. Prozac numbed me.

But there are so many different ones these days. Just work with your doctor to find one that suits you.

They don't make you happier, but can help you focus and ease the anxiety, you can start on low doses to help adjust to them.
There is lots of different types so speak to your gp and explain your fears. Also ask for therapy too,might have to wait but worth it.

Keep talking to people, even if it's just here. I asked for advice here when I started taking ads as I was scared but they've helped me lots.

When you find the right one you will feel normal and able to function properly. You may have to try a couple before you find the right one for you. There are lots more options now than there were when you first tried them, they don't all mess you up I promise.

When I get the right ons they sharpen my mind up, give me motivation and appreciation of small stuff back.

Mine don’t make me happy, they make me normal. Back to who I was before anxiety and depression. I have a normal range of normal emotions.
I would say when I stop taking them is when I feel numb.

I was on 50mg sertraline for a while. They got rid of that awful, gut wrenching, bottom-has-fallen-out-of-my-stomach anxiety I used to experience over nothing in particular so I was able to feel normal again. I didn’t feel numb, just didn’t sweat the small stuff.

I am on sertraline and while there is a degree of numbness, mostly I feel very calm, happy, and I have laughed far more than I have for a long time. Love them.

I take Citalopram and I can feel joy again. The numbness came with the depression.

I felt a bit numb at first but that was a relief after feeling anxious and agitated, now I just feel 'normal' in that I start each day feeling fine or even good rather than so low I have to drag myself through the day. I would like to come off them now but do worry about going back to how I was.

Thank you. It's mostly a bit numb I feel now, or angry. I do feel happy but I'm sure it used to feel fuller when I felt happy. It's hard to know, i can't really remember before the babies were born and they're one. I know I cried a lot after they were born and I was going to start andti D's but o felt better so stopped but it's seeped back

I put it off for years and years thinking I’d end up numb. I haven’t. I’ve found myself singing along to the radio, being motivated to sort the house out and laughing naturally. Everyone in this house has benefitted from me being on them!

I feel back to normal on them. Kicked myself for not "giving in" and taking ADs earlier.

Antidepressants affect symptoms of depression like anhedonia (inability to enjoy things), poor sleep, low motivation, poor concentration, negative thoughts. They don't make you happier, they improve those sorts of symptoms so you can work on making yourself happier.

Prozac made me numb too. Coming off it actually made me feel better because I weirdly felt that feeling bad things was better than feeling nothing and then life improved.
Venlafaxine was bloody awesome. Got me out of bed for long enough to get to therapy and gave me enough energy to do what she told me and after that things got fixed.
I think it’s about finding the right one and not worrying if the first one doesn’t suit

I’m with user who posted about 6am. I’m on Prozac. I feel normal. I have motivation. I don’t feel hopeless or stupidly anxious. I can concentrate and laugh again.

I worry about the wrong one cos at uni when it didn't work they changed and changed and then upped and upped. I was functional but numb. Then I was drinking on top to get rid of the numb and ended up in a situation that led to an intentional od.
After I came out of hospital I went cold turkey and never touched them. I also realised that the standard pill massively affected my mood so I think I put it all down to that but we've had a tough 5 years and then twins just before Christmas.

I'm on Citalopram, started on 10mg and after two months was upped to 20mg. My gp explained it was to minimise any side affects. Took a few weeks on the higher dose for it to kick in but I felt the anxiety decreasing over that time. It's has helped, I do still get down days but less than I used to.

When you see your gp ask for a longer slot and write down a list of your concerns about the tablets. It is a bit of trial and error with medication but it's worth it when you find the right one.

I've been taking fluoxetine for 18 months after around 7 years of (undiagnosed) depression. My main symptom was feeling completely numb, no joy in life, with excessive tiredness. With a couple of weeks of starting fluoxetine I started to feel how I used to feel - in fact I'd forgotten how I used to feel so it was a shock to realise how low I had I got.

Now I have a normal range of feelings and just feel like me. Some days very upbeat, lots of energy and motivation, other days more quiet, grumpy, or just lazy!! But very rarely do I have the all consuming numbness and fatigue that I had got used too.

I was prescribed and started taking fluoxetine two months ago, and would echo @FirkleingFree in that it's only now that I'm feeling a bit better that I've realised how much I had been struggling.

It's been a bit of a shock that I can enjoy life and want to do things I used to like doing. They've allowed me the headspace to challenge unhelpful and negative thoughts, whereas before I just accepted them. I feel more like myself and have my sense of humour back. I'm fortunate in that the first antidepressants I tried are helping me, but it's definitely been the best thing I've done for myself in quite some time.