I have a question to anyone on antidepressants?

[WheredidIputmymarbles]

What would you say to someone who needs them but is absolutely petrified to take them for fear that the side effects will make their already shit life worse than it is?

I have tried everything, literally everything to help with this vicious cycle of anxiety/depression/IBS/exhaustion etc but nothing helps.

I would like to hope that antidepressants would/could help even if it’s just a little bit but every time I pluck up the courage I will look at reviews (I know I shouldn’t be I am drawn to them) and see statements like, ‘they gave me terrible nausea and diarrhoea’, I retreat back into myself.

I have awful IBS and health anxiety and the overwhelming angst over the possibility of taking something which could make me worse just stops me every single time but the truth is that I am only living a half life so it’s all crap anyhow.

I have so many responsibilities and shit going on but I trudge through the day in my own weird opaque bubble not really living at all (pretending too) but secretly napping when I can and wishing for the day to end so it becomes dark and I can sleep and block the world out. I would sleep 20 hours a day if I could.

I don’t want to live the rest of my life like that (and certainly don’t want to bring my family down with it either), but I hate my bloody brain so much for shoving extra fear in the way over a medication which may help me.

Has an antidepressant helped you? We’re you fearful? Did they give you bad side effects? I could handle them not helping but the side effects I can not deal with!

I was reluctant too and avoided them until I was 46. I had been suffering from intense sadness, emptyness and random, uncontollable rages for about 2 years. I suspected PMDD - definitely intense PMS at the very least. I took half the smallest dose for a few weeks. Within hours I felt floaty and light and all my constant anxiety and depressive thoughts drifted away. The first few weeks were a bit strange: tiredness, jaw clenching, feeling 'odd', the anxiety (as predicted) went up a bit at 10/11/12 day but I was prepared for it. However, within 14 weeks I felt totally strong, able to cope with literally anything, enjoyed myself again, enjoyed socialising again. Wish'd I'd done it sooner. It's been 10 months now and I am pretty much perfectly functioning and my well being is very, very good.

BTW I'd tried all the walking/eating/self care/counselling etc etc etc. Sometimes all the self care in the world doesn't work because you're not in the right frame of mind to benefit from it.

I found this site really useful to get me through the first few weeks: www.drugs.com/comments/sertraline/for-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder.html?sort_reviews=most_recent

If you toggle with the search options you can read all the reviews for depression and anixiety too.

Good luck and don't be afraid - we take medicines for all sorts of things and mental health is so impactful on our everyday life it needs to be as good as it possibly can be.

Sertraline makes you very dry, so be prepared for the affect on your sex life.
mirtazapine can cause weight gain.
lamotragine can lead to a massive spike in libido

I had terrible side effects with fluoxetine but then I switched to escitalopram and it’s been great. They are completely life changing - they allowed me to study, work, have a relationship and maintain friendships. Yes, if you get side effects it’s not great, but you can always change medication if it’s not working for you. In my opinion, it’s worth the risk but of course you have to make your own decision. Good luck x

I would be dead without them. I held off for years and I'm so angry with myself now- because I could have had a very different life without the bone-shattering sadness and anxiety.

@WheredidIputmymarbles I too was reluctant to try them My GP was awesome and recommended that I just take half a tablet (Citalopram 20mg) for a week before increasing and not to expect to feel better overnight. I dont remember any side effects and there certainly wasn't a magic 'Wow I feel better' moment. It was more a realisation that I could see the wood for the trees - taking the little steps forward became easier rather than a huge struggle. I still cried and eventually laughed again. I came off them after 18 months then went back on them a couple of years later when life changes necessitated it. Then reduced right back but since Covid my stress levels are through the roof due to circs beyond my control despite my best efforts to relax, exercise, eat properly etc so I'm back to a daily tablet but if I miss one or two eg at the weekend I don't feel it. Life stress will be somewhat resolved later this month I hope and then I plan to work on reducing dosage again until I can come off them (but by then may well be in menopause so need them still )

Give them three months - and if you can't cope with the side effects of one sort, try another!! There are loads on the market so there must be one to suit!

Hi OP, I take a relatively low dose of sertraline. I've been on them previously and had a week or so of increased anxiety, longer term I gained a little weight and struggled to orgasm. But the feeling of lightness and joy at simple things is incomparable. When I started them again (after an 18 month hiatus for TTC and pregnancy) I had zero side effects.

You might actually find the anti depressants help your IBS, as it did for me - I found it dramatically reduced anxiety around upcoming hypothetical gastrointestinal distress, which ironically used to cause worse physical symptoms. YMMV, but it’s something to consider. There are still some foods I avoid in certain situations, but the days of breaking into a cold sweat at sitting in a training room for a day have pretty much vanished. It’s so freeing!

I’m on Trazadone - have been for a few years and couldn’t get by without it. I’m on a very low maintenance dose of 50mg which helps both my anxiety and depression. If I ever feel things are dipping I up my dose.

eldorado02 that is exactly where I am right now - I live in constant fear of my digestive system which is perpetuate even further by the anticipated fear of future tummy upsets (whether that’s likely or not). I am absolutely desperate to stop that chain reaction.

Your first sentence described me. I have antidepressants that I can’t take. You hear so many bad things about the side effects making you feel mentally and physically worse for a few weeks, and I don’t have the capacity to feel any worse. I know that hopefully it would be worth it for the long-term benefits of not being depressed, but I am living one day at a time so can only think in the short -term. I see people saying they couldn’t sleep as a side effect. I can sleep at the moment despite the depression, I just don’t have enough time to sleep so am exhausted. I don’t want to take the risk of not being able to and be even more tired. I need to be able to function as the only parent and do a physically and mentally challenging job and am scared that I won’t be able to if I take them (I need to go to work for my own sanity, it’s the only time I speak to other adults and it gives me a break from the rest of my life and thinking about it, there is no pressure from work/ my manager)

I've been on 20mg Fluoxetine for the past 10 years and I don't plan on coming off them. I've had no side affects. They keep my mood stable and reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. I honestly couldn't imagine not having my little miracle pills to keep me sane!

Remember, you can still do other things to help your anxiety like meditation and relaxation or therapy if you take the medication, in fact, it's better if you do both. It's not an either/or situation.

They were my lifesaver. I felt a bit tired for a week or so, but no side effects after that.

Antidepressants honestly saved my life. I was just existing and couldn't even be a mother to my children on my bad days. I would stop yourself from reading about any side effects. And any negative comments. As everyone is different. Your body will take a week or two to get used to them but once you get through it you will feel the benefits of them. Good luck

I honestly wouldn't be alive if I wasn't on my citalopram lifesavers!

Hello!

I have IBS and anxiety, the majority of my anxiety comes from IBS and of course it's a cycle. Are you IBS C/D/mixed? There are a few anti depressants which are separately used to treat IBS, such as amitriptyline. Give it a go, the side effects if they do happen will likely be short term, the only one that bothers me now is extreme appetite but it is worth that even so.

I think what's important is to be completely honest with those close to you and to let them know you will need extra support. A good network of people you can trust around you, and who you feel comfortable telling "I'm not okay" will make the process so much easier. In my experience they do worsen moods before they kick in, but if you prepare yourself for that and keep telling yourself this is temporary you can push through. I didn't suffer too badly with physical symptoms, although some felt strange and annoying. It can be worth it if you are determined to get better x

Hey OP, I'm sorry to hear you are struggling. I've been there. It might help to think that the fear of taking the drugs are another sign of your troubles, another way in which anxiety and depression manifests itself. OP, you deserve to feel better, deserve to feel able and to cope. You don't have to feel the way you do and feeling the way you do now isn't your fault. You can't "snap yourself out of it" and no, it won't pass on its own. You need help lovely. You deserve that help. Your GP would not have prescribed the drugs had they not believed you needed them. Listen to your doctor. Trust them. You deserve to feel at peace. Take them💙

Literally life changing for me. My IBS is now much more under control and I have been able to achieve things that previously would never have been possible. Yes, you might feel a bit off fora couple of weeks but then one day you will suddenly realise that life is a bit more manageable. It really is empowering.

I was the same. My GP prescribed them in drop form. The idea was I’d start at 10 and work up to 20. What actually happened is after a few false starts I began with 2 drops and worked upwards slowly. By the time I was on 10 it got easy to up the dose by 5 drops at a time. No I’m on 40 drops, but in tablet form, cos 40 is a lot to count drip by drip.

My life has been transformed.

smallorangecat sorry to hear you are suffering too. It’s so hard to contemplate feeling worse before possibly feeling better isn’t it? I am literally clinging of by my teeth but am still clinging on so the thought of possibly feeling worse first, even if it’s just for a few weeks is so very hard for me to look past.
FarFarFarAndAway I have been doing hypnotherapy and relaxation and I exercise too, I would keep those things up.
Tiredandtense I have IBS-mixed so quite unpredictable. I did try a TCA but it gave me side effects which I just couldn’t keep up with.
Lndnmummy thank you so much.

AlienatedChildGrown I was unaware they can in liquid form, I could tolerate that better. Can I ask which ones they are?

Hi op I was in a similar situation to you, I had terrible anxiety linked to IBS which made doing anything very stressful. It got to the point where just leaving the house became an ordeal.

I spoke to a dr who prescribed fluoxetine 20mg, I took tablets for two days and was very ill on them. Severe nausea and horrendous intrusive thoughts of wanting to die.

In a way being that ill made me realise that medication was not going to help me and that I had to sort myself out. I read a few self help books but the one I found most helpful was called panicking about panic. I cut out caffeine and I started challenging myself to step outside of my comfort zone every single day.

I also got some counselling which helped.

If you do decide to take the tablets make sure it's a low dose to start with.

I was actually prescribed citalopram to help with IBS, it got increased as life events meant I needed it more for anxiety and depression. It worked for me.

I’ve spent half my life on antidepressants and wish I hadn’t, they might mask the symptoms for a bit bit they don’t address the route cause of these issues. Functional medicine a far better approach in my opinion.

Before you go down the route of functional medicine (which was introduced by one man without a medical degree) I would strongly recommend you read up about it and speak to your GP or Consultant. Wikipedia has a very easy to read intro and there’s lots more information about there en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_medicine