Is anyone on antidepressants long-term/for life?

[Ladiesleaveyourmenathome]

I've suffered with depression, anxiety and obsessive intrusive thoughts so spoke to my GP after struggling for a while.
I was prescribed setraline 50mg which I'm familiar with due to working in healthcare. The doctor suggested that coming off it after around 6 months would be recommended..
The first day was frightening, I was slurring my speech, couldn't get words out properly and felt in a trance, but other than some nausea I'm now having no side effects.
That feeling of dread I had in my chest every day has gone. I'm managing the obsessive thoughts a bit better, and I generally feel a bit more hopeful about life and sleeping better.
It's changed me for the better, it's the best decision I ever made.
I'm worried this would stop if I were to come off the medication. Just interested to know if anyone has found this after stopping antidepressants, or whether anybody has continued them long-term? Can doctors refuse prescriptions?

Yes, I had similar. Fluoxetine stopped worked for me (after three years ish) so I changed over to mirtazapine. I’ve now been on that for about five years and it works brilliantly for me. So it can be done.

Is mirtazipine a different class of anti depressant? My doc wants me to stay on ssris but I’m not sure!

I’ve been on them for 14 years on and off (came off during pregnancy, probably shouldn’t have!). I just see it as a tablet I have to take every day to keep well, like my thyroid tablets 🤷🏼‍♀️

Ah, I see, yes I think it’s a different class. No idea why it was suggested in my case then!

I was on sertraline 200mg for it must be 15 years now.
I've recently been swapped to duloxetine.
I will be on some form of antidepressant for the rest of my life but its fine. It enables me to function.
There are a lot of conditions that require medication for life.

Can I ask if that was because the sertraline stopped working? X

Yes. I had a crisis that took a long time to get out of and the switch was in response to that.

How do you find duloxetine? X

I am starting to feel a bit better. Not massively but something.

I am in my 40s, and have been on various ADs since I was in my teens. I get to the max dose on some, and then they stop doing much for me so I change. Some I have been on a few times now.
I just accept it is how I am, and it is no different to taking a vitamin pill or something every morning.

Have you had success on more than one ssri?

I’m glad you are starting to feel a little better. X

100g sertraline since just after DS was born, he's 7 in June and I'm not in any way planning to change that- I was on it prior to pregnancy too, just stopped for the duration of pregnancy

I've been on mirtazapine for 4 years now, I've upped my dose in that time and now take 30mg a day.
Will I ever come off them? I'm not sure, not in the next couple of years with young children (and the fucking stress that comes with that), but I guess one day I'd like to be off them, even though I'm sure I'd end up back on them again.
There is zilch wrong with being in them long term, what is that saying "it's whatever gets you through it", not sure that's even a saying but it's true, you have one life so just get through it the best way you can, and a pill a day is no big deal!

Been on fluxotine (prozac) for over 10 years. Had a few short spells on antidepressants before but think I am on them for life now. Mine is due to depression and anxiety caused by childhood trauma (mother had bpd and father had severe depression). With hindsight I think I should have been on them for most of my life.

I think doctors are supposed to ask you what you think is causing the depression. If it is situational ie you are going through a breakup or some event that has caused you to feel low then they try to put you on them for 6 months and then wean you off on the assumption you will be through the bad spell.

If you are on them due to something like mine then really the doctor should try and help you to get better via therapy or something but mine has not done this. They just let me get the pills on repeat perscription and I don't bother them. Perhaps it a cop out but I'm very much middle aged now and I think to correct my trauma would take years and years of therapy and I feel exhausted thinking about it. So I just stay on my pills and muddle on.

I think alot more people are on them than we realise. I wish I had been on them from an earlier age as it would have helped me make better decisions and deal with life better. I don't feel any particular shame on being on them. It is quite well known now that continuous childhood abuse/shaming/blaming/terrorising as well as making the child responsible for things way outwith their control/ability causes the brain to not develop properly and the person then goes on to have problems with emotional regulation and planning and impulse control etc.

@Hoglet70 yes constipation. I know some people take much higher doses but I can't manage anything much more than 60mg otherwise it really knocks me out and I find it hard to function.
I do also feel that's it affected my memory to a certain extent (although that could be linked to menopause too. There is quite a lot of research suggesting that this type of drug can have an impact.)
I'm hoping that at some point I can get back down to 35/25mg.

Currently going down from 100 to 75 mg upon GP suggestion (year 6 on sertraline).

GP will have to go over my dead body to taking it down further.

@starfish4517 have you been on any other ssris with success and then it stopped working?