What have antidepressants done for you? Have they made your life better?

[Thewholeplaceispickled]

I have faffed around for decades avoiding anti d’s when I’ve really needed them. I have tried all the alternatives and spent a small fortune trying to ‘naturally’ control my poor mental health, yet here I am, worse than ever.

The truth is that I am so fearful of the side effects (in particular gut issues as I already suffer daily IBS-d) and the thought of feeling worse before I can feel better truly puts me off and sends my already spiralling anxiety further into panic. If I could take something which would automatically make me feel calmer and at ease without an exacerbation of anxiety or gut issues I’d have been on them years ago but it seems as though they all carry awful side effects.

My life is dominated by ocd, bad thoughts, overwhelming anxiety and over thinking. I know all of this contributors to the fear of these meds which then becomes a giant vicious cycle.

Could anti d’s make me feel better? Could I actually gain a life and start living for once if I could just, somehow, take a leap of faith and get over this fear?

Have they helped you?

It was over 10 years ago now but citalopram saved my life. I was suicidally depressed & it got me to the stage where I could benefit from therapy. It then got me through a break up, finding a new job & several house moves.

When my GP & I agreed I was ready to come off, I did it very very slowly over several months and it was absolutely fine.

I have been on Sertraline for a number of years now & it’s been amazing for me. I started on it after having postnatal depression but I also had an episode of depression about 10 years ago & I know all the well being advice (I’m a healthcare professional) but I couldn’t lift myself out of it until I went on antidepressants. So when I developed pnd I knew I needed some help.
For me antid’s just help to level me out. I don’t feel numb but I don’t get that same anxious feeling I used to have or those physical feelings of anxiety.

I also found the side effects were only really a problem for me in the first few weeks of starting Sertraline. After 4-6 weeks everything levels out & I don’t have any side effects now.

Yes, they have helped me. It took me a while to find the right one, as I don't get on with SSRIs and SNRIs.

I now take trazodone (which is an SARI). It's been absolutely brilliant for anxiety, rumination, and sleep trouble. I vividly remember the first morning after taking it when I woke up and immediately started my morning inner monologue of worries, only to find that my brain had stopped being able to focus on it.

I've been taking them for ten years now. I used to take a high dose but now I just have a little one to make sure I sleep better and don't have any underlying anxiety. I have a tendency to get stuck on doom thought loops which is pretty much cured now.

I have IBS and am on anti depressants.

They are actually often prescribed for iBS as they can improve it,

My IBS has been much improved since I've been on anti depressants.

Yes absolutely
I was having an extremely stressful time and they got me through it.

I started on a tiny dose of sertraline. Cut a 25 mg tab in half. Then went up to 50
Mgs in weekly steps.

No side effects except a bit of claw clenching.

I'm
Off them now but the absolutely helped.

Undoubtedly. I’m on 10mg escitalopram daily, only a small amount but with huge benefits for me. I no longer have daily panic attacks which were becoming debilitating. I’m calmer. Good luck to you OP.

I have been on fluxetine for about 15 years and it has saved my marriage, my relationships with my sons and given me my life back. I truly believe it makes me the person I am meant to be. I haven't had massive side effects and any I do have are copeable with negate in in a better place mentally. I was moderately depressed but had severe generalized anxiety disorder and intrusive thoughts and relationship OCD. I felt frozen I could sit and ruminate on something tiny for hours on end. One summer holiday I didn't leave the house for the whole 6 weeks because I couldn't stop thinking about what a terrible person I was or what terrible thing was going to happen to us if we went out. My husband was considering leaving with the kids because he was worried the impact it was having on them.

It hasn't been a miracle cure - I've had counseling as well and worked on things. I still have ups and downs but now the downs last a couple of days not a couple of months. I can use the strategies I've learnt because the pills stop me from plummeting to the rock bottom straight away.

I came off them once and things went bad pretty quickly. Now me and my GP are agreed I'll probably be on a low maintenence dose for the rest of my life but that's fine. You don't try and get a diabetic to come off their insulin.

I know they're not the answer for everyone but if things are really bad you've nothing to lose - if they don't agree with you you can come off them again. They've been fantastic for me.

I have crohns disease, I'm on 10mg Escitaloprám and it's transformed my life. No additional gut issues.

Yes 100% I am not the same person. Im on escitalopram.

I have been on sertraline for 4 months. It has been an absolute life saver for me and I don't see myself coming off them anytime soon. I had nausea on and off for the first week but no side effects since.

Made no difference to me. I tried a couple of different ones but they never made any difference to my mood, even at high doses. I stopped taking ADs about 5 years ago. I was on a high dose of Venlafaxin at the time, 375mg, and I reduced the dose very slowly until I was no longer taking any. I had a lot of therapy (all on the NHS) and that helped me more.

I was exactly the same as you. IBS and chronic anxiety. The IBS nausea was pretty much a constant in my life. I just couldn't bring myself to take the meds as I was so worried about the side effects.

Fluoxetine has helped massively. The first two weeks I felt jittery like I'd had 10 cups of coffee and a bit weird but it wasn't as bad as I thought.

It's been pretty life changing. IBS has pretty much gone and the anxiety is totally manageable. Wish I'd done it sooner. I say go for it.

Do you mind me asking what dose fluoxetine you took (that specifically helped with intrusuve thoughts OCD).
Many thanks

I haven't personally taken any but know many who do, infact about 3/4 people I personally know take something. You'd be surprised. But I know they feel their lives have become worth living again and they can cope with everything.
Think of it as a medication like you would for a physical condition. If someone doesn't take that, they get worse don't they? Please try

Thank you everyone. I really do need to just take the plunge and go for it, wish I wasn’t so damn scared.

Can I ask if you have IBS-d or c?
Everyone I know on sertraline has IBS-c and says it’s helped them go more. That’s the last thing I need with daily diarrhoea!

I alternate between ibs d and c.

I actually have a pack of 10mg Fluoxetine sitting in my cupboard, it’s been there for 6 months and I just can’t bring myself to start but your reply is making me reconsider. My anxiety is/has very much affected my family’s lives too and I feel awful about that.

I have had endless counselling (currently in the middle of some now) but they don’t help much, I’ve been told it helps to take ad’s with counselling.

I avoided antidepressants for years and years. Wish I had tried them sooner! I am now on 20mg escitalopram and I can function again. I felt nauseous and woozy the first week but side effects soon faded. I was lucky that the first type I tried worked for me. My only regret was not trying them years earlier!

I have tried reducing the dose very very slowly but I became suicidal again..I honestly feel I will be on them for life now. But I'm ok with that.

It was life-changing in all honesty. I urge you to give them a go OP and wish you all the best

Kept me sane through an abusive marriage, care of 3 Autistic kids and really horrible daily chronic pain. I also have IBS but type C and am on Amitriptyline which isn't great for type C but can actually help those with type D. Alhough its not approved as an IBS treatment there is scientific evidence that it can have a positive effect on those who have type D IBS. Side effects worsened constipation and gained weight, worth every bit of it. My only regret is that I got to the point of daily debilitating panic attacks before I tried medication. I wish I'd done it sooner.

I was totally resistant to taking the ADs and after a couple of MH episodes, started therapy. I then really hit the bottom and didn't really move from there. Eventually agreed to meds and it has made such a difference. The therapy and ADs together have significantly helped me move in the right direction.
Good luck.

I stayed Escitalopram 2 days ago so haven't felt any benefit yet. It's a bit scary starting but I came to the conclusion that I have to try....I can always stop if they don't agree with me

Yes, I've been on fluoxetine, lorazepam and quetiapine since I took an OD in February.

Hi OP.

I've been on the highest dose of mirtazapine for at least ten years.

My life is so much easier! Whenever I've tried to take a lower dose, I become anxious and sad again

Eventually my doctor told me I should stay on them, that they were making my life better, and not harming me.

Give them a go.