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?

I think they are worth trying. There are different types to try. Keep an open mind. I cannot tolerate ssri type, but am coping with Amitriptyline which is an old tricyclic.

They've kept me from leaving the planet. I still struggle a LOT but they keep me a rung above my danger lows.

I’m on Fluoxetine. I’m alive because of them. No side effects at all.

I did try another brand (possibly citalopram? It was a long time ago) and they didn’t suit me at all. I started feeling anxious and having panic attacks. But I like Fluoxetine. It works for me.

I think there’s so much worry about the side effects of ADs, but it’s entirely possible you won’t experience any at all. There will be one that works for you.

Yes and for me the worry of my mental health trumped any fear of medication.

I take Sertraline 100mg daily and regard it as a medication essential for my wellbeing. Without it, I suffer from intrusive thoughts, insomnia and suicidal ideation. I am a survivor of CSA and it became almost impossible to carry on living at one point. Counselling can only help so much. Sertraline has given me a quality of life and a sense of happiness that was absent prior to starting the meds.

I do have issues with my stomach, similar to yours. I can't say the antidepressants have made any noticeable difference to it. I've been everywhere from 50mg to 600mg a day of my tablets. Never noticed anything even on a really high dose.

I've also tried a few others. I've never had a bad stomach on them. Obviously we're all different but if it's diarrhoea you're worried about, I wouldn't have thought they'd make it worse.

The side effects tend to be the most noticeable at the very beginning so you can always stop taking them and ask for something different. There are so many types. It's very likely that there's something that will help you feel better.

I have been on SSRI/ SNRI for 30 years since very severe PND and I now have Bipolar
They have literally both saved my life and have been the key to actually having a life
I'm certain my brain chemistry is fucked so I need them like a diabetic needs insulin for example
I will take them for life
Give them a try, they may act as scaffolding to enable you to climb out and make changes.

I've been on antidepressants for 5 months or so now. This is the second time in my life I've needed them.

First time round was Fluxoetine, didn't have many side effects, a bit nauseus (sp?) For the first couple weeks but it settled quickly. Was on them for 2 years, they helped massively.

Now on Venlafaxine. They have truly saved my life. I put it off for 3 years, thinking I could pull myself out of the hole I was in. I couldn't. Not had even one side effect since starting them (and I scared myself stupid reading about side effects before I started them) and within around 6 weeks I was already feeling so much better. 5 months on I'm a different person, friends and family have commented on it) when I look back to how depressed I was 6 months ago I feel stupid for letting it get so bad before asking for help.

You won't regret it OP, you might have to try a couple different ones before one works for you, you might also have side effects for a couple of weeks but it's 100% worth it.

I’ve booked some time off work at the end of next month and will start taking them.

I’ve got to try as I can’t carry on as I am atm.

Thanks everyone for your experiences and encouragement.