to talk about antidepressants?

[Neednewjeans]

Who's on them then? Have they been a help or do you regret taking them? After a bad bout of PND most health professionals kind of 'gave up' with me as I wasn't willing to try them (mostly due to my GP saying my symptoms could become worse before getting any better which, at my worst, I couldn't get my head around).

So...I'd just like honest answers. Did they help? Do you regret it? Would you like to come off them? Or not?

hmmm maybe you need a bit of levelling out yourself, eh, nelly?

how dare you tell people how to manage their conditions. People who, have been greatly helped by making a choice to go for help.

Why don't you leave the thread, no one asked you to contribute your bile and negativity.

Nelly so where is your evidence of this.

I could get stats facts and figures, medical trial and all sorts to prove the medication works.

What's backing your point up rather than you being paranoid

I was off and on anti-depressants for years - anxiety/panic, functionality ranging from fairly normal to not functional at all - until forced to come off because no adoption agency would look at me while I was on anti-ds. At the suggestion of my very supportive GP I moved onto St Johns' Wort, which I find works much better for me than any of the antidepressants I've ever tried, and unlike Citalopram don't make me eat myself silly and gain 3 stone.

NellyJob I don't understand your reasoning - joints don't make me cats bum mouth, smoke what you like. And if you read my post, it was my GP who helped me off the antidepressants and onto SJW. All pharmaceuticals are big business, shall we all stop taking asthma meds, and chemotherapy, and insulin?

I am not screaming nor hysterical, I am probably the sanest person here.

I think its very personal. I was prescribed them about 10 years ago for a minor bout of depression (amytriptilline... spelling?). Couldn't get on with them, they made me feel like I was wading through treacle all the time, just came off them after a few weeks and got some counselling and that was that. Pretty sure I'll never take a/ds again.
But I have a number of friends and family members who have literally had their lives saved by them and who are basically happy to be taking them for the rest of their lives. In a lot of cases they allow people to function who otherwise couldn't.
I think its trial and error really, finding one which works for you and not being bullied into one if it doesn't agree with you. But it sounds like you intrinsically don't want to be on them so maybe they're not for you? Have you tried counselling? I personally found it much preferable to a/ds.

No no, I'm the sanest person here - not on prescription meds, ergo I must be sane, right?

Nelly being on AD's does not equate to sitting around with a stupid grin on my face what I went through to cause me to be ill I would not wish on my worst enemy. I still have days when I sit bawling my eyes out and hiding in my room. Don't make assumptions on things you might never know about.

I am very sane, I have hit rock bottom and slowly got my Heath back with the help of my doctor.

I not longer take medication, I still feel low from time to time, but no longer depressed

Probably not worth respondIng to dear old Nelly. Bless.

Is that it Nelly?

Your contribution is goading and trying to insult people about taking meds.
Are you 12?

Nelly you do sound very grumpy. I googled "chemical imbalance myth" plus something something and found my own thread here but also lots of other interesting links

I take lithium which is obviously very antidepressanty but I can't take any actual antidepressants without making my factitious bipolar disorder worse

But Pag, we're all just mentals dontchaknow? Crazy crazy psychos :-p
Nelly will be using 'gay' as an insult next. I can't wait.

Yes. That's right. I take my meds so that I can sit around in all white room smiling all the time.

Not so I can function, run my company, take care of my son and my house and, you know, live a normal life.

Nelly, keep it up and for the first time ever I will report someone as a troll.

Also, Pag? Are you okay? ::jazz hands::

OP, in my experience they are not 'magic', 'happy pills' but they do help. Over a number of years I was very, very up and down emotionally. With hindsight I also believe I had a breakdown in my second year of uni, which was never diagnosed. I was always 'too proud' to take anti depressants, because I thought it was admitting I had mental health problems and I didn't want to admit that. After I had a child, I was more willing to try for help as I knew it would affect my child and I couldn't bear to at least try and see if they helped. As it happens, they did help! Not magically, but the ups and downs were less sharp and I wasn't as tired and 'brain-dead' as I had felt. I was more able to be emotionally connected to my child which was major for him, and my subsequent 2 children. I feel I am doing my best for them, and I feel like my emotions are more balanced now, although I am still susceptible to getting down. It's just not as dramatic as it used to be. I always recommend people try. I didn't get at all worse.

ZombTEE there's always someone on here to pull others down I'm going through the worst year in my life and without meds would no longer be here. But you know what it's just a ploy by dr's to get us on drugs, despite my dr being happy for me to just go and offload if I need to hmmmmmm.

Fine. You?

I know a couple of people for whom anti depressants were completely like changing. It is great that most people have lost the sense of shame that used to sit alongside ny mental health issues.
There is still away to go but at least the sneering and woefully simplistic misunderstandings about mental health is mostly limited to the determinedly thick.

I have been on fluoxetine for 3 years- and it has totally changed my life. From being at the mercy of my moods from minute to minute, hating myself, convinced others hated me and that I was a loathsome failure- I am now pretty well balanced, calmer, and have got two promotions at work. I am still weird and crotchety but now I can accept myself.

'but the ups and downs were less sharp and I wasn't as tired and 'brain-dead' as I had felt. '

YY to this. Contrary to the myhts, the anti Ds actually sharpened my thinking.

Oh I'm totally weird, crotchety and misanthropic. They don't make enough meds in the world to change that.

Hence my hoovererererer.

Was on fluoxetine 16yrs ago for 18mths.

I went back on them in April after being depressed for 5yrs+ and successfully hiding PND (something I would not recommend). I have just moved to sertraline, this has saved my marriage and stopped the suicidal thoughts. On reflection I was very ill.

I'm tons better than i was, i an still on them. I have no intention of taking them forever but not coming off them yet.