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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask for some help with antidepressants

47 replies

Thingsthatgo · 14/09/2017 13:14

My brother has at last admitted he needs some help with his mental health. I am so hopeful that he might feel a little better because he has been very low for a very long time.
His main concern is that antidepressants will make him feeling foggy minded. I totally get that... he has some OCD tendencies and his mind is constantly on overdrive.
Are there any antidepressants which don't make you feel numb and foggy? I have no experience of it, but I'm really keen he goes to the doctor. He isn't convinced that they can help him.
He isn't much of a talker, And is quite anti therapy or cbt unfortunately.

OP posts:

opheliacat · 14/09/2017 13:16

None that i know of.

I know they are often touted as the 'cure to depression but I think they work by stopping you feeling anything. Interested if anyone has other experiences though.

ScoobyDoosTinklyLaugh · 14/09/2017 13:26

They made me feel foggy for the first two weeks and then I felt like a normal person again for the first time in years. I only took them for 5 months and feel as though they completely 'reset' me to a much happier and reasonable person.

CaptWentworth · 14/09/2017 13:28

I've been on both Sertraline and Citalopram.

Citalopram was really helpful. After a few weeks, all the stuff that kept me awake at night and social anxieties slipped away. However, initially I did feel odd. Not so odd that I couldn't do everything I normally did though. Like walking around in a bubble, a little emotionally numb. But that was a relief, honestly! That settled down though, and I felt so much better.

I'm on Sertraline now for PND. I have never had any side affects at all. It's taken a couple of months to get to dose right, and now I feel like a switch has been turned on. My energy is back, as is my resilience. I feel 'happy' generally. I wish I'd gone to my GP sooner. It's not until you take the plunge and start medication, that you realise how much you've suffered.

CaptWentworth · 14/09/2017 13:31

And no, there haven't made me feel nothing. I feel free of the worries I had. I feel so much love for my baby, and I've been able to put everything in perspective.

Coconutcreampie · 14/09/2017 13:33

I've been on and off antidepressants for ocd and anxiety for years, tried loads of them and they all made me foggy so I kept stopping them, then this year I was worse than I've ever been, I could barely function due to a mental breakdown, i went back on fluoxetine in march, I'm still foggy but my god I really Dont care because its so Mich better than feeling how I did at my worst. I had severe anxiety and moderate to severe ocd for over 12 years, I'm now below the threshold for "normal" for both because I finally gave the antidepressants a "long term" chance to work.

Original poster

Thingsthatgo · 14/09/2017 13:33

Thank you! Is it really useful to know that it can take a while to get used to them, otherwise he would just give up so fast.

OP posts:

GrowThroughWhatYouGoThrough · 14/09/2017 13:40

I take citalopram and feel like the old me no fogginess or being in a bubble. It's a relief to feel normal again!

blubberball · 14/09/2017 14:06

Citalopram here too. I hope that your brother feels better soon.

ohbigdaddio · 14/09/2017 17:40

I've been on citalopram too in the past. Compared to how utterly depressed and awful I felt, I really didn't notice fogginess or feeling numb when I began taking them, but then depression itself often makes you feel numb. I found I had a few headaches but nothing major. My experience was the tablets made me feel like me again and feel happy and positive enough to be able to sort my situation out. Nothing manic, just feeling good and to be honest they saved me! Hope your brother gets the help he needs. The gp can discuss options and often starts you on a low dose. Not all ADs work for everyone so there may be a little trial and error to get it right. He can return to his GP at any time if he's not sure they are working. x

Seren68 · 14/09/2017 18:09

Citalopram - first two weeks were a bit weird but after that it was awesome! When they upped the dose it was weird again for 2 weeks but push through that and then great - human again 😁

AngeloMysterioso · 14/09/2017 18:14

I think they work by stopping you feeling anything

This is the biggest load of bollocks I've ever read!

Over the years I've been on Citaopram, Fluvoxamine, Mirtazapine and now Sertraline. They absolutely do not make you feel foggy. The first few weeks can be tricky on your emotions as your body adjusts to the chemicals but other gaining weight on the mirtazapine I've never had any ill effects after that. Certainly sertraline elevates me from someone for whom moving from the bed to the sofa is a big achievement to a regular functioning human being. If anything it lifts the fog!!

lookingbeyond40 · 14/09/2017 18:14

If anything they take the fog away which comes with depression. Can be a bit difficult when you start them but those side effects will disappear.

I'm on venlafaxine

anon97528996 · 14/09/2017 18:23

Citalopram. Agreed the first few weeks are the worst. I'll admit they do still affect me even after prolonged use, a kind of numbness and fogginess. I'm much more forgetful, I get my words jumbled in sentences, I don't feel emotions as intensely and they fade much faster. But the drug is amazing and like pp said I don't care, and it's liberating not to worry as much about those things! I feel so much more powerful and in control now - it's given me some space to forgive myself and start forming better coping mechanisms. I was worried at first but like your brother I got to a point where I was ready to ask for help and it was one of the best decisions I've made, it's like someone's opened the door to the real world after being stuck watching it from behind a window.

buttwingsham · 14/09/2017 18:30

Agree with the pp's. I'm on sertraline absolutely no fogginess as others have said the first few weeks are a bit tricky. I felt a bit detached, queasy and just odd.
They have made be feel like the old me and I have no side effects.

FrancisCrawford · 14/09/2017 18:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

forgottenusername · 14/09/2017 18:42

I'm on sertraline. I did feel a bit odd for the first two days, but I felt pretty odd before I started taking them, so not sure if I can blame the meds! My stomach took about a month to get used to them, but 3 months on, I've got no real side effects. No fogginess, no bubble, no numb emotions.

misssmilla1 · 14/09/2017 18:43

Standard advice is give at least 2-4 weeks for them to start working. It's very much down to the individual, irt how they work.

Some work well for some people, and not for others, plus the same with side effects. Flagging this as if he takes them and they don't seem to 'work' after a few weeks, its worth investigating others with the Dr

One thing that's important to note, is that if he starts taking them (even for a short while) and wants to stop or change he MUST see the Dr. Going cold turkey without tapering down the dosage is horrid.

Arealhumanbeing · 14/09/2017 18:46

Sertraline zombified me but Citalopram has helped so much and may have saved my life.

Still feel my feelings and emotions and am much sharper day to day.

notanotherlasagne · 14/09/2017 18:54

SSRIs will help him feel calmer and more "normal" but if he doesn't deal with the causes and triggers by some means - and there are many different ways - he will find things slip back when he stops taking them. But antidepressants are very misunderstood and feared when they can be such a huge step towards recovery. Your GP will advise which one to try - Mirtazapine is good for anxiety as well as depression I've found, it has more sedative qualities so is best taken at night. Good luck

Fairylea · 14/09/2017 18:59

My dh has quite severe depression and anxiety and before going on antidepressants he was up all night pacing about and had been through 4 jobs in 2 years due to having time off with anxiety etc.

He has been on fluoxetine for 3 years now (40mg) and it has literally been life changing for him. He is happy, no longer has those horrible dark thoughts and moods and has now been in the same job for over 2 years and has had several pay rises during that time!

Initially when he started taking them he did find the side effects difficult - he was very tired and had the shakes and the dose needed adjusting a bit but after that he hasn't looked back.

They can be amazing for so many people.

TravellingFleet · 14/09/2017 19:11

I took mirtazapine for 18 months and was very happy with it. The only side effect was heavy sleeping, and frankly that was a huge advantage, enough so that I now miss having a guaranteed 8 hours sleep a night.

opheliacat · 14/09/2017 19:12

Maybe it is just me then!

EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans · 14/09/2017 19:18

I had severe depression & Citalopram did save my life. It got me to the stage where I could benefit from CBT.

It wasn't until I was coming off it that I felt differences in my brain - like having been wrapped in a blanket, then taking it off. But while I was on it I ended a relationship, got a job & moved house twice so it definitely didn't stop me functioning.

The only symptom I noticed was heavy periods, which shouldn't be an issue for your brother

Original poster

Thingsthatgo · 14/09/2017 19:19

Thank you all for your kind words and advice. I shall have a chat with him, maybe show him this to help him. I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply.

OP posts:

TribbleWithoutACause · 14/09/2017 19:21

Fluoxetine here, makes me feel like a normal person than an anxious mess I normally am. Felt a bit odd for two weeks, but after that I was fine.

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