To ask for some help with antidepressants

[Thingsthatgo]

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.

The other thing worth noting is that different ADs & doses work for different people, so if Sertraline doesn't help him, for instance, Mirtzapine might. It's just really important to liaise closely & honestly with his GP.

Citalopram here. Once I was used to it (2 weeks ish) no fogginesd whatsoever. In fact, after 15 months on it, I think I'm sharper and clearer than before. I don't ever feel numb or like I don't feel emotions or whatever. I just feel like the real me.

They have never made me feel fuzzy or groggy or numb. I know they have that reputation but I've never felt it and I've never come into contact with a person who has.

Sertraline doesn't! But it's a case of 'one size doesn't fit all'

I started taking sertraline 2 weeks ago. I know they say that you 2-4 weeks for them to work, but I'm already noticing a difference.

I left it a bit late to ask for them & was suffering from really bad crying periods. I feel much calmer & rational now. The dr said they give you a boost in the morning but are then also meant to help you sleep in the evenings. It's working for me as I'm shattered in the evenings & have been sleeping really well, which is another positive.

I hope you find something that works for your brother.

I used to take Venlafaxine. I had mild side effects (including some fogginess) for about two weeks, then they went away completely. Without exaggerating, the pills gave me my life back. I had a lot of therapy as well, but I wouldn't have been able to access it without the medication - it gave me the headspace to be able to cope.

As a pp said, bear in mind that different medication works for different people - it can take a while to find the right one.

Sertraline worked brilliantly for me. Just felt the same but without the anxiety which, for me, was amazing. I hadn't experienced been so at ease in my life.

The only side effect I noticed was it killing my sex drive. I didn't feel weird coming on it. I was worried because I heard they make you feel like a zombie and numb but I think that applies more to antipsychotics. I don't think it is common at beginner doses of your standard SSRIs.

I've tried many, many different antidepressants, the only one that worked (citalopram) made me feel nothing. I was completely numb.

Citalopram here, saved my life. No side affects and was on 20mg. Used to suffer from SAD and was on it every winter for 5 or 6 years (lower dosage later years) and I never had side effects coming off it in spring either.

Anti ds helped me get back to the person I was and am meant to be. I had become so far removed from my normal self I hardly recognised myself.

Getting on them was tricky but once I was used to it I have been fine.

I've been on sertraline for almost 3 years (hopfully for db wont need them for thar long) now and every so often I do find I do feel foggy headed.

Sertraline for me. I didn't have any side effects initially. The difference from feeling pressure in my head and sinuses was instantly relieved. I think I tried Citilopram (sp?) Before that and it made me feel awful. Dizzy, sleepy, not on this planet, horrible. Sertraline was so much better for me personally. The only downside for me is that it gives me Restless Leg Syndrome but I had that with both pregnancies so it might just be me. However, I read on Mumsnet awhile ago that taking slow-release iron tablets a couple of hours before bed stops it...and it does!

Only thing I hate (and this might be true for all a/ds is the weird jolty buzzings in my brain if my prescription has run out and I've had about 4 days without it, which is my own fault.
I am a happier, less anxious, more fun person and parent and I am so glad I got help. I'm sure your brother will feel the same once he finds the one that suits him x

I'm on fluoxetine. It makes you feel like shit for a few weeks before you lift, but you do then lift. No fog in my experience.

If there ever could be a thread that shows how everyone is different, this is it

That's really interesting what Wiv said about head and sinus pressure - I had that really badly, assumed it was an infection or sinusitis, but it has completely gone now I am 3 weeks in with Mirtazepine. Is it a known symptom of anxiety/ depression?

Citalopram for me and very few problems. The first 2 weeks I felt a bit slow, foggy and sleepy but still got up etc went to work, came home and did everything I needed to. It was actually quite nice to be in the fog after crying every day and feeling all sorts of physical pains due to constantly worrying. It felt like a cosy blanket and I just said to colleagues at work and went home early or gave myself as easy tasks as I could.

Now I feel so much better, I can't imagine being the way I was before.

I really hope your brother gets the help he needs.

lasagne it is in my experience, it's like my warning sign to step back and chill out more

He should probably give them a go but in my experience, ADs are not a cure all. I took citalopram for two and a half years and yes it stopped the anxiety and panic attacks but they made me feel strange. Hard to explain but just like a fuzzy numb version of myself. Also some strange side effects - sweating more than normal, nausea in the morning. I couldn't wait to come off as them and even though I had a relapse with my mental health earlier this year I did not go back on them. Other people swear by them but they don't work for me unfortunately

My partner struggles with anxiety and was put on Citalopram last year and honestly it's changed his life. He still feels anxious, but better equipped to deal with it - and his mood is general better.

They did take a while to fully get used to and he does have a few side effects (sweats quite a bit more for example) but he says it's a small price for th difference it's made.

I had sertraline for a couple of years - it really took the edge off without making me feel foggy or numb. For the first few days I lost my appetite a bit but after that started to feel so much better.

Venlafaxine is a life saver for me. I've been on several others which were all good, but this one has been the most stable and consistent. I've always had such a reputation for "ditziness" and forgetting things, but in the last few years since I started Venlafaxine, it's like I can finally think straight.

There are some side effects, but they've been worth it.

I think the sedating antidepressants such as mirtazipine and amitryptiline can make you feel foggy because of the drowsiness. Those wouldn't normally be a doctor's first choice though. I think most of the commonly prescribed are more 'activating' and will actually help with concentration. I got on well with sertraline. The main side effect was a bit of insomnia and restless legs.