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Original poster

To think that most women are taking anti depressants?

652 replies

Jambalaya76 · 16/02/2019 10:56

Hi

I have been on and off these for most of my adult life. Life is easier with them and I find I am more able to cope with life stresses. I feel normal and tend to let upsets go over my head. Life is better with them. However, I have had a lot to deal with in my little life so feel like a need a little help.

Over the years, I have met so many people who say they also take them. Not that I ever bring it up. It made me wonder if I was to ask people, I wonder how many are taking anti depressants? This seems the perfect forum to ask.

So, how many of us woman here take, or have taken, antidepressants?

OP posts:
RomanyQueen1 · 16/02/2019 15:16

I think most women don't take them tbh.
I do though and if you need them, should take them. This is only my second lot in 30 years though, even though I live with depression.

AllTheGlitter · 16/02/2019 15:18

I was on them for a few years and know a lot of people who have also been on them!

KrazyKatlady · 16/02/2019 15:18

for people that say they are a crutch...isn't a crutch something that helps you balance when you are unable to walk? If you had a broken leg and it was in a cast would you refuse the crutches recommended by a dr because you wanted to treat the cause of the broken leg???

I have had ADs twice as I said in PP, both were alongside counselling and other treatment. The first time that I had AD, they did not work alone and I ended up having a 6 month hospital stay (very fortunately for me, in a private hospital, funded by the NHS). I think all of these things helped me overcome the MH issue that I had at the time.

Depression isn't something you can think yourself out of, or look on the bright side. Great if you have never needed them, or have got through depression without them but that doesn't mean they are not helpful to many many people.
Also a lot of therapies and counselling are either not available on the NHS or have long waiting lists. Having a course of AD might help stabilise your mood while waiting for other treatments.

Rufusthebewilderedreindeer · 16/02/2019 15:18

Oh a friend of mine has been prescribed them for PMT

luckylavender · 16/02/2019 15:31

@mytieisascarf - I am interested of course but there is nothing we on this thread can do about it& it seems rather obvious that this is a thread which will cause offence. I have no problem having a disagreement with someone about politics for example, but I think that where mental health is concerned this is not the best place to speculate. If I know people who take ads but haven't disclosed it, then that really is their business, in a way that Brexit is everyone's business. I can already see some insensitivity which is unnecessary.

Asta19 · 16/02/2019 15:58

I'm on a combination therapy of anti depressants and finally I don't feel suicidal Any more. I'm not saying that in a dramatic way, my suicide plan was very well thought out and I knew exactly when I was going to carry out these plans. No one knew. I wasn't "depressed" as such. I was in deep emotional pain. I always have been. I have tried various talking therapies over the years but nothing worked. So have the tablets taken away my pain or have they masked it? I couldn't care less which it is. For the first time in 50 years I feel truly alive and happy to be alive. I'd go so far as to say it was almost like a rebirth. The only side effect I have suffered is some weight gain, but not a drastic amount. And I'd rather be chubby and happy to be alive than skinny and wishing I was dead!

mytieisascarf · 16/02/2019 15:58

@luckylavender - in a way though we need to take the bad with the good. There have been many insensitive and ill-informed posters but there have also been many women offering support and practical advice. I think if this thread piques someone's interest to do further research or to realise that they are not alone in their illness then it is a useful thing.

iolaus · 16/02/2019 16:04

I'm not saying I wouldn't take them ever however I did turn them down when I was offered them

I do think some GPs turn to them far too quickly (in my case it was because I started crying in the room when he told me he was referring my 2 month old to the hospital - the appointment wasn't even for me just as soon as the tears came it was 'do you want some antidepressents?'

A friend was also told to start taking antidepressents and if that didn't help she would THEN be referred for counselling, but not unless she'd tried the drugs first (different GP surgery) - to me thats stupid and surely the other way round makes more sense? (If he had referred her and said it's a 6 month waiting list so I'll refer you but see if these tablets help in the meantime - I'd have felt differently)

luckylavender · 16/02/2019 16:04

@mytieisascarf - maybe, but I think there would be better places than this. Mumsnet can be a nest of vipers at times & we have no idea what can trigger anyone. Fabulous user name by the way.

wlv12 · 16/02/2019 16:04

I’m using a combination of anti depressants and CBT and the pair of them have saved my life. I had a breakdown last year and had made a suicide plan. Getting on the right medication took away some of the horrible anxiety feeling and allowed me to access CBT in a safe environment. I simply wouldn’t be here without them.

WinterfellWench · 16/02/2019 16:05

I know a few women on them, but an equal amount of men.

But MOST? Nope. As far as I know anyway.

Aragog · 16/02/2019 16:12

I have never taken them. One of my close friends has in and off but she's not done so for a while.

TheKitchenWitch · 16/02/2019 16:13

If that were true (and clearly it's not, if you look at the actual statistics) that would be awful.

SerenDippitty · 16/02/2019 16:13

I'm on them for anxiety. I know other people who have/are taking them. Going by some of the responses here thete is still a lot of stigma around mental health. But there's no shame in taking medication if your mind is unwell, any more than if your body was unwell.

UnperfectLife · 16/02/2019 16:15

I have taken them twice- once for 2 years for PND 16 years ago and once for 6 months when my husband was dying 7 years ago.

RussellSprout · 16/02/2019 16:17

No. Doctor put me on citalopram recently when I was going through a bad patch. After a few days I thought ah fuck this I don't need em and stopped.

Cagliostro · 16/02/2019 16:18

I’ve been on and off them since I was 14.

However I am going to try ADHD meds as soon as I’m allowed, because I think they will be far more relevant to my actual issues. The reason I am depressed and anxious is because I am struggling to live in a world not set up for people like me (diagnosed Aspergers, probable ADHD inattentive)

My GP now agrees depression has been a misdiagnosis for me. It’s more a symptom of my other issues. I think that is the case for many people.

Squigglesworth · 16/02/2019 16:20

I don't take them. I think one person (female) I know took them for a while, but I'm really not even sure about that...

If I was depressed and a trusted doctor told me that I would benefit from them, I'd give them a try. If they help and the pros outweigh the cons, that's all that matters. I'd do whatever I felt was best for me, and I'd hope others would do the same. There should be no shame in taking antidepressants.

SteelRiver · 16/02/2019 16:22

I've taken them on & off much of my adult life. I've been surprised she people have told me they're also taking them, so I certainly don't think I'm an isolated case.

MamaLovesMango · 16/02/2019 16:23

Can they really all be clinically depressed?

ANTIDEPRESSANTS DONT ONLY TREAT DEPRESSION. The name is misleading.

Sorry to shout but read it, read it again and then again until it’s sinks in. ANTIDEPRESSANTS DONT ONLY TREAT DEPRESSION.

explodingkitten · 16/02/2019 16:41

I don't think that most women take them at the moment. I do think that a lot of people have taken them at some point during their lifetime. I also think that it just doesn't get discussed. I have several health problems but I don't tend to discuss my medications with my friends at all tbh. It doesn't come up.

labazsisgoingmad · 16/02/2019 16:41

im on them for life cant manage without these and pills to stop panic attacks all due to past life the drs say its better for me to have constant help or id probably live out my days in a secure unit

Sarcelle · 16/02/2019 16:45

I don't think most women are taking them at all. I am not.

bigKiteFlying · 16/02/2019 16:46

I don’t see how people can say they are never going to take them

My DGP who died over 20 year ago now and livbed through some turbluent times made it to their early 90s. They'd never had them before but were then prescribed them - they seemed to help.

They'd had 25+ years of active retirement but last few years - chronic pain, loss of social circle as they died before them increasingly housebound then diagnoses of cancer and dementia all took a toll on their mental health.

jarhead123 · 16/02/2019 16:48

All these 'I don't know anyone who takes them' - its bollocks - you're bound to know someone.

I take them and there is no way any of my friends would think I did.

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