To think that most women are taking anti depressants?

[Jambalaya76]

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?

The people saying they'd never take antidepressants. What would you do if you had such severe PND you were at risk of harming yourself or your baby?
I'm lucky that I've never suffered from any kind of mental illness but I think saying you'd never take antidepressants is a pretty stupid thing to say and reduces the suffering of people with depression to 'choice' when it quite clearly isn't.

I know a handful of people who have taken them. I used to take them but stopped about 5 years ago.

I certainly wouldn't say it's the majority.

I am suffering with severe anxiety at the moment. I have a doctors appointment next week. Never been on any medication for MH before. Can anyone offer advice on what they are likely to prescribe and how long they take to work? All help grateful.

I take them for PND, I only started a few weeks ago and they’ve improved my life immeasurably.

To all those saying ‘I don’t know anyone who takes them’ do you really think everyone announces it to everyone they know? Dp and my doctor are the only people who know I’ve started them.

I don't take them but I have a few friends who do - and many more who don't. If you need them, then you need them but I do think Doctors are too quick to write a prescription as a quick fix. I have had a very stressful life over the last 24 years and took up regular exercise it order to cope. Not saying that exercise is a cure for everyone's mental health issues but I certainly think it has helped prevent me sinking into the depths of despair and depression.

I took them for about 2 months, then ditched them. My current anti depressant is curled up on me purring.

I've taken them for anxiety several times but I'm not taking them now. I know a few people who are or were taking them.

I’ve never taken them and don’t know anyone who does. But that could be because they haven’t told me.

Quick google mentions 1/10 in England are on them.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/13/pill-nation-half-us-take-least-one-prescription-drug-daily/

I’ve never taken them and wouldn’t consider myself depressed, but like everyone I have ups and downs.

Would they still make me more happy/less stressed/less shouty/more able to deal with shit?

Is there a downside on taking them.

Most of my friends in America are on some form of antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication, as are some of their children. It seems much less common, or at least talked about, here in the UK.

I have never taken them,and don't know anyone who takes them

I have never taken them, but I know lots of people that do.

I only know because my DH is suffering from anxiety now. When I’ve discussed it with colleagues etc they’ve revealed that they also take them. I would never have guessed otherwise.

Eg my manager told me she was on them when I needed to ask for some flexibility to take DH to appointments. No-one else on the team would know that she does.

I’ve been surprised by the amount of people that I know who have or are taking them. And I am quite a private person, I don’t go around talking about my DH’s problems to everyone! So these are only the people that I’ve wanted to talk to about it for support.

I hope no one is put off treatment by twattish comments on here. It can happen to anyone and is not something to be ashamed about

Come on gals, it's not hard to look up official stats.

4 million British adults took them long term in 2017-2018. (that's about 1/11 or 1/12 adults, yes?)

1/6 Americans in 2016 on some kind of psychotropic drugs (most of which are antiDs, but could be very different drugs, too). Veering towards 1/20?

64.7 mln prescriptions given out by NHS in 2016... but not clear how many were very short-term, vs. chronic, or how many were dispensed but people never bothered to take them, or didn't take them as prescribed. And private prescriptions are extra.

That evidence tips towards "not a majority" but not a small minority, either.

I've never taken them and I can't think of anyone I know who has/does. That's not to say someone hasn't/isn't, I suppose.

Most women are not on antidepressants, no. Some are. As are some men. Same for myriad types of medications. I really strongly object to the posters saying "I would never take them" etc. As though suffering from the illnesses they treat is a life choice.

Would you say about potentially life-saving antibiotics "I would never take them"??

Never taken them myself, I know a handful of people who have said they use them- men and women.

I know people who have taken them for various periods of time. None that are long term users. Fortunately I've never needed them.

I do think many of today's youngsters will need them. Life is full of stress for them. So much more pressure than in years gone by.

It is a chemical imbalance, therefore a medical need. Not fair of people to say they would never use them. Ok if there is an obvious reason with an end point, then it might be worth riding it out knowing you will feel better soon. But for many the future may seem pointless if they can't change the situation or can't see the situation changing.

whatacrap - you might be better to start a new thread where you should get quite a few responses

NHS shows that 16% of adults were prescribed anti depressants last year.
www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/10/four-million-people-in-england-are-long-term-users-of-antidepressants

Most of them were not long term, so many just for a few months.

So OP YABU is you think "most" women take anti depressants.

Most - according to official information- don't take them.

More than 4 out of 5 people in fact don't take them.

Women are twice as likely to take anti depressants than men. And 7.6 million people were prescribed anti depressants in 2018. So yes a lot of women do or have taken anti depressants. And yes I know a fair number of women who have taken them, or take them.

But there is a lot of stigma around it, so I find most women do not say anything unless they know they will not be judged for it.

I think a lot are yes. I tried them but they made me feel worse. My three best friends are all on prozac. I worked out mine was all to do with my menstrual cycle. I was ready to murder my poor DH every month. I take agnus castus now which helps.

How long is a typical prescription good for? 1 month? I want to round up the British prescription estimate to 72 million to include private prescriptions & make the math simple, divide by 12, that would be 6 million yrs worth. We know 4 million are the chronic users, so maybe 2 million on them "short term" each yr. That seems plausible. I guess that includes some children, too.

speakout We x posted. 4 out of 5 people do not take them in a year. But many of those other 4 will have taken them at some time.

I've never had to take them fortunately, and I don't know anyone who has in my close friends, and I think they'd say, but thr stats speak for them selves.

I also don't think it matters who else takes them, if it works for you that's all that matters.