Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why everyone isn’t on antidepressants

116 replies

Immyreeves91 · 24/04/2019 14:52

I really don’t mean to sound flippant at all - I realise of course that most people are not clinically depressed and so do not need to take antidepressants and that there are all sorts of side effects. But I’ve been prescribed some medication (sertraline) and I wonder why doesn’t everyone try it and then stop if the side effects are bad (basically in the same way that many people take recreational drugs - taking MDMA on a night out despite the possible side effects) as surely if they are a mood lifter it’s worth it? What does anyone have to lose?

OP posts:
nauseous5000 · 24/04/2019 14:55

Not everyone needs a mood lifter. I've been on sertraline and it dampens everything, is you don't feel depressed or anxious, but you also never feel proper happiness. It's also bad for raising your blood pressure and risk of stroke if taken long term, so that's not ideal as you get older either

NoBaggyPants · 24/04/2019 14:55

What???

Antidepressants don't work for some people, and other people do not need a "mood lifter".

Also, who is going to pay for all this medication?

Just ridiculous.

TheQueef · 24/04/2019 14:56

Access to the drug and probably the four week wait to see if they suit.

isthismylifenow · 24/04/2019 14:57

Do you work for the pharmaceutical company?

Charles11 · 24/04/2019 14:58

You’re view of people is really skewed.

Charles11 · 24/04/2019 14:59

Your not you’re

Bibijayne · 24/04/2019 15:00

Because antidepressants can be very dangerous for some people with other mental or physical health problems.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 24/04/2019 15:00

Some people don't react well to them.

They did nothing for me, other than dampen the ability to feel happy emotions.

We would all grow immune, so they'd become ineffective for everyone...

So many reasons.

mbosnz · 24/04/2019 15:00

Anti-depressants did absolutely nothing for me.

So why would I take them?

Especially when I've been fortunate enough to have been able to learn to manage my depression in non-pharmaceutical ways - with the only side effects being fully beneficial. . .

bingoitsadingo · 24/04/2019 15:00

Aside from the obvious cost, and interactions with other drugs you might be taking...

It takes time (~ a month I think) for the effects to kick in and you might have side effects in the mean time - what's the point if you feel fine to start with

Your body can adjust to them after a while and so you have to up the dose to get the same effect - if you don't have an issue to start with you would basically be creating problems for yourself.

Its not a straightforward relationship between your serotonin levels and mood - serotonin levels that are too high can cause all sorts of problems.

Plus not all side effects neatly go away afterwards!

ILikeyourHairyHands · 24/04/2019 15:01

I've always been pretty chilled amd a happy soul. Nothing against anti-ds if they're needed but it would seem a ludicrous thing to do if you're bumbling along quite contendedly.

WeirdAndPissedOff · 24/04/2019 15:02

As above.
Also, side effects, withdrawals, and the risk of imbalancing the chemistry of someone who doesn't need it.

My sister was on Sertraline, and while it helped immensely with her MH, she experienced awful side effects - either insomnia if taken in the evening before bed, or constant nausea and inappetance if taken in the morning.
Not to mention the withdrawals on the occasions she stopped taking it, or missed a few. It affected her mood awfully, she felt terrible, and it was always easy for us to spot the signs of withdrawal pretty quickly.

It isn't that simple anyway - it's difficult to assess a medication's effectiveness even in people who definitely need it and respond to it, let alone those "just trying it".

InspectorClouseauMNdivision · 24/04/2019 15:03

Are you talking about people wiyh clinical depression or general public?
Because people need to experience all emotions including bad ones like sadness and anger.
It's normal to feel down for few daysHmm

Happyspud · 24/04/2019 15:03

I avoid paracetamol if I can! Nobody should be taking medication they don’t need, it all has implications.

FissionChips · 24/04/2019 15:05

I wonder why doesn’t everyone try it and then stop if the side effects are bad

Side effects for me were trying to carve my off and getting arrested.

Why risk that if you don’t need to?

Vulpine · 24/04/2019 15:11

I'd rather go for a run and get fit at the same time

dreichuplands · 24/04/2019 15:11

Anti-depressants are medication for people who are ill. No medication should be given to people who do not have a medical need for it.

HostaFireAndIce · 24/04/2019 15:12

surely if they are a mood lifter it’s worth it?

I don't think they just make everyone, say, 10% happier than they would be without them. That's not how it works!

BanginChoons · 24/04/2019 15:14

They only lift your mood if there is a chemical imbalance causing low mood. They wouldn't do anything to people without that.

EmeraldShamrock · 24/04/2019 15:18

Antidepressants can cause suicidal thoughts, anxiety, decreased sex drive, weight loss/gain, they are usually a last resort. Yabu.

MrsTerryPratchett · 24/04/2019 15:20

They aren't a 'mood lifter' and neither BTW are drugs like MDMA. They work on your neurotransmitters, which means, in the case of MDMA for example, that the system produces less in future. MDMA is stealing some of your future happiness.

Sertraline is a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor which sort of means it makes your brain have more serotonin sloshing about to use. (Not really for the scientists). You don't want to to mess with your serotonin system if you don't have to. Massive physical and mental health risks.

TLDR: all drugs with an effect have a side effect.

theworldistoosmall · 24/04/2019 15:24

If only they where magic and lifted your mood. Then maybe my suicidal thoughts (ok at the moment) would disappear. If only they helped with emotions that I wouldn’t be in hell at the moment because of major hospital appointments next week.
I am dreading knowing the one anti d that I could manage might have to be changed because of a side effect due the to heart.

But yea let’s just dish them out like what used to happen with antibiotics.

NaturatintGoldenChestnut · 24/04/2019 15:24

I was prescribed one that is notorious for weight gain. I'm already a good 2st overweight. No, thanks. GP couldn't get me off the phone fast enough. So fuck it. I use mindfulness, yoga, exercise and OTC meds and herbs. Added bonus is that I don't have to try to get an appointment to see a GP every five minutes.

FleetwoodMacsDreams · 24/04/2019 15:30

Society would have to be doing something very wrong for everyone to be on antidepressants. I think it would be more helpful to support people to make and maintain healthier lifestyle choices.

CynthiaRothrock · 24/04/2019 15:30

No offence to anyone who truly needs ADs but Drs are prescribing them like sweets these days. Yes they help some people but mainly they just mask a bigger problem. If one doesn't work just try another rinse and repeat until nothing works and its crisis intervention time. I went to the dr last yr and mentioned i was feeling down over a death, i was offered ADs. I wasn't depressed i was fucking greiveing! I politely declined with are we not supposed to feel any sad emotion these days? ADs should be a last resort not first port of call. Unfortunately the government and the NHS are in such a shit state the situation is only going to get worse.