To wonder why everyone isn’t on antidepressants

[Immyreeves91]

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?

Well you do see quite a few threads on MN where people say how bad they are feeling but then also say that they don't want to try antidepressants they have been prescribed, so in those cases I think the OP has a point.

The OP does say in the first two lines of her first post

most people are not clinically depressed and so do not need to take antidepressants

so I didn't take that to mean that everyone should take them although I seem to be in the minority for some reason with that

Well, DH took this for a while and had heart palpitations, couldn't sleep etc. No thanks!

In some cases I do think it’s worth a try, I have tried them in the past and I think if someone’s badly depressed they will try anything, for me the side effects were horrible and one of the worst ones was weight gain, I was waking in the night and raiding the fridge, I have issues around weight (like to be slim ish) so this made me feel more anxious and depressed. For me keeping busy and fit works better than any medication but I understand that’s not the case for everyone.

Of course you can take anti depressants and go for a run but i'd rather just do the exercise

they are a mood lifter it’s worth it? What does anyone have to lose? Sertraline and other antidepressants make me incredibly sick, night sweats, nightmares, insomnia, nausea, headaches, dry mouth and the rest. I deal with my depression without medication, or at least that type of medication, because the side effects are utterly miserable.

And not everyone needs antidepressants when not everyone is bloody depressed having a bad day or being down because of irregular circumstances doesn't equate to needing MH meds. What an odd post. Kind of feels like you just want to share you've been prescribed antidepressants like the SM oversharers do when they take photos of their latest pharma haul.

I was given them for anxiety and panic disorder and they made my panic worse, and they supressed my emotions. When I came off them I felt like a big cloud had lifted and I didnt feel like I was in a bubble anymore. I now manage my condition another way and will never go back to using them again.

Of course you can take anti depressants and go for a run but i'd rather just do the exercise

So, what's your point?

They are a life saver for those who need them. I have many of the side effects mentioned on the thread, though without them I am fierce, I suffered a roller coaster of emotions, paranoia, sadness, madness, anger so much rage and anger.
They are not something to take just to lift your mood, I use them along with healthy eating and regular exercise.

Probably because drugs cost money and nobody is prescribing drugs for no reason.

Besides, being an ADs isn't fun. I've been on them three years and I'm constantly dreaming of the day I can come off them.

I’ve been on anti depressants in the past when I needed them and they saved my life - but that’s what they’re for. They correct a chemical imbalance. They aren’t a boost for people who don’t have that imbalance. All you would be doing is loading people up with the side effects to no benefit.

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

I assume there's a typo in there. What did you mean to say?

Drs also don't actually know how they work. And i remember reading a few times recently that new research is showing that they actually don't work.
the times when i've taken them I've felt so shit on them that I would rather be miserable and also happy, rather than completely numb with no sex drive.

Have you read Brave New World

Such an ignorant post

They’re nothing like recreational drugs. The only similarity was jaw clenching. I’m still doing it years later and I only took them a few months before giving up as they made me worse. Brain drugs are awful. A sledgehammer to a nut, which is why they cause so many side effects.

There’s evidence that opiates are beneficial for depression. They temporarily do lift my mood and have far less severe side effects due to small dose. They’re closer to recreational drugs, heroin for example. Bad idea to offer to everyone.

I assume there's a typo in there. What did you mean to say?

‘Carve my face off’ is what it should say.

Because having emotions is not always a bad thing!

OP is not talking about everyone, but everyone with clinical depression. That is how I read it anyway.

Because they’re not a ‘mood lifter’ and don’t give you a high.
Because they won’t lift your mood if you’re not depressed.

You seem to lack a basic understanding of what SSRI antidepressants are and how they work.

Great thread for making people who do need them feel weak and shit.

ADs only have the desired effect on people who actually need them. To give someone a drug they don't need would be highly dangerous and irresponsible. HTH

Im fairly buoyant anyway. A mood lifter would make me weird!

Having to take a pill every day would make me depressed.

You and so many others (health care practitioners included) really underestimate the damage “side effects” can do.
These things can destroy lives and strip away every bit of colour a person has, not to mention trying to get off them and the hell that comes with that!

I’m not anti medication at all but messing with your brain chemistry shouldn’t be something you “try out” and talk about MDMA but I’ve noticed a distinct link, the people in my life who took this recreationally ten years ago are ones with mental health issues and anxiety now.

Eh? I don’t need anti depressants.

I have OCD which I manage with CBT. My moods are stable, I’m happy most of the time.

I don’t need mood boosters to be more happy.