To ask what the best antidepressant is?

[user87382294757]

I don't get on with fluoxetine any more. Was on it for years as well. Mirtazapine was better, but made me very hungry. A friend has Duloxetine which helps with pain also, but gives her high blood pressure. I have tried St John's wort but unsure it is helping. Any thoughts?

There is no ‘best’ as they all work differently on different people. For example Fluoxetine was impossible for me as it gave me severe migraines immediately, Citalopram seemed to help and Sertraline may as well have been sugar pills. Whereas for my fiancé, Sertraline has been almost a lifesaver.

You just have to try different ones under your GP’s supervision until you settle on an effective one. But there is no ‘best’.

No such thing.

Work differently on different people.

Fluoxetine had no effect on me whatsoever,

Citalopram worked well for a while but then I developed a weird reaction to it and it made me very unwell physically so had to stop it.

Another ssri (I forget which wasn't on it long escitalopram maybe?) caused psychosis so stopped that

Clomipramine worked amazing mh wise but gradually made me very unwell physically due to side effects until it reached a point I could not take it

Mirtazipine I'm on now, is helping a little with depression but I think is making anxiety worse.

Trial and error I'm afraid

I take Mirtazipine, after a while the weight started to pile on, so it was diet time once again, but I do think this medication works for me.

citalopram gave me the most psychotic dreams but my dose changed and now i'm a load better mostly.
it depends what your gp thinks is best for you?
plus the old "exercise and eat healthily" thing. plus there's a new series of working mums on netflix which is keeping me happy!!
good luck xx

Duloxetine has always worked for me but I went through a number of others with various side effects before I found what suits me best.

Think it’s a trial & error thing really.

stats are (if I remember!) 30% success rate for antidepressants - & most people as you can see here have to go through several. Now first of all: I hope you are not purchasing things off the internet without specialist prescription diagnosis - if for instance you start a particular type of antidepressant & change to another (cant remember type) you have to have a gap in between. St Johns Wort should not be used in conjunction with other antidepressants. There are serious side effects if you do this. Unless you have severe/profound depression talking therapy can be just as effective but there are different types & again its success is down to individuals.

Sertraline works for me but regular exercise has had the biggest affect on my mental health.

As PPs have said there isn’t a best one. I’ve been on a few and none of them at different doses helped much. Depending on what issues you’re facing I did find CBT and talk therapy brilliant though. It brought back a ton of shit to start with, I dropped out a couple of times then found the courage to stick with it. Obviously isn’t going to work for illnesses relating to chemical imbalances but for environmental depression/anxiety/OCD it does. Feel like a completely different person

I’ve been on many. The one that saved me and changed my life was Venafaxine.

I very slowly weaned myself off fluoxetine over six months due to side effects, had a break then tried the St Johns wort. It seems tricky.

I agree about the exercise, that might be easier once DC back at school. It really helps.

I have heard very positive things about this book by Dr Raj Chatterjee, which might be worth you having a look at.

I would not like to suggest that it can replace prescription medication, but it does explain that many of our health problems can be made worse, or even caused by the stresses of our modern lifestyles, and he gives many tips and techniques at how you can help your body achieve a better and healthier balance. They all things that can easily be included in your normal life.

{mad kitty mum} how did Duloxetine affect you? I’m really curious as on quest to find the right meds & have been put on it.