To ask if antidepressants made a difference to your life?

[marmite92]

I have been struggling with horrible anxiety and mild depression for a few years now. Antidepressants have been suggested to me in the past by a gp but as part of my issue is health anxiety I'm quite scared to take them, and one of my friends is in the psychology field and is against ADs so that's always been niggling in the back of my head as she thinks they just mask it and numb you then you can't get off them.

I've done cbt, I do all the self help stuff that they say but it just doesn't feel enough and I am exhausted, I want to feel happy and relaxed again but fear I never will. I have had a lot of big life changes in the past year but I was like this before all that too. Any positive stories? Or even tips on how to beat all this?

They will make you feel happy, and you will believe that it's your 'normal', natural self. Just keep in mind it's all a big money making machine too. I was on them for years and decided to take myself off them (citalopram). I was back in a good place in my personal life... Healing properly etc. Anyway I did it so gradually and it took around 6-8 months to come off them. A few years later I really feel like "me" again. Real emotional engagement, and feeling the things I should feel. So I'd say do it but please don't be a lifer on these things. It changes your brain connections and that's not necessarily what you want to keep forcing.

To be perfectly honestly it annoys me a little that my friend has this opinion

I think they can be very polarising. My consultant psychiatrist won't prescribe me them after my experience with sertraline. I had permanent headaches and pins and needles in both hands but that's the only one I've tried. He thinks psychotherapy is much more useful and thinks GPs hand out far too many. He's not only NHS psychiatrist I've encountered who doesn't like prescribing them.

Yes. Citalopram massively reduces my OCD to the point I can function “normally”. I’ll probably be on it for life. I’m ok with that

They've made a really big impact on my life. I suffer from anxiety and depression and for years I would not have even contemplated taking medication... the thought of it made me feel weak or like a failure. I have been engaging in therapy on a weekly basis for about 2yrs, I had suffered 3 very difficult bereavements and a whole pile of other stressful events... basically, shit totally hit the fan and I almost fell apart. That's when I went to my GP.

My GP is amazing and said that the therapy I was doing was so beneficial but... he said "If you had a severely injured shoulder and went straight to a physio they would not be able to treat you, they send you back to me for medication to ease the pain and get you to a point where they can work on you... the same goes for therapy some times with some people, there's no shame in taking medication". It eased my mind so much and I have never looked back, has made my therapy a lot more effective... talk to you GP x

Hell yes.

I feel like without them my PND might have finished me.

@Cherrycee that sounds exactly like me, even down to the death of a parent and serious illness of another. I have tried yoga, meditation, cbt you name it. I am drained because my anxiety is ruling my life. Can I ask what medication it was that you took for anxiety?

I also feel like for me, talking sometimes is worse for me because one thing I seek is reassurance a lot when I am experiencing anxiety about something in particular, be that from friends, the interest or health professionals if it's a health thing I become obsessed with. So talking sometimes makes me unintentionally talk about the problem and seek reassurance, at least that's what I found when I paid for a couple of counselling sessions earlier this year.

Yes. I wouldn't be here had my GP not prescribed them.

I'm off them now but I was a lot less stressed on them. Things that bother me now went over my head.

You do need to use them with caution, take the lowest dose that works for you, and - importantly - when you decide to come off them do it very slowly.

Be prepared to try a few if you have to. Keep a diary of symptoms (physical and emotional) and make sure your GP doesn't lose you.

They're great when you're on them (the right one for you) and really can be life-savers but they can also be hell to come off.

I didn't have any problems coming off slowly but my BIL went through hell.

@marmite92 I was prescribed mirtazapine as I was having trouble sleeping. It's a bit different to some of the other ADs as it can make you drowsy, but this wears off as you get used to it. Weight gain is a side effect for a lot of people too. I put on about a stone and a half since I started last August but lately it seems to have plateaued. Not ideal but it's worth it to feel like myself again.

Like you I found myself always needing reassurance, and I posted on here looking for advice about whether to try ADs or not. I got more mixed replies with a lot of "do therapy again", "go running", etc, and I'm so glad I listened to the other side instead! I'll see if I can find my old thread.

Sorry you're going through this, but there is help out there

This was my thread OP

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3650734-I-think-I-have-low-level-depression-should-I-consider-antidepressants

I was given a Low dose of citalopram for 6 months when I was particularly low and panicky after university. I didn't realise how naturally anxious I was all the time until I took them and suddenly I was just so calm and happy. They really helped me out and I'd use them again in a heart beat. I've since used therapy which also helped but if you need something to work quickly because it's making you ill then do it.

Also one thing that helped me to accept the need for antidepressants was the book Depressive Illness: The Curse of the Strong by Dr Tim Cantopher. It's a short book and very easy to read, but I felt like finally someone got how I felt and I understood why I needed medication.

Last year I had a lot going on so asked for dose to be increased helped enormously I’m on citalipran excuse spelling, good job I did 2 months later had major eye surgery, since then dh has been diagnosed with induced Parkinson’s due to meds, so a lot going on . So for me a godsend.

@WindowsSmindows, that's not really true. Psychologists are trained to Doctorate level and are often more knowledgeable than Psychiatrists (who obviously do med degree + training). Psychiatrists can prescribe fluoxetine, sertraline or citalopram- there is no way of knowing which drug will suit which patient. It's trial and error. If anything the Psychiatrists are the builders with a one-size-fits-all drug and Psychologists are the architects.

I'm going to be completely honest and say no.
I've been on citalopram, sertraline, and now currently venlafaxine. I'm still miserable.
I can't really remember what I was like without any medication as it was 10 years ago I started taking them and my life as drastically changed in that time.

I do hope you find something that works for you though OP.

Yes antidepressants made a difference, after taking them I was ten times worse than before. I've been on every AD you can name and persevered with them all. Never again, I've learned to manage my depression and anxiety without chemicals.

Another vote for fluoxetine. Was on citalopram and hated it. I think it depends how low you are: for me I just decided one day I wanted to die and was going to ask the Dr for an injection (somehow this made sense at the time) but she suggested ADs instead and they’ve been great. I’ve accepted the weight gain and occasional numb marshmallow feeling (I come off and on them as recommended by doctor). For me it’s a small price to pay for being alive and a whole lot less admin not planning my death/funeral!

I have been taking paroxetine for over 20 years and will continue to do so. It allows me to function and control my anxiety (particularly health anxiety) rather than the other way round.

Yes, I avoided taking them for a few years as I wanted to do exercise and socialise to help my depression. Bit the bullet about 10 weeks ago and my god are they good. I take fluoxetine and I finally feel happy again.

Over the years (including a few inpatient mental health admissions) I tried just about every anti-depressant, mood stabiliser, anti-anxiolytic, and even a few anti-psychotics. None of them helped me and in many cases either made me worse or gave me dangerous side effects. During my last hospital admission they took me off all of them and I started seeing a psychologist regularly - she saved my life. Psychological therapy was the only thing that’s ever helped me.

However, I would still encourage somebody to try anti-depressants if they’re thinking about them, they do seem to help some people. You don’t know if you don’t try.

For me personally no, no difference at all. CBT helped enormously, the occasional sleeping tablet, recognising issues in advance by monitoring my behaviour and regular exercise helps. But that's just me.

Some people react really well to them so I'd give them a try and ignore your friend.

Well, I am not dead, so I would say yes.

I started on fluoxetine a couple of months ago when I recognised my anxiety was spiralling again. I felt a bit weird for a day or two after I started them, and recognised that it was probably related to the new meds. I now feel physically fine, and my anxiety is back under control.

I've actually lost about a stone since then but I don't think that's related.

My brain is weird. It works really well most of the time, and I can be rational and have normal emotional ups and downs. Then occasionally it spins out of control, becomes very irrational, I get massive anxiety about very specific things (this time it was my health, not surprisingly given we are in a pandemic), and it's like my brain just cannot operate logically. For me, meds fix this.

I have had long term counselling in my 20s and that helped resolve lots of underlying issues, so I certainly think that can be worth trying too.