To just take lifelong antidepressants

[StripeyandConfused]

Been on them on and off since 19. I'm currently without them and I feel awful. It's like I cant cope without them

I've heard you can take prozac the week before to reduce symptoms helps.

I've heard you can take prozac the week before to reduce symptoms helps
I tried this. I have PMDD it didnt work.
It takes 2 weeks for any results.
A low dose throughout the month increasing it the week before helped a lot.

YABU. Antidepressants aren’t a cure. They’re meant to be used in the short term to help stabilise you while you seek other treatment.

It’s not acceptable to just wash your hands of trying to get better because you “don’t have time”. It’s not fair to you and it’s not fair to the people around you either.

It takes a lot of work to recover from mental health issues, but you owe it to yourself and others to overcome it and put the effort in. Not just sit back and say “oh well I’ll just take meds forever”.

@emilyfrost

They’re meant to be used in the short term to help stabilise you while you seek other treatment.

Not always. I work really hard on my mental health stuff and I've had excellent therapy. I still stop functioning if I come off my anti depressants

@emilyfrost Are you a psychiatrist or psychologist. What is your expertise in MH disorders.
My condition is recognised by the WHO also on the DSM-IV.
I'm fit as a fiddle. Eat well.
Do you expect people with bipolar or schizophrenia to cope on.
Your post is disgraceful.

@emilyfrost You have no idea what you're talking about.

@emilyfrost mental health issues are not about weakness they are a health issue
No treatment is a hundred per cent & none are guaranteed life long including talking therapy. Depression causes & is caused by the way the neurons in the brain are affected by a chemical imbalance. The brain is a complex organ that we still don't really fully understand. In the past many people who suffered (I rarely use the word suffer but in this case its accurate) from depression or other mental health issues were hidden - either at home or mostly - shudders - in asylums. the number after the war increases expediently & that's why some of the most barbaric treatments (!) were used to cut back on patients or to make people more controllable. Antidepressants help people get their lives back, even though they have side effects, & give them a good quality of life. Unfortunately they may need to be long term or intermittent over the life span.
Feeling depressed is not the same as severe Clinical Depression - it really riles me when people say things like they should pull them selves together etc etc.
However, one thing I will say, coming off some antidepressant is really difficult because the withdrawal causes problems because of how specific drugs work on the system.

@emilyfrost

YABU. Antidepressants aren’t a cure. They’re meant to be used in the short term to help stabilise you while you seek other treatment.

It’s not acceptable to just wash your hands of trying to get better because you “don’t have time”. It’s not fair to you and it’s not fair to the people around you either.

It takes a lot of work to recover from mental health issues, but you owe it to yourself and others to overcome it and put the effort in. Not just sit back and say “oh well I’ll just take meds forever”.

And here we have emilyfrost, ladies and gentlemen, who never let a little thing like not having a clue what she is talking about get in the way of confidently expressing an asinine opinion.

@emilyfrost - I assume you didn't read my earlier post (it's a long thread - perfectly understandable you might have missed it) - but I am one of the people who believes they will need antidepressants for the rest of their life.

I have done both group therapy and individual cognitive behavioural therapy, and they have both helped, but neither has cured the problem.

SSRIs replace a chemical in the brain, that is missing in people with depression. I am quite prepared to believe that, in some people, the lack of this chemical is temporary, and that, for them, therapy can help them cope with the feelings of depression until that chemical returns. It also seems fair to assume that the levels of the chemical in the brain are not either 100% normal or absolute zero - so some people have enough of the chemical that, with therapy, they can manage their depression.

But if you assume, as I do, that these things are reasonable, then it is ALSO reasonable to assume that, in some people, the chemical never returns, and the levels are too low for them to be able to manage their depression, even with therapy and hard work.

I think I am one of these people. I have been on antidepressants on and off for decades now - and despite doing the therapy, and the hard work, every time I have weaned myself off the medication, my mood has inevitably dropped again.

I can't live with a constant hope for my own death, or with the feelings of black depression, worthlessness and hopelessness that severe depression brings me. The medication levels my mood - it still isn't great, and I need to use the techniques I learned in therapy to make it better, and lift me further out of depression, but I KNOW that, without the medication, I could not cope.

Surely it is better for someone like me to take the medication for life, than to swing between feeling OK and feeling as if life is not worth living?

Well described @SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius with medication I can put into practice things I learnt in CBT to stay well. Without it? I’ll fall straight back into a dark pit.

I think you should at least get a specialist opinion periodically, just in case there are new formulations or in case you need to change prescription.

Actually I do know what I’m talking about. I suffered with depression and anxiety for over a decade. I was on antidepressants and I also “tried” counselling.

I eventually had CBT and the only way I fully recovered was by putting the work in and pushing myself, making an effort. Putting myself in uncomfortable situations under my therapists watchful eye. And yes, this was NHS.

Most people can’t be bothered with putting the work in once they realise they have to do it themselves; they expect the therapist to fix them and that’s not how it works.

In OP’s case, she has literally said she “doesn’t have time”. Mental health is one of the most important things in life, so of course she has time to fix it, and she should do so to help herself and her son. She needs to make time.

@emilyfrost - is it possible that your experience of depression is not the same as everyone’s experience of depression?

You are clearly implying that those of us who do believe we will need antidepressants for life are just lazy - unwilling to put in the work to get better - and that you are morally superior to us. Can I suggest that you find a little compassion and empathy towards people whose experience of depression is different to yours, and who need the medication? As you have had depression yourself, you must know how hurtful your comments are.

Are you suffering with side effects ? If not just keep taking them

@emilyfrost

Actually I do know what I’m talking about. I suffered with depression and anxiety for over a decade. I was on antidepressants and I also “tried” counselling.

I eventually had CBT and the only way I fully recovered was by putting the work in and pushing myself, making an effort. Putting myself in uncomfortable situations under my therapists watchful eye. And yes, this was NHS.

Most people can’t be bothered with putting the work in once they realise they have to do it themselves; they expect the therapist to fix them and that’s not how it works.

In OP’s case, she has literally said she “doesn’t have time”. Mental health is one of the most important things in life, so of course she has time to fix it, and she should do so to help herself and her son. She needs to make time.

Wow, aren't you amazing - have a medal. You know that not everyone is the same, and that maybe some people NEED pills for life? Why the hell should they suffer because you think they're just not tried hard enough?

@emilyfrost

You are an expert in your own experiences. And absolutely nothing else.

If you were better informed you would know that mental health professionals talk about "recovery" in relation to severe mental illness as being able to find a way to have quality of life alongside the illness. Learning to live with and manage it, not being cured.

I'm sure your beliefs as expressed on this thread make you feel more in control and better about yourself, but they're not actually evidence based or universal.

Your beliefs also don't give you the right to be a dickhead to other people whose experiences are different from yours.

If there was a one size fits all approach to treating mental health issues that would be so much easier. But there isn’t.

Your right making time to tackle things is vital. It’s all possible the hardest thing to do when your really struggling.

I have done CBT and counselling and both have had some effect. The thing that makes the biggest difference for me is exercise. But I still need the tablets!

After being on a low dose of seroxat for many years and everything getting on top of me . I was going through a very stressful time. I had a psychotic breakdown and ended up in a psychiatric hospital for two weeks.and put on tranquillisers and then on anti psychotics and antidepressants. I was determined to get off them if I could . I respect anyone’s decision to stay on medication but just want to say there are other ways you can find peace.
I would say listen to Ronjan Chatterjee’s podcasts on mental health . I have been off medicine for 2 and a half years. What helps me is exercise nature, meditation. HTP supplements . I had CBT and I practise gratitude.

I've taken a low dose of an anti-depressant for over 20 years. They allow me to function normally. I've experienced zero side effects. I expect I will be on them for life and I don't mind at all. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about, tbh.

@emilyfrost

Actually I do know what I’m talking about. I suffered with depression and anxiety for over a decade. I was on antidepressants and I also “tried” counselling.

I eventually had CBT and the only way I fully recovered was by putting the work in and pushing myself, making an effort. Putting myself in uncomfortable situations under my therapists watchful eye. And yes, this was NHS.

Most people can’t be bothered with putting the work in once they realise they have to do it themselves; they expect the therapist to fix them and that’s not how it works.

In OP’s case, she has literally said she “doesn’t have time”. Mental health is one of the most important things in life, so of course she has time to fix it, and she should do so to help herself and her son. She needs to make time.

This is the MH version of "of course you can work your way out of poverty, I did".

I am genuinely pleased to hear that you feel you have fully recovered and that CBT worked for you. But bitterly disappointed that you assume that this means it will work for everyone, and sad that you believe you know that most people can't be bothered to put in the work.

Another 20+ years here too. Citalopram saved my life and I never ever want to experience those suicidal thoughts and utter desolation that plagued me for 15 years. I'm a lifer with no side effects and will continue. Good luck and fist bumps to fellow lifers. 🤜🤛 We are doing what is best for us.

Definitely chronically needed for some. I’m one of those too and have become significantly unwell when I have come off medication on several occasions. I’ve been on a lot more medication and am very happy that I manage on just one. I’ve done plenty of work and insinuating that it is an individuals burden to work harder to be well is ignorant, insulting and insensitive.
@emilyfrost you are an expert on yourself and your own experiences which may hold some relevance for individuals in similar situations. Don’t allow anecdote to be put forward as evidence.

emilyfrost
Actually I do know what I’m talking about. I suffered with depression and anxiety for over a decade. I was on antidepressants and I also “tried” counselling
You have a some experience that doesn't make you an expert to make bold statements.
It isn't a case of one size fits all or my experience being the same as yours.
This applies to everything in life, everyone is different.

I had awful withdrawl coming off seroxat so I do think drugs can create dependency and problems coming off them that can be even worse than the original symptoms . I ended up in A & E a couple of times and felt as desperate as any drug addict to try and get off them . I remember ringing private hospitals up as the GP surgery were not helping . Couldn't afford it though. I think drugs should be given as a very last resort and if people do want to come off them they should have been given coping mechanisms and close monitoring and help in getting off them . Sertraline was fine to get off if done slowly.

@emilyfrost I respectfully request that you fuck off.