To ask if antidepressants changed your life?

[Fortheweekend]

For better or for worse?
I’m sorry as I know this type of question has been done to death but I’m at my wits end.
I have anxiety, I have overwhelming digestive issues which control my day to day living (Have had endless tests and confirmed as IBS by several gastroenterologists and told anxiety will make this worse).
My anxiety isn’t helped by the fact that I look after my mum who suffers from Alzheimer’s so I know the next few years will become even more stressful and anxiety ridden.
However I am petrified of going on antidepressants. I worry they will exacerbate my already awful gut issues, I worry they will make my aura migraines worse, I worry I’ll end up zombie like and tired all day, I worry they will make me gain weight (I have huge issues with fear of putting on weight) and I really worry they will put me at even more risk of getting dementia. I you can see, I worry and overthink ALOT!
But living with anxiety day to day is like walking through each day in concrete boots whilst dragging a ton of ball and chains with me.
My husband doesn’t help by saying that once on them I will probably never get off them (yet he has zero experience of antidepressants!).
Can anyone give me an insight as to what it is like living life on antidepressants? Good, bad, side effects? Anything!

Everyone is different OP. Taking ADs may get you to a place where you can access and make use of therapy / exercise etc. most people do not stay on them for life now - GPs are much more focussed on helping you manage symptoms and not just take drugs.

My experience is that I tried them twice and they made absolutely no difference - but also did not give me terrible side effects. For me a bloody good therapist (over 3 years - sorry expensive and not available on the NHS) leaving my soul-destroying relationship and committing to regular exercise are the things that have helped me climb out of the pit.

@Seriouslymole

Yes, because DH started to take them. The relief at having him back is immense.

This. It was getting to the point where's I thought I was going to have to leave him because living with him was unbearable. It has given me my husband back.

He says they affect his sleep, but they don't, he just stays up late and then gets up late. That's been his routine for as long as I've known him. He also exercises hard and eats a good diet (and did before the pills).

I took them for 2-3 years for PND and for a very short time when my DH died. They 'saved' me both times. They didn't make me happy but they took the worst edge off the awfulness so i felt very little. I did not have any problems with them at all- apart from when i had to take an 'old generation' type when I was breastfeeding and they made me sweat horribly! No problems coming off either- just done gradually.

Sertraline has been wonderful for me - and the rest of the family benefits too.

Thank you everyone for your replies and experiences.
I have had anxiety most of my 47 years but in particular the last 20 years and the last 3 have been just debilitating.
I have tried everything other than drugs. I’ve had counselling, hypnotherapy and 4 ‘bouts’ of CBT (which I was told works better alongside medication) and nothing has had a significant impact on my mental health for the better.
I had several post natal episodes after my son was born 15 years ago and was given Mirtazapine, I only took for 3 days but it made me feel like a drugged out zombie and that experience completely put me off antidepressants (but in hindsight I was also extremely sleep deprived which obviously did not help). I was also put off Sertraline as my mum was on them for a while and it gave her awful diarrhoea which, as an IBS sufferer is certainly not something I need added to my already sensitive gut.
But I am also getting to a point where I feel I am in need of something to help, as many of you have said, to get to a point in my life where I can perhaps try CBT again and hopefully give me the drive to exercise like I used to, which obviously has great positives on mental health.
I just wish I wasn’t so bloody scared to take them!

My only regret is that I didn't take them sooner. They took3 months to make a difference but bloody hell I love them.

I was very resistant to taking them and i had to really force myself to take them but to be honest I think that was my anxiety and depression stopping me.

I'd say they've changed my life for the bettter. I have been on fluoxetine for the past year and it's looking like it might be a lifetime thing now. I've been on and off them for the past 15 years with the longest period off them being almost 2 years. I've just stepped up to 40mg a day for the winter time and I'll reduce that again in the spring. They help me function without the feelings of worthlessness and paranoia.

DH has just started sertraline and the difference it's made to him is huge. We've had a couple of quite traumatic years and the loss of his mother in June was the thing that tipped the balance for him.

He regrets not taking them sooner.

Can I ask how long does it take for them to work, particularly citalopram.

I have IBS and take Citalopram for anxiety. I've found my IBS is actually better since I've been taking them, not worse.

@TragedyHands

Can I ask how long does it take for them to work, particularly citalopram.

In our experience, about 8 weeks, which seems like the longest 8 weeks in the history of your life but the change is wonderful.

I have ibs and take sertraline. Sertraline has saved my life and my marriage, and has shown me that life can be so much better. I used to wonder why everyone else could cope and I couldn't. Now I cope and actually thrive, I can't recommend them enough. I've had a lot of very helpful therapy, and a good diet and exercise have helped too, but it's the medication that makes me feel 'normal' and it's bloody brilliant and a massive relief.
I'm so sorry you are having a tough time, I get the impression you want to take the medication but feel too frightened. Only you can make the choice, and you are braver than you think. Hugs and a hand hold xx

For me I have better coping skills
So I’ve had a a lot of crap this year ( who hasn’t )

I’ve almost lost the dark dark thoughts

Don’t get me wrong it’s not all perfect
And I’m bed with exhaustion right now !

But they help , massively

I work in mental health and am also taking citalopram for the second time in my life. I take it for anxiety relating to the menopause and I started to feel better within 5 days of taking it but the average is 2-6 weeks.

I have had this conversation many times with patients and I also struggle with these, often deeply held convictions, that there is something inherently shameful in taking them or that somehow it means you are weak.

On occasion I share with my patients that I also have taken them which some have found helpful.
I think people who don't believe in them also don't really believe in mental illness and are of the mindset that will power alone can make you better.

It sounds like you've tried a lot of other options, I'm assuming you eat a healthy balanced diet and exercise?

Have you tried working on your gut health? It might sound a bit woo but given your IBS I wonder if you have something up with your gut that could be exacerbating anxiety as brain and gut are very closely linked.

If yes then I would try ADs. I needed them but didn't take them due to the stigma I attached to them (only for myself, I know many people who take them and applaud their choice, it was part of my denial that I was ill) and I regret it. I'm just about ok now, but wish I had never sunk as low as I did, it's taken me years to recover and I'm still a shell of the person I was. I wonder if ADs might have helped me with that and wish I'd tried.

With PTSD and anxiety, they were a lifesaver for me.
Try taking a magnesium supplement for 2 weeks and see if you get any relief from that, if not then please see your GP and try anti depressants. You might feel sleepy until you get used to the dose, you will probably have to try more than one type and find the right dose for you.

I started taking high dose fluoxetine (Prozac) when I was diagnosed with post-natal depression. I went from suicidal to functioning to happy mum within the space of 2 months. It fixed anxiety issues I'd struggled with for decades. It literally changed my life, a million times for the better. I tapered right down to 20mg a day and then 20mg every other day and I was still fine, feeling so much stronger and calmer than I had ever been. DH died suddenly just over a month ago and I went back up to 40mg and I'm sure it is a huge part of how I'm managing to cope. I am so, so glad I went on it. It had no impact on my weight. The only it did was give me anorgasmia for a little while but that wore off.

Just as an aside, I found when my mental health was better that a lot of my stomach issues also got better. Severe anxiety can make issues like IBS a lot worse so sometimes helping that can have knock on effects for other parts of your body.

I might not be here with my children if it weren’t for citalopram. It helped me to function and to lift myself out of a very dark place.

If I hadn’t sought help and been prescribed it, I can’t say that I would have been able to meet my children’s needs, keep our home or keep my job.

Now I have the motivation to eat well, exercise and have healthy routines, the plan is to gradually reduce the dosage starting in the Spring and see how it goes. If I need to stay on it, I have no problem with that at all.

Absolutely: Citalopram made me feel more able to ignore the small stuff and concentrate on what matters in a sort of distant way. I found it very helpful when I had depression and anxiety.

They changed my life for the better. I had post natal anxiety and depression and was basically in a hole. Citalopram made me myself again

OP - I see your experience of ADs is with Mirtazapine? I took various antidepressants for years after my daughter died. I expect it was probably grief rather than depression but they did help.
At one point I was prescribed Mirtazapine as I was becoming very tightly wound. I could not get along with it at all, I found it very sedating and it also gave me the most terrible nightmares. Didn't take it for long!
But it is obviously really helpful for some people, you might just not have found one that helps.
I don't think it matters how long you take them for, if you need them for ages, why not? If it helps to know, I took ADs for eight years but I don't take anything now. Don't discount them entirely based on a bad experience with Mirtazapine which I completely sympathise with! Just not the right one for either of us perhaps

If your IBS is exacerbated by anxiety then it might benefit from treatment rather than get worse.

There are many ADs and anti-anxiety medications and it can take time to get one that works for you and offers the best balance of effect without adverse side effects. Some can take up to six weeks to have full effect and sometimes it can take trying two or three different medications. It's unfortunate.

Some people come off Ads when things settle. Some don't but if it works for them then staying on them for life isn't always a bad thing. Would we tell an insulin-dependent diabetic they shouldn't start insulin as they'll be on it for life or try and get them off insulin (and then die?) Many people take blood pressure medication for life. It's better than the alternative. Temporary use of Ads is fine but there is no virtue in not using them or coming off them when they are working because someone else think 'that's a good thing to aspire to'. They aren't living your life inside your head.

They won't cure an unsupportive spouse but might make like more bearable with one (unless you decide on a fresh start there too, OP).

Good luck.

Changed my life for the better. Had anxiety and depression due to bad perimenopausal symptoms and a bullying boss (my CEO). Prozac got me onto an even enough keel to be able to think things through clearly, and then when I was being made redundant by said horrid CEO, gave me the clearheadedness to negotiate a decent redundancy package over and above the statutory they were offering, and the confidence to go for a job that was a step up, both in terms of salary and responsibility. I got the job, I have a better salary, better holidays, and a final salary pension. And I don't want to throw myself under a train any more, which I came very close to doing. I was on Prozac for around 18 months and came off it gradually with my GPs guidance.

@peachgreen I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you're doing ok and get through Christmas - from experience I know it can be a tough time for the recently bereaved xx

I had a prescription for Citalopram which has been sitting at the pharmacy for weeks. I’ve just rung them and they are still available so I will collect them tomorrow. I will try them over the Christmas break as I have two weeks leave. It’s only 10mg to start for a month and then I am to phone my gp and go from there.
On a side note, to the op who have lost loved ones my heart goes out to you all . I lost my lovely MIL 10 weeks ago. Watching a loved one die in a hospice during Covid hasn’t helped my anxiety at all.