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Original poster

To not want anti-depressants (Have you ever been on them?)

41 replies

R2221 · 23/03/2021 18:53

I'm really struggling with mental health issues. Had 1 round of CBT, it helped a bit, but I'm back to square one. My problems are mainly around rumination, anxiety and excessive worry.
At a previous appointment a couple of months ago, my GP suggested I go on low level anti-depressants. A close friend of mine was on anti-depressants for a while. They made her very sleepy and she put on a lot of weight. Putting on weight makes me very anxious as I have traumatic experiences of bullying around my weight. ( I was over- weight, but later I turned to exercise and healthy diet. I'm in healthy BMI range now). Also, I have to get up on time to do the school run !

Please can I ask for your experiences in taking anti-anxiety/anti-depressants? Did they help you recover? Did you eventually become your normal self? How did you feel while you were taking them?

Any advice is gratefully received! Thank you.

OP posts:
AnaofBroceliande · 23/03/2021 18:55

If it's mirtazapine that one is well known for putting on weight in a large number of users. I had to come off as it put me in the obese range, which I'd never been in before in my life. It was supposed to help with sleep but it didn't do that, either.

mbosnz · 23/03/2021 18:58

Hiya, I understand your reluctance. I was put on prozac in the '90's, and they really weren't good for/with me, I felt numb, almost robotic.

This is a big part of the reason why I was so resistant to accepting that I had depression/anxiety to the point where I needed help, to the point that I was almost beyond help. I completely melted down, crumpled, and reached out for help. I am currently on Sertraline, and it really has helped so much. Initially there were side effects like a very tense sore jaw, heightened anxiety (how ironic), but those are pretty much gone now, after a couple of months.

I have definitely not put on weight, and I find it easier to get up in the morning, not facing my daily panic attack in the shower.

But that's just me. Just like that's just your friend. Everyone has their own reaction and experience.

Wolfiefan · 23/03/2021 19:01

If you had asthma and an inhaler was suggested then would you try it?
I’m on Prozac and it’s been revolutionary for me.

Eggsley · 23/03/2021 19:01

I have been on Citalopram since last October, it has helped me loads and I was so reluctant to take it. I also had some CBT sessions which did help me. I haven't put on any weight and haven't found it affects my sleep either. So far so good, I'm more worried now that if I come off them I'll feel like I used to. I feel like me again for the first time in 20 years.

XenoBitch · 23/03/2021 19:03

There are so many anti-depressants out there that you can try, and not all make you gain weight. Discuss your concerns with your GP.

Sansaplans · 23/03/2021 19:03

I don't take any now, but oh my goodness what a difference they made, absolutely changed my life, if not saved it. I think it's natural to be reluctant, but you can always taper off them if you find they aren't helping, but I would rather try.

WhateverHappenedToFayWray · 23/03/2021 19:06

Yes, I am on Anti depressants but I didn't want to take them for a very long time and I was adamant that I wanted to do things 'naturally'. It got to the point that my OCD was so bad that I just couldn't function anymore, I had suffered for more than a decade and felt I couldn't go on so I took them as a last resort.

I only have positive things to say about them as they gave me my life back but I completely understand where you are coming from. It is a very personal decision and should be your decision alone.

Choccyaddict4eva · 23/03/2021 19:07

I’ve been taking citalopram for almost 3 years and they saved me. I had side effects for the first few weeks but they then subsided. I’ve always been against antidepressants but was at a point where nothing else (natural alternatives) was working for me. I went on them as I developed depression whilst trying to battle anxiety.

EvilEye · 23/03/2021 19:08

Venlafaxine is the best thing in the world. It saved my life. I'm a completely different person now. No weight gain.

HowlingGale · 23/03/2021 19:09

I've been on the lot over the years - or that's what it feels like. Prozac - had to stop because of shocking heartburn - and latterly venlafaxine. I came off all medication about 3 years ago because I'm not convinced of their efficacy. I didn't have any issues with weight gain, but they definitely blunted my emotions, and put me on a more even keel. I think that anti depressants can be helpful in getting you through a rocky patch, and enable you to cope during trying times, but they are most definitely not a "cure". More of a crutch to help you to cope I would say. In my case I just felt quite numb, which is arguably better than feeling in the depths of depression the way I had been feeling. But now I realise that for me at least, anti depressants aren't the answer -they are a bit like a sticking plaster, just covering up the underlying issues. I am now in long term therapy and I feel that this is fundamentally more helpful than shovelling down pills which just mask the problem. However, everyone is different, and responds differently, so if I were you I'd definitely give them a go. Try them out for six months and see if your situation improves. And I would recommend keeping a diary of your moods, as it is very difficult to look back and try and remember how you were feeling when you weren't on the drugs, as compared to when you are taking them. So start keeping a mood diary now - and then you will have something to compare it with when you start on the anti depressants and will better be able to determine how helpful they are.

mynameiscalypso · 23/03/2021 19:09

I'm on sertraline - no effects other than making my life easier. Certainly haven't put on weight because of them and have far more energy than when I'm not on them and all my time is taken up worrying or being depressed.

HavelockVetinari · 23/03/2021 19:12

Try an SNRI like venlafaxine - not linked to weight gain (actually it can cause loss of appetite while you get used to it). Complete game changer for me, I can actually enjoy life and be a normal, functional and happy person!

Please do try it, if after 3 months you don't feel better you can switch to another one.

The ones linked to weight gain are mirtazapine and lithium - neither of which is a first-line antidepressant anyway.

Sunbird24 · 23/03/2021 19:12

I’ve recently come off ADs after just over a year. They helped suppress the depression and anxiety enough that I could function like the old me, and do all the things like eating healthily and getting fresh air & exercise that do actually help if you’re not too far down to do them. I put off taking them for ages but in the end I’m so glad I did. I have put on weight, but that’s mostly down to the lockdown and gyms being closed, but it isn’t bothering me the way it would have before the ADs, particularly as I’m now pregnant and my body is going to keep changing for most of the rest of the year anyway!

Talk to your GP, there’s so many different ones you can try until you find one that works for you.

stargirl1701 · 23/03/2021 19:13

I'm on Prozac (no weight gain)

I added Mirtazipine 12 months ago. 4 stone gain.

AnaofBroceliande · 23/03/2021 19:15

The ones linked to weight gain are mirtazapine and lithium - neither of which is a first-line antidepressant anyway.

Mirtazapine is handed out like sweeties. Seems to be the AD du jour.

TheGumption · 23/03/2021 19:15

I am alive because of my antidepressants and antipsychotic medication. They are as essential as any other medication to me.
If it doesn't work for you you can stop taking them or switch.

Ethelfromnumber73 · 23/03/2021 19:29

Citalopram since November for me. Has changed my life in terms of anxiety/rumination. No weight gain (I exercise though)

TeaSoakedDisasterMagnet · 23/03/2021 19:38

If you had a broken leg you wouldn’t turn down painkillers, or insulin if you had diabetes. Taking anti-depressants is fine.

I’ve taken them for almost 15 years on and off and they keep me safe and sane.

linerforlife · 23/03/2021 19:42

I'm on sertraline and it's changed my life. It's not only improved mood but also regulated my sleep and curbed my out of control appetite. I'm so happy I started taking it.

Dee1975 · 23/03/2021 19:43

Do it. You can always come off.
I avoided them for 6 months before I ‘gave in’. Looking back, I wish I didn’t waste those 6 months. Made me ‘normal’. I was able to be rational again.
No weight gain. No sleepiness. But you may need to try a few to find the right one for you. But I was fine with the first one. (As are many).

HolidayHopeSpringsEternal · 23/03/2021 19:47

I am only able to do everything I need to due to ADs. I did quite a bit of trial & error with a number of different ones but found that duloxetine suits me best.
I’m on quite a high dose, am an active size 12, single Mum to two kids & work 40 hours a week in a managerial position.
The only reason I can do all this is because of ADs rather than them causing me not to be able to do things.

wishes1111 · 23/03/2021 19:59

@EvilEye

Venlafaxine is the best thing in the world. It saved my life. I'm a completely different person now. No weight gain.
Agree. It saved my life.
Puffykins · 23/03/2021 19:59

I'm on Prozac which is called Fluoxetine. It makes me able to function and face every day and not be irritable with my children and happy. Without Fluoxetine, I'm a crummy parent who cries all the time and doesn't sleep enough XXXX

Puffykins · 23/03/2021 20:00

The kisses were a mistake. I forgot this wasn't a text to a friend.....

Itsjustaride8w737 · 23/03/2021 20:12

Another one on citalopram here, makes me feel like actually living.

I started on mitraxapine but i felt like a zombie so swiched. 10 years later I'm glad i did.

Sometimes it's a case of trial and error, there are plenty of options.