Positive experiences of antidepressants please

[LethargyApathy]

I have sank into such a deep hole of depression, I'm not even living.. merely existing. Expecting a baby in October so I need get better - quickly. I don't think I can survive another year like this anyway.

I do the bare minimum required of me in the day (taking care of DC - they are not suffering) but other than that I'm stuck on the sofa, willing the day to end on the verge of tears. Rinse and repeat. I'm not a lazy person by nature. The depression has me feeling so fatigued and lethargic I just can't function.

I put on a brave face when OH has a day off work so he doesn't see just how my days are really spent. I'm ashamed.

I need help and I'm going to ask for it this week in the form of AD's, I have already self referred for talking therapy but it's a long waiting list and I just can't hang on that long.

Can you tell me some positive experiences of how antidepressants have helped you (some anecdotes about having minimal side effects would also be very helpful because I seem to react badly to most medications which is why I've let it get to this stage)

Thank you

Citalopram saved my life. And my only side effect after the first few weeks settling in was sometimes clenching my teeth when I slept (bought a gumshield from the chemist)! I was on them nearly a decade all in and would go back to them in a heartbeat if I felt myself getting ill again.

Good luck. ❤

Citalopram here too.

Would barely be able to leave the house without it (anxiety rather than depression but it helps both!)

Lifesaver for me

for you xx

Sertraline worked immediately for me both times I started. This time I've been on nearly 2 years. It takes a massive edge off the anxiety. And now I do lots of stuff. Donut is a positive circle- I feel better, I do more stuff, I feel better, I'm better with the kids, I feel better, I am able to exercise, I feel better etc. Good luck. Oh yes. Write down everything and read it to the doctor. I found it meant I didn't make excuses or make it better than it was and I didn't get emotional, I read it, she diagnosed anxiety and depression and she told me what she would prescribe. Good luck. Xx

Donut??? It!

I took citalopram following a mental breakdown. I only had 2 days off work as they started working quickly. Don't remember the dose. After about 6 months I stopped taking them gradually with guidance from gp. Only side effect while taking them was an easily upset stomach ( have had a sensitive stomach ever since I was a child) . I wasn't better but was functioning for about 5 months and when I got better I could see it in my face. I was me again. Hope it works for you OP.

@LethargyApathy

I'm going to try and get an appointment with a GP this week. Will be calling the surgery first thing tomorrow. Thank you all for sharing your experiences with me, they've spurred me on to get it done

Good luck. Let us know how you get on!

My Aunt said that taking citalopram clarified her mind and made her think more logically, so she could get on with her life after a breakdown. She was only on it for 8 weeks, too, and experienced no side effects.

@Notjustanymum

My Aunt said that taking citalopram clarified her mind and made her think more logically, so she could get on with her life after a breakdown. She was only on it for 8 weeks, too, and experienced no side effects.

It got me through a separation, getting a new job & 2 house moves! I was on 40mg for a couple of years & when I came off (very very slowly) it felt a bit as if a blanket was being unwrapped from around my brain. But that was fine because I didn’t need that insulation any longer.

This could of been me back last year, I just could not function. I had no energy to do anything bar sleep and force myself to do the minimum if I could. I tried citalopram, mirtazipine but they didn't work for me. I tried sertraline and was weary well for the first few weeks as I felt like crap but I can honestly say it had changed my life I feel like I can function again. I have my bad days as everyone does but most days are great.

I've been on ADs for years. They changed me from a constantly tense ball of anxiety (with secondary depression) into someone who functions well and generally takes things in her stride. I had CBT before this but couldn't fully engage with the CBT until the chemical imbalance in my brain had been dealt with. They've completely changed my quality of life.

Hi Op. I am currently on 50mg of Sertraline and have been for almost 5 years. I only had a few days of side effects and can honestly say they have made a world of difference to my life.
I have tried to come off them previously but I find that I just regress. I initially hated the idea of medication as I worried about the stigma behind it but I've realised that my body just doesn't make enough Serotonin for me to live well. I now think of it like being a diabetic and there is no shame in taking something that my body lacks.
Good luck and I hope you're ok.

Hi OP, please tell your midwife as well as your GP how you are feeling. It won't be anything they haven't heard before and they will help you. I was under the care of perinatal mental health team from 14 weeks pregnant until my son's first birthday. I was referred by my midwife with no referrals made to SS. In fact they used to come out and comment on how well cared for my children are.

Mine was pre-covid so it might be different now, but I was assessed really quickly and attended support groups once my baby was born with other mum's and also did workshops to help develop coping strategies.

You mention BPD, I've also queried that for myself but actually I have complex PTSD from multiple traumas. BPD is misdiagnosed in PTSD sufferers, but failing to regulate emotions is a symptom of PTSD.

Forgot to say, I've taken Citalopram and Sertraline in the past for PND and they worked for me at the time. I'm currently taking both Venlafaxine and Mirtazapine to try and manage depression and anxiety.

I take citalopram, first for postnatal depression, now for anxiety some time later.

People said things to me like they would make me feel out of it, I wouldn't be myself etc, but that was far from the truth. I literally felt like they took a dark cloud from above my head.

I became a happier, more relaxed person. I stopped snapping, crying, being angry, distant, I started to enjoy life again.

My partner had the same experience taking sertraline.

We are better parents, happier people and enjoy life again.

I'm on Citalopram after a rough few years took their toll on me mentally. It was like someone turned the light switch back on and I can function normally again.

Sertraline and Mirtazapine here.

Sertraline doesn't make a difference that I notice myself, but other people notice a difference in me (in a good way). I think it's just a very mild thing, it takes a few weeks to have any effect at all. What was noticeable was my downswing in mood when I tried to reduce the dose. So it must be doing something good. No negative side effects.

Mirtazapine helps me sleep which is wonderful. Even when I am stressed I am usually asleep within a few minutes of my head hitting the pillow. The side effects are weight gain (through increased appetite, you might have the self-control to deal with it but I clearly don't) and vivid dreams. For the most part my dreams are quite mundane, just very vivid - I usually remember two or three different dreams per night. Some people say they have vivid nightmares but that's not my experience.

All in all, in my experience the benefits of not actively planning suicide several times a day outweigh the minor drawbacks like weight gain.

I am on Citalopram after PND/PNA and still on a low dose 5 years later. No side effects and feel like myself.

It was a life saver for me and I don't think I would be alive if I hadn't been put on it.

I wasn't suicidal and could then have the head space to cope and heal. The latter would not have happened without therapy.