To just take the antidepressants

[TypicallyTopically]

I've been on and off them for 15 years. I came off them a few months ago and I feel so rough. Rumination, low mood, anxiety off the scale. I'm just unhappy. Tried counselling but never found it much help. Most of my family have depression. I want to go back on the medication but I worry about the long term effects these medications are quite new and we never really know the long term effects.

@flashbac - what is the point of your second comment? It could be genetic. It could be being raised by depressed people. She's still depressed.

And no, the chemical imbalanced issue hasn't been debunked, it's a lot more complex than that. But I didn't realise we were supposed to provide absolute detail and footnotes.

Sorry OP, what I meant to say, was,
"If you have a complicated mix of confounding factors, including, but not limited to, mood dysregulation by the brain, a genetic susceptibility, and stressful or traumatic events, you may well benefit from staying on the medicine prescribed".

@Arucanafeather - I hear you! If you had told me 5 years ago, one of my children would be taking the same as you, I would've laughed like a drain! Oh, yes, and helpful people.

Apparently I should just stop taking the ssris cold turkey, and start a regimen that involves kava kava and fish oils.

I tried both for considerable periods of time but somehow here I am.

We do what we need to do, to get through one day at a time. For some people, it's posting meme, for others it's a stiff drink every night. This works for me.

@TypicallyTopically

I've been on and off them for 15 years. I came off them a few months ago and I feel so rough. Rumination, low mood, anxiety off the scale. I'm just unhappy. Tried counselling but never found it much help. Most of my family have depression. I want to go back on the medication but I worry about the long term effects these medications are quite new and we never really know the long term effects.

I know my antidepressants are ones people can and do take long term safely. They're in the tricyclic family so have been around a while. I actually take them for a different reason, my doctors' expect like many people with my condition that I'll be on them for life. The newer medications will have less data, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're not ok to take long term. Ask your doctor about longitudinal studies done specifically on your antidepressant, if they raise concerns and if that specific one is risky you could ask to try something that is safer for long term use. I say safer because there's no such thing as a completely safe medication. Prescribing medication long term is saying on balance the benefits to the patient outweigh the possible side effects. If the quality of life cost to you of not being on antidepressants is high then it's likely that long term the benefits of being on a safe antidepressant will outweigh the possible risks. Ultimately if your GP says there are safe long term options then it's up to you to chose.

Little footnote, I've actually found good pharmacists can be more up to date on medication safety and studies on medication than GPs. That could be another avenue to get information and options to speak to your GP about.

I've started back on them. My nan was on them for years. I'm worried about never being able to come off them. I'm only 35

I have been on antidepressants for most of my adult life. Venlafaxine for a long time, now Mirtazapine. I have tried (with GP support) coming off them a few times over the years, but it always resulted in a relapse and very difficult times.

Occasionally I do think about possible side-effects but, based on experience, I think taking the medication is, by far, the lesser of two evils.

Everyone is different but I know I am better on the medication than off. Definitely take it if that's the right thing to do for you.

Best wishes to you OP. Keep going. xx