Long Term Anti depressant users .... 12 years for me now and counting

[kizzie]

Hi everyone - this is a semi regular question from me but just wanted to catch up with others.

(Not that Im boring or anything ! )

I was given ad's 12 years ago for PND. Ive never managed to come off them completely since although have had long periods on quite lowish doses. (Equivalent of 10mg and below of something like prozac/citalopram)

Im on a similar dose to that now (although its an older tricyclic) after having a big crash again last year. Things not completely smooth (still some break through anxiety and lows - 'blips') but had some good weeks so hoping that at some stage will back to complete stability again.

IF that happens (fingers crossed) then planning to stay on lowish dose for some time to come as dont want to risk another major dip.

Im also taking fish oils. And really (really this time) trying to do all the relaxation exercises etc.

Anyway I just wondered:

• how do you feel re. taking long terms ad's
• are you worried about long term impacts
• have partic medications worked better longer term than others etc etc
• anything really, just interested to hear from others in same position. I just cant quite believe that at 29 I had no previous mental health issues. Now at 41 Ive been on ad's for soooo long.

Hi Orangeflutie, I don't really have any constructive advice about long term use of AD's, I think we all have to make our own choices by weighing up pros and cons for us. But your last comment jumped out at me, yes I have a close family member who has struggled on being depressed and miserable for years, she absolutley will not consider going to the doctor, let alone using AD's, really I think life is too short to stick your head in the sand and not admit you need help.

Hey, RockinSockBunnies!

I can reassured you that all 3 of my children were conceived, gestated and breastfed on ADs. All are lovely, healthy children.

I was swapped from Prozac to Sertraline when bf-ing my youngest child, as the Dr thought it was a better option while bfing. Apparantly Prozac can cause colicky symptoms. And actually DD2 was hardly colicky at all compared to DD1 and DS, who I breastfed while on Prozac. Could be coincidence though, I guess.

Oh and I'm currently ttc too! HTH : )

Kizzie - I have the drops. So instead of 10 drops which was my original prescribed dose I have 3 - 5 in a little water, depending on how much comes out of the bottle. (Not very scientific!) If I have been drinking I don't have any (I take mine just before bed). I'm not sure what that equates to tablet-wise. The whole bottle contains 40mgs of Citalopram.

Contains 600mgs of Citalopram that should say

I find the liquid can be good to measure out for small doses but its a pain to remember and i cant tell if ive taken it or not sometimes.
If i had pills i could use a box with days of the week on. I might try and get a pen but the bottle is glass and pretty dark so im not sure it would work.

Oh. Im the poster from earlier , ive just namechanged (again). I like this one , i might keep it.

Hi, have any of you tried CBT and talking therapies? Just wondering how they compared?

thanks for all the info re drops. Really interesting - i didnt even know you could do that.

orangeflutie - i have the same concerns but agree with Strawberry - there is absolutely no point living a life of misery. In terms of health impacts - i try and eat a good diet, dont drink much etc etc so try and balance out any negative effects that way.

*HHLimbo - i had done cbt and do find it very useful. For me though - when ive been at my worst .... nothing but medication seems to touch it.

Agreed kizzie. I too found cbt a useful tool, but, for me at least, it's always had to be in conjunction with medication. Same goes for therapy. Mindfulness is lovely too, particularly for fellow panic attack sufferers out there. :)

Just thought I'd clarify. I agree there is no point in living a life of misery, I would much rather take ADs any day. However there is still prejudice out there and some people put up with feeling miserable rather than 'giving in' and taking pills. It is still often thought of by some people as being weak and often they would rather self medicate with alcohol instead.

I recently mentioned to someone I thought was a friend that I was taking ADs and things have cooled a little. I'm sure she now thinks of me as a bit nuts. (Well sometimes I am:) ) but that in itself makes me feel sad.

Sorry if I've hijacked a bit I hope I haven't caused offence.

Orangeflutie if she responded that way she wasn't a very good friend really was she? sadly there is still a lot of stigma around mental health issues, have to say I'm a lot more upfront about it now, I did the being ashamed and embarrased thing for a long time but not anymore. Life's too short and all that. I think self medicating with alcohol (which is what my depressed relation does) or other substances is much sadder than having the guts to face up to something and deal with it properly.
HHLimbo I have done CBT and found it extremely useful, although it wouldn't have been enough on it's own when I was hit with PND. I still use the techniques I learned in CBT.

Thank you so much for the info! I breastfed DD whilst on ADs but it's reassuring to know that people conceive on them with no apparent ill effects

orange you havent hijacked at all - very interesting to read all thoughts

No worries Rockin; there's so much misinformation about what meds you can take when ttc and pg. Best of luck with it all! :)

I have been on Citalopram for about two years. I took it for depression, triggered by the sudden death of my father (in horrible circumstances) and a crisis for my oldest son, who was 9 at the time and became unable to go to school. My youngest son was then 3 and I felt that I had to be able to cope for my children's sake. The Citalopram not only sorted out my depression and helped me to cope calmly with the ups and downs of life, but it had the added bonus that it stopped the IBS that I had suffered from for years. It really was like a wonder drug. The only disadvantage is that I have put on weight. As I was underweight to start with, this was quite a good thing at first, but now I'm getting a bit uncomfortable with it. Everyone says I look very 'healthy' .

We recently had a diagnosis for DS1 and, to be honest, I have so much to cope with regarding him that I feel I'm a better, calmer mum on the ADs. The dr said I could stay on them as long as I needed to. I have reduced the dose from 20mg (which made me a bit too laid back) to 10mg, which seems to suit me very well.

I don't like to think about whether there are any long-term effects from taking them. I just know that life would be intolerable for me without them.

Meant to add - DS1 is also on ADs. He has just started on a low-dose of Prozac. He is 11. His psychiatrist told us it has an excellent safety record. My son suffers from Tourettes with OCD and social anxiety and has been educated at home for the last seven months. He is meant to be starting secondary in the autumn, but his anxiety and ritualistic behaviour would make it virtually impossible for him to cope without medical help.

Anyone else got children on ADs also?

Toffee , i have no children on ADs but i was on prozac @ about a year or so older than your son. Is there anything i can help with ?

Thanks, Oi. Can I ask why you were on Prozac and whether it helped? (PM me if you'd rather keep it private).

I spoke to another mum the other day and she told me her daughter was on Prozac for a year when she was 13 (for depression and self-harming). She said it worked really well and her daughter has been well ever since (she is now an adult).

Three years ago, the GP refused to prescribe medication for our son as he said it was not good for his developing brain. In stead, he referred him as an urgent referral to CAMHS and DS received CBT for his OCD. It worked well enough to get him back to school. However, he said he felt sick from anxiety every day .

Three years on, DS is unable to go to school because of his anxiety and the psychiatrist told us that he was at high risk of depression in his teens if the anxiety issues were not dealt with asap. I have no qualms about him taking Prozac because it's the only way he can have the opportunities other children have - education, friendships, etc.

Instead

Have pmed you.

toffee sounds like you have a lot on your plate - glad you have found dose that works well for you.

I guess one of the questions for me at the moment is that I am still getting some 'break through' symptoms and having difficult days. (Mixed in with some feeling absolutely fine times.)

Just questioning whether a/ i should be on anything at all or have i just got used to being on them and cant withdraw b/ if im on the right ad anyway c/ if im on the right dose

I think im going to try if I can and give it 3 months and see where I am then

orange - school mum's all stopped talking to me in the playground once they heard I had depression. It wasn't that I lost any friends but I lost the chance to make some. Now I don't tell anyone if I can avoid it.

kizzie That's interesting. I'm going to ask doc on Thursday if you can get used to ADs and whether they lose their effectiveness after a while. I'm probably going to stay on 75mg with a view to possibly upping to 100mg over the winter as this seems to be when I start to struggle.

Sorry TheOriginalFAB x posted. I understand what you mean. I have found there are only a few people I can trust and they are my true friends.