Heading back down into the deep dark depths again.

[Ormiriathomimus]

Am on 20mg cit - have been since Feb when my previous attempt to come off them failed spectacularly. Was getting better(ish). End of June discovered DH had been having an affair since Jan.. He ended it and we are trying to get over it together. But ..... my mood has taken a nosedive in the last few weeks.

I suspect I need to adjust my meds but while I am doing it I need to try and find an alternative AD that will help me not put on any more weighjt - I'ev gained a stone since I went on them back in Feb. And one that makes it possible to orgasm - sorry if TMI but I have always found cit has a negative effect on that.

Does anyone have any suggestions for alternative ADs?

Thanks

D

Sorry to hear that, affair bound to be a huge and ongoing blow..

In terms of alternatives, I also was affected adversely by citalopram. In the face of increasing evidence against the efficacy of ADs, their nasty side effects and the fact that they never/no longer worked for me, I went on the attack w everything natural:
5htp (some swear by st johns wort also)
Copious amounts of good quality omega 3 supplement
Good diet
Enough sunlight each day
Regular exercise- cardio kind and regular walks
Enough good company

And therapy!

Recommend Healing without Freud or Prozac

Hth

I don't think you should be asking posters for alternative ADs because we can only give our own account of what helped or didn't help. They act differently on different people and even the medics have to use "trial and error" to find the right AD for a specific person.

I don't mean to be rude at all but you do seem to be talking about ADs as though they are a "pick and mix" found in a sweetshop! You need to talk to your GP about any change in dose or meds, and the reasons for this. To be honest I think (just from my own perspective) and don't expect you to share it, that getting rid of the horrid illness of depression is more important than weight gain, and there are things you can do to lose weight even on ADs. However given you have taken a nose dive recently, it may be that you need a higher dose or change of meds. Again you need to see your GP even if their knowledge of mental health is relatively limited.

Have you any idea what is behing the nose-dive? If you are struggling to "recover" from the knowledge that your P has had an affair, that will be very very difficult and the emotions you feel will be many and varied and they won't come in a straight line, they will dodge all over the place. It is a very short time since you discovered the affair and it is something you wil never forget but the aim is to make it more manageable and this can take a long time. Maybe you need some therapy for that issue.

nana - I've been on ADs on and off since my daughter was a year old, 12 years ago. I don't see myself beating the depression long-term. ADs or the equivalent are long haul for me. So managing the side-effects of ADs is a very important issue.

Of course no-one of hear can prescribe specific meds - I wasn't asking that. I was wanting to hear other people's experiences so that maybe when I go to see my GP I might be able to say what I want. And sadly my GPs (all of them in the practice that I have seen) are hopeless when it comes to depression - It's 'take these tablets and see what happens'. No suggestions of therapy or anything else. Hit and miss! But when you are the patient who is experiencing the misses and taking the hits it would be good to get a steer in the right direction rather than wait for a doctor to consult a medicines catalogue and look for something that fits the bill on paper.

Then try alternatives to Ads, seriously! See my post below, mg view, my experience, yes, but NICE recommendations are that they shouldn't ve 1st port of call bhg gave become so as quickest/cheaper to prescribe than counseling!

If its a longterm issue anyway and you are suffering side-effects, I honestly wd look at some of the self management things I recommended, along with therapy. There's increasing evidence that this is much more effective!

Bloody iPhone autocorrect.. And was trying to be being so wise as well

Thanks salbertina. I have tried SJW before but it didn't help much. However I suspect I didn't take enough or take them regularly or for long enough. I do exercise - run 3 times a week and walk dog the others. It's not an idea I am averse to TBH but last time I came off them (and the other 2 times as well) I have really struggled.

Sjw didn't work for me either, though i know several people who find them helpful and i believe they're prescribed for depression in Gernany.
However, 5htp and good oil, along w everything else seems to help me without the side effects/weight-gain.
tbh honest, I'm wondering if this is the only sustainable way? I was reading some article the other day about a top (amateur) athlete who explained that he had no choice but to exercise, eat well, avoid stress/caffeine/alcohol as far as possible as the alternative (acute, downward spiral of depression) was too awful to contemplate. He'd found his solution and didn't dare risk not adhering to it.

I believe lofepramine, trazadone and sertraline are the most weight neutral(believe me I have done the rounds!)

However sertraline made me eat and eat. I am currently on paroxetine and have lost all interest in food, but I think that is unusual

Thanks orange. I was on paroxetine years ago and I don't remember any change in my appetite but I may be wrong I do remember coming off it was horrific though.

Need to see GP. But I find it so hard to get them to take me seriously.

Hi Orm. I am on 30mg. I had an interesting chat with the GP about weight gain. She said it hinders your stomach telling your brain it's full. I think that is really true as I don't seem to feel full at all when I eat.

I want to come off them altogether now and lose some weight, because I am starting to feel down about the weight gain.

Do you find you are hungry too?

"I think that is really true as I don't seem to feel full at all when I eat." Me too! I am never full always hungry.

I am so pissed off that the only potentially positive side-effects of DH's affair, the weight loss due to stress - didn't bloody happen!

I am like a hoover Orm. It is not good. I am going to try and reduce to 20mg and see how that goes.

GP said Cit is often prescribed for patients with eating disorders because of the 'not feeling full' thing.

Hi
We've spoken before about AD's Orm, I am so so sorry about your husband's affair, I did see that thread but I had nothing to contribute but I really feel for you. I'm the one tapering off Prozac and we talked about withdrawal months ago. I tried various AD's for the libido issue, I was on sertraline, citalopram, Prozac and Mirtzapine over the years and they all killed my libido, but then so does depression. With regards to appetite I have no clue which ones are better as although I have the runaway appetite problem I've always managed/struggled to maintain my weight through exercise, it's tough though. Given your current situation you might be best to stick with citalopram but look at other things like counselling.
It's bloody hard I do understand.
strawberry