Why are so many against antidepressants?

[Mamaalwaysworried]

I've been suffering with PND and anxiety following DD2 for 16 months. For ages I was in denial, then I thought it will go away on its own. Once I finally talked to DH and a few friends, I got the sense that most people are very anti drugs for depression.

I might be ignorant but why is that? Do you become reliant? Can you ever come off them and be normal again? Can PND and anxiety just go away?

I go through periods of feeling fine and I think this must be it, I'm out of the other wise, then I hit and crash lower than before.

People are concerned about what other people think.

They are certain that if they approach their G.P. they will instigate SS involvement.

It's ridiculous when people say 'if you have nothing to hide, you'll be OK'.

SS involvement often results in children taken into care and family breakdown. It's a no smoke without fire thing.

So if I went to my GP they would involve SS?

I've just been put on them for PND after 16 months of feeling awful. It didn't cross my mind about ss, the gp was really lovely, said I was a brilliant mum and it made me feel better just speaking to her about it and realising I wasn't the only person like this. Good luck, I hope you feel better soon.

Fear of addiction for at least some people.

I call bs on the ss involvement thing. I went on anti depressants for pnd after my twins and they saved my life. No-one even mentioned ss or expressed concern at my twins welfare, and quite rightly. I was scared that would happen. The above post saying so is truly unhelpful and absolute bollocks in my opinion.

No they wouldn't call ss, unless they had other concerns x

For me, personally, it's a not really sure they work kinda thing.

My Mum took anti-depressants and beta blockers from her mid thirties until she died at 59. Things got worse over the decades she took them rather than better.

She needed help to change the circumstances in which she lived rather than medication. Or, alongside medication, maybe. But, without any change in her life, it was a downward spiral.

I really have no idea
I don't have children but I have friends with DC who are on ADs and they have never - to my knowledge - worried about social services involvement.

I wouldn't be here and some of my friends wouldn't be here if we hadn't taken medication. Or we would be in a health facility or possibly just living on the street because I certainly couldn't have held down a job without them.

I did find that the stigma of taking them - outside my immediate circle of friends - was enormous and I don't know, or care, why. I just ignored those people and kept it to myself.

I haven't been on them because I worry about taking medication while pregnant/breastfeeding... but that is, in itself, a symptom of my pnd I think.

The second reason is that I worry a lot about how bad I'll feel when first starting anti depressants - they can cause increased anxiety for a few weeks which terrifies me. And then what if you go through all that and it's not a great anti depressant for you, and you need to come off it and try something different?

I recovered from pnd after my first child with the help of counselling and a support group.

I've just had my second child and been diagnosed with ptsd from the birth but I don't think I have pnd again... yet! I have restarted counselling and will see how I go. I haven't totally written off the idea of antidepressants but I want to try other things first.

Please don't worry that your GP would involve social Services, there is no reason to think that at all. If children are in danger (which is an entirely different subject) then maybe, and then it would be for the best. But otherwise you have nothing to worry about - your GP is your friend and can help you, either by referring you for some counselling or possibly prescribing antidepressants to be taken for a short period. But often just admitting how you feel can help you feel better.

I am not a fan of antidepressants. One of the main side effects is they can make it impossible to orgasm. Sometimes, when times are tough, orgasm is a really effective route to feeling better.

Oh, and my counsellor has been working with women with pnd and post partum psychosis for 30 years and has never once known ss take a child away because of the pnd or ppp.

also OP did you see this major new study?

www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/21/the-drugs-do-work-antidepressants-are-effective-study-shows

Everything isn't going to work for everyone but there are an awful lot of us about who wouldn't be around to see the spring flowers or type on MN etc without them.

and as one of my doctors said, even if I could battle on, just exist, go to work and then sit home all evening - why should I have to when I can actually lead a good life?

hope things work out for you OP

You need to talk to your Hv or Gp about what is best for you.

I am not against anti depressants and they help a lot of people greatly. However I am against them being the automatic default for everyone and I chose not to take them but to go down the therapy route which worked for me so far.

A lot of people (especially younger people) fear that it will affect their future career chances if they have a mental health issue on their medical records. I think a lot of sufferers are worried about becoming addicted or too reliant on them, and for some people it makes them feel as if they have failed for not being in control of their mental health due to the stigma around it- we have come a long way but unfortunately lots of people still believe mental health issues aren't as serious as physical health issues, and so treatment isn't always regarded as necessary. On top of this, there seems to be this misconception that going on antidepressants will turn you into some kind of zombie incapable of feeling anything- I was terrified to go on them because this was what I had been led to believe, and I was worried that by putting a substance into my body which altered my brain I would lose some of my personality. 8 months down the line and I can confirm they definitely don't do that! They have turned me back into the 'old' me and I'm feeling much more like myself than when my depression wasn't under control. With regards to coming off them and feeling normal again that is definitely possible- most people tend to go on them for a few months to raise their serotonin back to healthy levels, and then they are able to ease gently off them again. If you are nervous about going on medication, I would reccomend speaking to your GP as they may put you on a very low dose to give you a little lift, which when combined with counselling or CBT will most likely be really effective in helping you to feel better. What other people think really shouldn't matter to you as it is you who is suffering and not them, it's terrible that there is such a stigma around anti-depressants because it often prevents people getting the help that they really need.

I had pnd. I went to the doctor and he was lovely and said I was a brulliant mum for going and speaking.
Hv were very good also.
Everyone who knows are very supportive, not a bad word. Why would there be!
It is not your fault, it is a medical condition.
Nothing to be scared off but I know the feeling it does feel scary.
I'm on antidressents now and i am feeling better.
If you need the help defiantly get it.
It will better yourself and children.
Don't know what the poster above is talking about.. SS not involved, why would they be!
I can see why a lot of people don't ask for help with comments like that.

I still orgasmed on anti depressants

Good post by Jessica above. I agree with it all. Echoes my experience. Never regretted it.

I was prescribed ADs after the birth of DS1. As others have said, the GP was very supportive and the welfare of DS was never questioned. I was under an intensive community treatment team for 12 week and again, the welfare of my son was never questioned and I was never made to feel like a bad mother. Quite the opposite.

I have since gone on to have DS2 and remained on ADs throughout my pregnancy monitored by my MW and GP. He is absolutely fine, as am I. I have undergone CBT and counselling alongside taking ADs but I think that the medication got me to a place where I was able to fully engage with CBT.

For me, personally, it's a not really sure they work kinda thing.

Stargirl I've seen two people very close to me suffer so much as a result of the tablets they were taking. One attempted suicide which was devastating for my family, luckily she was unsuccessful in her attempt. Both these people stopped their tablets after hitting rock bottom pretty much, and both came back round thank goodness after they had stopped them. It was a horrible time for everyone involved, both times.

Maybe I'm unusual in being close to so many people with mental health difficulties, but I am now seeing something with my bil and it feels like I'm stuck in groundhog Day a little bit. He went to his GP with depression and anxiety, not sure what he was prescribed but a couple of months have passed since he started his tablets and he seems to have really deteriorated. I want to cry actually. I'm not as close to him as I was to the other two, but it looks like the same thing is happening. Makes me wonder just how many people are suffering like this. Going back to their gp, getting prescribed more and more stuff because they think the problem is them and the tablets are helping. I've read so many stories online of others going through it so I know it goes on elsewhere.

I've simplified their stories a bit because it's all long and complicated and involves different issues and different medications, but yeah saw the same thing twice and now seems to be happening to a third person.

I think there are people out there who don't view mental illness as "real"...they don't understand why people can't just get over it and I suspect that does turn some against antidepressants. I wouldn't count myself in that category at all but my view on antidepressants etc is that while they can be an invaluable aid, they are not a cure. And they are often prescribed because it is easier, faster (maybe cheaper) than exploring alternative methods. I also think more monitoring should be done, with some of the stronger drugs in particular. Seeing people I love spiral downwards, very clearly as a result of their tablets, it has really made me quite cynical about the whole thing.

I have recovered from very severe anxiety due to CBT, but I was on different antidepressants over the years. Never became reliant on them and they never actually did me any good. I stopped taking them cold turkey with no side effects whatsoever (though I wouldn’t recommend that, obviously).

For me, it was the therapy that helped me recover. The drugs didn’t do anything.

Mine have been invaluable, they definitely work for me. I've currently ran out and can't get more till tomorrow. Been feeling awful these past few days.

Generally if they make you feel worse it's because they're not right for you and you need to go back to the gp to talk about changing them. There are so many different types, what works for one person won't work for another. My friend attempted to overdose on the same ones I take but they are a great fit for me.

Just realised that last part of my post sounded really matter-of-fact and cold. Wasn't meant to come across that way

stigma
fear od addiction
fear of physical symptoms not being taken serious by hcp in future

oh, and antidrepressants being prescribed without looking for illnesses with similar symptoms (thyroid issues, anaemia)

I don’t think it did delete, you made a very valid point. I take setraline which has worked for me but for a close friend they really didn’t. Her mood became lower and her anxiety decreased, but she found citalopram really helpful.