Against antidepressant medication

[Ella1980]

Hi all

Basically there are lots of very traumatic things going on in my life at the moment and it has caused me to feel very mentally unwell. I have had extremely dark thoughts and my sleep is averaging around 4 hours per night.

I am having weekly counselling which sometimes helps, sometimes doesn't. My fiance stressed that I should see my GP. I did, and he prescribed Setraline for me.

However, try as I might, I just don't want to take medication. I don't see the point in masking issues with drugs and taking them is not going to solve my problems and make everything OK again.

My mum and my fiance both disagree and want me to take the pills but I really strongly feel against doing so.

Anybody ever felt the same?

Medication doesn't mask issues. It gives you the strength to be able to cope with them gradually. It's a common misconception that it hides things so they're behind closed doors.

I had it explained to me like this:

A plaster cast doesn't fix a broken bone, but it protects it while it heals, and allows you to do what's necessary for it to heal.

They don't solve the problems but they do help you to be strong enough to deal with them yourself.

I resisted medication for years because of the shame & guilt I felt, mainly because my family were so negative about my becoming 'addicted' ADs. Finally when my suffering became unbearable I caved in and it was the best thing I did. For the first time in years I felt like 'me' again and the relief was immense. I agree that you are treating symptoms & not the cause but I have not found an effective non medication treatments, and there is certainly nothing available on the nhs. I have found that the combo of meds, years of therapy and lifestyle changes have enabled me to live a normal and largely fulfilling life and I won't be going back. As an analogy my DH has extremely high blood pressure despite being a healthy weight, eating well and being very fit and active. He takes meds which also only treat the symptoms, but no one that I'm aware of had judged or questioned him about his decision to 'mask' the symptoms, as the long term benefit of not following in his family footsteps of pre-50 heart attacks vastly outweighs any downsides of the drug. If you are coping okay without ADs then that is brilliant news and well done. If not then it's also worth considering the negative impacts of long term stress, anxiety & depression - they are not good for our bodies & can lead to physical problems later on.

Also, as per previous posts, meds don't take away negative feelings completely, just reduce them to a point that you can actually start to deal with them / acknowledge them & talk about them without spiralling into utter despair, uncontrollable crying etc....

As per previous posters!

I think the meds on their own wouldn’t necessarily be what you need, but alongside your sessions the combination should really help.

Just echoing everyone else. I was so much more able to cope with issues once I settled on medication.

You just have to be aware that it can sometimes take a little while to find the right one for you.

Hope things improve for you

Hi - I have refused medication in the past for similar reasons, but also because of the well-researched doubts about the efficacy of ADs and the more recently publicised problems people have with withdrawal.

But living with trauma is very hard and sometimes all the counselling and mindfulness and all the stuff you're supposed to do just doesn't cut it. When those times hit, I use medication differently by taking either amitriptyline or diazepam just for a couple of nights to give myself a break.

Hope you find what you need to make things a little easier

I had bad experiences with MH services as a teenager and as a result I didn't approach them 15 years later when I was very ill. I refused medication for nearly 5 years due to not trusting the gp etc. Funnily enough I was not never able to get myself better!

I've been on AD's for 3 years now and received therapy in that time and am now mentally healthy. The AD's can be awful for the first week or two, but after that period the distressing feelings and thoughts are reduced to manageable levels. Basically they gave me the head space to begin getting better and any chance of relapse was greatly lessened.

AD's on their own are probably not going to help in the long run, but they can definitely make any therapy and healing much more efficient and successful.

Dr Christopher Cantopher's book "Depressive Illness - The Curse Of The Strong" was massively helpful for me when I was recommended antidepressants. It explains the mechanisms going on behind mental health disorders (mainly depression but a lot of it applies to anxiety too), and it explains in simple English what the various forms of treatment actually do.

The plaster cast analogy made by a PP is very true. Antidepressants are not "happy pills". They don't change your mood, personality or behaviour. What they do is gradually restore your brain chemistry to normal functioning. Then you can gradually lower the dose and stop taking them, but your brain will carry on doing what it's supposed to do on its own.

There are a lot of myths about antidepressants. But really the only down side is that some types may not suit you, so it can take a little bit of trial and error for your doc to find one that helps you to recover without side-effects. I was lucky that the first one I was prescribed made me feel much better within two weeks, with no side-effects. I was fully recovered after four months, and medication free after six. For some people it takes a little longer, some stay on meds long-term. But if it enables you to feel like yourself and enjoy life normally, why wouldn't you?

Aw thank you so much for your replies. I just don't know. Nothing's going to stop a loved one from dying, give me back my career that was unfairly taken from me, stop mould growing from my walls, stop my ex from constant cruelty or give me enough money to put the heating on though? I'm sorry I sound so down and angry. I just don't see how this is a life 😢

It's true that no pills can fix problems in your life. But what they can do is restore your health and give you the will and the ability to address those problems. Nobody can cope with the shit that life throws at them while they are depressed. That is one of the symptoms. Another symptom is believing that nothing can ever get better. That simply isn't true. It's the disease talking. Have you ever heard the expression "Depression is a liar"? It really is. There's a series of books on the subject although I haven't read them.

Seriously. Do whatever you have to, to fix your health first, because even if your problems don't change, everything else will be easier to cope with when you feel well again.

I hear what you are saying but do you really need more misery on top of all those things? Depression is essentially a lack of serotonin. If it were a lack of iron, you'd take the supplements wouldn't you? All they do is raise the levels of serotonin in the brain.

Agree you can't stop life throwing you grief and tough times. However, you can change they way you respond to and feel about life's challenges. Bereavement happens to everyone at some point and although it's horrible and difficult, healthy people are able to somehow pull through and find new and ongoing meaning in their lives... despite their loss(es).

AD won't stop crap happening - but it will give you a way to cope with the crap happening, without the crappy stuff taking over your everyday life.

I might be a lone voice but don't feel pressured in to taking ADs if you don't think they're right for you OP. I took them for about 2 years when I was at a very low ebb (undiagnosed PND, PTSD, panic attacks, anxiety) I never got on with them. Horrible side effects and basically changed my personality making me numb and listless. Yes I wasn't having panic attacks or feeling depressed, instead I was feeling absolutely nothing. Coming off them was horrendous and sent me in to a sort of nervous breakdown. I've been off them for about 7 years and try meditation, exercise and CBT to help my symptoms and deal with the actual problem. It's not perfect but I don't think ADs are the solution for me

Ladymarian was that one particular AD? There are many different types and they don't all suit everyone it takes time to find the right ones for you.

I'm sorry you went through that and hope you're doing much better now.

It was citalopram and I tried various doses. I discussed it with my GP and she said that I would probably experience similar side effects with other SSSRIs that she could prescribe. That's when I knew I wanted to come off them. I am well at the moment thank you but do have bad times. Mainly because of the PTSD which ADs do nothing for. It's hard to treat but I'm trying CBT. I have some coping mechanisms.

Not all AD's are SSRI's I think you were VERY poorly advised.

Have you seen a psychiatrist?

Citalopram is one I had problems with too. I'd taken it for years with it working well initially then I had a bad reaction.

My then GP was a good 'un and prescribed me a non ssri (tricyclic) AD which worked well for several years.

There's loads of different ones I think there's even 3 or 4 different types.

SSRI
SNRI
MAOI
TRICYCLIC
NASSA...

Trucyclics I thought were considered good for PTSD?

Yes I have seen a psychiatrist but not til after I'd taken the citalopram and weaned myself off. He diagnosed my PTSD. He recommended CBT for it and said that since I had experienced bad side effects he would not recommend going back on ADs unless I really went downhill (this was in a letter to my GP if which I also received a copy)

I know a lot of people take ADs and have positive experiences however I am not one of them. I sort of wish I was! I just want people to know that ADs are not the only solution for mental health conditions.

Whoa!

Fair enough.

I've had bad reactions but persevering, but you're right they're not the only treatment. I just hate the thought of someone suffering unnecessarily IF meds could maybe help.

It's frustrating because often the only person you see when you have mental health problems (unless they're severe) is a GP and they don't have the knowledge of psychiatry so as a quick fix you get ADs and that's it for years on end. I know the NHS is under pressure but some treatments can be free - the power of exercise and meditation shouldn't be underestimated. Obviously they're not enough for some people. I've been taken a magnesium supplement for about 4 months and it seems to be helping my anxiety

Personally I think we need a massive overhaul of GP training.

One reason is that a lot of people are being misdx as mentally ill when there's an underlying physical cause for their symptoms.

One glaring example of this is thyroid disease which is believed by experts in the field (and many sufferers who've taken years to get a correct dx) to be MASSIVELY underdx in the Uk

I have lived with depression all my life.
I have needed antidepressants twice I'm in my 50's and started at 20.
I am taking a low dose presently, have been for the last 2 months and waiting any time for counselling appointment.
They don't mask how I am feeling they just help me cope with the never ending list of stuff I need to do for myself.
I'm confident I can do it with little steps.
I was in a dark place before I took them and I only have 20 mg Fluoxy

Please take them to help you get better. They aren't the answer, they help you find the answer.
It's past my bedtime, I'm trying to be good with earlier bedtime Take care.

I'm taking one because I'm on a powerful hormone blocking regimen to prevent a recurrence of breast cancer-my doctor says no one could be on this without experiencing rage. I've had a patient tell me theirs saved his life!