So, will I have to stay on AD's forever then?

[michaelad]

started taking Citalopram 9 days ago and have noticed some positive changes so far. Was wondering though that given how AD's work (altering chemical balance in one's brain) will I now have to stay on them forever since I'd otherwise drop right back into the abyss?

Tbh, wouldn't mind if I had to..still just soo much better than the alternative

bump

Hi it's good that you are noticing positive changes so soon. You won't need to be on them forever, I took them for a bout a year.

I think the trick to coming off successfully is staying on them for a reasonable amount of time (atleast 6 months) and then coming off very very slowly.

It takes a while but you will get there

but how come, if the AD's just temporarily "help" with the release of Serotonin, do I then not go back to being depressed straight away once I've stopped taking them? I thought they just "provide a chemical crutch" so to speak...

Still struggling to understand how they work.

TBH I don't know the full technicalities but maybe it's abit like when you are aneamic you take iron tablets to boost your levels and once they are restored you don't need to keep taking them.

Sorry that is a very over simplistic view and some people find they need AD's for quite some time. I think it can very on how long you have been feeling depressed before you start treatment - long term depression can be harder to treat than say PND that is caught quite quickly.

I guess you have to take it as it comes but there is no reason to believe you will have to stay on them forever.

they help balance you out (with chemicals) so you can think rationally and then start on the road to recovery - be in councelling, self help or whatever.

You then come off slowly using your newly learned techniques to help yourself, and then go drug free......

have a look at this - im at work cant get caught skivving LOL
www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100000520.html

ok, i sort of get this, so i will try, in my crappy way to explain how these things work.

Seretonin works in the brain, i'm not sure waht it does but it makes us feel calm etc, happy. It is released from one nerve cell to the other and the cell picking up the seretonin then goes on to do other stuff to continue the effect. The seretonin is released from the first cell into a space between the two cells and it is picked up by receptors in the second cell. The "left over" seratonin is then reabsorbed by re uptake receptors in the first cell. SSRI anti depressants stop this, or slow it down, meaning that there is more seratonin floating around for a longer period of time, effectively increasing its effects.

As i understand it, the reason they are so good and once they have got us fruit loops back on our feet as it were is because: When we lack seratonin, the receiving cell produces less receptors so it gets even worse as we dont take up as much, its a vicious circle. SSRIs break this chain, because its providing more, so more receptors are made, which in turn feeds back to the first cell telling it to spit out more and our seratonin levels are boosted long term. I THINK!!

Sorry, if that makes no sense at all, am crap at explaining things.

wow LEM, u really were paying attention! Does chocolate do the same?

apparently the average time spent on these drugs is about six months, they usually dont work alone, you need counselling etc to sort your problems, although a friend of mine had PND with both children, took prozac for three months each time, was fine. I guess it just depends why you have a problem,

Meely, chocolate has a chemical in it that the body uses to make up seratonin, so you could argue that it can boost levels, although you would have to eat ALOT of it, ooh, hang on, its got to be worth a try

further to what LEM says, while you feeling 'good' on the pills, you more inclined to make lifestyle changes (do more exercise, stop comfort eating) and thus you start making your own seratonin......

I was on Citalopram for just 6 months, after the birth of my second child (4 years ago), and I haven't been on them since.

i should say that my explanation was an educated guess as i am not entirely sure of the mode of action of these drugs, but i imagine it would be something like that, i do have a biology backgroud though so not spouting complete rubbish, just saying i would be willingly put right by any experts out there

thanks ever so much, LEM! It does actually make sense..so I hope you're right!