Has anybody managed to deal with the cycle of anti depressants only working for a few weeks/months?

[hiplip]

I'm really badly depressed. I've been on SSRIs most of my adult life and I've taken all of them in my time. The problem is that they only work for a few months then I become depressed again.

I was referred to the mental health team earlier this year, but a rather unpleasant, abrupt woman phoned me and bombarded me with questions and I couldn't face keeping the appointment so cancelled. The GP put me on Escitalopram which has now stopped working. I'm on 10mg. I dreamt I was taking the final way out last night and I'm realising I need help.

Has anyone had this problem with treatment and found a way round it? Do I need more than one antidepressant? An SNRI? Mood stabiliser because I'm up and down (not extremes of mood) I dunno what might help. I'm autistic, so don't respond to CBT and can't face talking to people these days anyway.

What other things do you do to boost your mental health? Are there other holistic ways to improve your mood?

I have no experience I’m afraid. I’m on an SSRI and it seems to work well for me for up to 8-10 months then I came off them and was ok. I’ve repeated this twice now. Maybe I’ll stay in that cycle. I’m not sure.

I only ask the initial questions because those are the things I need to do to sustain my mood. I need to exercise, see friends, yoga and mindfulness. And also knowing when to step back and take some time out from socialising.

I'm afraid that I'm so depressed that I can't do very much. I can't sustain concentration and mostly just sit around wishing I wasn't here. I feel very sluggish and like I'm walking through mud. I just want to sleep. I have tried in the near past to boost my mood, but it doesn't last and doesn't help the bad thoughts. I just want an effective med regime really. I can't see anything else helping.

In the medium-long term antidepressants by themselves will not be enough. You will need a change of behaviour/thought pattern and/or a change of environment /situation.

I'm afraid I have no idea about what is recommended for individuals with autism as an alternative to CBT. Can you try to speak to your GP again (I know even the most basic admin can feel tough).

You will get through this. Things will change. Maybe not as quickly as you hope but they will change.

If anti depressants are not working you really need to see a psychiatrist. It’s hard, but you are probably going to have to find some way to manage their questioning/appointments in order to get to where you want to be- better!

As you’ve got autism, is there anything the MH team could do to make attending an appointment easier for you? They should be able to make “reasonable adjustments” to support you. Everyone with autism is individual so there might be something that would really help you connect with them, that they have not considered.

Is there anyone who could support you through this process? A friend, relative, PA?

Do you have any RL friends? Do you live alone?
I’m sorry you’re feeling so shit

I have a husband, I don't know whether they're allowed to accompany people to appointments because of covid, but I could ask.

The only thing which would make it better would be for me to not have to keep feeling that I'm taking up a valuable appointment and just let me see the psychiatrist for some proper medication. I'm worried in case I'm expected to sit chatting and talking about the feelz to some mental health worker who hasn't got a clue about autism. I don't want CBT as it's not suitable and I don't want to do mindfulness, knitting, fresh air etc. because it's not going to work. Those things can help, I'm not dismissing them, but I'm not in that place. I tend to hide how bad I feel. They also let you know that they're really rushed and busy and I feel guilty because I've asked for help, I feel as though I'm taking something from somebody else.

Sorry for being grouchy.

Sorry you're having a crap time, OP. Do you have any contact with groups for people with autism? I'm wondering if they can help you access either a psychiatrist or talking therapy that suits you better than cbt. It's really hard to keep persevering when you've had bad experiences of mental health services, I understand how fed up or angry you might be feeling

What's your sense of how your autism affects your experience of cbt or mindfulness training? Has anything helped in the past?

Have you discussed with your GP about increasing your Escitalopram dose? The BNF says it can be increased to 20mg if necessary.

@Notagain20

I'm not in contact with anyone outside the home. I don't trust anyone and I don't like people. I don't want to talk to anyone about private things that affect me or how I view the world. I don't feel like I have the energy or mental focus to be able to do exercises to improve things. They're so temporary and don't improve things or have a lasting effect. There's always a background depression there lurking in the background, never leaving me and constantly reminding me that I'm not in control of things. It's like I can run, but I can't hide.

I will ask the GP to increase the escitalopram because 10mg isn't much.