to want to get off my antidepressants asap after this evening’s Panorama?

[GeraniumGirl]

Anyone else feel the same after watching the programme tonight?

Thanks @Fluffylittlepup

Yes, it has been really helpful to hear everyone’s experiences

Apart from the ones who are "bonker", obviously 🤷‍♀️

No offence meant. The best people are a bit bonkers.

Mtande, I am in agreement with a lot of what you say although I do understand how hard it can be for people to come off these drugs. Would you mind sharing your story? I have mine and it was pretty awful.

Aw, that’s so true.

Citalopran is prescribed for just about anything it seems

I was onceprescribed it for depression and it made me very unwell, blurred vision, headaches, shaky hands and loss of coordination. I told my GP that I would never recommend anyone to take this awful medication and .

I mean, I’m bonkers! No disrespect to anyone.

Thanks @GeraniumGirl , sorry for being spikey.

To those who are saying antidepressants are not needed,you have clearly never been clinically depressed,I have and it is the worst experience I have ever been through,twice I have had it and antidepressants saved my life both times.

@Fluffylittlepup ah, my story. I got put on anti psychotics and anti depressants, diagnosed bipolar. Tbf I was having a bad time. The GP that put me on them was a creep though. Kept scheduling appointments to see him for "chats". Think he thought he was my saviour.

But. I was on them for years. I was sedated for years.

Bounced around psych services, all the chat about anxiety depression.

Eventually after yet another referral for a crisis (because the crises happened despite taking pills) I got a therapist who diagnosed me with PTSD. Then treated me for it. Hurrah I was cured. I mean really I was. But. I lost years of my life on those fucking horrible pills. They can't cure anyone. And I honestly believe that a mind can't be sick. A mind can be in distress for sure. Mine was. But it can't be ill as such. We humans are way more complex than that.

Is anyone saying they’re not needed? More that the evidence, at population level, is weak. That doesn’t mean that any one particular individual won’t find them helpful.

That said, I’ve also been severely clinically depressed, and have been an inpatient for it, tried lots and lots of difference antidepressants but didn’t get much benefit from any of them (though lots of side effects). I don’t buy the idea people get depressed purely because of a random change in brain chemistry. It’s because of trauma, past experiences, beliefs, thinking patterns, lack of skill in dealing with emotions, etc. Even where antidepressants are helpful in the short-term, they don’t change any of the drivers of depression. That’s the role of therapy. Not that there’s much of it to be had on the NHS…

What are the alternatives? Are there any natural remedies without the issues? I ask as I’m at the end of my tether with my mental health and after years if ignoring things it’s now a choice between private therapy which will cost an arm and a leg or medication which i’m hoping will take the edge off and help me function better but I don’t want to make things worse for myself.

That the evidence suggests that they are not much more effective than placebo and that the difficulty in stopping them and the extent of the associated withdrawal symptoms have been downplayed by the drug companies and the medical profession for decades.

But placebos are known to be effective in influencing the brain. So if the issue you're trying to treat is psychological, does it matter whether it's the actual drug or it's associated placebo effect that's causing you to feel better?

I know you've also highlighted the difficulties with coming off of the meds, but if the main concern with staying on them is that they're no more effective than a placebo (which you can't replicate easily on your own outside of a blind study), then why would you want to come off of them?

I haven't watched the documentary so obviously if there's some long-term detriment that outweighs the benefits of the drugs, then clearly that might be a reason to consider stopping.

But if it's just because they're no more effective than a placebo, then that seems like an odd reason to think they're not worth taking, since placebos have been shown to be very effective psychologically.

Placebos are known to be more effective than nothing in many cases, so if the meds are as effective as placebos, why would you want to drop down to nothing, which is less effective than either placebos or the meds?

I feel that it is a weakness and I should be able to manage without medication

My DH has been on citolopram for a while. Definite improvement at point of starting treatment and very much needed. Cumulative mental health effect of DH health scare (cancer and immunosuppression), serious NHS mistakes in diagnosis of cancer, Covid loss of my FIL in very early pandemic (so we all hold many regrets re abiding to Covid guidance and therefore not being there for FIL while he was home alone with no medical help, no tests, 111 advice to stay home and will feel better in few days, followed by evacuation from home by full body suited ambulance staff, weeks on life support with experimental treatment, no visitors and very conflicting update reports from medical team on a once daily 15 minute time slot basis life support switched off while we said goodbyes to a phone that nurse held to his ear. . Added to the pressures of public, (not good ) friends and acquaintances commenting that Covid was fuss about nothing, home schooling with 2 children including 1 is SEN child (although had option of sending SEN child into school as “entitlement” with known infection risk for whole household, and genetic risk of severe disease given FIL outcome). Children petrified of COVID as had experienced FIL death and funeral while school friends joking about luxury of lockdown.
All in all m, meds probably saved DH life or sanity and our family unit. However DH has been offered no follow up for MH with GP, and decided (without discussion) not to take medication as he felt better and didn’t want to continue taking indefinitely. DH was really poorly. Was dizzy, faint tired, felt hungover, unsafe to drive, work etc and we only realised the cause when he innocently mentioned his abrupt stopping of meds… then we read withdrawal risks together. Personally I was surprised that he had not read meds pamphlet (I love to do this!) but scary that my generally cautious DH did this. Honestly, NHS MH support is worryingly sparse. So important for men. It was SO HARD to get my DH to ask for help in first place. Only my words of family beak-up and losing children/me if you he didn’t seek help for MH crisis. How long will my DH be on meds without review, unless he seeks appointment ?

I feel that it is a weakness and I should be able to manage without medication

Like it's some sort of moral failing, you mean? Is that coming from a religious belief or just what you feel society or the people around you are telling you?

Are you having counselling too?

It sounds like you'd need to put a robust plan (and medical supervision) in place to manage the absence of the meds if you do decide to taper them down, as the notion of needing to suffer doesn't sound particularly safe or constructive.

Mtande, thanks for sharing. Your experience is not dissimilar to mine and I guessed as much. (Cptsd) but not diagnosed until it was too late. If I could sue my (ex) faddish, stupid, irresponsible gp I would because the damage he caused is lifelong. I’m pretty much screwed now.

GeraniumGirl, it isn’t a weakness, it’s a genuine illness. Please don’t beat yourself up for feeling bad - that is more than likely part of your illness sabotaging you. (I know all too well about self sabotage and nasty self blame). Do you have someone who you can trust to talk to?

I watched the program, I'm on 60mg of fluoxetine daily and have been for 5+years. The take home I got from it was that reducing the dose gives you symptoms similar to a relapse. I always thought that when I missed a pill, it made me go crazy again, so I need the meds.

I'm now thinking I should taper off, maybe I am not as ill as I thought.

I was also told by my GP I should have a review of my meds every 6 months. I haven't been able to get a GP appointment for this in all the years I have been taking them.

Bitter, sadly many gps aren’t interested in getting you off meds, they receive monetary subsidies for keeping people on them, I don’t know your personal circumstances and I’m not condemning anyone for needing these meds but from personal experience I would never touch them again. If you want to come off them I wish you well on your journey. If you choose to syptay on them I wish you well too.

*stay

They also felt that framing it as physiological would reduce stigma.

Which seems logical, but the research actually suggests that it has the opposite effect.

Completely agree with your post, well said.

ADs have saved my life more than once, I am not against them. This just made me re-evaluate. Especially as I was given the original 'brain chemical imbalance' script.