Is there such a thing as a gentle antidepressant?

[Stuckinacupboard]

I’m currently in the midst of a second breakdown due to my own stupid behaviour (things I’ve done in the past!)

I haven’t been diagnosed with OCD but I have been diagnosed with anxiety. Anyway, my ruminating memories and thoughts are so constant it’s really affecting my daily life.

I’ve even lost my appetite due to catastrophising so much. About things that happened years ago. I have started therapy which is great on the day but things start slipping back soon after.

I would love to ask the doctor if there’s a low dose or a gentle antidepressant? Just to help me out of this cycle? I have never tried them before but I am confident I don’t need a full dose.

Anyone know? Thanks 💐

There are absolutely these options. If a low dose doesn’t work for you then it would be worth considering increasing dose but starting low would be a good option to consider. All the best.

Yes, it’s quite usual for a dose to start low and then it can be increased if necessary and the dosage doesn’t always have to be the same. The first time I took Sertraline I started at 50mg but this ended up going up to 150mg. The second time I took it some years later I was on 50mg and didn’t need a higher dose so stayed at 50mg.

I'm not a medic.

However I was reading about the positive effects of St John's Wart on mood to moderate depression. Maybe look into that as a "gentle" alternative?

Thank goodness! I’ve been reading side effects and it worries me. I’m also quite sensitive to meds (others).

I really need to try something. I wake up in fight or flight mode / cortisol rise everyday! It’s awful

The therapy will take ages to make a difference since it’s highlighting many childhood issues 😭

Anyway, thanks again everyone. X

Use some grounding techniques to bring your focus back to today away from difficult memories.

The past can shape us but does not have to define us. We have it in our gift to adapt and change presently and going forward

Try to do something good for your wellbeing from the usual list - walking etc. Just doing one thing no matter how small at least allows you to say you’ve done that for yourself despite the other stuff. It’s small steps and some days it’s survival

Developing mindfulness skills and doing a mindfulness practice is particularly recommended for addressing rumination.

Low does of meds may help
Physical activity movement will also help with endorphins.

Light exercise is your friend here as well. If your nervous system is in fight or flight a lit, give it a chance to discharge all that pent up adrenaline. Just walking is great, as brisk as you like, or slow - just get your legs moving. Tons of research shows that walking a bit more days than not has equal or better results than antidepressants. Well done with the therapy, it's not easy sometimes!

Be careful as it can interact with other medicines iirc including the pill.

All doctors start on the lowest dose appropriate for your needs and increase of necessary. Definitely see your GP to discuss it. Hope you feel better soon .

I second what people have said about exercise. I try and exercise every day I can first thing. It makes such a difference to my anxiety and rumination.
For me personally a high intensity class like CrossFit works best.

Please don't recommend St John's Wort to anyone without knowing what other medications they are on. It interacts with a lot of different drugs.

Thanks for the heads up on St John’s Wort and other meds. I had no idea xx

@sanityisamyth

I recommended that Op look into it - I wouldn't recommend anyone take a medication on the say so if an anonymous online stranger.

Exercise - you can't overthink when your whole body is focused on one more push up.

Hey OP, I'm sorry you're going through this. Experiencing something very similar myself (OCD like symptoms related to past mistakes/behaviour). GP prescribed me escitalopram, which was not gentle whatsoever. The first two weeks were hell. However, it was so worth pushing through because what I was experiencing before was even worse. Not saying this to scare you! But to say that it's worth it to get your life back. If you feel like it's not that bad (yet?), I used to take propanolol as and when I had an 'attack'. That worked really well and I didn't experience any side effects. Unfortunately the issues got too much and as and when turned into taking it all the time, which wasn't ideal.

Yes, they can put you on an extremely low dose of quite a few different medications.

i even have one that I’m allowed to take “as needed” that can be broken into 3 smaller pieces and is very mild to begin with.

talk to your GP about trying a low dose. When I did that, it was enough to give me the perspective that I needed a slightly higher dose, but it might be all you need.

@MajaTime Thank you so much! I tried to PM you but it wouldn’t let me (I re registered for this thread!) I’ll try again tomorrow but it might help if I speak to someone in a similar situation 💐

@Ponderingwindow I think this is exactly what I need!!

I agree with exercise, it's amazing how
much difference it makes me for when i am having one of those down days. wishing you positiveness and hoping you feel brighter soon xx

It's taken me 60 years to work out that if I feel anxious lifting some heavy weights works wonders for calming me down. I highly recommend getting some dumbbells.

I second this!

Isn’t escitalopram supposed to be ‘gentler’ with less side effects than other antidepressants? Has anyone taken this and can give their view? I was prescribed citalopram in the past but was too scared to take it because of the epically long list of side effects. I now take lithium orotate, ashwaghanda and inositol (specifically for OCD) and find they help somewhat although could be placebo.

I’m taking Escitalopram at the moment and this has been gentle for me compared to sertraline , I built the dose up gradually but it has been fairly free of side effects

I used amitriptyline. Only side effect was dry mouth. It worked.

@Notsandwiches I did used to have this for another reason! I’m pretty sure it’s how my first breakdown ended.

I think I might try it again. I know what to expect then!

@Stuckinacupboard I think private messaging is currently disabled because of some site issues. Maybe it'll be back tomorrow :).

@Xenomoth I'm on escitalopram and find it gentler than others I've tried in the past in terms of longer term side effects. But like I said in a previous post, the initial first two weeks were so bad. I was vomiting constantly and had even more anxiety than normal. The GP did warn me this might happen so I was signed off work and at least prepared. I did also start on 10mg immediately, might have not been so bad had I started on 5mg.

Thanks everyone. I’ve woken up feeling very depressed. It’s awful! I feel like my whole life will feel like this 😢