positive anti depressant stories please

[faffadoodledo]

I'd really appreciate some positive anti depressant stories. I hope they're out there. A loved one is about to start her journey and I need reassurance. I'm not going to give details of her story, except to say I think we're at the stage of no alternative option.

they can turn peoples life around. I have been on them in the past and it meant I could get my head above water enough to engage well with therapy to the point I didn’t need the medication any longer. I’d also say under no circumstances rush to get off them, do the healing journey in full

I put off going on anti anxiety meds for my health anxiety for years. And I wish I hadn’t.

Don't view them as a last resort, view them as being part of a box of tools that will help your LO feel better.

I was a low dose of escitalopram for 3 years following the death of my mum. I didn’t realise it at the time; but they helped me significantly - in all honesty it wasn’t until I stopped taking them that I recognised how helpful they had been.

Your LO will experience some side effects initially - my advice would be to be prepared for them, and go with them rather than worry about them. Depending on what meds they take these will vary. And also depending on how unwell they are too.

And I agree with @Flipslop about there being no rush to get off them. It’s not a big deal. No different from taking paracetamol for a headache.

Some people find they feel better quickly on them - a friend said this is because she felt like she was taking control. Made a decision to do something to help her MH and after one tablet felt calmer. That’s more placebo than the meds. Other people will say 6-12 weeks before really feeling the impact properly.

There’s no reason to overthink it. They’re a life saver for many, many people. People can stay on them forever if it helps them. My dh is one of these people. He has severe depression and biopolar. He takes 40mg citalopram every day. He has had two very bad breakdowns (before meds) one where he ended up leaving university a term before graduating and then again when our Ds was little, he was out of work for a year. It took a while to find the best dose and type of drug but since he’s been settled on citalopram he’s like a different man. He is now happy and able to work full time. Hasn’t had any episodes since taking the meds and says he will stay on them for life. He sees it as a chemical imbalance that the meds are rectifying, just like someone would take thyroxine for a thyroid issue.

I do agree, it'll be best to go in expecting it to work. And I think we are at a stage where we acknowledge we need to take control

It can be trial and error to find one that suits / works well with bearable side effects .
We are all different .
Sertraline works great for many but not for me / venafalaxine is ace for me - I tapered off it slowly (despite reading
horrendous stories )

As PP states , they can make things / alternative coping mechanisms easier to engage with .
They shouldn’t be considered any different to other meds - insulin / thyroid etc

I’ve been on anti-depressants since I was 22, and I expect to be on them for the rest of my life. They’re not a miracle worker - I’m very rarely “happy”, but I’m no longer suicidal, and I’m coping.

As a PP said, it will probably take time to find the right medication and dosage. Ask lots of questions about what to expect, what side effects are normal and how long they’ll last, and when your LO can expect to start to feel better.

And whatever they do, they absolutely must not come off them without medical supervision!

good luck 💐

turned my life around. Started taking them in late 20s. I wish I had been prescribed them 10 years previously. It would have stopped me making so many many bad decisions.

It's hard to describe -my issue is 1/4 depression/1/4 anger/ half anxiety. I made some awful decisions in my 20s and did some terrible things. Looking back if I had been on medication which made me stable/not suicidal/ not crying every other night I would have been a different person.

They don't make me happy or joyous - but they make me sensible and stable. I don't do rash things anymore, crazy things without thought. And I'm an intelligent, highly educated person who used to have a very high paying career. yet I made some utter reckless choices in my 20s that makes me cringe looking back

I'm in my 50s now, have tried a few brands over the years but been stable on citalopram for over 10 years and will never stop taking it.

I’m on them for life. For the last 31 years I’ve been on them. Told to remain on them. Tried to come off, disaster struck. Went back on them. Yes in the first few weeks the side effects can be awful but when this subsides the medication kicks in and I just feel like my normal self.

I clearly recall my GP saying decades ago- if you were diabetic would you refuse insulin? Well you’re clinically depressed and you NEED this medication in the same way.

I wouldn’t be here now if I didn’t take antidepressants