Has anyone started on an anti depressant and not had awful side effects? Any positive stories very welcome.

[StrugglingAndSad]

I think I need to try antidepressants - I’m 53 and on HRT but my anxiety and depression has spiked horrendously over the last few months. I’ve scared myself recently with really dark ideation and hopelessness.

But I’m scared of taking them. So many awful stories of side effects of worsening anxiety and dizziness etc. Which are the best to start trying with, too?

I would love to hear some positive stories, but in the absence of any positive stories the bald truth about their impact.

I take escitalopram
felt a bit yucky for a few days, nothing major -
then really started to notice the benefits -
like actually myself without anxiety and depression.
been on them a long time now
no side effects
not addictive
I could come off them anytime I wanted
I just don’t want to !

I was prescribed the sertraline 50 mg a day, & it just zapped my energy levels completely, so I just stopped taking them , I was wrecked tired & didn’t want to do anything , reading your post now , I’m sorry I didn’t stick with them for another while , give my body time to get use of them ..
That was about a month ago all this happened..
Last winter I went on fluoxetine , & they made me feel away worse so I came off of them ..
I think I should give the sertraline a go again , do you think that will subside pp the having no energy & constantly tired thing ??

Took citalopram about 25 years ago (for about a year following a violent assault) and had no side effects whatsoever. I didn’t feel particularly cheerful or anything but it allowed me to get out of bed and go back to college, get things done etc whereas before I had just felt prostrated (not actively miserable, just couldn’t do anything).

Ah I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way, and I really hope you feel better soon. Acknowledging that there is an issue or that things are not right feels like the first step.
For the first 6 months of DCs life I had terrible insomnia, anxiety, some symptoms of PTSD and OCD. I finally went to the doctor and was put on a small dose of sertraline, for about 4 days I was a bit spaced out and numb but within a week I felt so much better and actually slept - it was incredible, they have given me my life back. From my understanding, there are lots of options and if you have side effects on one medication you may have better success with another.
Please get the help you so deserve , you don’t need to feel this way

I started sertraline about 2 years ago, no side effects at all. It did take a week or so to feel the benefit but I’ve never looked back. Upped the dose about 8 months in and no side affects then either.

id describe it as taking the edge off. I started after a pretty traumatic time (DH almost died in front of me and then had a horrendous year in and out of hospital, leaving me with 2 small dc struggling with the new reality too. all round just awful!) Sertraline was honestly the best thing.

I’m on sertraline. My anxiety was a bit heightened at first but it settled and after a few weeks I felt so different.

Not RTFT but I’ve been on several different meds over the years to control depression, mental health problems & anxiety.

Citalopram worked for a long time but I built up a tolerance; I didn’t have any side effects but it took about a month for any improvement.

Sertraline - I was only on this for about 6 months, they had to take me off it as it caused a problem with my heart rythym (& showed up something that we weren’t aware of so did some good I suppose!)

Currently on Mirtazepin. It took some time to get to the right dose but again, no side effects. It means I’ve got some measure of a stable life. I do get bad days still but I can cope with them a bit more, if you see what I mean.

See if you can book a double appointment with your GP to look at the different ones and see which might be worth trying.

CAVEAT : even if you do have success on tablets, see if you can also have counselling. I found that having counselling as well as the tablets means I can cope with break-through days much better. Good luck xxx

Hi! I take fluoxetine.

my side effects when I FIRST started were - weird buzzing in my head as I went to sleep and jolting awake (few days), numb type feeling (4 weeks ish) and a real loss of apetite (6 weeks ish). Although at the time I was hideously depressed and it was the first Covid wave (April 2020) so that could’ve contributed to those.

i came off rhem for 7 months when pregnant and went back on them when she was born and I had no side effects!

I take Sertraline. Started a couple of years ago, and have never had any side effects, other than feeling better and getting my appetite back which has not helped my weight 😂
I found within a week I felt so much calmer. Placebo effect maybe, but whatever it was, I was so much happier and less anxious.

I took sertaline for anxiety with zero side effects and immediate benefits. I came off it very easily after 4 years (I had one failed attempt in winter) but by summer was surprised I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken it or felt the needs to take it.

Yes.
Fluoxetine.
No issues at all.

During a period of severe depression in my 20s (lol a long time ago) I was on a series of antidepressants and mood stabilisers, maybe a dozen over time, one or sometimes two at a time (not all at once 😀).
I didn’t have any intolerable side effects, just some minor ones when beginning treatment.
A few gave me a dry mouth and constipation, one gave me brain zaps when I accidentally missed a dose, one made me sleep lightly and fitfully for about two weeks, which was annoying but not the end of the world. If I took meds on an empty stomach or without enough water occasionally I might get heartburn. I craved carbs on one of the meds and gained some weight but then lost it using a low calorie diet based on WW.
All the SSRIs were bad for sex, but if they help your mood there are ways around it.
None of it was a big deal tbh, and I’d take any of the SEs over depression if the meds were successful at improving my mood.
Fluoxetine was particularly effective for me and weirdly it made me a little sleepy so I took it at bedtime and it helped me sleep.
I hope you get it sorted OP, it’s not a nice way to live 💐💐💐

I have bipolar disorder and have taken lots of different ones over the years.

This might sound a bit mad, but I’m convinced the few which tend to give me stronger side-effects are almost most effective for me, and if I can persist with them for around 3 weeks they gradually improve over that time after the first few days and eventually disappear at about the 3 week mark, though they might come back for another 3 weeks if I increase the dose.

Some of them have given me no side effects whatsoever - citalopram/escitalopram and fluoxetine for example. Lots of them have given me minor side effects like dry mouth, slight headache (easily resolved with paracetamol) etc.

I’m currently on sertraline which definitely gives me increased anxiety, insomnia and nausea, however it’s also really helped me and the side-effects have now calmed down and gone away entirely.

I’m also a GP so have the benefit of my patients experience too and honestly it’s extremely variable for everyone in terms of which antidepressants give you bad side effects, milder side effects or none at all, and which will work best for people. Although everyone is different, I’d say fluoxetine is the one I choose if someone is super worried about side-effects, most people seem to tolerate that one really well. Citalopram/escitalopram also aren’t bad. Sertraline/venlafaxine/paroxetine are probably ones which tend to give people more side effects but they’re often very effective too. Most people experience what I do that if they do have side effects but can stick with it for a few weeks it all settles down once you are used to taking them.

At the end of the day at the moment you just have to try them and see (in the future it’s likely we will be able to do gene analysis to see which ones are likely to work best with fewest side effects for an individual patient but we’re not there yet so it’s still trial and error right now). I would say try to stick with them if the side effects are minor like dry mouth or mild headache that resolves with paracetamol as they’re likely to settle down over time. But if they’re really extreme and you literally can’t function normally with how you feel on them (this is unusual) then stop them and let your Gp know. We do have lots to choose from so it can easily be switched to an alternative.

PS I have personally not noticed any impact on libido/sexual function on them (in fact it often improves things as my libido takes a hit when I am depressed) but I’m aware from the literature and from patients that this can be an issue, if you experience that it seems less likely to settle down so in that case I would try switching to another.

Idk about SSRIs, but I find anxiety and dark thoughts seem to be related to taking oestrogen. I'm not the only person this has happened to either. For some people it has the opposite effect on mood that you expect.

I’ve been on antidepressants for almost ten years now, and I did have some pretty terrible side-effects at first. I started on citalopram. The side effects were physical rather than mental, though, and obviously as I stayed on the meds I pushed through the awful first month and found myself far more stable and functional than I had been before. I used to be absolutely debilitated by anxiety, so much so I didn’t even realise I was depressed at the same time.

My experience with the medications aren’t perfect. Citalopram ended up raising my heart rate, so I changed to fluoxetine before also trying sertraline, mirtazapine and now I’m settled on venlafaxine for the time being. Mirtazapine is the only one that didn’t work for me, and my anxiety returned with full-force. After the citalopram, though, I’ve mostly been battling the side effect that causes me to overheat. On my current medication it’s milder, which I’m happy with. Basically, don’t be afraid to “shop around” if you do experience side-effects, because there’s likely another option that won’t cause the same symptoms.

Even with the few side effects I do have, I’m far better than I ever used to be without the medication! I’m functional, able to work and travel, and my physical health has improved now I can take proper care of myself. I’ve been able to engage with therapy, and spend time with my friends and family without anxiety. Sure, the medications aren’t perfect, but I wouldn’t give up those life changes for anything!

OP is there a progesterone element to your HRT? Utrogestan made me feel absolutely end-of-the-world terrible even when used vaginally. I had a Mirena in the end which is better.

I take escitalopram and it has been a life saver (five years in, just had to slightly increase the dose because life has decided to be very shit recently). At first, it slightly worsened the symptoms, but I was warned that was the case and after four weeks or so, I suddenly felt the oppressive cloud lifting.
I don't get on with fluoxetine, made me very paranoid.
Agree with PPs, that you have to try and see what works for you.
There should be no shame or embarrassment. If you have an infection, would you take a prescribed antibiotic? If you have a headache, would you take a painkiller?

Sertraline for anxiety and got physical symptoms for a short while (gastric issues and dizziness). Had a very good effect on my anxiety.

Had a couple of years on Citalopram when one of our kids was ill and it just steadied me and I felt more able to cope. Don’t remember any particular side effects except feeling hot more than usual.
Came off them without any difficulties when things had settled.

What I meant by ‘bad for sex’ was that I couldn’t have an orgasm no matter what. Psychiatrist suggested an occasional brief break from meds, only long enough (couple of days) for the levels to reduce enough to enable you to do your thing. It’s known as a Prozac holiday.
Not endorsing that for others 🤷🏻‍♀️ but anyone who considers stopping meds entirely because of this SE should ask their doctor if there’s a way to manage it.

Hi, thanks for your thoughts - yes there is: it’s a balanced transdermal dose via Evorel Conti patches. I’ve been happy and stable on them for a couple of years but recently had my hormone levels tested due to my increased anxiety and low mood. Found out I have low progesterone so have increased the patches. That was only a couple of weeks ago though - the increase of HRT - so maybe I am in flux mood wise hence my emotions getting even worse?

(I started HRT by trying Utrogestan which I also hated - it made me feel like an absolute zombie and totally miserable, so I hear you on that!).

It took a while. I went through two where I had horrible side effects, rode them out as long as I could to see if the side effects would calm down, then switched when they didn't. The third one I tried was the diamond, no major side effects at all and my mood has completely stabilised.

Sertraline and Citalopram we're the ones I couldn't do, Mirtazapine is what I'm on now and it's been a miracle drug. I kind of wish they'd started me with Mirtazapine given it typically has a faster onset of effectiveness and lower rate of severe side effects, would've saved me a lot of grief, but that's how it goes I suppose.

Sometimes you just have to trial and error it, and unfortunately there's no way of knowing how you'll react until you take them. But when you do find the right balance it can honestly change your life and makes it so so worth it.

Thanks so much to everyone for all your thoughts and advice. It helps so much to prepare me to wrap my head around the idea of starting anti-ds.

The reduced orgasm thing is a big concern I have to say! But not many posters have mentioned it at all which is interesting..

I was on citalopram for about a year and no horrendous side effects :)
It took a while to work but it made me feel a lot better.

I haven't taken SSRIs myself, but I do know friends who have had that side effect. Not just reduced, but non existent.