So, obviously I've noticed a lot of threads here, from people starting/changing anti depressants and being worried about the various side effects and effectiveness of them. And whilst I completely understand the need to reach out and ask, I also want people to know, that one size doesn't fit all.
What I mean by that is, how it affects you, may be completely different to how it affects someone else and vice versa. For example, I've previously been on citalopram. For me personally, IT WAS HELL. it 110% increased my suicidal feelings and my self harm. And if I posted that I could understand why someone might be put off taking it. But what if I also told you one of my close friends has been on it for 4 years, has barely any side effects and its hands down the best most effective AD she's been on? If she posted that account, it might sway you into thinking it's the best thing ever right?
But the truth is we are all individuals and how these medications affect us varies so much. I don't think you'll ever get a complete picture of the possibilities of how it will personally affect YOU until youve experienced it yourself.
That's not at all to say sharing experiences isn't helpful. It absolutely can be! There can be side effects where you wonder "wtf? Is this normal??!" And someone can respond and tell you that's a common side effects etc. or maybe it has interactions you weren't previously aware of (grapefruit anyone? 😳😂) I remember when I started on Venaflaxine I was having some seriously weird fucking drwams-bit of googling and low and behold that a very common experience (that my GP didn't warn me about!)
Also if the first AD you try does t work, that doesn't mean you're beyond help. There are a lot of different ADs (not just SSRIs), I've personally been on citalopram, fluoxetine, trazadone, mitazapine, lofepramine, Setraline and now Venaflaxine (I seem to be working my way through the formulary 😳)
It may take time to find what is right for you, but that's ok. Sorry I'm rambelling now I just wanted to say I know it can be a worrying time when starting or changing but don't necessarily think everything everyone else experiences negative etc will happen to you. We're all different and we need to find what works best for each of us ❤️