Anyone starting antidepressants in the new year and want to chat / keep me company

[Newyearsparkle]

I'm on my second day of escitalopram..I'm taking it at night 5 mg.
I think I've been very depressed for many years and I'm not convinced this will work.
But hay ho ,give it a go

I’m not starting them but have been on them for many years except when I was pregnant. I find them to be absolutely life changing. For me, every day is easier and better and I’m able to feel more like my true self on them.

Hello pixie ..thankyou for replying..I honestly didn't expect any responses at all.
I'm glad they are working for you .
Things have just got so bad ,I realised I'm only living half a life and I'm very embarrassed how bad I've slipped.
I hope they start working soon .I'm anxious to feel normal, whatever that feels like

I hope they work for you @Newyearsparkle. I guess they can be life changing if you get the right one. I've not been lucky enough yet.

I have tried every single antidepressants possible... according to my usual doctor,who refused to try me on anything else.
But I did an econsult saying again how I feel and got a different doctor who prescribed current meds ..can't remember if I've tried this before or not
But I'm 52 and I've been on and off meds my whole adult life .
Usual doctor tells me everything I am struggling with is just my autism,and I need to find ways to manage that .and that I don't need meds .
But new doctor said I'm the type of person who will need antidepressants for the rest of their life .
Have not had much luck @JacknDiane with them yourself

Sorry I should of said in the first post I have a diagnosis of autism and am waiting for ADHD asessment this year .
Don't know why I didn't mention that , it just slipped my mind

My anxiety is very very bad today
I'm taking propropnal as well.
I really don't want to feel like this any more

Hi OP just wanted to jump in and offer my support. I’ve been on citalopram for decades for depression but recently my anxiety went into overdrive (due to a sudden rearrangement). It’s an awful feeling isn’t it?
my gp prescribed me propranolol but also gave me Mirtazapine 15mg to be taken at night.
has your GP offered your Mirt?
it was a miracle drug for me.
i went from not being able to function at all to feeling 90% better, literally overnight.
i still take the odd propranolol if I feel I need to but the Mirt has been a lifesaver for me.
i wonder if it might help you?
I’ve been on it 6 weeks today and feel better than I have done for a long time x

Soz not rearrangement. I meant bereavement

I think I did / do have some of that ,I had a funeral to go to and the doctor gave me some to get through it ...or was it diazapan ..I've definitely had mitazapine in the past ,but I've none currently.
My own doctor wouldn't of given me my current meds ,I just happened by chance to get a different doctor.
How has mirt helped you ,like how do you feel better on it

Really hoping it starts working soon ..

Don’t do it . Antidepressants are awful and trying to get off them is worse. Even many doctors now agree people should be given more advice and info before going on them . SSRIs are not the wonder drug the pharmaceutical companies claimed they were and their side effects can be worse than the original problem. Tread carefully and don’t just take a GP’s word for it they are sadly ill informed.

@Newyearsparkle I couldn’t function in daily life at all due to severe anxiety and panic attacks. The first thing that it helped as that morning surge of adrenaline/panic/sweating/shaking which I had the moment I opened my eyes.
id also lost half stone in weight in a week. I just couldn’t swallow anything. That disappeared as well, from the first night.
I also sleep so much better on it.
i generally feel calm, motivated and have energy now.
i have the slightest little “hum” of anxiety but it’s so slight now that it doesn’t bother me. I’m also only at week 6 so I have another 4 weeks to go until I feel the full benefit.
my gp primarily gave it to me as I couldn’t eat or sleep.

@grannygrinch I’m afraid I disagree. When I went into crisis there was no one there! I couldn’t see my gp. NHS 111 mental health team basically told me to pull myself together.
granted gp’s do seem to dish them out as a cure all but in certain circumstances they are a lifeline.

I am restarting Sertraline today. I have been on it in the past and know it works for me. However I am going to wean myself onto them due to having experienced bad side effects when starting last time.

How are you getting on @Newyearsparkle; hope you don’t have any SE’s to contend with?

Touch wood
Just the odd feeling of being a bit hyper / over excited and the odd bit of sickness .
I'm taking it at night so sleeping through most of the side effects I'm assuming.
Although last night my brain was racing in all directions,more than normal and it was difficult to sleep
I need to persevere with this ,as I need to make big changes to my life ,I'm barely leaving the house due to anxiety
Good luck @Livingoffroyalities starting today ,are you taking it at night or in the day

Hi @twiddlingthumbs69
Thanks for the reply,your 4 weeks ahead of me ,so it's great to hear how it's working for you .long may that continue.
I'm spending half my day hiding in bed at every opportunity and not managing to leave the house after mid morning.
It's putting huge pressure on the family , although thankfully they are nearly all adults so I'm not neglecting anyone..it's a case of rush through doing everything I need to for the day ,then back in to bed to hide ..very embarrassing to admit .
But I'm wanting to change and I'm hoping that's half the battle

I have heard stories to , similar to what you say
But I'm desperate,my life is severely being impacted ,and in turn it's negatively effecting my family ,I'm barely leaving the house and spending the whole day waiting to get back in to bed .it's no way to live ,I have to try to see if these help me .
I've had a shit ton of counselling and at 5 lots of 6 sessions of CBT ..it's not made a difference..I have no choice but to try medication

Day5 on the meds
Yesterday I had face tingling that wasn't nice and a really groggy distance feeling
Today I was in bed untill 1.30 , sleeping, feeling distanced and not with it/ not caring .
I feel like I'm being dulled down
I thought these meds were going to pick me up
But my head feels very heavy on my shoulders,and I'm desperate to go back to sleep, despite sleeping all last night and half of today
I feel like someone could slap me across the face and I wouldn't react

I don't think I'm going to take another one
I can't function like this

That's a shame @Newyearsparkle.

Don’t mean to sound harsh but … It is way too soon to be making that decision OP. You decided to take them because you couldn’t see another option so you really need to persevere for 4 to 6 weeks to see the whole benefit. If you stop now, what is your plan to feel better?

My friend has just said exactly the same .

Why do they have to take so long to work

I have no plan B 😟

Exactly, so try to stick with them for a few weeks. Things can only get better ❤️