I feel like accepting antidepressants is admitting I can’t cope.

[LondonLady1980]

Life has been tough over the last 6 years….. especially over the last three….. and the last year has been really difficult.

I am floundering.

My life has changed so much, my health is deteriorating, my mood is so low (I cry a lot) and I feel lost.

My Neurologist (I have epilepsy) has suggested I go on antidepressants and I feel so upset at the thought of it.

It feels like there is already so much going on in my life, and my health is already so crap, that I just can’t cope with something else.

I’m already overwhelmed and exhausted and I can’t cope with having to deal with this too.

Part of me knows I’m struggling though and that things aren’t getting better. Im so scared of having side effects too. I just don’t know what to do ☹️

Why is 'coping' so important to you?

If you had a broken leg or a tumour, would you 'cope' or would you accept that treatment was the best option?

I see depression as comparable with diabetes. There is a chemical pathway in your brain, that for one reason or another, is not functioning correctly.

Sometimes it's just a part of who you are, it's hereditary, it's just always going to be there, like type 1. This is what I beleive I have, I have had symptoms of depression as long as I can remember, I have self harmed since primary school. It gets more manageable when there are aren't also external stressors ( like eating a healthy diet for diabetes management)

Sometimes it develops later in life through no fault of.your own, athletes develop type 2 diabetes, something just goes wrong and the pathway breaks down.

Sometimes it develops becuase of your environment, stress, bereavement, trauma, an unhealthy diet. It may be that you need antidepressants (or insulin) temporarily while these external causes are dealt with/go away. Sometimes the change in irreversible and the pathway can't be fixed and you need to manage it forever.

It is not your fault, no amount of willpower can make your body process serotonin better. You can't will away diabetes, you can't will away depression. It is a medical condition and it is responsible to treat it.

Solidarity OP, I resisted Anti-Ds for ages and I was advised by every GP I saw to try them. I did not want to take what I perceived to be “nutter pills”

When I was finally advised by (yet another) therapist that they would he me, I gave it much thought and research.

I eventually decided to go with it, and for the first week, I was all over the shop! But I persevered and I will probably be on them forever.

They calm my racing intrusive thoughts, settle my shaking hands and generally keep my mood well. They also help me sleep.

I would say, give them a try, give them a good few weeks, you may need to twiddle your dose, but I have no doubt that they keep me going.
I’m 62, have been on them around 10 years and take 30mg of Paroxitine a day.

Wishing you well. OP 🌸

Sorry, should have added, for context, my dosage is quite high as I suffer from PTSD, and phobias, panic attacks and childhood traumas.

Im interesting company!😄

There is nothing wrong with admitting you're not coping as well as you could be. I find that hard too, so know it is hard.

My doctor told me that when you've been under stress for a long time, sometimes your brain could be depleted of serotonin and antidepressants could help restore that. I took them for a year. They really turned my life around. I'd recommend.

Exactly this