Is there an antidepressant that doesn’t make you worse to start with ?

[Countrystroll]

My mum is 78 years old and going through a mental health crisis. Primarily brought on by my dad’s cancer diagnosis which has now been changed to terminal. She has several times in her life where she has had to take an antidepressant ( Sertraline and Citalopram) but during the initial 2 months she has become so poorly and manic before they start to work. This time she feels she can’t go through this. Her GP has prescribed her a short course of diazepam but obviously this is only a short term fix to try and help her sleep and eat. She has already lost lots of weight which she can’t afford to do. Years a go she took dosalupin which she coped with well but SSRI make her so ill to start with I’m not sure she can cope as my dad needs her. Any suggests please. As in turn my mental health is taking a nose dive too.

I found the start up on Vortioextine much easier than Sertraline and Citalopram

If SSRIs have caused her to experience mania then she should be referred to a psychiatrist for oversight of medication. SSRIs are known to trigger mania in some people with bipolar disorder.

Hi. Just wanted to ask you how you find being on vortioxetine. I’m on my first week 10 days if taking it, after being on sertraline.
I was in 10mg but felt really overtired on that. I’ve gone down to 5 and it seems better.
Are you finding it more helpful than other ssris?

Sorry to hijack your thread op!

Mirtazapine

im sensitive to SsRis and found Mirtrazipine did not increase my anxiety just made me fat !
I don’t think you n ed a psychiatrist for a different AD, I take a tricyclic and my GP prescribes it

Sorry, I missed this

I'm finding it much better than SSRI's. Mainly in that I don't feel so emotionally supressed as I did on Sertraline and Citalopram - they both make me feel although I don't know if I'm enjoying things

It doesn't seem to make me sleepy at all, although I know it does some. I'm a couple of days in to upping my dose to 20mg, just because there are things I still cant do without panicking

Thanks Originalskang
Im still on tbd 5mg. Not as tired now, but more emotional. I think that’s because I was on 100 mg sertraline towards the end of my taking it, and, like you said, it really does squash your emotions. I might try going up to 10mg in the near future. Just hate feeling really tired.

I’m on Valdoxan—I’ve never had any side effects. Im bipolar and it hasn’t triggered mania. Only thing is that it can’t be prescribed in Scotland without agreement with the NHS.