Are you on antidepressants?

[AnxiousAlison]

It's recently been reported in the news that 1 in 7 people are currently taking antidepressants and this increases to 1 in 4 women over the age of 50.

I briefly took Prozac 20 years ago. I'm now in my mid 40s. I've battled anxiety and depression for most of my life. I'm single and childless and wonder how different my life would have been if I had sought more help or stayed on medication.

No, I never have.

I'm sorry to hear that @DreamingOfGeneHunt. What are you taking?

Yes i take escitalopram and it has saved me several times over the years from the depths of anxiety amd depression

@AnxiousAlison 150mg Sertraline. I used to take Citalopram, which didn't work after a while, then Trazodone, which did nothing.

No, but I’m considered it. I’ve been feeling anxious/stressed/flat since June. I’m eating and sleeping less. I tell myself ‘this too shall pass’ to get through each day but perhaps ADs will actually make the days more enjoyable?

Sertraline seems to be more prescribed than other antidepressants (on Mumsnet at least).

Not on them myself, but partner is - escitalopram 20mg. He was doing great until a couple of months ago. Would anyone know if these meds can lose their effect after time? He is on this five years now. GP appointment next week, I won't be with him, so I just wondered what happens if they lose their effect. I think he is on the highest dose now anyway.

I'm sorry you're feeling like this too.

I’m not but I probably should be.

It does seem to be more common for menopausal women to be on them, I’ve seen multiple stories from women claiming they massively improved after taking an SSRI.

Society is becoming less and less human-compatible.

Therapy and antidepressants are government-subsidized band-aids for the intolerable societal conditions they've created

Rather than remove the conditions that make people depressed, we pump them full of psychiatric medications or send them to "talk it out"

We are modifying our internal state to tolerate conditions we would otherwise find intolerable.

Yes they can definitely stop working and you need to switch to another one. There are many many options so hopefully he can get started on another one as 20mg is normally max dose for escitalopram

Yes, this time for 16 years and before that most of my adult life.

I'd rather not be obvs, but trying to come off reduces me to an insomniatic ball of anxiety. I do think if life slowed down and I had more support, I may be able to reduce/come off. But as a single parent of teens working full time with no family and going through the menopause, no chance for a while.

I take 375mg venlafaxine per day under psychiatric care. Been diagnosed with clinical depression and CPTSD. Probably on it for the rest of my days.

I think it's important to recognise that antidepressants are prescribed off-label for things like nerve pain, so not everyone taking them has depression.

Thank you for that information. I am hoping he will be prescribed something else, and it looks like Sertraline might be a good fit. There are so many types of ADs out there, it is all very confusing, but I'm sure GP will advise.

I'm also thinking, uh oh, he will probably have to taper off the escitalopram and it might take a few weeks for a replacement drug to take effect, so it could be a few months before he sees improvement (hopefully), but the current ones are no longer working so needs must.

I can really see the difference in his mood and demeanour now so I appreciate how great these drugs can be for those suffering depression/anxiety when they work out.

I’ve been on antidepressants on and off since I was 19. I suffer from anxiety and depression with flare ups of OCD intrusive thoughts. I had PND so went on them when ds was about 1, and then weaned myself off them after a couple of years. I then went back on them when my mum died and I’ve been on them ever since (about 6 years). I don’t know if I’ll ever be off them. It enables me to function.

Sertraline is considered the safest option in pregnancy and during breastfeeding.
It is a straightforward SSRI with relatively minimal side effects and a short half life (it leaves the body quicker than other ADs, so if it doesn’t suit or there are problems this is an advantage). It’s the go to for people presenting with symptoms of depression. If it doesn’t work, they will either increase the dosage, try an additional AD or take you off and try something else. So people might start on that but then end up on something else.
It is also one that GPs seem comfortable with. Psychiatrists might start off on something else because they have the expertise to do that but a lot of GPs are not confident prescribing psychiatric medications and stick with what they know. They’re only qualified to treat mild/ moderate depression, not severe depression or bipolar etc.

Ive been on Citalopram for probably 15 years. 20mg keeps me functioning normally. They help enormously. I forgot to pack them when I went on holiday last year, so no slow withdrawal, just bam - none. It was awful.

This was me. I've always been the calm cheerful sort and when the menopausal anxiety hit I had absolutely no coping strategies at all. I'd never been anxious, so I didn't know how to handle it. I just felt completely 'not like myself' and like @NelferchyLlyn I had nothing to be worried about.

I had a DH I adore, a job I loved, healthy kids, reasonable finances - just ZERO worries, so no practical things I could do at all to change this. It was as if a feeling of 'impending doom' came across me and I was agitated, twitchy, restless heart racing and just feeling so panicked for absolutely no reason at all.

Been on 50mg sertraline for two years now and it was like a miracle when it kicked in. I was just back to my normal self (was already on HRT). I don't think I maybe need it any longer, but I'm bloody reluctant to stop taking it and go back to that dreadful anxiety.

I was on Sertraline and it upset my stomach to the point of having accidents! Never again. It’s quite common to have bad side effects with it. Then got put on Fluoxetine (Prozac), was great, no side effects and easy to come off too.

Yes, Sertraline for 10 years, Initially for depression after ending an abusive marriage (50 mg) And Then upped to 75mg Christmas 2024 when I suffered a period of extreme anxiety.

I’ve never taken them. I’m very low right now but imo I think that’s situational sadness and normal not clinical. So I don’t think they would benefit me. Sometimes I do wonder if they’d help a bit but then I think… there’s nothing actually medical about my sadness. My life is just sad right now and as soon as it’s better I’ll be happy again.

Thats what I tell myself anyway. Maybe I’m wrong. Who knows.

No never

I have just been prescribed Fluoxetine (is this prozac I think) for the first time but for anxiety/ocd rather than depression, I'm mid 40s.

Annoyingly I should probably be on adhd medication instead but the private cost is prohibitive and I'm on a long NHS waiting list, I do have the diagnosis.

As an aside, if you don't mind, to anyone on Fluoxetine - do you/can you drink alcohol while taking it? I'm not talking about going out for a mad night but more a glass of wine with dinner?

No but I'm thinking of making a Drs appointment and asking about them. I've been feeling so low and sad for so long now, just no joy or excitement for anything. Nothing particularly wrong with my life either so maybe just need a helping hand