antidepressant angst

[JJ]

After much discussion with GP and husband, I've decided to go on antidepressants. I've never taken them before and am going tomorrow morning to discuss which one is appropriate. Like an idiot, I looked it up on the internet and now have nearly psyched myself out.

Soooo.... could anyone offer some reassurance, let me know how the "what to take" visit will be like or otherwise bolster my courage? I really do think it's the right thing, but after having read about all possible side effects I've got the fear.

Thanks. (Have to give my son a bath right now-- wanted to post before people went to bed or started in on the wine. )

think I need to go on them aswell JJ My Mum took prozac and it really did her good - alongside counselling, please don't worry

Don't be afraid, JJ - rather look forward to feeling better. If your anti-depressant aren't right for you, you can just stop taking them and see the doctor for a change in medication

You will probably be prescribed Prozac in the first instance. I believe that this is because it costs the surgery less! However, I did not get on with it at all. It made me have panic attacks. It does suit a lot of people though. I am on Cipralex, which is a funky new version of Cipramil. I am on the highest dose currently allowed and it does SEEM to be helping most of the time.

Good luck.

Hi JJ,

I'm sorry to hear that things are such that you are going to take ADs.

As I have posted before I do think that they can give you a real chance to break a cycle and KNOW that taking this step has saved my life in the past. I really don't think that you have to fear anything, with the right treatment life will get more bearable if not better!!

What has your GP mentioned? I've taken an AD from all the groups of ADs (SSRIS, TCAs and NRIs) except for MAOIs. You do hear about freaky marmite and cheese interactions with the MAOIs but they're not often prescribed. All have side effects, but the benefits do out weigh them and your body does adjust and then you don't feel the majority of the side effects much if at all.

Just remember that whatever you and your Dr decide to try if a few weeks down the line you don't notice a difference you can change medications. Nothing is written in stone.

If you want to email and ask about specifics of ADs or anything else you know which button to click.

Stop reading everything, you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't but if you feel that this step needs to be taken you'll be alot more damned if you don't iykwim!!!

Wishing you lots of luck

pie xxx

Thanks! Chinchilla, when did the panic attacks happen? Right after you started taking them? If I had a panic attack, could I stop taking it immediately? I had an anxiety attack (is that the same as a panic attack? I felt insanely anxious and paranoid) a couple of weeks ago and nearly had my husband take me to the hospital (I don't know why...). How do you get through them? (Thanks for being so nice about everything, too.)

Pie, thank you. You're so sweet to take the time! My doctor mentioned these on Monday and I flat out refused and he didn't push it. But I thought about it and decided today that they really made sense for me. He did mention "starting slowly", ramping up the dose, I guess. And also mentioned "no withdrawal symptoms" and, for me, they aren't meant to be long term, just to help me deal with a few things which are causing this. Also, do you know if it's possible to take prednisone and Zyrtec with them? I need those about 4-5 times a year due to ideopathic angioedema. Am taking them now, actually.

We also talked about counselling and what had triggered it. I'm going to get couselling because, well, my husband wants me to and he has been absolutely amazing the past couple of months. I think I owe him that. Plus it'll probably help a whole lot too. The GP also suggested seeing a child psychologist about my youngest -- basically I need some individualised input from an outside observer about his tantrums. We've really tried everything. (Except throwing a bucket of water on his head, but he's only 2 and I don't think it would work with him.)

Thanks Janstar and fio2. I'm glad to hear ADs have worked for people and that other people notice the difference.

Fio2, can let you know how this all goes if you'd like or give you more detail about what's happening. He did make me realize that, although there are things that need to be done, getting them done will be much much easier (actually, I should say "will be possible" ) if I'm a bit more on an even keel.

Thanks again.

JJ- it took my GP 5yrs to get me to take them.I also freaked out ; stigmas/fear of what they would do / what it meant. That was 8 years ago. I then took them for 3 yrs up until beg of 02.I then made sure I saw a counsellor for the next year. What an enourmous difference they made. I felt confident, happy, energised and in control.It makes you feel really social and you enjoy things alot more. You also feel you align, as body, mind & spirit up until then had been very split. I also slept like a dream, as had suffered from insomnia for ages.
The only drawback was the initial adjustment. I had to start on half dose 1st and then up to 30mg of SSRI/Seroxat , so my body could get used to it as you may feel a bit sicky and tired for a couple of weeks. The only time I got panick attacks was if I had forgotten to take it.

Don't be surprised if when you get them, you freak out about actually taking them. I had mine for a couple of weeks before I actually started to take them, believe me, they work, so take them as soon as you get them, don't waste time by waiting.

I took them for 2.5 years, and came off them successfully, (hard, but done slowly it is no problem) I wouldn't hesitate to take them again, and would demand them from my GP if I thought I was on the brink again.

I know what it is like to have panic attacks, I thought I was one of those people in control of their lives and so did everyone else. You are not alone, there are millions of people who are on Anti D's but do not own up to it. There is no shame about taking them, they help you get yourself back to normal. Hopefully it will be a short term thing, try not to have Seroxat, they are hard to come off and they have quite a few side effects. I ended up taking Prozac to come off them, Prozac were fine, no side effects or withdrawal, but then everyone is different.

Thinking of you, and always happy to talk via private email if you wish.

jj, it's a cliche , but taking the first step to acknowledge your problem really does help you on the road to recovery.
Prozac worked very well for me in the past.
I experienced no side effects.
It did not make me happy, just lifted the black fog that I had been under for such a long time.I have said in the past that prozac saved my life, which is only slightly exaggerated
Good luck.

JJ - My panic attacks started within the first month of taking Prozac. I ended up on betablockers to help stop them! It started one day at work, when I realised that I just could NOT go out of the office for lunch. I was terrified of some non-specific thing, but I just could not go out.

However, not all people are the same. What suits one person is horrible for another. My sister is on Prozac, and has no side-effects other than a gyppy tummy. It does take a month to get used to the drug, and for it to start making a difference. That is why Cipralex is so good, because the adjustment period is two weeks (and for me it was only one), before the side-effects wore off and I got some benefit from them.

Your doc will prescribe what is appropriate for your symptoms. For example, being depressed for me also makes me very anxious, so I take an antidepressant called Lustral which works for depression with anxiety. Most of the 'new' antidepressants are much of a muchness, but doctors all have their own favourites.
You've done the biggest thing in many ways, in admitting there is a problem. Is this for PND? (sorry cant remember) If it is, you might have to be on them for as long as ayear or more, so it is important that you find something that suits, and if, after a month, they dont suit, dont be afraid to go back and say that - but you do have to give them a few weeks to work and to see what the side effects are.
All the best tomorrow - it is scarey, but in the end you are probably doing yourself a favour, like pie said it can really be the thing that breaks the cycle and helps you to get on the upward spiral again. Take care!

Alibubbles - you know what I had forgotten the mess I got into coming off Seroxat. Wringing hands , uncomfortable limbs, dry mouth. So JJ dont take those ones!!!. But some of the others mentioned here sound alot better , and despite the above they helped so much. They saved me from a lot of miserable times.The catalyst for me in finally taking them was my Grandfather dying unexpectedely and then I was desparate.By all means think about it as I did, but dont wait to long b4 starting on them ,because of the difference in how u will feel, a few weeks after youll be like "so why didnt I start sooner"
I have my 6 wk check today , so I will be discussing them with GP.
How do u feel now JJ ??? has this eased your concerns. (or have I made it worse here!)

JJ, I suffered some of the symptoms mentioned here before I took antidepressants - I guess the depression itself was causing them. Antidepressants relieved those symptoms! And I had no problems coming off them either, just did it gradually. Don't be afraid, of course there is a risk of side effects, just as there is with tampons or seafood - but it is these cases that get all the publicity, after all, people experiencing no problems don't have much to say on the matter. Besides which, depression itself causes so many and varied symptoms, who is to know what is caused by the illness itself, anyway.

If antidepressants were not worth taking, doctors wouldn't go on prescribing them.

Thanks everyone. Got my prescription for Citalopram (the same as Cipramil and similar to Cipralex) and will start taking it tonight. It was definitely reassuring to come on here and read good things about it. My GP said it was most appropriate because it helps with "loss of initiative" which is my main symptom and the reason nothing else is getting better.

He was very nice about it and I have an appt with him next week to discuss how things are going.

Thanks again.

Great news!

I hope you start seeing the benefits soon JJ, let us know how you are. And (I hope this doesn't sound condescending!!!) well done.

pie xxx

Good news JJ, you are on the road to recovery. Keep us informed as to how you are feeling and getting on with the medication. It can get worse before it gets better, but you will get better, soon. Hugs!

Meant to say JJ that if you are worried about drug interactions (I'm sure you're Doctor will have looked this up though, just posting this for your peace of mind) you can look up the drugs here .

HTH

pie xxx

My friend had a trerrible come-down after taking Seroxat - the depression she felt afterwards was much worse than the original depression she was feeling when she first went on AD.

With regards to Prozac - my dad was recently prescribed a prozac derivitive - he was suffering from anxiety attacks and depression - the AD he was given made the anxiety attacks a LOT worse - I was later told by a friend who's a psychotherapist that the doctor should never have prescribed this particular form of AD as it is well known that Prozac has a very adverse reaction to those who suffer from anxiety depression. So if a GP can make this ignorant a decision, make sure that yours doesn't if you have suffered from anxiety attacks.

Could you try St Johns Wort first?

I found that, combined with counselling, very helpful when I went through a very low patch earlier this year.

Glad to hear it went well JJ. SOUnds like your GP madea choice based on the symptoms you have, which is exactly what you want them to do!
Hope that you will start to feel better soon - he did warn you it will take a few weeks for them to start to work properly, didn't he?
Another little thing - some folks find that the SSRI's (the type of antidepressant you are on) can interfere with sleep a bit - they can make you restless. So you can take them in the morning if this is a problem, cos then sleep isn't so badly affected (speaking from experience - I had a lot of problems with 'restless legs' when I was taking mine at night!!)

Good point Susan. The first time I took ADs (1996), I woke up at 1am, thinking that I was having a heart attack. I wanted to go and run a few miles, to get rid of all the rushing feelings in my body. Dh had to hold me tightly to get me through it. Cipralex did not do that to me, and I just had a little dizzyness to contend with for a week.

Must mention a drop in sex drive too

Thanks all again. Sorry for not replying sooner; some nut organised a Halloween party for her son's school yesterday and came home and crashed with happy, over sugared son. I feel better already (placebo effect - I felt better before I even took the first tablet) and am fully expecting a crash on Monday or Tuesday when that effect wears off and the drug hasn't kicked in yet.

Pie, thanks! That's an interesting site and very informative.

So far, the only side effects have been a bit of nausea and a little less sleep (not a bad thing at all!). The sleep is ok as I can put myself to sleep if I wake up during the night.. but will start taking it in the morning if it becomes a problem. Thanks for the tip.

The reason I went to get the ADs is because I thought about taking St John's Wort. It would have made me anxious taking it as I'm not sure how it interacts with other drugs I need to take, how long it takes to work, etc etc. Basically I wanted to be under a doctor's care if I was on a mood altering drug. I've heard good things about it though. It just wasn't for me right now. Counselling is a good idea and I'm trying to find someone. Then there's the whole "What kind of counselling" question.

Ks, a few of the things you mentioned really hit home with me. We left London a year ago and live in a small Swiss town close to Zurich. Not the same. And the uni friends, etc. You have much more to deal with than I do. You're right about it being an illness. Not only do other people have much more to deal with, but I've had more to deal with and have dealt with it better. For some reason, this time I just can't and need a boost to get me out of the hole I'm in.

Feeling fine at the moment, though.

SueW, I was on the list but am not anymore. It was taking up a bit too much time (only have enough time for mumsnet!).