Antidepressants - are they helpful?

[Merlot]

The incident with the offensive GP has made my mood plummet even further and I know that this is helping no-one particularly ds2. Wondering whether I should be asking my (nice)GP about antidepressants? I have taken Seroxat briefly before (for six months) when I was ill and awaiting results of tests and have to say that they did help with the anxiety, but once I got the all clear health wise I was able to come off of them. Feel that it is somewhat different situation this time round - as my concerns over ds2 might never be resolved, might get worse etc. and I might just have to get used to living with this anxiety. How do the rest of you cope? Are there any special coping strategies you have? Do the pills work? I would be so grateful for your views? Sorry if this subject has been discussed before - if so, perhaps someone could point me to the thread.

I will post later...i have been on PROZAC for 3 years then that was changed to EFFEXOR for the past 3 years.....I am happy to take them the rest of my life....If i t means my quality of life is on the whole better than without them.

Take careXXXXX

I'm with Mrs F - have been on anti-d's on and off since ds1 was born almost 8 years ago. They keep me on a more even keel and help me cope with the day to day stuff much better. They are not a cure-all and they don't make the problems go away - they just enable you to deal with it all a bit more easily. As your (other) GP is nice (I am so glad you do have a nice one!) why not go and have a chat with him/her about how you are feeling?

Hi Merlot - sorry you are feeling so low. You will no doubt find a lot of good information relating to ADs and depression on the 'Feeling Low' thread, and there are useful self-help leaflets there too.

Everyone's experiences of depression is different, so it is difficult to advise you what to do, but AD's have been a life-saver for me although I recognise that they are by no means a cure. 6 months is not a long time to be on them - I know that as soon as I felt better I took myself on them, only to have to go back on again fairly quickly. So perhaps you do need to look at taking them again. Don't feel bad about that - you wouldn't hesitate to take a tablet for a headache after all! They will just help you to get over this bad period and put your life back into focus. In the meantime you can also look at therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) which helps you to change the way you look and feel about yourself and others, in other words change the thought patterns which cause you to be depressed. It is definately worth looking into that, and also consider counselling. I would recommend though that you see your doctor - I know you have had a bad experience there, so it possible for you to be referred to another GP in the practice? I hope some of this helps. Please keep posting though as it is good to even just talk about it - often the first step on the road to recovery.

I was diagnosed with more anxiety thatn depression although I had a level of depression as well. I have been a "mood regulator" (my GP called it although the leaflet does say anti depressant) for 4 months and I must say I feel 90% better. It is called Fluoxotine and is non addictive. I take 1 a day and GP thinks I will be on it for about 12 months.
Apparently there is something missing in my brain that helps me deal with anxiety and see logic in things and this drug puts whatever is missing back. he says that once its back it should stay there!

thanks for all the advice - am going to book an appointment to see my GP to discuss my anxiety and will also ask about CBT (sounds very useful -thanks miam).

Merlot, feel for you. Let us know how you get on at the GP. I'm going next week!!! .

merlot, you may find going to SN support groups may help you alot. it does wonders when you have no-one you can relate to iykwim. Also counselling works for some people, as do AD's.

What i am trying to say is, it is hard coming to terms with things and everyone finds their own way forward. I would go and discuss it with your nice GP and see what they can advise, they are suppossedly the experts afterall

FWIW I think you are accepting things very well

I was on Prozac for about a year and a half, and it did help me a lot, once we had found a good dosage, in getting through a very difficult time in my life.

I had CBT during my pregnancy as I was going through a tough time, I found it really helpful as it did change some of my thought patterns. I also agree with snmum that sn support groups can help, I've been going to one for three weeks now & really look forward to it every week - have met some lovely mums. It's really helped me to feel less isolated (we moved to a new area just before dd was born, so had left our friends behind).

Pre-medication i could go from 0-100 in rage/anger in seconds...i wished that i would just be involved in a car crash and 'get away from it all'. i was nasty to the boys and unable to sleep.
The 'TURNING POINT' for me was when TOM (now 10) was 3 and i had just had Leigh....i was up every 2 hours with the baby and then tom was only asleep from 11pm till 5am. it all built up and one day tom was playing me up and i went for him- he cringed in the corner and grabbed the curtain to hide in- the curtain rail fell down and i absolutely lost it. I dragged him upstairs and threw him on his bed and smacked him so hard. he sobbed. at that point i suddenly 'snapped out of it'- and reality kicked in.

to this day i cannot forgive myself for what i did- and the memory is as clear now as the day it happened.

i went to the doctors for more phenergan for both the boys...and as i went out i blurted out i couldn't cope anymore.

i was prescribed fluoxitine(prozac) and within 2 weeks the cloud lifted.

I was diagnosed with post natal depression and this opened gateways to support groups and here i am now seeing a psychologist every week.

it has been a long journey- but there are more good days than bad and i nolonger feel i am 'harming' my kids by how 'I am'.....

Medication doesn't have to be so 'long term' as mine has been....but there are many SN parents who are dealing with alot of difficulties and like you said your DS2's concerns may well be longterm....and the medication can stop you beginning to feel resentful for 'what you have to endure'
My mum still blames my kids for me being on anti depressants....i know that their special needs do have an impact on me but i don't blame them...but without the medication i know the kids would be the first to suffer.

i have had a 6month SUCCESSFUL 'tablet free' period...when we were trying for a baby...so i do know that as long as you carefully reduce the dose in a sensible way....not just suddenly.....then these 'MODERN' drugs are not addictive like the older ones were. But i would rather just keep taking them than keep trying to stop- have a few months symptom free...then have to start all over again.

However.....it is important to stick at them and not forget to take them.....and that's hard as one of my more annoying problems (which is anxiety related) is my forgetfulness (hence the name!) and though i remember to give everyone else in the house their medicines...i do sometimes forget mine...or forget to get a prescription...run out....and because i am on quite a strong dose- unfortunately if i go 2 or 3 days without them....i do feel physically ill (i am told this is not addiction....but a rection to there suddenly being no drug in my system) so i guess this is why some people still worry about addiction....but i can see the logic that if you stop too fast -the body panics!!!

As far as other ways to help- you could try St Johns Wort.....but still be sensible as just cos it's herbal still stick to the dose!! I know this from my own experience...i tried taking it to 'boost' my prozac....and i became very light headed...so that shows it is powerful.....and when i had stopped the meds ready to try for a baby- i took st johns wort for 3 months and i'm sure it helped....important to take it for at least 2/3 months as it takes a while to get a obvious benefit.

finally....i swear by BACH'S RESCUE REMEDY...Its permanently in my reach for odd times when life still overwhelms me...a few drops under the tongue and i feel better. it's great for shock too.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! . What a great support mechanism this mumsnet is turning out to be. Also Mrs Forgetful, what can I say? I am so grateful for your honesty. I can identify with how you were feeling at your worst, so I cant tell you how much it helps reading your post. I have booked an appt to see the doc to discuss my feelings. I have been putting a stiff upper lip on it all for quite a while and have been told how marvellously (what a joke) i'm coping. Well its time to come out of the closet! Last couple of days I've been close to tears at the slightest thing and just feel I cant go on like this - the worst time is when I'm on my own with ds2 and he makes this mindless ya ya ya noise (my mind just drifts to all the possibilities and I cant tune that awful sound out). I feel quite strong when ds1 comes home from school and I'm living my normal (old) life, but as soon as I'm on my own again with ds2 my mood plummets. Quite good right now, but come the morning......(and God help me if its raining!!). Much as I want to resist, I do feel that now is the time for medication/action before it gets any worse.

That's great Merlot. You won't regret going to the doctor. The first hurdle seems to be accepting you need help and then actually going to get it. So well done for that!! (We all had to come out of the closet at some time - quite a feat!) When is your appointment?

Unfortunately with half term in the offing, couldn't be seen by `nice' GP until 3/11 (funnily enough I could have been seen by the insensitive GP (other thread) tomorrow - obviously he's in great demand!!!)

Will invest in some Bachs Rescue Remedy tomorrow to tide me over. My other strategy is to plan my days a bit better, so I'm going to be off out early tomorrow round the shops and am spending the afternoon with a friend, thus avoiding a whole day sitting at home feeling sorry for myself.

Merlot, really, really understand you feeling blue with ds2 and better when you've got ds1 too. I feel exactly the same. Somehow more semblance of reality with both children than just dd (as wonderful as she is) making dolphin noises and banging her tambourine! Sometimes when just with dd, I feel as if I am drowning. Such honesty on this board really helps those of us going through a rough time.

Good thinking - tackle it with action!! Like your style Merlot . Pity that the appt is a few weeks away, but great that you have made it. And obviously lots of people have the same opinion of 'that' doctor as you! Keep posting though to let us know how you are. xx

Planning your days sounds like a very good idea. I hate not having a plan, find I descend in to 'overthinking' mode.

LOL at the thought of your dd and her dolphin noises and my ds2 and his ya ya ya - ing, maybe we could make a top ten hit! Which is a nice way to end the evening. I'm off to bed with OK magazine (Is Heat better than OK? Got so insensed last week with Jade (BB3) moaning about how hard it is with two kids - her ds1 is no probs now because she can leave him sitting in the lounge, but newborn ds2 is so much more difficult because `I have to do his milk and stuff!')