Help Anti Depressants help with Suicidal Thoughts?

[SantasHelper]

Sorry if this isn't the right forum to ask. I was wondering if Anti-Depressants has helped anyone with suicidal thoughts or lessen their depression? I've been talking about it with a close friend and they're telling me not to because it made them worse. How it's a cycle of being dependent on them, having to constantly switch them out, etc. But I've also talked to another close friend that has said taking Anti-Depressants has helped them a lot, and even saved their life.

I guess I'm asking for advice on if it's helped anybody here. I'm a bit hesitant

 

[macrocosm]

Sertraline helped reduce MDD symptoms for me

 

[cactusflower]

Im currently taking Prozac for only about a month. I've only seen a mild improvement but I definitely feel something is different. Gonna stay on it another month and see how it goes, I've heard with a lot of SSRIs it takes a little while for them to start working effectively.

 

[harrypotter6784]

It's different for everyone. Research shows that antidepressants help some people (like 50%, I think).

I've tried over 12 meds though, and not one made a dent in my depression. There's also risks of side effects which are glossed over by doctors, including the possibility of permanent neurological changes like lessened ability to feel pleasure and sex drive.

If I were you I'd leave it as a last resort.

 

[SantasHelper]

It's different for everyone. Research shows that antidepressants help some people (like 50%, I think).

I've tried over 12 meds though, and not one made a dent in my depression. There's also risks of side effects which are glossed over by doctors, including the possibility of permanent neurological changes like lessened ability to feel pleasure and sex drive.

If I were you I'd leave it as a last resort.

I feel like it is a last resort honestly. I've tried a lot of things. I've made a lot of changes to my diet and lifestyle, if anything I say my life is ok. I struggle really bad with depression and suicidal thoughts, for no reason basically.

 

[Deo volente]

I feel like it is a last resort honestly. I've tried a lot of things. I've made a lot of changes to my diet and lifestyle, if anything I say my life is ok. I struggle really bad with depression and suicidal thoughts, for no reason basically.

I have been on quite a few and in my experience they can help with feelings but not beliefs. I am currently on Sertraline and it probably has worked the best for me (also been on Wellbutrin, Mirtazapine, Escitalopram, Lamotrigine at different times). During my most recent relapse, I was in pretty consistent severe emotional distress and wanted to die to escape it. Being on the medication has definitely brought my emotional state into a much less distressed place but all of the hopelessness and self-loathing is still there. It's like I still hate myself and living but I just don't care about it as much anymore. I feel like I want to die still, but I don't feel so fucking anguished that I feel like I need to die. I would say if you don't have this emotional urgency to your suicidality, therapy is probably going to help you more with the intellectual side of things. But that is just my experience.

Medications work slowly and subtly, at least for me, but, depending on what other options you have and how bad you feel, it could be worth it. They certainly aren't good for your health in the abstract and I definitely think Wellbutrin and Lamotrigine in particular fucked with me long term but at the end of the day you just have to weigh pros and cons. Everyone has such disparate experiences you should really just consult a psychiatrist/doctor about it specifically. Also, if you haven't tried it, therapy can help a lot, without so much of the risks of medications/psychedelics.

 

[codedarchaeologist]

Antidepressants are associated with an increase in suicidal thoughts in adolescents and young adults, as shown by this umbrella review study. The study points out that the medications venlafaxine and paroxetine are thought to have a higher risk than other medications. If you're interested, I recommend reading the article. Note that this is about teens and young adults; this study says that there is no clear link between suicidal thoughts and antidepressants use in adults, so your age is a factor.

 

[SantasHelper]

Antidepressants are associated with an increase in suicidal thoughts in adolescents and young adults, as shown by this umbrella review study. The study points out that the medications venlafaxine and paroxetine are thought to have a higher risk than other medications. If you're interested, I recommend reading the article. Note that this is about teens and young adults; this study says that there is no clear link between suicidal thoughts and antidepressants use in adults, so your age is a factor.

I assume it'll probably impact me. If it makes a difference I'm 20 nearly 21. Dang

 

[jigsaw_falling]

it's different for everyone, for me anti depressants haven't directly helped with less suicidal ideation, but they've helped in other ways, which does make the urge to ctb less strong.

i'm not very experienced with antidepressants, have only been taking 20mg of fluoxetine (prozac) for about a month, mainly for anxiety but also depression.

my anxiety is very severe, and i often have panic attacks in school, and experience depersonalisation because of how bad the anxiety gets.
but since i've been on antidepressants, i don't reach such a high level of anxiety, and am just generally a bit more comfortable around others, and honestly, a bit more hopeful.

like i said, anti depressants are different for everyone, and there's many different ones that may effect you very differently, but for me, they've helped, and i've been paying close attention to how they effect me, in case they make me feel worse so i can't go off them. if you choose to start antidepressants, i recommend monitoring yourself, maybe writing down any changes?

 

[jruo]

After being off antidepressants from moving to a different state and having trouble getting more, for over a year now. I have to say, it helped numb me to the "reality" of my situation and kept my mind occupied, it only was a passing thought every now and then.
after being off them though, it's significantly worse, it's constantly all I think about, I can barely function.

 

[LittleJem]

yes, mine were very loud like a repetitive voice in my head before fluoxetine. Now they are much quieter.

 

[Goukan「強姦」]

ITS A 80/20 % chances for me. I am nerodivergent so I have hypersensitive to medication which often left me screaming at 1am in the morning from hutter pain or literally made me actually attempt because the side effects of suicidality were just THAT strong.

But after they kind realized how I worked they prescribed me 25mg of Seroquel at first to numb out kinda alot of my hypersensitivity and later on put me on citalopram and when I felt better I when off the anti-psychotic (Seroquel) now after like 6month of Citalopram I see clear improvement in my suicidal ideation even tho I still suffer CLEARLY with mental illness

 

[LittleJem]

right now fluoxetine plus lithium 20 mg fluoxetine, 250 mg lithum). One day so far - no suicidal thoughts. Relieved.

Never know how long reprieve gives me but woke up this AM without my usual strangulation fantasy. Amazing.

 

[AshClouds]

max dose of wellbutrin, still suicide thoughts and planning

 

[LittleJem]

me on the lithium - need to pee so often. suicidal thoughts less bad but still there and don't want to be alive.

 

[fakeimportance]

I have to be honest I was so anti medication, I outright refused it so many times, because I truly believed it was just like putting a plaster on a deeply infected cut. But you know what... sometimes a plaster isn't bad because at least it stops you from bleeding.

It doesn't get to the core of your issue, but it neutralises and settles your mind enough to be able to do the work. For many years I did the work and couldn't apply it no matter how hard I tried.

Out of desperation, and being threatened with A&E, I did accept anti depressants this time and tbh I regret not taking them sooner. It saved me, either my life or from a very impulsive suicide attempt that could have paralysed me for life. I just can't put into words the sheer relief when your mind feels well, after so long dealing with mental illness that almost feels like poison.

I'm on 75mg sertraline + 20mg propranolol by the way

 

[mosai1que]

For me it makes my feelings much less intense, which can be helpful for therapy which then can help with depression. i dont think meds alone can fix depression but i think they can make recovery possible<3

 

[Little_Suzy]

I've tried every medication. Please consult with your doctor if you believe you need antidepressants.

They have varied effects on different people, and you must feel this for yourself.

Inquiring about people's mental health medications is akin to inquiring about their sexual lives. Everyone will give you a different response.

It's possible that you'll feel much better after taking antidepressants. Please consult your mental health team.

 

[todienomore]

Most of the pharma is addictive and/or neurotoxic. See this guy's work, its critical.

https://radicallygenuinepodcast.transistor.fm/

https://twitter.com/DrMcFillin

 

[bruised]

i've been on multiple antidepressants from quite a young age (sertraline, fluoxetine and venlafaxine + more i can't remember)
and personally they all made me feel very emotionally numb, the only one that helped for a short period was venlafaxine and even then i would only really feel the affects for 1-2 hours a day. since then i've stopped taking medication due to it not really working for me + weight gain.

it's completely different for everyone, i've known people where medication did indeed save their life such as your friend. i don't think there is any harm in trying if you think it's something you'd like to try, plus you can always stop if it doesn't work out for you. i found it pretty easy to stop as you just slowly decrease the dose over a few weeks. i wish you luck