Antidepressants suck

[Ghost2211]

I've been tapering down for 3 weeks, but I've been on it for 5 years. Ugh... insomnia, headaches, nausea, brain and limb zaps, vivid nightmares, mood swings, and my sex drive is off the charts high. I used to get complaints I don't sex enough. Now he's too tired and sore to handle any more.

They hand out these meds like candy, but don't really talk about how bad withdrawal can be if you've been on them a long time. I tapered slow and it's still bad. Thank goodness for mj, but yeah thats why I don't post much lately. Been trying to distract myself from withdrawal.

 

[Donk]

ive been on anti-d for a lot longer and i know how you feel. recently i had to switched from celexa to pristiq and i feel even worst now. been taking for 8 wks. feel like i wasted 8 wks of my life and i losing hope. im anxious all the time. going back to work is impossible at this time. going to see my psychiatrist tmr. hopefully he'll switch to a med that works.

 

[Ghost2211]

ive been on anti-d for a lot longer and i know how you feel. recently i had to switched from celexa to pristiq and i feel even worst now. been taking for 8 wks. feel like i wasted 8 wks of my life and i losing hope. im anxious all the time. going back to work is impossible at this time. going to see my psychiatrist tmr. hopefully he'll switch to a med that works.

That's rough. It's wild how hit and miss the meds are. Mine just stopped working one day. Funny how they think upping the dose and messing our brains up more is the right solution.

 

[Donk]

which one were you on?

 

[Ghost2211]

which one were you on?

Cymbalta

 

[Deleted member 1465]

Doctors prescribe these drugs irresponsibly. I've never encountered a doctor that told me the facts.
They don't tell you the likely side effects. Ask them and they are evasive. They don't tell you about tolerance and withdraw or how to taper. They most defiantly don't tell you about the long term cumulative effects on your metabolism and brain biochemistry.
There are potential benefits to these drugs. But it is unethical to not inform the patient of the drawbacks also, so that they can make an informed choice.
They assume that anyone with a mental health diagnosis can't choose for themselves and should just do what they are told.
Anyone being prescribed these drugs should ask about the likely side effects, how to come off them and any long term effects then go away and do your own research.

 

[Ulisses]

sucks. in addition to increasing or appetite, you wake up with no desire to do anything and a muscle weakness.

 

[Ghost2211]

Doctors prescribe these drugs irresponsibly. I've never encountered a doctor that told me the facts.
They don't tell you the likely side effects. Ask them and they are evasive. They don't tell you about tolerance and withdraw or how to taper. They most defiantly don't tell you about the long term cumulative effects on your metabolism and brain biochemistry.
There are potential benefits to these drugs. But it is unethical to not inform the patient of the drawbacks also, so that they can make an informed choice.
They assume that anyone with a mental health diagnosis can't choose for themselves and should just do what they are told.
Anyone being prescribed these drugs should ask about the likely side effects, how to come off them and any long term effects then go away and do your own research.

I agree very much so, and the first time I tried to get off of this med they made me table way too fast the pills only come in 10, 30 and 60. I failed miserably and getting off of it with the rate they suggested because it made me super suicidal to have the serotonin drop that heavy. This time around I took it into my own hands and I open the capsules and remove about 25% each week. I am at 1/3 capsule now, and I find if I drop below that I become heavily symptomatic. Hopefully I can decrease by 50% of the remaining 1/3 in the next few days.

 

[Epsilon0]

I hope you succeed! I recognize all too well every single symptom you describe.

Fight those f****ers!!!!

I am at my lowest dosage ever right now (25 mg Zoloft), and I hope to be able to taper off a bit more soon, but I am dreading the withdrawal as I've been on various ssri for a lot longer than you and it's always been hell trying to cut back.

Here's me rooting for you @RoseyBird !

 

[Donk]

its too late for me now but i wish i didnt take ssri and benzo when i was younger. but i still have a slight hope that there will be a med that will make feel better. i realize 100% recovery is impossible. i'll be happy with 50%. i want to be able to spend quality time with my wife and friends

 

[Ghost2211]

I hope you succeed! I recognize all too well every single symptom you describe.

Fight those f****ers!!!!

I am at my lowest dosage ever right now (25 mg Zoloft), and I hope to be able to taper off a bit more soon, but I am dreading the withdrawal as I've been on various ssri for a lot longer than you and it's always been hell trying to cut back.

Here's me rooting for you @RoseyBird !

Good luck my friend. I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to. The end of the road is in sight :)

its too late for me now but i wish i didnt take ssri and benzo when i was younger. but i still have a slight hope that there will be a med that will make feel better. i realize 100% recovery is impossible. i'll be happy with 50%. i want to be able to spend quality time with my wife and friends

Anti-depressants don't really fix the problem they just act as a Band-Aid. I think one of the biggest failings in my relationship was what the anti-depressants did to my sex drive. I literally could not get stimulation or have orgasm, and as a result I never wanted to do it. I think it made him feel bad about himself, and insecure. I think he is realizing now that the meds were the issue rather than my desire for him.

Marijuana at low doses has worked significantly better for me than antidepressants. I don't consume enough on a daily basis to get completely wasted, but it's enough to soften the world around me. Have you tried other avenues aside from medications? They can help, but they can also cause a lot of damage. I think the false hope they offer is sometimes worse than the fact that they don't work.

maybe spicing life up with your wife would make you happier. Taking the time at least once a week to plan a really fun activity for just the two of you. Perhaps better quality time or something to look forward to would add a little bit of sunshine to the day.

 

[Clut]

I hate psych drugs. I was given a cocktail by irresponsible lazy doctors and was worse off. Then they reprimanded me for gaining weight, whilst refusing to help me come off them. Waste of bloody time

 

[stevieu]

I've been tapering down for 3 weeks, but I've been on it for 5 years. Ugh... insomnia, headaches, nausea, brain and limb zaps, vivid nightmares, mood swings, and my sex drive is off the charts high. I used to get complaints I don't sex enough. Now he's too tired and sore to handle any more.

They hand out these meds like candy, but don't really talk about how bad withdrawal can be if you've been on them a long time. I tapered slow and it's still bad. Thank goodness for mj, but yeah thats why I don't post much lately. Been trying to distract myself from withdrawal.

Sex drive? What's that!? haha. I had the other similar side-effects when my Fluoxetine was increased, it was horrible. It seems to have eased off now though. It's a big thing coming off them/tapering down for sure. I ignored the advice and stopped suddenly once...not one of my best ideas.

Good luck!

 

[Deleted member 1465]

When I came off ssris I did the research myself because the docs advice was: don't.
I got my GP to prescribed the same amount of drug but twice as many tablets at half the dose. So, say 100 x 20mg instead of 50 x 40mg. That meant I could cut the tablets down to a half and a quarter and had enough to cover the range of doses.
If your doc won't help then they shouldn't complain if you turn to dependable sources on the Internet.
It really pisses me of when they switch you from drug to drug without tapering or explaining anything. They often don't understand what they are doing and have no respect for the medications they use or the patients they give them to.
It is never wrong to question or to be informed of the facts.

 

[Ghost2211]

Sex drive? What's that!? haha. I had the other similar side-effects when my Fluoxetine was increased, it was horrible. It seems to have eased off now though. It's a big thing coming off them/tapering down for sure. I ignored the advice and stopped suddenly once...not one of my best ideas.

Good luck!

Yeah one unfortunate and very common side effect of anti-depressants is decrease or illumination of sex drive, as well as decrease in sexual stimulation. That unfortunately tends to be a permanent side effect of the medication as long as one is on it.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

Lol apologies I'm on a ranting roll here but...
Side effects.
I hate this term. It literally marginalises the unwanted effects a drug gas on you. The clue is in the name.
They are not 'side effects' that should just be dismissed as a nuisance.
They happen due to very real unwanted changes in your body and brain from taking the drug.
Some of these changes may be short lived and some may be cumulative and long lived.
There is growing research to show that ssris impact your metabolism and cause permanent biochemical changes in the brain that actually make it more likely you will suffer from the very thing they are used to treat.
Feeling hungry? The drug is messing with your leptin and ghrelin levels. No sex drive? Messing with your sex hormones.
These 'side effects' aren't magical glitches that should be ignored, they are changes to your body that you should be informed about if you feel it is appropriate to take the medication.
I'm not against the use of psychoactive drugs. I'm against the irresponsible and uninformed use of psychoactive drugs.

 

[Donk]

Good luck my friend. I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to. The end of the road is in sight :)

Anti-depressants don't really fix the problem they just act as a Band-Aid. I think one of the biggest failings in my relationship was what the anti-depressants did to my sex drive. I literally could not get stimulation or have orgasm, and as a result I never wanted to do it. I think it made him feel bad about himself, and insecure. I think he is realizing now that the meds were the issue rather than my desire for him.

Marijuana at low doses has worked significantly better for me than antidepressants. I don't consume enough on a daily basis to get completely wasted, but it's enough to soften the world around me. Have you tried other avenues aside from medications? They can help, but they can also cause a lot of damage. I think the false hope they offer is sometimes worse than the fact that they don't work.

maybe spicing life up with your wife would make you happier. Taking the time at least once a week to plan a really fun activity for just the two of you. Perhaps better quality time or something to look forward to would add a little bit of sunshine to the day.

thanks for your advice. i spend too much time and energy worrying about getting better and not enough time being in the present moment. how much mj do you use daily?

 

[Ghost2211]

Lol apologies I'm on a ranting roll here but...
Side effects.
I hate this term. It literally marginalises the unwanted effects a drug gas on you. The clue is in the name.
They are not 'side effects' that should just be dismissed as a nuisance.
They happen due to very real unwanted changes in your body and brain from taking the drug.
Some of these changes may be short lived and some may be cumulative and long lived.
There is growing research to show that ssris impact your metabolism and cause permanent biochemical changes in the brain that actually make it more likely you will suffer from the very thing they are used to treat.
Feeling hungry? The drug is messing with your leptin and ghrelin levels. No sex drive? Messing with your sex hormones.
These 'side effects' aren't magical glitches that should be ignored, they are changes to your body that you should be informed about if you feel it is appropriate to take the medication.
I'm not against the use of psychoactive drugs. I'm against the irresponsible and uninformed use of psychoactive drugs.

The BS they feed you is that getting fat and getting no pleasure from sex are necessary casualties to cope with your depression and suicidal thoughts. Then again who would guess being overweight and unable to obtain orgasm would contribute to depression?

thanks for your advice. i spend too much time and energy worrying about getting better and not enough time being in the present moment. how much mj do you use daily?

I eat one gummy in the morning and then one in the afternoon. I am 110 pounds, but for whatever weird reason I have a freakishly high tolerance for marijuana. I assume if you're not looking to get smashed one gummy would do you good. They seem to cover me for about eight hours, sometimes less depending on how much I eat before taking it. It's wild how calm and OK I am on it, and how restless and sad I am off of it. I really wish anti-depressants had worked half as well.

 

[Epsilon0]

When I came off ssris I did the research myself because the docs advice was: don't.
I got my GP to prescribed the same amount of drug but twice as many tablets at half the dose. So, say 100 x 20mg instead of 50 x 40mg. That meant I could cut the tablets down to a half and a quarter and had enough to cover the range of doses.
If your doc won't help then they shouldn't complain if you turn to dependable sources on the Internet.
It really pisses me of when they switch you from drug to drug without tapering or explaining anything. They often don't understand what they are doing and have no respect for the medications they use or the patients they give them to.
It is never wrong to question or to be informed of the facts.

I resisted the idea of ssri and openly refused to take them for a long time, although several doctors recommended them.

In the end, I was so broken, and my illness had gotten so out of hand, I took myself to the ER and said: do whatever you want, I am willing to try anything. One of the meds I was prescribed (apart from painkillers and beta blockers) was Citalopram.

After a few years on Cita I started talking to my doctors about wanting to stop as I didn't want to develop an addiction.


All of them, all, a - l - l of them told me again and again one could not get addicted and that withdrawal was manageable if one followed the instructions for correct tapering off.

Now, my biggest question is: do doctors REALLY don't know how excruciating ssri withdrawal syndrome is? Or am I the one in a million who has the biggest bad luck?

Because each time I either switched ssri or tapered off, I went through hell. And my experience was light years away from the easy breezy description I received from medical professionals.

 

[Donk]

im wondering if it would be a good idea to taper of my anti-d after taking it for over 10 yrs. i feel shitty as is.

 

[Ghost2211]

im wondering if it would be a good idea to taper of my anti-d after taking it for over 10 yrs. i feel shitty as is.

Sometimes they stop working. Mine certainly did and I'm emotionally a lot better for getting off of it. If it's not helping you anymore then the side effects tend to not be worth it. If you ever do decide to taper off if you do it slow enough you generally don't have too much symptoms, and if you do you can always go up again

I resisted the idea of ssri and openly refused to take them for a long time, although several doctors recommended them.

In the end, I was so broken, and my illness had gotten so out of hand, I took myself to the ER and said: do whatever you want, I am willing to try anything. One of the meds I was prescribed (apart from painkillers and beta blockers) was Citalopram.

After a few years on Cita I started talking to my doctors about wanting to stop as I didn't want to develop an addiction.


All of them, all, a - l - l of them told me again and again one could not get addicted and that withdrawal was manageable if one followed the instructions for correct tapering off.

Now, my biggest question is: do doctors REALLY don't know how excruciating ssri withdrawal syndrome is? Or am I the one in a million who has the biggest bad luck?

Because each time I either switched ssri or tapered off, I went through hell. And my experience was light years away from the easy breezy description I received from medical professionals.

How slowly did you taper off? The longer you are on these medications the harder it is to get off of them. Someone who is only on for a couple of months can taper pretty fast, but someone who is on for a number of years could take several months to get off of them if you want to avoid withdrawl.

 

[Donk]

I resisted the idea of ssri and openly refused to take them for a long time, although several doctors recommended them.

In the end, I was so broken, and my illness had gotten so out of hand, I took myself to the ER and said: do whatever you want, I am willing to try anything. One of the meds I was prescribed (apart from painkillers and beta blockers) was Citalopram.

After a few years on Cita I started talking to my doctors about wanting to stop as I didn't want to develop an addiction.


All of them, all, a - l - l of them told me again and again one could not get addicted and that withdrawal was manageable if one followed the instructions for correct tapering off.

Now, my biggest question is: do doctors REALLY don't know how excruciating ssri withdrawal syndrome is? Or am I the one in a million who has the biggest bad luck?

Because each time I either switched ssri or tapered off, I went through hell. And my experience was light years away from the easy breezy description I received from medical professionals.

i doubt you are the only one. for some reason doctors are very ignorant of withdraw symptoms. for example benzos are given out like candies but doctors never talk about how difficult it is to taper of them. thank the big pharmas

 

[Epsilon0]

i doubt you are the only one. for some reason doctors are very ignorant of withdraw symptoms. for example benzos are given out like candies but doctors never talk about how difficult it is to taper of them. thank the big pharmas

Given out like candies.... Sad but true.

The sadder part yet being, of course, that one reads about the bad effects sugar has on one's health on a daily basis.

But anti-depp withdrawal?

Sometimes they stop working. Mine certainly did and I'm emotionally a lot better for getting off of it. If it's not helping you anymore then the side effects tend to not be worth it. If you ever do decide to taper off if you do it slow enough you generally don't have too much symptoms, and if you do you can always go up again

How slowly did you taper off? The longer you are on these medications the harder it is to get off of them. Someone who is only on for a couple of months can taper pretty fast, but someone who is on for a number of years could take several months to get off of them if you want to avoid withdrawl.

Very slowly: low dosages over periods of months (not weeks as suggested by the doctors). Apparently I am unusually sensitive.

 

[Ghost2211]

Given out like candies.... Sad but true.

The sadder part yet being, of course, that one reads about the bad effects sugar has on one's health on a daily basis.

But anti-depp withdrawal?



Very slowly: low dosages over periods of months (not weeks as suggested by the doctors). Apparently I am unusually sensitive.

In that case if you want to get off you just have to go through the wild ride. That's kind of what I'm doing at this point slow taper wasn't working, so I am just going to keep the course until it's done. I'd rather have a couple months of awful and have this out of my system forever. I am really sensitive to chemicals and hormonal changes in my body as well. It does suck, but the way I get through it is every time I lay down to go to sleep I think about the fact that my body is recovering a bit while I sleep, and when I wake up my body will be that much more recuperated from getting off of the medication

 

[Deleted member 1465]

Unfortunately its different for everybody and dependent on lots of factors how you come of them.
That's why you need a doctor's help. You shouldn't have to turn to the Internet to advise you.
Unfortunately, many doctors seem to have escaped from the seventies in the Muppet Show.

 

[BlackPoppet]

Doctors prescribe these drugs irresponsibly. I've never encountered a doctor that told me the facts.
They don't tell you the likely side effects. Ask them and they are evasive. They don't tell you about tolerance and withdraw or how to taper. They most defiantly don't tell you about the long term cumulative effects on your metabolism and brain biochemistry.
There are potential benefits to these drugs. But it is unethical to not inform the patient of the drawbacks also, so that they can make an informed choice.
They assume that anyone with a mental health diagnosis can't choose for themselves and should just do what they are told.
Anyone being prescribed these drugs should ask about the likely side effects, how to come off them and any long term effects then go away and do your own research.

Mirtazipine is bad for weight gain. The doctors never talk about side effects at all. They expect you to read the leaflet, that tells you about the side effects! They can abdicate responsibility then.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

This was the first thing that popped up on a Web search.

Relationship between SSRIs and Metabolic Syndrome Abnormalities in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Prospective Study

SSRIs are some of the most widely prescribed medications in the world. In addition to their effectiveness, SSRIs were reported to be associated with the side effects of weight gain, sexual dysfunction, drug interactions, extrapyramidal symptoms and discontinuation ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

But they won't tell you anything like this because you'll be afraid to take the drugs and they haven't got time to educate patients as to risk/reward assessment. Which is silly because patients then turn to Dr Google and take it into their own hands.

 

[Brackenshire]

Cymbalta

I just weaned off that after a very long time on...its a beotch

 

[Grandexit]

My question is, without measuring your brain chemistry, how do they know whick one is lacking? What other class of drugs can you just pick one at random, ajust the dose without supporting data, switch classes of drugs on a whim add complementary drugs.... with zero data on its effectiveness. Not one measurable level of efficiency. You cant do that with antibiotics. They take swabs and run blood tests. But things that damage the very makeup of your brain are chosen at random, with observation and guesses as a standard of care.

 

[Donk]

My question is, without measuring your brain chemistry, how do they know whick one is lacking? What other class of drugs can you just pick one at random, ajust the dose without supporting data, switch classes of drugs on a whim add complementary drugs.... with zero data on its effectiveness. Not one measurable level of efficiency. You cant do that with antibiotics. They take swabs and run blood tests. But things that damage the very makeup of your brain are chosen at random, with observation and guesses as a standard of care.

gene testing can be done to determine which med is the most effective for an individual