Help Do you believe that antidepressants help?

[Fadeawaaaay]

When I first discovered antidepressants 25 years ago they were a godsend. But, as most people note, they should be accompanied by affective talk therapy. And there's a danger that anti-depressants mask deeper issues that need addressing. For me, they turned out to be a powerful coping mechanism. But they also allow me to fool myself into thinking things were going relatively OK. And they jacked up my mood a bit too much. Ultimately the house of cards came crashing down.

 

[Misery99]

In my case, antidepressants only gives me a temporary relief because the causes of my depression are childhood trauma, heartbreak, disappointments,broken dreams etc.

 

[demuic]

You'd be better off taking a sugar pill.

 

[Johnhawk_Down]

I've never properly tried or been prescribed antidepressants since I knew I'd OD on them, but would probably stay alive and then I'd just have people knowing to keep an eye on me and be worse off for my plans. So in that way I can't speak of them. I love the drunkenness of alcohol though, I hate the taste but that state of being free for a while of all the negativity is what's addicting. At my present I can't give alcohol up, but in my case I know it would very rarely make me reach out to anyone I don't want to, and even if I did I know I'm to a point with her that it doesn't matter, and any hurt I feel won't compare to anything else. She won't even know when I'm gone in the end, so also why care if I break my word to myself and talk to her? It'll die quickly and make me hate myself more so it might even help me in wanting to go lol Gonna make a topic about this actually hahaha

Anywayssss, in your case I don't know how long you've had the antidepressants but I'd try them longer and avoid alcohol at this point if you know it might make you reach out and you can't do that with him. You'll need to give it more time until you get to a point when you can trust yourself more not to do that. For pills you kind of have to give it longer to see how it goes, they may not work but you don't know unless you use them as prescribed and see. If your friends are still around maybe try forcing yourself to reach out and get involved? It's an amazing thing to still have them whether or not they invite you, so maybe you can try to work up the courage to invite them. I know it's hard, so just thoughts. Maybe dote on your cat more. Just try to distract yourself short term. Keep busy. Keeping busy is what's helped me with the one stuck on in head. I can't message her if I literally have no free time. If you don't like your job, fill your time with looking into other jobs. Get outside weather-permitting. Etc etc. Just thoughts, best wishes with things and I can relate with really missing someone and not truly being able to move on. It hurts so much, I hope you can find some ways to lessen this pain.

You might vomit or have convulsions, lethality is low, one in particular might.
In my experience if you have had messed up, stressful real life problems, no, they can in fact make you worse, Escitalopram (Lexapro) are black labelled in some countries for bringing about suicidal thoughts, Brentellix (Vortioxetine) another one I would be wary of, made me worse, let's see,Bluefish (Mirtazapine) just made me agitated and gave me restless leg syndrome.

 

[indigomoon]

I do. But the problem is in finding one that will work for you in particular and also finding a therapeutic dose. Those reasons combined with the fact that they can take several weeks to start working make taking them such a pain in the a$$. I'm supposed to be on some but I choose not to be because of side effects. Probably not the smartest decision but it is what it is.

 

[Jacket]

I took Mirtazapine/Remeron for close to a year. It helped short term, until I had developed a resistance to it and had to increase the dosage for it to work again. I did that a few times before weaning off it.
The thing with antidepressants is that they work completely different with each person. So if/how they work is a complete gamble and just down to luck or genetics. With headache medication, it's simple. You have a headache, you take a pill, the headache's gone. At least in the vast majority of cases. With antidepressants like Mirtazapine or Citalopram, it can make your condition better or it can make your condition worse in all degrees of severity, or it can just not work at all. The list of possible side effects is not only extremely long but also extremely diverse, anything from slight headache to outright scary shit.
I am not against trying out medication, but you should be aware of its possible dangers and that, standing by itself, is not a long-term solution.

 

[Ethereal Knight]

it doesn't make any sense to use "antidepressants" (sic) to treat depression, because depression is not caused by a lack of drugs.

trying to find the root-causes is always better than putting band-aids on stuff.

of course they're gonna sell you the idea of drugs, 'cause that what gives profits for the pharmaceutical industry.

many studies compared the antidepressant effect of some other stuff with the effect of AD drugs, i.e. there was a paper that showed aerobical physical exercise ("cardio") on an elyptical bike at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes a couple of times a week, to be more effective than the most prescribed ADs of the world at improving depression, but that's not gonna make into the headlines of the newspaper or become popular strategy between doctors, because it cannot be turned into huge and easy profits like drugs can.

have you ever wondered why they don't ask people to drop sugar, flour, seed oils and junk food… and supplement vitamin D, magnesium and omega 3s… and why they didn't create ways for depressive people to get social connection (like sports and group activities like gardening, walking together in nature etc)…?
even though these things are shown to improve depression…
it's because there's no profit to be made there. that would actually hurt profits. they want people to be hooked eternally on their prescription substances.

our society is shaped by money, but people haven't realized yet the extent of this.

they found ways to influence scientific research and to change what universities teach, right in front of our nose.

we live in a terrible world, but that's too hard of a pill to swallow for most people.

I took Mirtazapine/Remeron for close to a year. It helped short term, until I had developed a resistance to it and had to increase the dosage for it to work again. I did that a few times before weaning off it.

hi!

I'm thinking about starting mirtazapine, but the goal for me is to improve sleep quality and duration.
I don't even mind if it doesn't work for depression, as long as my sleep is significantly improved. I also don't mind if I gain weight or feel fatiqued during the day.

did you go all the way up the maximum dose of 45mg?

was mirt lossing its effect regarding your sleep too? was your sleep starting to get worse with time, or in other words, was your body building tolerance to the "part of mirt" that improved sleep?

I'm sorry to bother you, I'm very thankful if you can help!

my appointment is next week and the doctor is very cool, he literally gives me any drug that I ask him. like most psychiatrists, he looks more like a drug-dealer than like an actual doctor lol. I'm split between mirtazapine and doxepin 6mg. the latter is a mild sleep aid with almost zero side effects, something that I'd keep at home to only use rarely, just when my C-PTSD is triggered and I really need some extra sedation to make through a night and rest.

I had a similar experience like you described, but it was with amitriptyline and it took more than 3 years for my body to develop significant tolerance to it.

after trying many things, I feel like most drugs that improve sleep tend to become weaker overtime or even to stop working - which could be a sign in my opinion: it could be destiny pushing us towards more natural solutions…

 

[twilightfairy]

For me, no. I've been on anti depressants for 25 years and still feel like crap. Ect helped for a short time but it didn't last long

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

No they didn't help me caused me damage

What kind of damage?

 

[Jacket]

hi!

I'm thinking about starting mirtazapine, but the goal for me is to improve sleep quality and duration.
I don't even mind if it doesn't work for depression, as long as my sleep is significantly improved. I also don't mind if I gain weight or feel fatiqued during the day.

did you go all the way up the maximum dose of 45mg?

was mirt lossing its effect regarding your sleep too? was your sleep starting to get worse with time, or in other words, was your body building tolerance to the "part of mirt" that improved sleep?

I'm sorry to bother you, I'm very thankful if you can help!

my appointment is next week and the doctor is very cool, he literally gives me any drug that I ask him. like most psychiatrists, he looks more like a drug-dealer than like an actual doctor lol. I'm split between mirtazapine and doxepin 6mg. the latter is a mild sleep aid with almost zero side effects, something that I'd keep at home to only use rarely, just when my C-PTSD is triggered and I really need some extra sedation to make through a night and rest.

I had a similar experience like you described, but it was with amitriptyline and it took more than 3 years for my body to develop significant tolerance to it.

after trying many things, I feel like most drugs that improve sleep tend to become weaker overtime or even to stop working - which could be a sign in my opinion: it could be destiny pushing us towards more natural solutions…

Hey. No, I never went up to 45mg, because I figured just going higher and higher on the dosages would only help in the short-term, if at all. One pill is 15mg and I went 7,5mg->15mg->22,5mg->30mg daily before bed. Mirtazapine is a sedative antidepressant and is even used as a sleeping aid. Of course those are just my own experiences, but when I started Mirtazapine, even half a pill had me out like a light in 15 minutes tops. It almost worked too well to the point where I was extremely tired/sedated well until like 16:00. Not gonna lie, it felt pretty good, you sleep like a stone at night and are pretty chill during the day. Also, you get the Mirtazapine dreams, very long, clear, vivid and (sometimes) crazy dreams. I did not even had one of the many possible side effects, at least none that I noticed. But yes, after a while it lost effectiveness, so I had to increase the dosage to properly sleep again. After I reached the 30mg dosage I also noticed that I developed pretty bad withdrawal symptoms if I did not take it, even if I was just a few hours late. If you think you can take it for a prolonged period of time and then just stop cold turkey, forget it. I had to wean it off and gradually decrease the dosage over a period of multiple months. So as a sleeping aid/sedative, I would say it is extremely effective, but be aware of the possible side-effects.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

When I first discovered antidepressants 25 years ago they were a godsend. But, as most people note, they should be accompanied by affective talk therapy. And there's a danger that anti-depressants mask deeper issues that need addressing. For me, they turned out to be a powerful coping mechanism. But they also allow me to fool myself into thinking things were going relatively OK. And they jacked up my mood a bit too much. Ultimately the house of cards came crashing down.

I'm sorry you had that experience. Yes, I am doing psychotherapy as well.

In my case, antidepressants only gives me a temporary relief because the causes of my depression are childhood trauma, heartbreak, disappointments,broken dreams etc.

I'm sorry to hear that.

I do. But the problem is in finding one that will work for you in particular and also finding a therapeutic dose. Those reasons combined with the fact that they can take several weeks to start working make taking them such a pain in the a$$. I'm supposed to be on some but I choose not to be because of side effects. Probably not the smartest decision but it is what it is.

Yes, supposedly they only really take effect after 2 weeks. I'm taking sertralina. And I haven't had any side effects.

I took Mirtazapine/Remeron for close to a year. It helped short term, until I had developed a resistance to it and had to increase the dosage for it to work again. I did that a few times before weaning off it.
The thing with antidepressants is that they work completely different with each person. So if/how they work is a complete gamble and just down to luck or genetics. With headache medication, it's simple. You have a headache, you take a pill, the headache's gone. At least in the vast majority of cases. With antidepressants like Mirtazapine or Citalopram, it can make your condition better or it can make your condition worse in all degrees of severity, or it can just not work at all. The list of possible side effects is not only extremely long but also extremely diverse, anything from slight headache to outright scary shit.
I am not against trying out medication, but you should be aware of its possible dangers and that, standing by itself, is not a long-term solution.

I agree.

it doesn't make any sense to use "antidepressants" (sic) to treat depression, because depression is not caused by a lack of drugs.

trying to find the root-causes is always better than putting band-aids on stuff.

of course they're gonna sell you the idea of drugs, 'cause that what gives profits for the pharmaceutical industry.

many studies compared the antidepressant effect of some other stuff with the effect of AD drugs, i.e. there was a paper that showed aerobical physical exercise ("cardio") on an elyptical bike at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes a couple of times a week, to be more effective than the most prescribed ADs of the world at improving depression, but that's not gonna make into the headlines of the newspaper or become popular strategy between doctors, because it cannot be turned into huge and easy profits like drugs can.

our society is shaped by money, but people haven't realized yet the extent of this.

they found ways to influence scientific research and to change what universities teach, right in front of our nose.

we live in a terrible world, but that's too hard of a pill to swallow for most people.



hi!

I'm thinking about starting mirtazapine, but the goal for me is to improve sleep quality and duration.
I don't even mind if it doesn't work for depression, as long as my sleep is significantly improved. I also don't mind if I gain weight or feel fatiqued during the day.

did you go all the way up the maximum dose of 45mg?

was mirt lossing its effect regarding your sleep too? was your sleep starting to get worse with time, or in other words, was your body building tolerance to the "part of mirt" that improved sleep?

I'm sorry to bother you, I'm very thankful if you can help!

my appointment is next week and the doctor is very cool, he literally gives me any drug that I ask him. like most psychiatrists, he looks more like a drug-dealer than like an actual doctor lol. I'm split between mirtazapine and doxepin 6mg. the latter is a mild sleep aid with almost zero side effects, something that I'd keep at home to only use rarely, just when my C-PTSD is triggered and I really need some extra sedation to make through a night and rest.

I had a similar experience like you described, but it was with amitriptyline and it took more than 3 years for my body to develop significant tolerance to it.

after trying many things, I feel like most drugs that improve sleep tend to become weaker overtime or even to stop working - which could be a sign in my opinion: it could be destiny pushing us towards more natural solutions…

Thank you for your reply. I understand your perspective. I hope you find a sleep solution. I also have trouble sleeping.

For me, no. I've been on anti depressants for 25 years and still feel like crap. Ect helped for a short time but it didn't last long

I'm sorry to hear that. Are you looking for other alternatives?

You'd be better off taking a sugar pill.

So you think it's just a placebo effect?

 

[Ethereal Knight]

Hey. No, I never went up to 45mg, because I figured just going higher and higher on the dosages would only help in the short-term, if at all. One pill is 15mg and I went 7,5mg->15mg->22,5mg->30mg daily before bed. Mirtazapine is a sedative antidepressant and is even used as a sleeping aid. Of course those are just my own experiences, but when I started Mirtazapine, even half a pill had me out like a light in 15 minutes tops. It almost worked too well to the point where I was extremely tired/sedated well until like 16:00. Not gonna lie, it felt pretty good, you sleep like a stone at night and are pretty chill during the day. Also, you get the Mirtazapine dreams, very long, clear, vivid and (sometimes) crazy dreams. I did not even had one of the many possible side effects, at least none that I noticed. But yes, after a while it lost effectiveness, so I had to increase the dosage to properly sleep again. After I reached the 30mg dosage I also noticed that I developed pretty bad withdrawal symptoms if I did not take it, even if I was just a few hours late. If you think you can take it for a prolonged period of time and then just stop cold turkey, forget it. I had to wean it off and gradually decrease the dosage over a period of multiple months. So as a sleeping aid/sedative, I would say it is extremely effective, but be aware of the possible side-effects.

thank you so much for your answer. that was very helpful.

you said that it lost its effectiveness as a sleep aid, and that you had to increase the dose to properly sleep again…
but you concluded saying that it's an extremely effective sleep aid…
if it loses its effectiveness over time, then it's a bad sleep aid, isn't it?

if I was gonna start a drug that would stop working one year later, then I wouldn't even start it. I'd judge that as a bad cost:benefit ratio, 'cause it's too much effort for something that is only gonna work temporarily anyway…

 

[Jacket]

thank you so much for your answer. that was very helpful.

you said that it lost its effectiveness as a sleep aid, and that you had to increase the dose to properly sleep again…
but you concluded saying that it's an extremely effective sleep aid…
if it loses its effectiveness over time, then it's a bad sleep aid, isn't it?

if I was gonna start a drug that would stop working one year later, then I wouldn't even start it. I'd judge that as a bad cost:benefit ratio, 'cause it's too much effort for something that is only gonna work temporarily anyway…

Yes, maybe I worded it a bit weird. When it works it is extremely effective. But if you want it to continue working as well as it does, you would have to increase the dosage over time. Again, that was my own experience only, some people may very well take a single pill with great effect for years, if not decades on end.

 

[Ednospatient]

I've been on antidepressants for 6 years and don't notice a difference anymore.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

I've been on antidepressants for 6 years and don't notice a difference anymore.

Have you considered changing the medication?

 

[.............]

Depends entirely on the person. Some people improve a lot with antidepressants. Some people don't. I took antidepressants for a while and yes, they weren't strong ones, but they didn't help me exactly.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

Depends entirely on the person. Some people improve a lot with antidepressants. Some people don't. I took antidepressants for a while and yes, they weren't strong ones, but they didn't help me exactly.

So what helps you?

 

[.............]

So what helps you?

To be honest, I've just been wallowing in my own misery lol
I usually just let small day-to-day distractions keep me sane before the mental illness kicks in and I start crying again

 

[unkuto]

I've took variety of anti-depressants and sedatives over last 5 years from strongest prescription ones to some weak.
I have a medical card in the psy hospital meaning I can just come there any time I want without any appointment, talk to a doctor and get another prescription hassles free.

From my experience they don't really "work". They are not just magic pills who can remove all your problems and help you with.
Maybe it could help with some minor stress and not serious issues. But if you already on this forum I doubt anti-depressants can do you any good except making you sleepy and passive. At least they never helped me.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

To be honest, I've just been wallowing in my own misery lol
I usually just let small day-to-day distractions keep me sane before the mental illness kicks in and I start crying again

I understand you perfectly. It's horrible to feel this way. No one deserves it. For me what really started to help me were the pills. Have you considered psychotherapy? Anyway, If you ever want to vent or just chat you can always send me PM :)

 

[.............]

I understand you perfectly. It's horrible to feel this way. No one deserves it. For me what really started to help me were the pills. Have you considered psychotherapy? Anyway, If you ever want to vent or just chat you can always send me PM :)

Honestly been considering therapy, but kind of hesitant because I feel like I make my family spend so much on me. Also thank you so much!

 

[Cathy Ames]

Honestly been considering therapy, but kind of hesitant because I feel like I make my family spend so much on me. Also thank you so much!

I hope you will do it. I think the younger a person is when they get help, the more likely it is that the help will actually freaking HELP.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

Honestly been considering therapy, but kind of hesitant because I feel like I make my family spend so much on me. Also thank you so much!

You're welcome :) I hope things turn around for you.

I hope you will do it. I think the younger a person is when they get help, the more likely it is that the help will actually freaking HELP.

Indeed

 

[Cathy Ames]

I had a nervous break down and took them about 30 years ago and have been On them ever since. They helped me reach a state of Moderate functioning. But I think they amped me up and created a sense of false security let bigger problems fester. Maybe as a short term solution along with a very skilled talk therapist. Also be careful about taking the wrong medicine which can really screw you up. It's a complicated method of trial and error and house of mirrors where it's easy to lose track of reality. I certainly did. I stopped taking antidepressants Cold about four or five days ago and weirdly I feel better.

@Glovkenspiel how is it going now that more time has passed? Did you have discontinuation syndrome? Did your depression worsen from manageable to intolerable? I hope you have continued to feel better.

 

[Al_stargate]

Talked to a shrink today and she pretty much agrees, antidepressants don't do much. It's more of a placebo effect and plea to authority fallacy. Because a doctor prescribed it, then it must be true. It might help to calm down a bit and makes it bit easier to cope for people with chemical imbalance in the brain. People who are depressed because of life issues, it's not gonna make you feel any better, just duller and zoned out. I personally hate that feeling.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

Talked to a shrink today and she pretty much agrees, antidepressants don't do much. It's more of a placebo effect and plea to authority fallacy. Because a doctor prescribed it, then it must be true. It might help to calm down a bit and makes it bit easier to cope for people with chemical imbalance in the brain. People who are depressed because of life issues, it's not gonna make you feel any better, just duller and zoned out. I personally hate that feeling.

I understand. t's a bit of a controversial subject. I found this site interesting: https://www.talkspace.com/blog/how-does-depression-affect-the-brain/

 

[Fadeawaaaay]

@Glovkenspiel how is it going now that more time has passed? Did you have discontinuation syndrome? Did your depression worsen from manageable to intolerable? I hope you have continued to feel better.

I feel better without the antidepressants. They were generic and made me foggy.
Stopping them cold turkey, I didn't suffer any syndrome, oddly. But my situation is somewhat low stress as I'm just laying on my couch all day doing nothing, interacting with no one.
Don't even feel "depressed" though my circumstances are apocalyptic.
Thanks for your well wishes.

 

[Eternity]

They might help, but it's different for everyone. The search for the right one may take a while and still you have no guarantee it will work. This can be exhausting because you've got hope each time you try one.

I tried several. SSRI's did help for depressio, but only just 3-4 months. After that the effect was gone and I got depressed again.
Last year I tried Wellbutrin, this was absolute horror. Within a week my suicidal thoughts increased, I felt agitated all day, got severe panic attacks and ended up in psych ward. After 6 weeks I stopped taking them.

Since last week I'm on Clomipramine (TCA). Only 16 hours after taking the first pill, I started shaking/convulsing like crazy and fainted. Woke up on te floor lying on my side. At first I had no idea what happend and where I was. I called my psych and she was a bit shocked I fainted, most likely I got low blood pressure from the Clomipramine which is a known side effect. I still take them, but I do have horrible side effects like headache, blurry vision, tremors all over my body and dizziness.
It better starts working the next couple of weeks. I'm willing to have a headache for the rest of my life as long as the fucking depression/panic attacks disappear.

Anyone else who has experience with tricyclic antidepressants (TCA)?

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

They might help, but it's different for everyone. The search for the right one may take a while and still you have no guarantee it will work. This can be exhausting because you've got hope each time you try one.

I tried several. SSRI's did help for depressio, but only just 3-4 months. After that the effect was gone and I got depressed again.
Last year I tried Wellbutrin, this was absolute horror. Within a week my suicidal thoughts increased, I felt agitated all day, got severe panic attacks and ended up in psych ward. After 6 weeks I stopped taking them.

Since last week I'm on Clomipramine (TCA). Only 16 hours after taking the first pill, I started shaking/convulsing like crazy and fainted. Woke up on te floor lying on my side. At first I had no idea what happend and where I was. I called my psych and she was a bit shocked I fainted, most likely I got low blood pressure from the Clomipramine which is a known side effect. I still take them, but I do have horrible side effects like headache, blurry vision, tremors all over my body and dizziness.
It better starts working the next couple of weeks. I'm willing to have a headache for the rest of my life as long as the fucking depression/panic attacks disappear.

Anyone else who has experience with tricyclic antidepressants (TCA)?

How horrible. I take sertraline and have had no side effects.

 

[Cathy Ames]

Anyone else who has experience with tricyclic antidepressants (TCA)?

Yes. I had an allergic reaction to one of them, and a different one gave me a scary arrhythmia, so I had to discontinue taking it.