Discussion Does SSRIs even work?

[Raichu]

In my case ngl, it has helped a little but as of yet the urge to die has not fully supressed. Anything slightly bad happens or goes against my predictions or plans, I start contemplating about suicide. This has been a pattern for a while now. I guess I am just lazy. But that however doesn't provide any answers for the wish to CTB.

 

[DepressedChemMajor]

In my case, I've tried both SSRIs and SNRIs. Nothing worked. SSRIs gave me some chronic side effects. Fuck SSRIs imo

 

[Raichu]

In my case, I've tried both SSRIs and SNRIs. Nothing worked. SSRIs gave me some chronic side effects. Fuck SSRIs imo

So sorry to hear that. Were you suffering from depression or any other serious psychological issue?

 

[DepressedChemMajor]

So sorry to hear that. Were you suffering from depression or any other serious psychological issue?

BPD, Clinical Dep, ADHD among other things

 

[Raichu]

BPD, Clinical Dep, ADHD among other things

I am really so sorry man. I truly feel for you.

 

[mortuarymary]

Venlafaxine helped me.

 

[jujuklam]

More or less depending on the person I think. They've had mixed results for me, still battling depression, dissociating and suicidal ideation just in milder less frequent forms

 

[SVEN]

Neither Fluoxetine nor Citalopram assisted me at all. In fact, Citalopram gave me weird perceptions and thoughts of violence and self harm.

 

[GuylumBardot]

For a lucky few they genuinely seem to work. Studies show that theyre not much better than placebo most of the time. For an unlucky few they can cause the hellish plague known as PSSD and permanently trash your brain and genitals. Swell.

 

[dinosavr]

Venlafaxine started working at dose 225 mg and it's probably the reason why I'm still alive

 

[Praestat_Mori]

Anything slightly bad happens or goes against my predictions or plans, I start contemplating about suicide. This has been a pattern for a while now. I guess I am just lazy. But that however doesn't provide any answers for the wish to CTB.

I think that is the answer for the wish to CTB. Idk anything about your situation and circumstances but to consider CTB they must be very bad already and when only small things that don't work out well again trigger it it must be a very bad situation for you. I can relate to this. Small things that don't work well can make me very suicidal.

The meds (or therapy) won't do much unless you can eliminate the triggers imo.

 

[roku6]

Only 1 pill of an SSRI caused terrible tinnitus for me which did not go away after stopping the medication. Doctors deny such thing could happen.
After I tried several meds SNRI, TCA, atypical , none of them did anything at all for major depression and anhedonia.

 

[cold_severance]

no, its all just placebo anyway. and even for those people on whom drugs work, it depends on the person who prescribes drugs, not the drugs themselves.

 

[bee_bee]

SSRI's can absolutely work. But they almost can never work on their own. You need behavioral therapy, either CBT or DBT. It also takes time to find the correct mixture of drugs that will allow you to succeed in therapy but even that isn't a free pass, you still have to apply what you learn in therapy to every day life. You have conditioned yourself to turn to suicidal ideation whenever something doesn't go the way that you feel it should. No amount of drugs will stop that from happening. You must uncondition your brain to stop doing that. It's extremely hard work. I myself have had many successes in therapy and I worked my ass off to get there. But ultimately, there were just too many barriers for me to overcome and accept. Nothing will work if you don't try. And that's a decision only you can make. Whatever you choose, whether that be to continue on this path (which is the path of least resistance, it's painful and suffering but it's comfortable and known), or decide to CTB, or decide to put in work to change the status quo, I wish you the best of luck and sending good vibes your way.

 

[ZoloftSüchtig]

Zoloft had helped me with my ocd at first but now it doesn't anymore but I can't quit because if I quit I have horrible withdrawals and basically I'm Zoloft addicted I guess.

 

[Tokugawa_Yoshinobu]

SSRIs just damaged my guts and made them bleed.

 

[Raichu]

Thank you everyone for your replies and comments! It really means a lot

SSRI's can absolutely work. But they almost can never work on their own. You need behavioral therapy, either CBT or DBT. It also takes time to find the correct mixture of drugs that will allow you to succeed in therapy but even that isn't a free pass, you still have to apply what you learn in therapy to every day life. You have conditioned yourself to turn to suicidal ideation whenever something doesn't go the way that you feel it should. No amount of drugs will stop that from happening. You must uncondition your brain to stop doing that. It's extremely hard work. I myself have had many successes in therapy and I worked my ass off to get there. But ultimately, there were just too many barriers for me to overcome and accept. Nothing will work if you don't try. And that's a decision only you can make. Whatever you choose, whether that be to continue on this path (which is the path of least resistance, it's painful and suffering but it's comfortable and known), or decide to CTB, or decide to put in work to change the status quo, I wish you the best of luck and sending good vibes your way.

I agree with you. I guess I am the way I am because the pain is known to me. More like I choose the known pain rather than the unknown happiness. That's totally on me. I neither belong on the pro-life spectrum nor on the suicidal spectrum, i guess.

 

[Meteora]

Not really with trauma induced depression.

 

[divinemistress36]

They did before my brain injury but not now. They can help some people and be disastrous for others

 

[Abyssal]

On Zoloft and yes! It works but it's no cure.

I still wanna die but it almost entirely removed my anhedonia. Sometimes I'm like wtf I still wanna die this shit doesn't work then I experience anhedonia again and think nah I prefer my medicated suicidality.

Oh and my maladaptive daydreaming is lesser and i dropped my porn addiction. Has its own drawbacks, since those two things kept my life worth somewhat living, but I think most people would consider it a good change.

 

[thinvy]

Zoloft made me a little more mild while I was on it, balanced me out more so that my moods were less mountains and trenches and more hills and valleys; but it definitely didn't "fix" me. I had to stop seeing my psych bc I said that Zoloft made me want to self harm more than my base level (which I was clean for a while, I was just telling her bc side effects can be serious) and she immediately threatened to call the cops on me.

she wasn't a very good psych tho, was rude and dismissive. I feel like if id been given a chance to try out different things and see what works with my brain chemistry, I think meds could've worked to help me a lot.

I have multiple severe mental illnesses though, and health conditions that could probably span at least a full page to list out, so while I know people that ssri s have worked great for, they're not a cure all for me, maybe could've been a decent aid though

 

[Raichu]

Reading all your's comments, I truly feel sorry and sad for you all. I hope you heal from the battles you don't talk about and find peace somehow.

 

[barkbark]

the easiest answer: SSRIs do work for some. the general research i've seen suggests that it works best for people who are only mildly depressed rather than severely, though it could work for some regardless because bodies and minds are all different. for me? they not only didn't work, they made me want to ctb so fuckin' bad I actually overdosed on em out of desperation.

that said, i'd still tell anyone who is doing pretty bad and thinking about trying ssris that it's worth a shot. who knows, it might work

 

[inneedrelief]

It can leave bad effects like anhedonia, less or no sex drive, etc

 

[MatrixPrisoner]

Venlafaxine was the only one even remotely close to having a noticeable effect for me. And I've tried them all. Zoloft, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Trintellix, you name it....

Only thing with Venlafaxine is that you have to commit. Because stopping it cold turkey, even after a short period is asking for a world of trouble. And you can kiss your sex drive goodbye.

Adderalll, which I'm basically using off-label as anti-depressant is the only thing keeping me alive right now though. The effect is clear and its efficacy is instant.

 

[Sid19]

In my case, I've tried both SSRIs and SNRIs. Nothing worked. SSRIs gave me some chronic side effects. Fuck SSRIs imo

I thought about trying ssri group of meds for my severe social anxiety and depression, but at last moment thought not to. The side effects scared me and also when I saw the effects of the medicine is slow and will likely take almost two months to start showing made me hesitate, and eventually stopped from taking it.

 

[inneedrelief]

Venlafaxine was the only one even remotely close to having a noticeable effect for me. And I've tried them all. Zoloft, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Trintellix, you name it....

Only thing with Venlafaxine is that you have to commit. Because stopping it cold turkey, even after a short period is asking for a world of trouble. And you can kiss your sex drive goodbye.

Adderalll, which I'm basically using off-label as anti-depressant is the only thing keeping me alive right now though. The effect is clear and its efficacy is instant.

Do you still have a sex drive on that med?

 

[Ashu]

Only thing with Venlafaxine is that you have to commit. Because stopping it cold turkey, even after a short period is asking for a world of trouble. And you can kiss your sex drive goodbye.

Forever?

 

[leavingthesoultrap]

I tried lexapro and it did literally nothing other than headaches. Been on it for months.
I haven't tried other meds yet

 

[binks23]

They work if you put effort into bettering yourself - they work as a little boost from what I know/experience