Help So what exactly do meds do??

[everydayiloveyou]

Hey guys. My psychiatrist is gonna put me on meds next week. She said she's gonna give me the most common SSRI, I forgot to ask which one it is

So my most pressing issue is social anxiety disorder. I asked her if meds would reduce the physical symptoms (my worst is sweating, i sweat through my clothes often) and she said not really. So I asked if they would make me more outgoing, and if I'd be aware of the changes. She said no, I wouldn't change much and I'd still be "me." I started crying and said that I was hoping for bigger changes, because my life is in shambles over this problem. She seemed very surprised that i was hoping for a big change. I mean with the impairment that SAD causes me, why the fuck would I want to stay the same person?

To anyone who's taken meds -- what was it like and what changes did you see? Do you feel like it's a placebo?

also how could I ask for something stronger/more dramatic like MAOIs without having to try more SSRIs? I'm so desperate lately I'm seriously considering trying drinking/other drugs so I can be normal enough to do my basic life tasks

 

[ven]

Warning: If you're suicidal now or have been in the past, which I'm guessing that you are since you're here, please be aware of the following. The SSRI, or other drugs they provide you, may work to provide you with more motivation and energy. In some cases, when people still maintain underlying suicidal tendencies, this newfound motivation and energy will enable them to commit suicide. Many people are so depressed, that they're unable to follow through with suicide until they take an SSRI. This is why there is a warning associated with antidepressant class drugs, so please be aware of this.

Researchers theorize neurotransmitters impact our moods. In the case of an SSRI, the drug increases serotonin in the brain by blocking its reuptake and allowing it to build up, because they're thinking that your depression stems from a lack of serotonin. Approximately 60 percent of patients report an improvement with depression symptoms after using SSRIs for about two months. The reuptake process takes about 6-8 weeks, so try not to judge the results until after eight weeks have passed. Then your psychiatrist will likely make adjustments from there, increasing or decreasing the dosage based on your depression screening questionnaires and whether you're exhibiting any side effects, or trying a drug that targets different neurotransmitters. Sometimes the side effects negate the benefits, sometimes not. Many people decide the drug isn't working before the 8 week period is up and stop taking the drug.

Everyone is different, but remember that your self-selecting into a trial by error treatment methodology, which is only as good as the doctor employing it. Also, reuptake inhibitors or other drugs impacting specific neurotransmitters do impact other neurotransmitters and this is variable per person. Sometimes people will have more or less side effects because the drugs is impacting other neurotransmitters other than the targeted one to a larger degree than desired. Obviously, this makes the diagnosing tricky to navigate, which is why finding a good doctor is critical. Good doctors are few and far between. A negative outcome to this treatment methodology is that patients become impatient with the process and withdrawal completely from the up/down emotional roller coaster, instead opting for the the reliance of a constant depressed state.

If you're expecting huge or immediate changes, I would scale back your expectations and try to wait the full eight week period. Also, while you're on SSRIs try not to drink or use drugs as they mess with neurotransmitters. Particularly MDMA, MDMA and SSRI may lead to serotonin syndrome, not to mention SSRIs dulls the experience.

 

[Alwaysbadtime]

I'm sorry the psych wasn't more compassionate. Meds may help you feel less anxious though SSRIs don't directly help anxiety as much as benzos but those are harder to get from some psychs. Meds could help with not having as many obsessive thoughts. They could help you sleep.

If you don't feel better ask for thinks like Clonazapam, valium or Ativan.

 

[Celerity]

For better or worse, your psychiatrist will start with the most conservative treatments first. This is because drugs with more immediate effects (for good and ill) can have very negative effects on your mind and body.

Benzodiazepines are very effective in the short term for anxiety, but they are highly addictive and, relative to antidepressants, lethal at much lower doses. Antipsychotics can give you movement disorders that you may suffer from for the rest of your life. Lithium can be effective for Bipolar I, but it typically comes at the cost of your kidneys, requiring close monitoring while you take it.

Psychiatric medications didn't help fix me, and I think psychiatry is closer to alchemy than we'd all hope, but I don't think your doc is necessarily doing the wrong thing here.

I know you want something that works quickly and effectively, but without knowing more about your history with these medications, I'm leaning towards saying to trust the process as it is for now. Read up on the alternatives before you look to them as the lifeboat you're seeking.

 

[Alwaysbadtime]

Benzodiazepines are very effective in the short term for anxiety, but they are highly addictive and, relative to antidepressants, lethal at much lower doses. Antipsychotics can give you movement disorders that you may suffer from for the rest of your life. Lithium can be effective for Bipolar I, but it typically comes at the cost of your kidneys, requiring close monitoring while you take it.

I used to take benzos and never developed an addicition. For full blown anxiety attacks benzos are needed and a psych should be sympathetic...not all are of course unfortunately.

I take antipsychotics not because I am psychotic but to sleep better. I feel no weird muscle movement issues. I know not all react the same but this is just my experience.

 

[whywere]

I have been on Celexa for a long time, over 7 years and it works for me. I can tell when I forget to take it in the morning and when I do things seem to be better and I do not have as many down feelings.

I first tried Zoloft before Celexa and WOW, Zoloft gave me suicide thoughts very strongly. Like @ven stated, no drinking alcohol or street drugs as they mess things up.

As far as benzos go, I think that they are ok, I have them, but I hardly ever take them and if I do, it is only for 4 days in a row. I had a pharmacist tell me one time that benzos are much harder to with drawl from than like opioids.

I send you lots of hugs and love and hope that you can find the med(s) that help you have a great life filled with love, joy and peace of mind.

Always my best to you,

Walter

 

[Celerity]

I used to take benzos and never developed an addicition. For full blown anxiety attacks benzos are needed and a psych should be sympathetic...not all are of course unfortunately.

I take antipsychotics not because I am psychotic but to sleep better. I feel no weird muscle movement issues. I know not all react the same but this is just my experience.

I agree with you on the benzos. Unfortunately, they can be highly addictive for many people. OP's doc has to consider that. The OD risk is not insignificant either from their perspective.

I also take an antipsychotic off-label for sleep: Seroquel/Quetiapine at 25 mg. Even though I persuaded my old primary doc to prescribe them (and she only agreed to a one-off Rx), I understand that the risks posed by Seroquel and other antipsychotics, even atypicals like Seroquel, really do preclude off-label use like this. I understand why other docs were hesitant to give me a new Rx for it. I hope to someday stop taking it for this reason even if I'm one of the freaks who likes how it makes me feel and doesn't mind the hangover.

That said, Ambien was arguably worse for me, though that may have been only because I abused it. My psychiatrist then was incompetent and prescribed it for way, way longer than was appropriate, IMO, especially given my depression history.

 

[tabletop]

Ven explained it pretty well. Keep low expectations of meds. Maybe expect nothing from the meds. It could be less disappointing if you don't notice any positive effects. My therapist (who is pushing me to try meds again and try genetic testing for meds) says one should try a med for 12 weeks before they say it's not working.

From people and family I've talked to Zoloft seems to be one of the most commonly prescribed ones. Technically how they work is theory as we can't test for the chemical imbalances they are treating. I highly suggest looking up online all the possible side effects. The dr prob won't go over all possible side effects with you. But they usually mention some. For example I was told about the weight gain before hand which I did experience. However I wasn't told about the ED. It took a month for the meds to cause ED. Then the ED didn't go away until one month after I stopped taking it. I took it for three months with no positive effects for myself. They say the increased suicidal thoughts thing is mostly an under 25 years old thing. But the level of motivation factor Ven mentioned may apply to all ages.
At the end of the following video he mentions a website to visit for more information on the topic.


SSRI's are just one of those things that some people swear at and some swear by. I know a few people who say they help. At least one person said it just brought them to a level where they could function.

 

[everydayiloveyou]

Warning: If you're suicidal now or have been in the past, which I'm guessing that you are since you're here, please be aware of the following. The SSRI, or other drugs they provide you, may work to provide you with more motivation and energy. In some cases, when people still maintain underlying suicidal tendencies, this newfound motivation and energy will enable them to commit suicide. Many people are so depressed, that they're unable to follow through with suicide until they take an SSRI. This is why there is a warning associated with antidepressant class drugs, so please be aware of this.

Researchers theorize neurotransmitters impact our moods. In the case of an SSRI, the drug increases serotonin in the brain by blocking its reuptake and allowing it to build up, because they're thinking that your depression stems from a lack of serotonin. Approximately 60 percent of patients report an improvement with depression symptoms after using SSRIs for about two months. The reuptake process takes about 6-8 weeks, so try not to judge the results until after eight weeks have passed. Then your psychiatrist will likely make adjustments from there, increasing or decreasing the dosage based on your depression screening questionnaires and whether you're exhibiting any side effects, or trying a drug that targets different neurotransmitters. Sometimes the side effects negate the benefits, sometimes not. Many people decide the drug isn't working before the 8 week period is up and stop taking the drug.

Everyone is different, but remember that your self-selecting into a trial by error treatment methodology, which is only as good as the doctor employing it. Also, reuptake inhibitors or other drugs impacting specific neurotransmitters do impact other neurotransmitters and this is variable per person. Sometimes people will have more or less side effects because the drugs is impacting other neurotransmitters other than the targeted one to a larger degree than desired. Obviously, this makes the diagnosing tricky to navigate, which is why finding a good doctor is critical. Good doctors are few and far between. A negative outcome to this treatment methodology is that patients become impatient with the process and withdrawal completely from the up/down emotional roller coaster, instead opting for the the reliance of a constant depressed state.

If you're expecting huge or immediate changes, I would scale back your expectations and try to wait the full eight week period. Also, while you're on SSRIs try not to drink or use drugs as they mess with neurotransmitters. Particularly MDMA, MDMA and SSRI may lead to serotonin syndrome, not to mention SSRIs dulls the experience.

My psych did mention the black box warning. I've been really worried about that. Im pretty set on ctb but i have my date set a few years from now and I haven't bought any materials yet. I told my psych the same thing but nothing has really happened so far. Do you know if people with more "lethargic" depression do worse with the warning? I don't have issues with energy/motivation these days but it has happened before. When it did happen, that's when I was most actively suicidal.

I'm sorry the psych wasn't more compassionate. Meds may help you feel less anxious though SSRIs don't directly help anxiety as much as benzos but those are harder to get from some psychs. Meds could help with not having as many obsessive thoughts. They could help you sleep.

If you don't feel better ask for thinks like Clonazapam, valium or Ativan.

Thanks! I'll keep those meds in mind in case the SSRI doesn't work. I don't have problems sleeping that are mental illness related, just poor sleep hygiene lol.

For better or worse, your psychiatrist will start with the most conservative treatments first. This is because drugs with more immediate effects (for good and ill) can have very negative effects on your mind and body.

Benzodiazepines are very effective in the short term for anxiety, but they are highly addictive and, relative to antidepressants, lethal at much lower doses. Antipsychotics can give you movement disorders that you may suffer from for the rest of your life. Lithium can be effective for Bipolar I, but it typically comes at the cost of your kidneys, requiring close monitoring while you take it.

Psychiatric medications didn't help fix me, and I think psychiatry is closer to alchemy than we'd all hope, but I don't think your doc is necessarily doing the wrong thing here.

I know you want something that works quickly and effectively, but without knowing more about your history with these medications, I'm leaning towards saying to trust the process as it is for now. Read up on the alternatives before you look to them as the lifeboat you're seeking.

I see. I've heard that a lot about benzos. Addiction runs in my family so my psych wanted to avoid it. I don't want to take it unless it's a last resort for the same reasons.

I didn't know that about antipsychotics or lithium. I don't have bipolar or psychosis so I probably wont get prescribed those anyways but its good to know. I guess thats why my psych wanted me to do blood tests first to rule out other conditions and see risk factors

I used to take benzos and never developed an addicition. For full blown anxiety attacks benzos are needed and a psych should be sympathetic...not all are of course unfortunately.

I take antipsychotics not because I am psychotic but to sleep better. I feel no weird muscle movement issues. I know not all react the same but this is just my experience.

Do you take benzos during anxious momemts or before? My anxiety is not predictable except that it usually happens in social situations, like sometimes I have no trouble being outside other times I start tearing up and pacing around. My worry with benzos is that I'd take them before any social situation and become dependent.

Also how exactly do benzos make you feel? Do you become more outgoing or calm? Or is it just that the physical symptoms go away?

Ven explained it pretty well. Keep low expectations of meds. Maybe expect nothing from the meds. It could be less disappointing if you don't notice any positive effects. My therapist (who is pushing me to try meds again and try genetic testing for meds) says one should try a med for 12 weeks before they say it's not working.

From people and family I've talked to Zoloft seems to be one of the most commonly prescribed ones. Technically how they work is theory as we can't test for the chemical imbalances they are treating. I highly suggest looking up online all the possible side effects. The dr prob won't go over all possible side effects with you. But they usually mention some. For example I was told about the weight gain before hand which I did experience. However I wasn't told about the ED. It took a month for the meds to cause ED. Then the ED didn't go away until one month after I stopped taking it. I took it for three months with no positive effects for myself. They say the increased suicidal thoughts thing is mostly an under 25 years old thing. But the level of motivation factor Ven mentioned may apply to all ages.
At the end of the following video he mentions a website to visit for more information on the topic.


SSRI's are just one of those things that some people swear at and some swear by. I know a few people who say they help. At least one person said it just brought them to a level where they could function.

My psych did ask about my eating but I think she was just trying to screen for eating disorders. I eat once per day and I'm overweight. I wasn't told I could gain more weight on SSRIs. I'll ask her about it before I start taking them. I've always been bullied over this so it'll be so stressful if I get fatter. I mean I'd rather the anxiety go away than to be skinny but its still stressful to think about.

Ven explained it pretty well. Keep low expectations of meds. Maybe expect nothing from the meds. It could be less disappointing if you don't notice any positive effects. My therapist (who is pushing me to try meds again and try genetic testing for meds) says one should try a med for 12 weeks before they say it's not working.

From people and family I've talked to Zoloft seems to be one of the most commonly prescribed ones. Technically how they work is theory as we can't test for the chemical imbalances they are treating. I highly suggest looking up online all the possible side effects. The dr prob won't go over all possible side effects with you. But they usually mention some. For example I was told about the weight gain before hand which I did experience. However I wasn't told about the ED. It took a month for the meds to cause ED. Then the ED didn't go away until one month after I stopped taking it. I took it for three months with no positive effects for myself. They say the increased suicidal thoughts thing is mostly an under 25 years old thing. But the level of motivation factor Ven mentioned may apply to all ages.
At the end of the following video he mentions a website to visit for more information on the topic.


SSRI's are just one of those things that some people swear at and some swear by. I know a few people who say they help. At least one person said it just brought them to a level where they could function.

Ok I was told about the black box warning since I'm under 25. But I wasn't told about any other side effects except for trouble with sleeping.

Idc about ED since I don't have a penis and my sex drive is already non-existant. But the weight gain is new, I'm going to ask about that before I start. I've been overweight my whole life. I mean I'd rather be anxiety-free than skinny, but gaining more weight would be very stressful on my mentality

Even with side effects I really hope something works. Meds are seriously my last hope. I would even give up all my fave foods if it meant this problem can go away.

 

[Alwaysbadtime]

Do you take benzos during anxious momemts or before? My anxiety is not predictable except that it usually happens in social situations, like sometimes I have no trouble being outside other times I start tearing up and pacing around. My worry with benzos is that I'd take them before any social situation and become dependent.

Also how exactly do benzos make you feel? Do you become more outgoing or calm? Or is it just that the physical symptoms go away

I unfortunately no longerr take them due to moving to a more conservative benzo region. I took them at night as perscribed and it helped me sleep. I also would take them during the day like if I wanted to feel more relaxed and I would take them if I was feeling really anxious. I honestly don't understand the concept of becoming addicted to a 30 day perscription. I could see if one had mass amounts of pills but if you're only given 30 and you can only get another refill in a month I don't see room for addiction. Again this is my experience and opinion.

I miss having them. They made my chest/heart hurt less and I felt more at ease to fall asleep.

 

[ven]

Do you know if people with more "lethargic" depression do worse with the warning? I don't have issues with energy/motivation these days but it has happened before. When it did happen, that's when I was most actively suicidal.

Good question, though I have not seen data that can draw this level of distinction (that lethargic depression is at greater risk of suicidality due to SSRI use), but I would guess may be a factor to warrant further study. It's difficult to clearly draw relationships using loose fitting data, self-reporting information and clinician guesswork to yield specific detailed reasons for why people wind up committing suicide after starting antidepressants. It was an explanation that seemed most accurate from a panel of psychiatrists. This is independent of the black box warning, which refers to antidepressants increasing suicidality in adolescents. Maybe there is overlap, but they're cautious not to be too specific.

Another topic, but I'm assuming the psychiatrist didn't put you on benzos because it would interfere with their ability to determine whether the SSRIs are effective. Barring very specific reasons or possessing a detailed patient medication history, psychiatrists avoid starting people on more than one drug at a time. They do this to because it's difficult to determine which one is causing side effects positive or negative, if there are any, and drugs stress the body out. The more drugs you take, the harder your body works to process them. Less often the most ideal situation instead of attempting to balance them, or utilizing other drugs to mitigate the side effects of other drugs.

 

[Lmd]

Meds only help you to overcome your problems but they solve nothing. You have to accompany them with therapy if you want to solve things. As far as I know, the medications in this case are for carry out activities that in other circumstances you couldn't because of your anxiety but they are more like a support instead of an actual solution, that's why you can't expect a big change or changing yourself.

I took benzos when I had anxiety problems. When I had to do something that caused me a lot of anxiety, I also sweated and had dizziness but with benzos the physical symptoms disappeared or were greatly reduced because it was produced by my mental state. If it's the same for you you'll see how your body react better under stress situations.

If it's your first time you'll probably don't have resistance to the meds so it's fine to start with common/soft ones. And this is actually the best scenario. As other users point out, meds can give you strong side effects and you can become dependant of them. Give them a try if you need them but don't rush things, the less you need the better.