Anti-Depressants and Clinical Depression

[Hamster]

Does anyone take anti-depressants for depression? I'm currently using wellbutrin and prozac together. I'm worried about side effects, especially from the welbutrin, but it seems to working well. I made a foolish mistake last year to go off anti-depressants because I thought I was cured and the result was the depressive symptoms returning in full force, followed by a total breakdown recently that almost hospitalized me.

I am interested in hearing experiences about clinical depression or similar disorders (bipolar, manic, etc.) How effective has the medicine been in your life? How do you cope with side effects? The wellbutrin is working but giving me headaches...


I realize this is a sensitive issue. I'm pretty open because I dislike the idea that we have to be "ashamed" of psychiatric issues. But lots of people are guarded about their own. If you respond to this thread, please be respectful

[Little Shepherd]

I am on prozac. Feeling good on meds is not the same thing as actually being cured, and I have no plans to ever stop my meds, ever. I haven't experienced any side effects, so dunno what to tell you there.

[Hamster]

I am on prozac. Feeling good on meds is not the same thing as actually being cured, and I have no plans to ever stop my meds, ever. I haven't experienced any side effects, so dunno what to tell you there.

I was experiencing a kind of emotional "flatness".. I rarely got really sad, but I rarely felt really happy either. I lost a lot of interest in the things I used to like to do. I thought this was a side effect of the prozac.

My life at that point had improved greatly thanks to a couple years of therapy and losing a tremendous amount of weight. I was feeling pretty good compared to previous years. So I thought I'd cut back on the prozac until I wasn't taking it at all... turns out the "flatness" I was experiencing was just a symptom of depression and not from the medication. Won't make that mistake ever again.

[phaedrus]

My only advice is to make sure you are prescribed meds by a psychiatrist rather a general doctor. A good shrink will tailor your meds to you through a process of trials. Some meds work better for some people and some experience more side effects than others. It's a very individual thing and you need a competent medical professional to guide you through it.

[Hamster]

I agree. Physicians can only prescribe psychiatric medicine up to a certain amount, can't they?

[Catholicity]

Hiya Hamster :) yes mental illness carries a BIG stigma. Sadly :( and the best advice I can offer is the best medications are the ones that work for you. However, it is not uncommon to become polymedicated (I've had this problem) and it ain't pretty. Take precautions because some of the medications can cause severe side effects and put a person in the hospital faster than NOT being in them. Are you in Therapy? I'd strongly reccommend a therapist, and I'd reccommend becoming a pro-active patient. Some helpful do's and dont's

Do become aware of medication side effects
Don't allow oneself to try more than 2 medications at a time (one cannot figure out side effects after 2)
Do find a highly trained Therapist to help cope with this time
Don't become a victim of Polypharmacy
Do go with a trusted psychiatrist
Do have all doctors communicate with one another
Don't allow someone to tell you "you aren't really sick", "if you pray harder, it will go away" or "you can control it" It can provoke more anxiety in the long run
Do educate yourself and close loved ones on your condition
Do have a list of supports you can call in an emergency, clergy included

[Hamster]

Don't become a victim of Polypharmacy

So far I only take a small dose of prozac, 4 wellbutrin pills, and trazodone as needed. I don't like the idea of turning into a walking chemical coctail, but it beats the alternative.

I've been seeing a therapist regularly for the last couple years and right now I'm in an "Intensive outpatient program" for people who have suffered recent psychological crises. It's dumb luck or divine providence that I happen to live less than a mile down the road from an excellent psychiatric group

[Moksha]

I've been taking Sertraline for about 3 years now. I went off it for awhile but then I had a big dip so I went back on it. I don't like the idea of being on a number of different meds but If it works for you.
What kind of therapy are you doing? I've been doing Cognitive behaviour therapy for 2 yrs now and I'm finding it really helpful.
I fainted a couple of times when I first started on the meds but no side effects since.

[phaedrus]

This is going to sound stupid and you may think I'm trivialising but I swear I'm not. I think that over the last two years I have gained the greatest benefit to my mental health by taking up playing ukulele. It's such unabashed joy. I recommend it as an adjunct to drug and talk therapy. Paraphrasing Charles Schultz (I think), every baby upon birth should be issued with a uke.

[jo7241974]

Hiya Hamster :) yes mental illness carries a BIG stigma. Sadly :( and the best advice I can offer is the best medications are the ones that work for you. However, it is not uncommon to become polymedicated (I've had this problem) and it ain't pretty. Take precautions because some of the medications can cause severe side effects and put a person in the hospital faster than NOT being in them. Are you in Therapy? I'd strongly reccommend a therapist, and I'd reccommend becoming a pro-active patient. Some helpful do's and dont's

Do become aware of medication side effects
Don't allow oneself to try more than 2 medications at a time (one cannot figure out side effects after 2)
Do find a highly trained Therapist to help cope with this time
Don't become a victim of Polypharmacy
Do go with a trusted psychiatrist
Do have all doctors communicate with one another
Don't allow someone to tell you "you aren't really sick", "if you pray harder, it will go away" or "you can control it" It can provoke more anxiety in the long run
Do educate yourself and close loved ones on your condition
Do have a list of supports you can call in an emergency, clergy included

Hamster:

What she said!!!! Remember that this is not your fault or due to any choices you made. God is there for you!!

Also, if you ever need to "unload" emotionally. please please know that I would be humbled if you would trust me enough to be a good listener. I am a pm away. No strings attached.

Much love,

jo

[Hamster]

This is going to sound stupid and you may think I'm trivialising but I swear I'm not. I think that over the last two years I have gained the greatest benefit to my mental health by taking up playing ukulele. It's such unabashed joy. I recommend it as an adjunct to drug and talk therapy. Paraphrasing Charles Schultz (I think), every baby upon birth should be issued with a uke.

That doesn't sound stupid at all. It's an enjoyable activity and it's creative, I can see why it lifts your spirit. I don't think playing the ukelele is my "thing," though. I've might start drawing again. I used to do that all the time in high school

What she said!!!! Remember that this is not your fault or due to any choices you made. God is there for you!!

Also, if you ever need to "unload" emotionally. please please know that I would be humbled if you would trust me enough to be a good listener. I am a pm away. No strings attached.

Much love,

jo

Jo, thank you for your kind words. As far as unloading emotionally, I'm doing it so often that I'm starting to worry about my therapist's health! However, I appreciate the gesture very much. Incidentally, nothing makes me happier than butting heads on the internet ( ) but I'm sorry if I've been excessively irritable toward you in the last month or so. I completely avoid forums when I'm upset or agitated from the illness, but I think it might be bleeding through nonetheless.

Thanks Again,

Sincerely,
Michael

[justgin]

Does anyone take anti-depressants for depression? I'm currently using wellbutrin and prozac together. I'm worried about side effects, especially from the welbutrin, but it seems to working well. I made a foolish mistake last year to go off anti-depressants because I thought I was cured and the result was the depressive symptoms returning in full force, followed by a total breakdown recently that almost hospitalized me.

I am interested in hearing experiences about clinical depression or similar disorders (bipolar, manic, etc.) How effective has the medicine been in your life? How do you cope with side effects? The wellbutrin is working but giving me headaches...


I realize this is a sensitive issue. I'm pretty open because I dislike the idea that we have to be "ashamed" of psychiatric issues. But lots of people are guarded about their own. If you respond to this thread, please be respectful

Thanks Hamster for bringing this up. I've pretty much had a anxiety/depression my whole life. It runs in my family, on both sides. OCD does as well. We're all perfectionists. Until recently, i've had plenty of other stuff on my plate to deal with, for one, my mom and her declining health which at the moment is fairly stable thanks be to God. IOW, i knew this problem was still there, but i just didn't have the strength to deal with it. I would say that some of the depression i deal with is situational, but throughout my life there has been an undercurrent of sadness, no hope. It was alleviated almost completely the first few months after i became a Christian. Then it came back. I was a member of a Word of Faith church at the time - the answer to every problem was faith - i didn't have enough faith, they said, to overcome my depression. I believed them. In fact, i still would like to think that if i just had more faith i could overcome this problem. That'd be simple.

About 20 yrs ago, when i graduated from college, the same year my dad - already in poor health - declined rapidly and he died, i had panic attacks for the first time. I went on Prozac and Xanax, which i was on for a number of years. The psychiatrist i was going to at the time was not the least bit interested in any kind of therapy other than medicine. He wasn't a jerk - just incompetent. If i moaned and griped about things, he'd increase my dose. If i said "I'm fine" he'd leave my dose as it was. I quickly learned how to play the game. Eventually, i cancelled my appoinments with him and took myself off those meds. (Being a nurse, i knew how - all the rest of you non-nurses see and heed the warning below.)


****{DON'T EVER take yourself off Xanax without a doctor's order!! If you stop taking it on your own, you can cause a rebound of panic attacks.}**** Actually, please don't ever take yourself off any medication without your doctor being aware and giving you a plan how to do it. Xanax is not the only drug you cannot stop taking abruptly.


Imo, the side effects of the medications were not worth the benefits of it. I've always been an emotional person, capable of great highs and lows. One thing i noticed about is that it takes a shotgun effect to your feelings, it numbs all of them, the good and the bad. I just can't deal with that. Several years after i took myself off Prozac and Xanax, another doctor started me on Zoloft. It wasn't very effective, except for numbing all my good feelings. So i took myself off that too. Right now i haven't been on any anti-anxiety/depressant medications for the past 11 yrs or so. This isn't exactly working out so well either. But i really don't want to go back on anti-depressants and experience the numbing side effects. To me, it's not worth it. If you are on medication for depression and that's working fine for you, i say that's great! Don't worry, I won't even try to talk you out of it - that's not even on my mind at all.

So, i would like input from others here on practical, non-medical ways you manage depression/anxiety, especially if there are any scriptures that give you comfort and hope during the times when the sadness can be overwhelming. I'm resigned to the fact that this is how i am and how i will be all my life. So i need to learn how to manage it.

[Hamster]

Then it came back. I was a member of a Word of Faith church at the time - the answer to every problem was faith - i didn't have enough faith, they said, to overcome my depression. I believed them. In fact, i still would like to think that if i just had more faith i could overcome this problem. That'd be simple.

I think people say this because they see the mind as our "soul." It's the essential "us" since it's our consciousness. They either deny or don't care about the physical brain's role in our mental health. So when you have a problem, it's not a problem with an organ, it's a problem with you. This is especially true of people in older generations in my experience. A lot of people don't even believe that psychology and psychiatry is real at all.

It's not an issue of faith when you have something like clinical depression. If you had chronic internal bleeding they (probably?) wouldn't tell you to have faith and pray about the issue until it goes away. I don't know where the soul ends and the body begins, but it's really clear that brain problems lead to mind problems. The brain is an organ like any other organ in our body. If you become diabetic no one accuse you of having a sinful pancreas

About 20 yrs ago, when i graduated from college, the same year my dad - already in poor health - declined rapidly and he died, i had panic attacks for the first time. I went on Prozac and Xanax, which i was on for a number of years. The psychiatrist i was going to at the time was not the least bit interested in any kind of therapy other than medicine. He wasn't a jerk - just incompetent. If i moaned and griped about things, he'd increase my dose. If i said "I'm fine" he'd leave my dose as it was. I quickly learned how to play the game. Eventually, i cancelled my appoinments with him and took myself off those meds. (Being a nurse, i knew how - all the rest of you non-nurses see and heed the warning below.)

I've been really lucky in that the hospital that is near me has an excellent psychiatric staff. The first time I went there for medicine they assigned me to a psychologist for weekly/monthly appointments.

Imo, the side effects of the medications were not worth the benefits of it.

I used to be on Paxil... I will never use it again. If I missed a regular dose by even a few hours I'd feel like my brain was spinning and my insides were trying to come up out of my throat. I'm on Prozac and Welbutrin now and they've been pretty good. But psychiatric medications can work differently on each of us.. so unfortunately there is a little trial and error to see which one works for you.

I actually thought my increasing memory problems, inability to concentrate, and constant "daydreaming" was a side effect of the anti-depressants. but after I tapered off Prozac, they still remained. Turns out I have yet another undiagnosed mental problem. I should get the results next week, they are telling me it might be attention deficit disorder or post traumatic stress syndrome

One thing i noticed about is that it takes a shotgun effect to your feelings, it numbs all of them, the good and the bad. I just can't deal with that.

I don't like this aspect either... but for me it usually goes away after the first month. During that first month I don't care about anything. I become completely indifferent toward the news, art, and (startlingly) Christianity.

Right now i haven't been on any anti-anxiety/depressant medications for the past 11 yrs or so. This isn't exactly working out so well either. But i really don't want to go back on anti-depressants and experience the numbing side effects. To me, it's not worth it. If you are on medication for depression and that's working fine for you, i say that's great! Don't worry, I won't even try to talk you out of it - that's not even on my mind at all.

You should reconsider and talk to a psychiatrist. Psychiatric medications do different things... When I told my psychiatrist that exact same thing, that I didn't like how it flattened my emotional range, he put me on welbutrin with the prozac and now I can feel joy and sadness. Just not in the abrupt and extreme way of the disease.

So, i would like input from others here on practical, non-medical ways you manage depression/anxiety, especially if there are any scriptures that give you comfort and hope during the times when the sadness can be overwhelming. I'm resigned to the fact that this is how i am and how i will be all my life. So i need to learn how to manage it.

I read C.S. Lewis when I feel miserable. Especially the Great Divorce, when he describes the joy of the Spirits in heaven. I think the best thing to do is therapy, though. You know in movies where people go into the therapist's office and suddenly they have a "breakthrough" and they start crying and remembering that their dad hit them when they were 2? Well, the thing is, it was almost EXACTLY like that on several occasions for me. I would understand something and it would suddenly become clear where are certain problem was coming from. Things would come together perfectly and I'd wonder why I never realized it before.

You need a REALLY good therapist though, and be prepared to stay with them for a period of time. I've been with mine for about 4 years. I have radically changed since I started going.

If you can find a psychologist who is also Christian, then that would be fantastic. Mine are secular, so I can't really discuss spiritual issues with them, but they CAN put you in contact with someone who can if they are a good therapist. They might even be able to direct you to a Christian depression group therapy you never knew existed. That's just my opinion based on my own personal experience though.

[TimZim]

So far I only take a small dose of prozac, 4 wellbutrin pills, and trazodone as needed. I don't like the idea of turning into a walking chemical coctail, but it beats the alternative.

The Wellbutrin in combination with Prozac is usually not a problem, but Trazadone and Prozac can be (rarely). So certainly be careful if you increase the amount or frequency of Trazadone. Also, don't ignore things like fevers. If you get a fever, certainly don't take them until you're sure they weren't the cause.
In general, however, stopping these meds is a greater risk than the uncommon side effects are. So, as a general rule, you should take them as prescribed and consult your doctor about side effects like headache.

[jo7241974]

That doesn't sound stupid at all. It's an enjoyable activity and it's creative, I can see why it lifts your spirit. I don't think playing the ukelele is my "thing," though. I've might start drawing again. I used to do that all the time in high school



Jo, thank you for your kind words. As far as unloading emotionally, I'm doing it so often that I'm starting to worry about my therapist's health! However, I appreciate the gesture very much. Incidentally, nothing makes me happier than butting heads on the internet ( ) but I'm sorry if I've been excessively irritable toward you in the last month or so. I completely avoid forums when I'm upset or agitated from the illness, but I think it might be bleeding through nonetheless.

Thanks Again,

Sincerely,
Michael

Dearest Michael,

I don't know why, but I have been inexplicably drawn to you and your spirit since I first met you on Tweb. Please know that I have an earnest and sincere love for you. (BTW, I just now read Mossy's thread about her obituary and saw that I had missed your birthday. I posted a belated Happy Birthday to you in a response to Mossy on her thread. But I will say it again here: Happy Belated Birthday!!)

Please also note that I completely forgot to check this thread since January until just now. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately....) I can blame both age AND my meds.........sigh.......(though I don't think I am as old as Mossy; it is my understanding that no one is.)



Jean