Anyone have experience with Ant-Depressants?

I was on Zoloft in high school to treat my depression and it helped me cope with things a lot easier. I was recently put back on Zoloft for post-partum depression, before the medication I cried a;; the time and felt unworthy of the love of my fiancé and unfit to be a mother although I had done nothing wrong. With the meds I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders....but pay attention to what is going on with your body/emotions once starting anti-depressants because everyone reacts differently to different medications. My dr. told me if you have thoughts of suicide within the first few weeks immediately go to the ER and let them know you were recently prescribed anti-depressants and have begun to feel suicidal.

I was on Wellbutrin for several years. Before we found that Wellbutrin worked, I did trial periods of Prozac, Celexa, etc. From my experience, the trial period was exhausting, but that being said, you have to stick through it and try to remain optimistic. Just because one thing isn't working, doesn't mean the next won't work!

The one thing people said to me before trying anti-depressants was that the medication wouldn't be a quick fix, and that is the one thing I find myself relaying to others who have started taking them. If you expect them to fix all of your problems, you will be disappointed. They do, however, help you manage your depression by allowing you to be more realistic in your assessment of your thoughts/emotions (i.e. rather than thinking, "Oh, wtf, I should just kill myself," you might think, "You know, that sucked, but I'll be okay"). I know that -- for me -- it made it easier to sort through my thoughts/emotions because it gave me the organization my chaotic mind needed -- like a shelf with labels, if that makes sense. You look at an emotion/thought, you think about it, and you put it away where it belongs. This was particularly useful when going through therapy.

Whether or not you think of it this way, seeking help and deciding to take medication for your condition is a huge step, so I'm happy for you. Better things are ahead, and I wish you the best of luck! Stay strong!

I do. I hated it, it just made me numb and then made me feel worse when it wore off. The worst was when I was trying to wean off it. It messed me up pretty bad and I felt worse than before I was placed on medication. It didnt work out for me but it doesnt mean it wont work for you. As for me though, if possible I never want to take meds again.

I was on Cipralex for depression, and I found that I started getting really bad panic attacks, I would hyperventilate and things just got a lot worse for me. I tried to wean off them myself, and I went through really bad withdrawal, and I got drunk one night and tried to kill myself. So if things start getting weird TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY! Don't drink in excess, and never try and wean off pills on your own. The pills you are on right now might not be the ones that work best for you, its all trial and error. Just keep checking in with your doctor. Communication is key.

Prozac is awesome!!!!!!

I am currently using anti-depressants since the 2010 earthquake on Christchurch, New Zealand tool two of my friends, disrupted my business & 3 years on affected my marriage (stress etc). Iniatially I felt nauseous, dizzy, headachy but after two weeks felt a shift on my moods and how I coped with aftershocks & financial pressures. I think the key is to have an open but positive mindset. Good luck!

First things first! There is NO MAGIC PILL. One pill will not fix everything. There will be bugs every now and then. Remember that Anti-Depressants are more of a crutch. The rope without the horizontal bars on your rope ladder to make your climb to happiness. My suggestion is research the medications, research the psychology or at least the process of how the limbic system, more specifically how Neuroreceptors and Neurotransmitters work. All of the medications are based on hormones. (Epinephrine, Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, Melatonin... You get the idea.) These pills block the flow completely (MAOI's) which are very dangerous, and Reputake Inhibitors (RI's) RI's are usual the ones prescribed. (SSRI, SSNRI) Reputake Inhibitors literally do what they say they do. Your hormones are blocked from being re-absorbed. So it's a one time use; your body makes more of it for your brain which in theory is supposed to allow better function. There's another step between but I'll leave them out, they're older and aren't used much anymore. However this is where I leave you to do your research! You should look up the individual effects of the pills, side effects, the actual effects of the hormone itself and decide upon which YOU feel is the best for YOU. That was the biggest mistake I made, I didn't say a word when I was prescribed, even after I did my depression presentation. If you'd like a personal experience; I've been on two medications an SSRI Sertraline AKA: Zoloft and an atypical antidepressant Bupropion AKA: Wellburtin which actually is a DNRI My personal experience with these medications has not been all that stellar. When I was on Zoloft I had a major complication, I had become irritable, agitated, annoyed, my senses were heightened beyond normal and I was very snippy, more sensitive and I would snap at the smallest things. I went against doctor's wishes and went cold turkey because I nearly acted upon my agitation. I was never like that. The Wellbutrin gave me not only headaches, but migraines. These happened daily and got progressively worse until they all stuck together and I had run out of pain killers to deal with the intense headaches. (I've broken my arm and didn't cry, so that gives you an idea of how much it hurt.) I also had the lovely partners to go with the severe pain which you're probably familiar with if you've broken a limb and have decent nerves. I am not a doctor, I am a peer. I am in no way saying you should or should not start or continue treatment. It's a life choice and I feel that you should do what you feel will truly make you happy. Nothing will ever, ever replace a healthy diet and exercise; do this often and you will feel yourself get better. What has worked for me in the past with no bad side effects has been diet, exercise and Vitamin D supplements with fish oil! No joke! I wish you luck on your quest to happiness, just don't forget that there may be many different pills that you need to try until you're stable. Don't give up! I believe in you!

Point of fact Angel, hormones and neurotransmitters are very different things. Hormones are found in the body, usually made by the pituitary gland and other organs (ovaries, adrenal glands etc) and can pass through the blood-brain barrier. Neurotransmitters are how the brain communicates with itself and those do not move between the brain and the rest of the body.

Additionally RI-style anti-depressants (SSRIs [selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors] and DNRIs [dopamine norepinepherine]) do not make your brain produce MORE of any neurotransmitter. They simply delay the neurons from taking those neurotransmitters away. Since the transmitter is around longer, more gets taken up and the signal get amplified. We've found in brain scans that those who have depression often have less activation in their brain generally, so trying to up the activation can be really helpful for some people.

I agree with you that there is no magic pill and settling on the right medication can be a difficult thing, but so can diet and exercise. I found exercise really didn't help my depression, everyone is different and needs to find what works for them.

i am taking cipralex for depression. at first it didn't helped me a lot, but now i am feeling better. they take time, but they can be helpful

Personally, I have found my anti depressants to be helpful. Granted I have not been severely depressed. I have depression but a majority of my symptoms are more mild. Anyway, it is important to work with your doctor on this. The medication will need to build up in your system a bit before you will notice any real changes. These anti depressants are not going to make you a happy person, but they help you cope with your depression and it does help with managing the symptoms of it. I probably don't take my medication as often as I should, but I do notice a difference when I stop taking it (I know I need to work on it). I do know people who had to try a few different anti depressants until they found one that works well for them, so please be very honest with your doctor and talk about all of your concerns. While anti depressants can help, working out and eating does wonders for the body too. Working out causes the brain to release dopamine and epinephrine which make you feel good. So working out and eating a healthy diet helps you feel good and build confidence. I do not know your geographical location, but around where I live it has been subzero temperatures for the past few days. If the weather permits, try to go outside some. Sun light is good for your body, it helps to produce Vitamin D. A lack of vitamin D in one's system is often correlated to Seasonal Affective Disorder as well.Hope that makes sense, and I hope it helps!

I always feel like a jerk when I correct people and now I've done it twice in the same Q&A...

Jenny, Major Depression Disorder (MDD) is just the schmancy diagnostic term for what we colloquially call depression. Unless you're diagnosed with dysthymia (which is basically MDD sans suicidal thoughts) you technically have MDD.

Psychiatric terminology is really confusing and calling something Major when 30% of the population will be diagnosed with it is just mean. We don't call it Major anxiety...

Mostly it's to differentiate between event-based depression (which is reasonable) and constant depression (which is unreasonable). Basically it's the difference between feeling sad because your dog died and considering hanging yourself because you burnt the toast.

Jessiebelle, Major Depressive Disorder categorizes people who are so severely depressed that they cannot even get out of bed.They are often suicidal but simply cannot commit to the effort that it takes to commit suicide. I simply meant that I am depressed but my symptoms are much more mild than that. And I mean no disrespect, I was trying to clarify my previous statement.