Antidepressants

My therapist is really pushing me to go on antidepressants...she said she thinks it could really help me because I have lots of problems with depression and anxiety, along with sleep problems and some problems with my stomach (from anxiety it seems).  However, I am very afraid to use them (and I told her this) because I have a history of very serious substance abuse and I'm afraid to take prescription drugs......does anyone have any experiences with antidepressants?  I do not know exactly what kind they will put me on if I decide to do it...I am meeting with a psychiatrist in 2 weeks and I will find out then.

I am wondering:

Did it make you emotionless?  Were the side effects worse than the depression itself?  Did it cause weight gain?  I am very very afraid of uncontrollable weight gain.....I have been gaining on purpose and I am now in a healthy range (bmi 19.9) and my nutritionist said I'm healthy at this weight, but I'm so scared that the pills might cause me to gain weight and I won't be able to control it with my healthy eating and exercise!  Bleaaggghhh!!  I feel like I am making a huge decision...going on this stuff or not...so any experiences or advice would be very much appreciated.  Thank you all!! ^.^

My doctor put me on a low dose of Lexapro to help me with situational anxiety and depression.  It did not make me emotionless, but it did help me cope with everyday life and I was noticeably happier.  The only side effect I had is that my dreams were sometimes intense (not nightmares.... just vivid dreams).  I was weaned off of the pills after three months and didn't have any problems.  One good thing about Lexapro is that it isn't addictive.  Although I don't know if that's true for anyone who is on it for great lengths of time.

Now that I'm off of it, I still suffer from mild bouts of anxiety and depression, but I have better coping skills thanks to the guidance of my therapist.  One of those coping skills is hitting the gym and learning how to meditate to relieve stress.

And no, it did not make me gain weight.  My appetite really didn't change except that I didn't do as much emotional eating.

i didn't get any better until i started a rigid schedule of diet and exersize. yeah, sure there are moments when i feel extrememly anxious but i have learned ways to find a happy place in my head, and mantras to say to myself.

i also have a history of extreme substance abuse, thats why i refuse to take any medication (did for a few months); not cuz i am afraid i will get hooked (that was the initial fear though) but because i really wanted to find the tools inside myself to overpower the raging emotions. i dont even take asperin (sp?)

im still on my journey of self analysis. overall i feel terific.

Hi xSTx - we talked a bit before about your stuff. Personally, I was also placed on antidepressants at the end of my addiction, and they did me tremendous harm. I became manic and suicidal. I react better to straight anti-anxiety drugs - buspar, xanax, etc. Things that don't mess with my brain and emotive function on a daily basis.

However - one person's bad experience does not mean you shouldn't give them a go.  Many people find them very, very helpful in improving their feelings and function. Just make sure you have lots of follow up contact with your doctor so they can monitor your  reactions. Different antidepressants can have wildly varying effects on different people. Dosage matters, too. Be bold! If something feels weird to you, call the doc and tell them.

I hope you get to feeling a bit better, babe.

i think be careful listening to that post above. no disrespect but that could scare the crap into you when maybe you need to have some sort of medical intervention to give you a breather.

i have had a colourful psychiatric past. i suffer serious anxiety, anorexia, borderline personality disorder with associated depression.... a lot of everything really.

i spent about 3-4 years on cipramil -which is an earlier form of the drug spoken about above called lexapro. lexapro was modified and is now the lowest side effect SSRI antidepressant. it does not cause elation and from personal experience it does not have a severe effect on anxiety. also it is the most tolerated and weight neutral of the SSRI family. when i was on cipramil i did notice my anxiety eased and my general ability to cope with life seemed easier. i then suffered a death of someone close to me and i just quit all meds (i was in a destructive mode). they are not addictive in the "i need a tablet" sense. your body does get used to them so when you are stopping you taper rather than just quit. the same as its not a great move for someone who's obese and surviving on 4000 cals to drop to 1200.

they could really help you and i think if your suffering to the extent that you sound like you are in your posts then i think it would be no harm to try some for 6-8 weeks. often you hear that people find their lives return to a state of normality and they didnt even realise that this opportunity was there for them till they took the meds.

Hi there! I have many similar problems that you are suffering from. I've had TERRIBLE anxiety since I was 4 or 5 years old, which led to insomnia by the time I was 10 years old. I still struggle with both. Around age 9, I developed anorexia nervosa, which sent me into a serious depression. I also have GI complications as a result of years of starvation, instances of  laxative abuse and purging.

Personally, I needed a lot of medication just to get my body up to a level that I could funcion, by the time I hit about 15. I was taking about 30 pills a day in supplements, antidepressants (i'll come back to this!), prescription anti-anxiety medications (zyprexa, ativan, largactil, xanex...), and a cocktail of prescribed amounts of OTC laxatives and IBS combatants (modulon works really well for me, 3x per day).

As far as antidepressents go, the only complaint I have is that it isn't an exact science. Medications that work miracles for some people do absolutely nothing for another. Personally, I was started on 40mg of Paxil, which did nothing. I was switched to Prozac, starting with 20mg, which proved ineffective even when it was increased to 120mg. It did kill my appetite, which was very very bad as an individual recovering from anorexia.

I now take Citalopram (brand name: Celexa) which is a miracle pill for me! It seems to be the only thing that can really control the anxiety and OCD. I am a completely different person than I was while I was depressed...I feel like me again!

Here are some direct answers to your questions:

-Did it make you emotionless?
 Prozac made me feel extremely numb to everything around me. I often told my doctor that, hypothetically, people could come to me and say "Steph, your parents died" and it wouldn't even really register in my mind. Celexa does NOT alter my emotions at all, however. Contrarily, it actually makes me more able to feel emotions that are appropriate.

Were the side effects worse than the depression itself? 
Nothing was ever worse than the depression. It was the lowest point I had ever been at. I tried to take my life on 3 occasions.

Did it cause weight gain? 
I really believe that pills can't make you "gain weight", all they can do is increase or decrease appetite. I've never had problems with feeling ravenously hungry. I did seem to lose my appetite while I was on Prozac, but it is difficult for me to differentiate between that was exclusively the pills, or whether there was some motivation from my illness inside my head.

Ultimately, if you can find a drug that can pull you out of that dark hole, gaining a bit of weight is really going to seem minor in the grand scheme of things. Just do your best to stick to healthy eating, and fuelling your body with nutrients it can use.

I have experience with antidepressants as well.  Although I do not have a history of substance abuse, I find my "addictive" personality in other forms...like previously smoking a pack a day, etc.

I was on paxil for a few years.  I just recently switched b/c I found it was not working.  It took me to reach rock bottom to change and now I am SOOO happy I did. I am on Lexapro and love it so far.  I tried Wellbutrin and Effexor and HATED it.

Paxil did make me put on some weight...which I despised. 

I have OCD tendencies, history of ED, mild form of body dismorphia, etc.  AS a result of my chronic constipation and subsequent use of laxatives and enemas, I killed my colon and had to have a sub-total colectomy.  I now go to the bathroom everyday, but I still OBSESS about going.

In other words, what I am getting at is, Lexapro is great...don't be scared about addiction, I don't feel this med is in that category. 

HTH....HUGS

I have experience and i am strongly against them! they don't  help and side effects can be worse and cause longterm health problems. i was misdiagnosed with depression and a mood disorder in 8ths grade about 14 years ago ,turns out i actually have thyroid issues...which most of american ppl suffer from and sometimes dont know.  i truly believe that if your depressed for no reason that you should get your health checked make sure all your hormone levels are in a good range that you have no unknownm health issues before you take the antidepressants. if your unhealthy or any hormone levels are off that can send a signal to your brain causing depression. i hope my experience and info helped

Thank you all for the great replies!  I am leaning more on the side of trying the A.D. now after reading these replies and doing lots of personal research.  I still have to meet with my psychiatrist before I decide for sure, but I will be much more open to her suggestions now.

I really hope that my life can change for the better, as it sounds like some of yours have.  My counselor said the A.D. could help to calm the "business" in my head, and that is the effect that I am mostly hoping for.  I also agree with what a few of you said about the weight gain....I need to continue to strive for a more "normal" outlook, and for me to not go on a drug that could possibly make a huge difference in my happiness and quality of life just because it might make me gain a few pounds would be crazy in itself. :]

Thanks again for your helpful replies, and I really wish you all the best of luck!  I'm really thankful for CC.

Hey all,

I was prescribed 2.5 mg of Lexapro today.  It's a small dose but my psychiatrist said it would keep side effects to a minimum and it would be the best thing for my anxiety.  Has anyone had any experience with different doses?  How did the dose affect your side effects?

Thanks again for your previous responses!  Hearing some positive stories helps with my anxiety about trying this, especially with all of the horror stories floating around the internet!!