Mental Health Major Depressive Disorder

[Phoenix_03]

Hi all-

So I was recently diagnosed with this special new issue over the summer after I made a half-hearted, yet almost successful attempt at suicide. I've been on fluoxetine since I was in the hospital in August, started at 20 MG daily and I've been on 40 MG daily for 2 months now. While I don't feel as shit as I did before, I still have some of the same negative triggers in my life so it's difficult to gauge how much I'm improving and how well the meds are working. I've taken Prozac before years ago, and I noticed markedly improved effects but that hasn't happened this go around. Should I wait a bit longer before hitting up my doc or try upping the dose? I think 60 MG is the highest for this med, correct? Maybe I need to try something else? Only other SSRI or any antidepressant I've ever been on besides this was Zoloft. They want this to treat my anxiety, too, and remove benzos from my regimen but it's not working well for the depression and it's nowhere near touching the anxiety.

P.S. I know the obvious other answer is to remove any remaining negative things but removing people is easier said than done. I did leave my old job which I hated and am training at my new one currently, which has been a major help.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Sometimes they give it 12 weeks if it shows initial benefit already.

Usually they give the higher doses of SSRIs for anxiety, so perhaps it applies. Benzos can be useful, but SSRIs are generally better for long-term anxiety management. Not on benzos but I do think that they offer some relief.

You can ask your doc about kratom/kava, but they're not really medicines. Don't know how they'll react with what you're taking, and your provider(s) will probably echo this.

 

[n3ophy7e]

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor a psychiatrist so please take this with a grain of salt and always speak to your doctors before altering your meds at all.

I personally am not fond of fluoxetine. I think it's really outdated and with all of the newer, more superior antidepressant options on the market these days, in my opinion fluoxetine has become quite redundant.

Did the doctor at the hospital give you any other options other than fluoxetine?
To answer your question, I would talk to your doctor about this now, rather than waiting any longer.
I will also add that the ideal situation with your anxiety is to find a medication that will improve both your depression AND anxiety to the point where you don't even need the benzos any more, or at the most just as an emergency back-up option for panic attacks.

 

[December Flower]

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor a psychiatrist so please take this with a grain of salt and always speak to your doctors before altering your meds at all.

I personally am not fond of fluoxetine. I think it's really outdated and with all of the newer, more superior antidepressant options on the market these days, in my opinion fluoxetine has become quite redundant.

Did the doctor at the hospital give you any other options other than fluoxetine?
To answer your question, I would talk to your doctor about this now, rather than waiting any longer.
I will also add that the ideal situation with your anxiety is to find a medication that will improve both your depression AND anxiety to the point where you don't even need the benzos any more, or at the most just as an emergency back-up option for panic attacks.

That is an FDA issue, I believe. Not sure where OP is from, but I'd assume the states,
For kids and teenagers I think there's no other choices except prozac, because almost nothing else is FDA approved.
And for adults it's one of the "go-to" antidepressants in the US

In general, Prozac isn't really used as an antidepressant anymore (only in around 10% of cases, give or take)
But usually to treat OCD, agoraphobia, and stuff like that, because it still performs very well with those.

edit: I agree with you though. I don't like it, and there are much better performing SSRIs

 

[n3ophy7e]

That is an FDA issue, I believe. Not sure where OP is from, but I'd assume the states,
For kids and teenagers I think there's no other choices except prozac, because almost nothing else is FDA approved.
And for adults it's one of the "go-to" antidepressants in the US

It's the same here in Australia, it seems to be the first line of defense with MDs if it's the first time a patient presents with mild depression.

 

[December Flower]

It's the same here in Australia, it seems to be the first line of defense with MDs if it's the first time a patient presents with mild depression.

It's used against Corona here. Bit weird, but it seems to work

 

[n3ophy7e]

It's used against Corona here. Bit weird, but it seems to work

Huh??? It's used for covid?? How does that work?

 

[December Flower]

Huh??? It's used for covid?? How does that work?

Maybe read with a translator https://www.medizin.nrw/Uni-Munster-Antidepressivum-als-mogliches-Mittel-gegen-COVID-19-2093.html
https://www.medizin.uni-muenster.de...tin-als-moegliches-mittel-gegen-covid-19.html


This is some news that seems to be only going around in Germany atm. Maybe with some digging you can find English articles
We have evidence that Prozac helps dim the spread of Corona within the body without damaging the cells, and it is already being used

 

[n3ophy7e]

Maybe read with a translator https://www.medizin.nrw/Uni-Munster-Antidepressivum-als-mogliches-Mittel-gegen-COVID-19-2093.html
https://www.medizin.uni-muenster.de...tin-als-moegliches-mittel-gegen-covid-19.html


This is some news that seems to be only going around in Germany atm. Maybe with some digging you can find English articles
We have evidence that Prozac helps dim the spread of Corona within the body without damaging the cells, and it is already being used

Nah I speak/read German, remember?? Sounds like very interesting research....I'll have a read.

 

[December Flower]

Nah I speak/read German, remember?? Sounds like very interesting research....I'll have a read.

Oh right. Tschuldige

 

[Phoenix_03]

8 weeks is plenty of time for that 40mg dose to build up

No, I wouldn't ask for another dose increase

Have you considered that maybe the benzos are having a negative impact on you? What kind are you taking and how much+how often?

Also try kava and kratom

I'm RXd alprazolam 0.5 mg 3 x daily. I have considered they might be the issue, especially since I am just an anxious person in general, but don't suffer panic attacks. The more I read about different benzos, the more it seems the general consensus is that xanax is best used for panic attacks.
I'm on methadone so kratom doesn't do anything for me. I tried kava once and felt nothing, but I can try it again.

 

[Phoenix_03]

Sometimes they give it 12 weeks if it shows initial benefit already.

Usually they give the higher doses of SSRIs for anxiety, so perhaps it applies. Benzos can be useful, but SSRIs are generally better for long-term anxiety management. Not on benzos but I do think that they offer some relief.

You can ask your doc about kratom/kava, but they're not really medicines. Don't know how they'll react with what you're taking, and your provider(s) will probably echo this.

I think the benzos might be the issue. The first time I was on Prozac it worked great and I wasn't on any type of benzo then.

 

[Phoenix_03]

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor a psychiatrist so please take this with a grain of salt and always speak to your doctors before altering your meds at all.

I personally am not fond of fluoxetine. I think it's really outdated and with all of the newer, more superior antidepressant options on the market these days, in my opinion fluoxetine has become quite redundant.

Did the doctor at the hospital give you any other options other than fluoxetine?
To answer your question, I would talk to your doctor about this now, rather than waiting any longer.
I will also add that the ideal situation with your anxiety is to find a medication that will improve both your depression AND anxiety to the point where you don't even need the benzos any more, or at the most just as an emergency back-up option for panic attacks.

The doctor at the hospital asked me if I'd ever been on antidepressants and if so, which ones. I told her I'd been on prozac and zoloft before, short-term, and both worked well, so she just picked prozac for me to try again. Many years and traumas have happened since my first go around with it, so I'm not sure what kind of meds would work best. Especially if my depression is supposedly treatment resistant. I read about the differences between SSRIs, SRIs, SNRIs, etc. but honestly, I don't know what is the answer for me, personally. Doctors, including my own, seem to just pick at random sometimes. I'm travelling for work now, but when I get home I'll make an appointment with her. She had said around this time if I hadn't improved she would either up my dose or swap meds.

 

[Phoenix_03]

That is an FDA issue, I believe. Not sure where OP is from, but I'd assume the states,
For kids and teenagers I think there's no other choices except prozac, because almost nothing else is FDA approved.
And for adults it's one of the "go-to" antidepressants in the US

In general, Prozac isn't really used as an antidepressant anymore (only in around 10% of cases, give or take)
But usually to treat OCD, agoraphobia, and stuff like that, because it still performs very well with those.

edit: I agree with you though. I don't like it, and there are much better performing SSRIs

Yup, from the states. It's funny you say fluoxetine is used to treat OCD because I feel my mild OCD has gotten worse since starting it. But yeah, i don't know what is approved for treating depression here. I know I don't want to end up on ANOTHER medication that results in severe withdrawal symptoms upon cessation. I've got enough of those already

 

[Opi_Kid_Rock]

Hi all-

So I was recently diagnosed with this special new issue over the summer after I made a half-hearted, yet almost successful attempt at suicide. I've been on fluoxetine since I was in the hospital in August, started at 20 MG daily and I've been on 40 MG daily for 2 months now. While I don't feel as shit as I did before, I still have some of the same negative triggers in my life so it's difficult to gauge how much I'm improving and how well the meds are working. I've taken Prozac before years ago, and I noticed markedly improved effects but that hasn't happened this go around. Should I wait a bit longer before hitting up my doc or try upping the dose? I think 60 MG is the highest for this med, correct? Maybe I need to try something else? Only other SSRI or any antidepressant I've ever been on besides this was Zoloft. They want this to treat my anxiety, too, and remove benzos from my regimen but it's not working well for the depression and it's nowhere near touching the anxiety.

P.S. I know the obvious other answer is to remove any remaining negative things but removing people is easier said than done. I did leave my old job which I hated and am training at my new one currently, which has been a major help.

I always thought that antidepressants in general in terms of effectiveness in studies compared to the placebo group results to be unimpressive. Combining medication with therapy of some kind I think would be a more effective approach to these symptoms of depression and anxiety. I am currently very interested in the Biopsychosocial approach to treating mental illness symptoms and I think YouTube videos of Dr. Gabor Mate speaking will clarify a lot about the disadvantages that the Western Medicine perspective has on illnesses.

I personally have tried all of the major antidepressants without any relief and only negative side-effects for me personally. I started CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) for my depression starting two weeks ago. It’s been going just ok.

 

[n3ophy7e]

Yup, from the states. It's funny you say fluoxetine is used to treat OCD because I feel my mild OCD has gotten worse since starting it. But yeah, i don't know what is approved for treating depression here. I know I don't want to end up on ANOTHER medication that results in severe withdrawal symptoms upon cessation. I've got enough of those already

Unfortunately most antidepressants have withdrawal symptoms, but if/when you want to stop taking them you just taper down to avoid the withdrawals.
Also, unfortunately a lot of doctors just prescribe whichever medications the pharmaceutical company reps sell to them, not necessarily the medication which would be best for you. So do a bit of research if you can, and see if there's one that sounds like it suits your needs. Zoloft and Effexor seem to be pretty good all-rounder antidepressants and seem to be pretty well tolerated. I'm in Cymbalta and it's the one that works perfectly for me (and I tried 7 other medications before Cymbalta). Or you can just talk to your doctor and see what they recommend.

 

[Phoenix_03]

I always thought that antidepressants in general in terms of effectiveness in studies compared to the placebo group results to be unimpressive. Combining medication with therapy of some kind I think would be a more effective approach to these symptoms of depression and anxiety. I am currently very interested in the Biopsychosocial approach to treating mental illness symptoms and I think YouTube videos of Dr. Gabor Mate speaking will clarify a lot about the disadvantages that the Western Medicine perspective has on illnesses.

I personally have tried all of the major antidepressants without any relief and only negative side-effects for me personally. I started CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) for my depression starting two weeks ago. It’s been going just ok.

I've tried CBT several times and I have such a hard time talking about my emotions or things from my past. It just feels like so much explaining and half the time I feel like none of it is worth sharing anyway. I can't change it or reverse any damage done, I'm not ruminating on my mistakes or living with regrets. I think I have PTSD from some of the trauma I've been through but It's hard to explain thirty years of mental health problems in one hour broken-up segments.

 

[Phoenix_03]

Unfortunately most antidepressants have withdrawal symptoms, but if/when you want to stop taking them you just taper down to avoid the withdrawals.
Also, unfortunately a lot of doctors just prescribe whichever medications the pharmaceutical company reps sell to them, not necessarily the medication which would be best for you. So do a bit of research if you can, and see if there's one that sounds like it suits your needs. Zoloft and Effexor seem to be pretty good all-rounder antidepressants and seem to be pretty well tolerated. I'm in Cymbalta and it's the one that works perfectly for me (and I tried 7 other medications before Cymbalta). Or you can just talk to your doctor and see what they recommend.

I'm going to research a few different ones and see what my options are. With multiple conditions on top of one another it's hard to know if one medicine might be great, but it's power dampened by another med I take, or issue I have. Major depressive disorder, ADHD, GAD, substance abuse issues, hypothyroidism. I feel like someone needs to do to me like what I used to do to my Nintendo game cartridges when they were acting fucked up or not working: take them out and blow the dust off, then pop them back in. Good as new!

 

[xaddictx]

It's the same here in Australia, it seems to be the first line of defense with MDs if it's the first time a patient presents with mild depression.

Fuck the FDA. They are the main problem of why so many people are suffering. The medications that work the best, doctors are afraid to prescribe because of them. They'd rather you die from fentanyl off the streets than getting the RIGHT meds from their doctor. Makes me sick.

 

[n3ophy7e]

I'm going to research a few different ones and see what my options are. With multiple conditions on top of one another it's hard to know if one medicine might be great, but it's power dampened by another med I take, or issue I have. Major depressive disorder, ADHD, GAD, substance abuse issues, hypothyroidism. I feel like someone needs to do to me like what I used to do to my Nintendo game cartridges when they were acting fucked up or not working: take them out and blow the dust off, then pop them back in. Good as new!

I've got multiple diagnoses as well, major depressive disorder, GAD, ADD, complex PTSD, OCD, substance abuse disorder....the aim is to find just one or two medications that help with everything. And it is possible. Like I said earlier, I take Cymbalta, and usually I take topiramate as well, which acts as a mood stabiliser. But I'm pregnant and can't take the topiramate while pregnant so I had to cut that one out. I'll continue it after I give birth though as it really helps me.

For REALLY effective help and relief of your symptoms though, incorporating some long term therapy as well as taking meds is your best option. Medications alone can simply act as a bandaid, which is okay for a while, but therapy will really help you get effective relief.