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Mental Health Depression: take or not take antidepressants?

solidsnake77

solidsnake77

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 30, 2016
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82
Well, I have a no treated depression from a long time ago, a few months later after kick in my opiate addiction of 4 years by chronic pain management. Today I take kratom (3-6g daily) with very good results to my pain, anxiety and sometimes depression too, but I don't know really if is enought.


I took many types of AD's a few years ago, by chronic pain or by mild depression too: fluoxetine, duloxetine, mirtazapine, venlafaxine, amitriptiline, vortioxetine, escitalopram... and with the pass of the time, always the cons were more than the pros. In the last year I took vortioxetine, but I left after one month by side effects and don't had so much effectivity (only the 2nd week I felt better, but later nothing). I didn't wanted up the dose to 20mg because it's a new antidepressant with low studies, and finally I did a reduction (the withdrawal effects were shit). A few months later mirtazapine for insomnia and depression (I took it time ago too), and good for insomnia but I wake up in the morning really depressive, more than when I didn't take it, so in 4 days I quitted too.


Now I have changes of mood too dramaticals, sometimes it seems like I am in a emotional roller coaster, but lately the depression predominates above well being. My lifestyle is a mess: I don't have a work and I can't find one of anything (I have studies of pharmacy technician), live with my mother, the economical situation is difficult and don't know what to do. I don't have a social circle, I'm introvert by nature and have difficulties to socialize with new people. A long time ago I had more ''friends'' in party environments of high drugs consumpts, and I don't want that life anymore (yes, of course, sometimes I like have a high of something, but do not base my life only in that). In conclussion, my social life is poor.


I have a excellent girlfriend that I see almost every weekend, and I admit that at present is what gives a balance to my life. Without her probably I would have a more chaotical day after day, and I don't like recognize it, but probably I'll would relapse in opiates with descontrolled consume (I have an addictive personality and I know myself very well in that aspect..)


Today I went to my dr for another reasons, and I told him my situation of depression with ocasional anxiety due my lifestyle I guess. He knew I took so many AD's in the past, and finally I quitted by side effects. He prescribed me duloxetine 30mg, said that is a good choice, that have less side effects than anothers and don't affect so much to the sex drive, but I look in Internet and the reviews doesn't say the same thing. Then, I don't know if give it a chance, or better look for another effective things (natural stuff). In fact, I don't like it so much the AD's by my experience, but really I'm in a dark hole righ now. My mood with up and downs is a fuckin mess.


The big question is: it worth it take antidepressants? Having in consideration the pros and cons, the side effects..? I prefer natural products always, but I don't know if there something really effective to the depression (except kratom, but I don't want up my daily dose with white veins for depression apart the red veins for pain). I saw some info interesting info of ashwagandha, somebody knows if works good for depression? Or another thing?
I'll like try do things to change my lifestyle, try contact with old friends or something like that, but I don't have the enough motivation to do that, and in the end I ask myself ''for what? To do what? Smoke some joints and speak of some shits? nah, I stay in home on the PC or to the ps3''. And the days pass and pass and it's like I trapped in a loop, and really the unique relief to this ''loop'' is the weekend with my gf. And I don't like it so much, because so much attachment never is good in a long-term.


Sorry by the long post, any question or advise would be so appreciated.
Peace people
 
Depression meds are awful. They remodel your brain mentally. Ssri's for example. Something like benzos even although more for anxiety. Iv tryed over 20 meds for anxiety and depression. All but benzos were counterproductive. And benzos are addictive and still not good. Depression doesn't last it's state of mind..if you don't feel lows you won't feel highs. And God only knows Ssri's like prozac you have to take up to 5 weeks to work think that's ALWAYS REFORMING your brain chemistry. These meds are only within the past 100 years. What fid people use before...friends family jokes laughing now it's meds pills your 8th grader needs pills to focus, HE HAS ENERGY! OFCOURSE THE SHIT U TEACH IS BORING your child's depressed. No he's learning a new world of growing up. Believe someone who has used over 20 prescribed meds along with recreational medicine. Prescriptions are not goof in general unless majorly needed
 
razordesignz said:
Depression meds are awful. They remodel your brain mentally. Ssri's for example. Something like benzos even although more for anxiety. Iv tryed over 20 meds for anxiety and depression. All but benzos were counterproductive. And benzos are addictive and still not good. Depression doesn't last it's state of mind..if you don't feel lows you won't feel highs. And God only knows Ssri's like prozac you have to take up to 5 weeks to work think that's ALWAYS REFORMING your brain chemistry. These meds are only within the past 100 years. What fid people use before...friends family jokes laughing now it's meds pills your 8th grader needs pills to focus, HE HAS ENERGY! OFCOURSE THE SHIT U TEACH IS BORING your child's depressed. No he's learning a new world of growing up. Believe someone who has used over 20 prescribed meds along with recreational medicine. Prescriptions are not goof in general unless majorly needed
Click to expand...


Thanks for the answer. You are right, by my experience AD's never has been good for a long term, and always I finally quitted of them by the side effects. I think that the prescription of duloxetine will stay in the drawer, the idea of stay again at least 1 month trying with a antidepressant sounds shitty, although this depression is crap too, but sadly I don't think duloxetine will be the answer.


For the moment I think I will take sometimes tramadol 50mg, alterning with some extra of white vein kratom (besides my daily dose of red vein for pain) in another days.
 
I find anti-depressants and mood stabilizers to very helpful. It just takes the right combination or choice.
 
I don't know, i'm gonna see what i'd can do finally. Today is another shit day, with the mood so low and without motivation, on the pc listening to music without any plans or things to do, a black hole.. I thought on last weekend, in maybe go out this weekend and have some fun in a pub with my gf and a few friends (if they go out too, idk really) but today I don't have any wish to go out of party, I am so much depressed now. I smoked a joint of pot and relief the emotional pain a little bit, but only till the joint over.


Maybe if the plans of this weekend go bad and don't do anything, maybe I'll reconsider the possibility of buy the duloxetine and give it a choice after talk with my gf about it too, she knows that I don't approve so much the AD's but my situation is chaotical.
I have a little scare of tell this to her, and maybe lower so much my self-esteem in front of her I have afraid of lost her if her can't live in a relationship with me in this situation, and I don't know if the fact that I am reconsidering take an antidepressant and say to her, make to her doubt and ask things to self about our relationship or me.
 
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Careful with Kratom, I used to take your dosage and now I'm on Abilify, it sucks.
 
lemmon said:
Careful with Kratom, I used to take your dosage and now I'm on Abilify, it sucks.
Click to expand...


Can you tell more about that to claim something like that? What's happened to you using kratom? How time did you used? Abilify it's an antipsychotic to people with schizofrenia, are you saying that kratom caused you schizofrenia?! If yes, please tell about your history, your symptoms, if you used more drugs (pot, meds, alcohol or another drugs) or if you have any antecedental of mental illness, etc.
 
lemmon said:
I don't know... could be 6g everyday for a while, with diphenydramine, benzo and phenibut... I just wanted to ease the pain, but my family called the cops. The mental illness could be related, the drugs could be related, but there were other factors I won't state here. Most people wouldn't swallow kratom anyway.
Click to expand...

Sorry hear your experience, I hope you are better now on in the good path. I don't know if kratom could be relationed with your case, maybe, idk, but if your family called the cops kratom it doesn't involves in that, that was your familly calling to the cops. I don't know if were only by the drugs or you were in a bad state (like was my case once a lot years ago). I don't understand why you said that, in fact so much people take kratom to relief their pain or anxiety (like me), depression too or a lot of illnesses too. Because that the US ban was stopped the last month (for now), I hope the people still keep the pressure for this miraculous drug.

Cheers and good luck mate.
 
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Because it tastes bad, anyway it's hard to abuse kratom so no need to ban such a thing
 
I think the best way to deal with depression is be active. It's hard to get started, but exercising, having projects (hobbies, builds, etc.), owning an animal or even just taking drives around town or just being out and about with no particular means is the best way for me personally to deal with depression. I've never been diagnosed, but I never saw saw the need to go to a doctor and have them tell me what I'm sure I already know. This sounds so stupid, but I legitimately used to have suicidal thoughts, I was paranoid, unmotivated, etc. It may not work in a lot of cases because I don't even really know how severe my condition was/is, but ever since I started forcing myself to do the things I mentioned I've been doing significantly better. I'm not some sort of fool who doesn't believe in the miracle of modern medicine, but drugs for mental health are sketchy to me at best.

I just think that everyone should, if they can, always try a natural approach before stepping up into the tier of psychosomatic medicines. Shit is scary, yo.
 
^ I agree. After taking antidepressants over the years, I learned they don't work for me. I have tried a natural path instead. I used Kratom before. I used phenibut. I tried all kinds of natural things. I refuse to get on antidepressants. I do best when I exercise. Exercise is the best medicine and talking to a therapist is helpful. It's good to have someone to talk to and a good therapist will let you see things in a different way and remind you of your accomplishments. Having a positive attitude and being GRATEFUL is important.

I know what you mean, it's not good to be that attached to someone. You sound like how I was in my last relationship. It got to a point where I only relied on him for my happiness and he was my way to get out of the house on weekends. That kind of relationship turns toxic. You have to build yourself up and have your own life outside of another person. Try to find something you're passionate about and try new things. People don't like to feel like you are completely dependent on them. It sucks the life out of a relationship.

So work out, get some hobbies, be grateful for who you are, where you are and what you have. Get a book called The Power. It will help to get your mind on a positive wavelength. Again, talking to a therapist can help you feel grounded. Good luck.

Oh and get out into nature! This is very important. Get out of your house and go for a walk. Smell the air, listen to the trees and the breeze. Appreciate the birds, look at the sky and realize the universe is infinite. There is much more to life. Much more to discover and experience. Right now you're stuck in your little bubble. Get some air and see how beautiful life is.
 
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CoastTwoCoast said:
^ I agree. After taking antidepressants over the years, I learned they don't work for me. I have tried a natural path instead. I used Kratom before. I used phenibut. I tried all kinds of natural things. I refuse to get on antidepressants. I do best when I exercise. Exercise is the best medicine and talking to a therapist is helpful. It's good to have someone to talk to and a good therapist will let you see things in a different way and remind you of your accomplishments. Having a positive attitude and being GRATEFUL is important.

I know what you mean, it's not good to be that attached to someone. You sound like how I was in my last relationship. It got to a point where I only relied on him for my happiness and he was my way to get out of the house on weekends. That kind of relationship turns toxic. You have to build yourself up and have your own life outside of another person. Try to find something you're passionate about and try new things. People don't like to feel like you are completely dependent on them. It sucks the life out of a relationship.

So work out, get some hobbies, be grateful for who you are, where you are and what you have. Get a book called The Power. It will help to get your mind on a positive wavelength. Again, talking to a therapist can help you feel grounded. Good luck.

Oh and get out into nature! This is very important. Get out of your house and go for a walk. Smell the air, listen to the trees and the breeze. Appreciate the birds, look at the sky and realize the universe is infinite. There is much more to life. Much more to discover and experience. Right now you're stuck in your little bubble. Get some air and see how beautiful life is.
Click to expand...

Excellent answer, thank you so much.
 
I would never, ever recommend ADs. I'm on Zoloft currently and hate it. At this point, I only take it to avoid withdrawals. I get angry, sad, migraines, brain zaps (maybe the worst withdrawal symptom), my body aches, I feel sick, you name it. And for some people the symptoms never go away. The best anti depressant for me has been weed, and because of weed I've been able to get my daily dose of Zoloft down to 50mg from the 150mg I previously was on.

In my opinion, ADs should be a last case scenario.
 
Thanks to everybody for the answers. At least by the moment, I chose don't started with duloxetine. The cons are above pros, and I highly doubt that take one AD could improve significantly my current situation. For the moment I take kratom and smoke a bit of weed, that gaves me certain relief to my low mood.
 
Kratom has some sort of antidepressant activity.

I know this because I have taken a few different antidepressants in the past which gave me brain zaps along with a few other disturbing symptoms.

I eventually tapered off of the ADs and all the symptoms stopped.

It wasn't until years later when I got hooked on kratom did I feel those same sensations again.

Kratom gave me the same brain zaps as well as some manic symptoms like repeating thoughts.

kratom is relatively safe unless mixed with antidepressants!

I once took a combo of kratom and st johns wort and it threw me into what felt like benzo and antidepressant withdrawals for about three days.

Online I have read about a few people who had bad experiences mixing kratom with antidepressants, some of them having seizures.

So be very careful with kratom and antidepressants.

And though they work for some people, I think 99% of the time it is best to stay away from them. They only make things 1000 times worse.

Occasional benzos for the really bad days or emergencies and trying to eat and live as healthy as possible is your best bet.

And weed is always a good thing. It protects the brain.
 
It's anecdotal but I have 2 good friends who have tried antidepressants. Can't remember the drug names, but one of them still takes it. The other is trying to taper off them and is having a heck of a time dealing with the side effects.

Anyways I would try CBT / mindfulness / good diet / exercise first if possible.
 
Yeah if you are not in an absolute crisis I would stay away from antidepressants. That's SSRIs SNRIs mood stabilizers or anything in that variety.

I think they only work for people who have a drastic deficiency of serotonin.

I took them when I was younger and didn't need them and found myself in what was described as a "mania" where I literally did not sleep a single minute for five whole days. I had chaotic voices in my head, hallucinations, extreme depression and anxiety. It took me months to come down from that, taper off the meds, and feel normal again.

I got to see how broken and clueless parts of the medical system is. I was a teenager going through phase of anxiety that I didn't understand. Eventually I started having panic attacks I didn't understand. All I needed was some education and some time to sort myself out. Maybe just a xanax or two to calm me down, but with a warning not to rely on them.

Instead they started throwing me sample's of antidepressants and experimenting with my dosages which massively exacerbated my symptoms and led to new issues, trauma, and chemical dependency.

Even early on when I started to realize how scary the pills are, I told the doctor I wanted off of them and wanted to go a natural route. The doctor refused to help and remained adamant that I needed the ADs. In the end it was up to me to quit the pharmaceuticals and face my anxiety head on.

In my experience benzos are the only pill that works for people and does not have the potential to magnify symptoms of anxiety. They are so valuable for stopping panic, debilitating anxiety, and for slowing down a run away mind.

However benzos need to be taken with respect and responsibility.

They are never to be taken multiple days in a row, and must be strictly reserved for rare or emergency situations.

Benzo addiction and withdrawal is one of the most dreadful things a human being can go through. It will completely consume a person, descending them into an existence of indescribable mental anguish for the rest of their lives, if not killing them during the struggle.

This nightmare only occurs if abused or dependency occurs.

The best medicine for anxiety and depression is no joke, healthy diet and daily exercise. It is so hard to get motivated and stick to a routine, but after time it really does work amazingly. Nutrition and exercise flood our brain with the very chemicals we try to induce with drugs, and balances the flow of neurotransmitters.

It takes at least a solid week of working out hard every day and 100% healthy eating until you start to actually feel the mental improvement.
 
what's your experience with Abilify? I am using the same. suffering from anxiety and some symptoms of schizophrenia....
 
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