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Antidepressants and Medication for Anxiety andand/or depression

S

SpacemanTwister

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Joined
Jan 2, 2015
Messages
24
Hello BL eadders

I'm looking to hear about people's experiences, expert knowledge and opinions and anecdotes etc about SSRI's in general and Sertraline (Zoloft) in particular.

Over the past 10+ years I have tried effexor (srni), fluoxetine and Escitalopram. Each of these medications I tried for at least a year.

The first time I took an antidepressant was Citalopram. I honestly can't say if this worked or even had any effect. I was smoking and drinking too much to really know. I certainly did not notice that they were having any effect be that positive or negative.

The next 2 times I took the above meds I don't think that they helped in anyway. In fact I don't think they had any noticable effects whatsoever. I mean I didn't notice any change in how I felt or have any changes in personality. Nothing!

Here's my big question: Did you try several antidepressants before finding one that worked positively for you?
Why do you think that was, simply individual brain chemistry or even placebo or what.....?
 
I've been on 2 or 3 different kinds of SSRI but now I'm on none. The Jury's still out on how effective they are and there's an increasing amount of controversy over them and the way they were developed and approved

They all seem to hinge on the theory that depression is caused by a lack of certain neurotransmittors in the brain, and the pills will fix that, but AFAIK it's still a theory that hasn't been conclusively proven. What causes this lack of neurotranismittors in the first place? Depression is a very complex beast

from my personal experience it's hard to say, there were times when I felt better while on SSRIs, but how much of this was placebo? How much is just the normal ebb and flow of moods and life? I can't say for sure. They do help some people but in the end I decided they weren't for me.

Years ago I stupidly decided to continue drinking while taking an SSRI and it caused me to experience a dreadful side effect - Gynocomastia (swelling of the breasts) which ruined my life and the NHS won't fix for me. So I would warn against drinking at the same time

Good luck whatever you decide and I hope you feel better with or without the meds
 
I was on sertraline for a couple of years to treat depression. At first it did the job quite well. I stopped taking it as I felt it was making me permanently manic. I also stopped enjoying music, didn't find comedy funny anymore which was strange. I also could last ages in bed although I guess that's not necessarily a negative side effect!
Worst part without a doubt was coming off it. Despite slowly tapering down the brain zaps were horrendous and continued for weeks, albeit gradually decreasing.
To sum up, worked for me when I needed it but im glad I decided to try coming off when I did. I made a few life changes, like coming off permanent nights and I seem to be managing just fine past 6 or 7 years.
 
SpacemanTwister said:
Hello BL eadders

I'm looking to hear about people's experiences, expert knowledge and opinions and anecdotes etc about SSRI's in general and Sertraline (Zoloft) in particular.

Over the past 10+ years I have tried effexor (srni), fluoxetine and Escitalopram. Each of these medications I tried for at least a year.

The first time I took an antidepressant was Citalopram. I honestly can't say if this worked or even had any effect. I was smoking and drinking too much to really know. I certainly did not notice that they were having any effect be that positive or negative.

The next 2 times I took the above meds I don't think that they helped in anyway. In fact I don't think they had any noticable effects whatsoever. I mean I didn't notice any change in how I felt or have any changes in personality. Nothing!

Here's my big question: Did you try several antidepressants before finding one that worked positively for you?
Why do you think that was, simply individual brain chemistry or even placebo or what.....?
Click to expand...

I've been prescribed most of the SSRIs and SNRIs over the years to treat my depression and (to some extent) PTSD although I don't like to call it that as it diminishes the term for those poor fellas who really suffer from PTSD...not fair to call my occasional nightmare PTSD, but my depression is definately a real thing..

Anyhoo, I gave them all a fair try and can honestly say they did absolutely jack shit...like nothing whatsoever.

I've always felt though that if you're depressed for a reason, like because bad things have happened in your life, how are these pills meant to change that? They won't make the bad things somehow "go away" will they? If you're depressed simply because of a chemical imbalance in your brain rather than through actual circumstances then yeah, maybe they can help you...But if you're depressed because your life is shit or because you've seen and done bad things then simply inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin and noradrenaline in your brain isn't gonna simply change that (assuming they actually work in doing that with regards to you brain chemistry in the first place... but that's a different argument)...
 
I have never once heard anyone say anything positive about SSRIs. IMO, they are the biggest pharmaceutical swindle of the 20th century and were nothing more than a fuckin cash cow for big pharma. My Mrs was on them for years - she must have tried them all - and not one did any good whatsoever, often making her feel worse. Eventually, her doctor sent her to see a psychiatrist, and just a few weeks of talking to this woman who basically just listened, did her far more good than all of the antidepressants put together. She also suffered significant withdrawal from them - sorry, I mean 'discontinuation syndrome' - a term the medical community likes to use to cover the fact that their snake oil DOES cause dependence.

I also was prescribed an SSRI for a short while (name escapes me now), but I soon stopped taking them because I didn't want to ruin my ability to enjoy the Mitsubishis which had just arrived. They boosted my mood more than anything...
 
there was definitely an unhealthy relationship between the big pharma corps that developed them and the FDA that approved them. The book Cracked by James Davies goes into detail and it makes for scary reading.

a drug development trial can fail 99 times but if it suceeds just once or twice, the med can be approved. They conveniently don't mention the 99 times it failed
 
Forever Changes said:
there was definitely an unhealthy relationship between the big pharma corps that developed them and the FDA that approved them. The book Cracked by James Davies goes into detail and it makes for scary reading.

a drug development trial can fail 99 times but if it suceeds just once or twice, the med can be approved. They conveniently don't mention the 99 times it failed
Click to expand...

That is so fucked up and totally goes against the scientific method. A 1 or 2% success rate is not a significant result.
 
Hi and thanks for your responses. I agree with all that has been said above.

Without me getting into much further discussion tonight I strongly believe that the mass subscription of this type of medication could be considered a very bad practice (ill advised, if you excuse the pun) and possibly unethical. It is probably one of the many medical scandals of our time.

HOWEVER, despite this, I have been witness to somebody very close to me who had a definite and mostly positive response to ssri's (Citalopram). As the placebo effect on humans, of anything, can be huge I can not be 100% that her reaction to said medication was not a placebo but I would whole heartedly say that I believe the medication worked for this woman. The meds actually seemed fit for purpose in this instance!

I would like to hear further opinions and anecdotes and experiences about Sertraline, SSRI's and SNRI"s and other antidepressants or other commonly prescribed anti anxiety medication. More specifically tell me your thoughts about these drugs and their effect as treatment for Anxiety disorders.

What medication has worked for you to treat moderate to severe anxiety?






*mods*
If possible, could a moderator rename this thread "Antidepressants and Medication for Anxiety andand/or depression"
 
Last edited:
Spaceman, I've tried several SSRIs including zoloft as well as an atypical AD (wellbutrin). The side effects made it necessary to get off the SSRIs. They didn't help me feel better anyways. The Wellbutrin gave me more energy but also made me irritable and ratcheted up my anxiety, necessitating the use of more xanax. When i got off the wellbutrin i realized it wasn't doing anything for me anyways. I'm seeing my psychiatrist this month and am going to give meds another shot, even though I'm not a big fan of them. I've seen personal accounts for almost every AD out there, and there are horrible stories and miraculous recovery type stories (and everything in between) for any drug you can think of. It really comes down to the individual.

For treating anxiety specifically, xanax works for me. However, it's no antidepressant. Nor is it a great long term therapy due to dependence/withdrawal issue. CBT is good for anxiety, though.
 
what really shocked me when visiting the USA is that these prescription antidepressants are actually advertised all over the place! : 'feeling down, ask your doctor for Prozac...' etc
 
Forever Changes said:
I've been on 2 or 3 different kinds of SSRI but now I'm on none. The Jury's still out on how effective they are and there's an increasing amount of controversy over them and the way they were developed and approved

They all seem to hinge on the theory that depression is caused by a lack of certain neurotransmittors in the brain, and the pills will fix that, but AFAIK it's still a theory that hasn't been conclusively proven. What causes this lack of neurotranismittors in the first place? Depression is a very complex beast

from my personal experience it's hard to say, there were times when I felt better while on SSRIs, but how much of this was placebo? How much is just the normal ebb and flow of moods and life? I can't say for sure. They do help some people but in the end I decided they weren't for me.

Years ago I stupidly decided to continue drinking while taking an SSRI and it caused me to experience a dreadful side effect - Gynocomastia (swelling of the breasts) which ruined my life and the NHS won't fix for me. So I would warn against drinking at the same time

Good luck whatever you decide and I hope you feel better with or without the meds
Click to expand...

Gynecomastia occurs when you're on a drug that increases prolactin levels (eg Invega Sustenna, Risperdal, etc). It wasn't your drinking. It was psychiatric incompetence
 
awesome31311 said:
Gynecomastia occurs when you're on a drug that increases prolactin levels (eg Invega Sustenna, Risperdal, etc). It wasn't your drinking. It was psychiatric incompetence
Click to expand...

too much alcohol can cause fatty-liver which interferes with the liver's function and this can screw up hormone levels which can cause gynecomastia. Hard-core long term alcoholics often develop Gyno.

I wasn't a hardcore alky, but I went through a time when I know I was drinking too much (every day) and that possibly combined with the SSRI I was taking at the time resulted in developing gyno which I still haven't been able to get rid of. Even losing weight doesn't help :\
 
Bob Funkhouse said:
My instinct tells me you're being way too harsh on yourself and if anyone is to blame them it lies more with the pharmaceutical company or doctor who prescribed you this medication.
Click to expand...

well I guess it depends whether you consider mental illnesses like depression to be somebody's own fault or not. The doctors prescribe anti-depressants liberally these days because they're worried that if they refuse, a patient may go home and top themselves. It's not really their fault if there are side effects. I don't blame the GP in this case

But I am pissed that the NHS won't do a quick and inexpensive procedure that would change my life, while wasting vast sums of money on all sorts of other uneccessary stuff and/or questionable treatments like giving obese people gastric bands
 
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