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SSRIs, to take or not to take

G

Glaive

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
64
I am currently prescribed 200mg of zoloft daily for my anxiety and slight depression. However since SSRIs such as zoloft greatly diminish or completely cancel out the effects of many psychedelics, I weened myself off of the zoloft without my doctor knowing in order to use psychedelics. In addition I felt as if the zoloft was turning me into an emotionless being. Even though it prevented me from feeling serious anxiety or sadness, I never felt especially happy on it. I missed the highs and lows of life. Familiar sensation to anyone? On top of it, even though I had been on the zoloft for two years, I successfully quit taking it without too many withdrawal symptoms.

So now it has been 8 months since I stopped taking the zoloft and have had some pretty good times with shrooms/DMT safely. However within the past few weeks my life hasn't been playing out as well, and have found myself more depressed than ever. Lots of feeling of guilt/failure/weakness, and wanting to regress into a child again. I feel as if I started taking my zoloft again, within a few weeks it could help pull me out of hole I'm in. I talked to some of my friends at school who have had experiences with anti-depressants, and many believed they are a crutch, and that relying on them isn't good in the long run. I'm not so sure though. I'm prescribed them for a good reason, and the voice of logic in my head tells me stopping them was never a good idea in the first place.

What are your opinions on taking SSRIs/anti-depressants? Are my friends crazy for thinking they are a crutch?
 
Ive been on and off of them for about 2 years, i know how you feel. IME they help a lot stabilizing mood and anxiety, a person should live life as happy as possible...or whats the point?
 
Hi there, welcome to BL and I am sorry you are having such a bad time at the moment.

I am actually going to move this thread to The Dark Side as they are the experts in mental health problems and treatments, and I think you might get a better reply there. If not we can always move it back :)

The gist of how I feel is - yes they are overprescribed, no they are not a panacea but some people do need them. Depression, especially moderate-severe, has a biological componant and antidepressants do seem to work well for some (they do for me). The evidence is less clear in mild-moderate depression. However they work best in conjunction with other aspects, looking at your psychological and social wellbeing, usually with some kind of therapy..

It is important to realise that they do not make you happy just by taking them - instead they boost you enough to be able to take control of your life and do the things that do actually make you happy. This is why they often work best combined with some sort of therapy eg CBT.

I understand not wanting them, I resisted for years but the way I see it is this - my diabetic friend relies on insulin and will do for the rest of her life. I rely on venlafaxine. Without it I have severe depression, and I will likely take it for the rest of my life (my case is pretty extreme, most people don't take them that long). For me, it is an illness like any other, and it needs treatment. However popping antidepressants because you feel a bit down without addressing the other areas of your life/mental well being is not the best way to take them, and I think that is why a lot of people assume they are just a crutch (plus people are not very well informed about mental illness..)

Listen to your voice - no one likes taking pills, or having other people judge them for it, but that is their problem not yours and you clearly know what helps you <3

Do you have a good doctor? What do they think?

Good luck! BDD > TDS
 
^I like that insulin analogy.
Well done.

The future of fighting depression more effective lies in further developments of NMDA antagonists imo. Ketamine and MXE are good starts for now...

Removing the dissasotive and mind blowing psychoactive components from them are next, but not euphoria tbh. There's something to that from what I gather.
 
Hey Glaive. Thats a tough spot you r in.
First off, how old are you and for how long have you been doing psychadelics?

Depression and anxiety is mostly your brain reacting to changes in your life and mindset. This is natural and can be very developing if seen through the proper perspective. Although it sucks badly some times.
If you have been doin lots of psychadelics for a while I strongly suggest you consider taking a break and allowing your brain to try and work shit out the way it wants to. And IF it does get to the point where your depression is no longer allowing you to handle things in life that is valuable to you, (relations, school, or whatever you enjoy) or if you feel you are suffering from delusions, and complete inability to feel happy, dont hesitate using the SSRI's for a while to start with. If taken the way they are ment to, they can be your guide through this passage that your brain is goin through in life.

I suffered severe depression during my early 20th because of intense E use. it fucked me up badly, but i managed to ride it out (6 month not beein able to laugh or stay in one place more than a few hours). And today i can see that period helped me loads, cus when i have a bad day or a bad week or month (like now) i can always refer to the depression and realise that "ive been through worse things before, i will manage".

lots of luck!
 
^ totally agree with this:
And today i can see that period helped me loads, cus when i have a bad day or a bad week or month (like now) i can always refer to the depression and realise that "ive been through worse things before, i will manage".
 
effie said:
Hi there, welcome to BL and I am sorry you are having such a bad time at the moment.

I am actually going to move this thread to The Dark Side as they are the experts in mental health problems and treatments, and I think you might get a better reply there. If not we can always move it back :)

The gist of how I feel is - yes they are overprescribed, no they are not a panacea but some people do need them. Depression, especially moderate-severe, has a biological componant and antidepressants do seem to work well for some (they do for me). The evidence is less clear in mild-moderate depression. However they work best in conjunction with other aspects, looking at your psychological and social wellbeing, usually with some kind of therapy..

It is important to realise that they do not make you happy just by taking them - instead they boost you enough to be able to take control of your life and do the things that do actually make you happy. This is why they often work best combined with some sort of therapy eg CBT.

I understand not wanting them, I resisted for years but the way I see it is this - my diabetic friend relies on insulin and will do for the rest of her life. I rely on venlafaxine. Without it I have severe depression, and I will likely take it for the rest of my life (my case is pretty extreme, most people don't take them that long). For me, it is an illness like any other, and it needs treatment. However popping antidepressants because you feel a bit down without addressing the other areas of your life/mental well being is not the best way to take them, and I think that is why a lot of people assume they are just a crutch (plus people are not very well informed about mental illness..)

Listen to your voice - no one likes taking pills, or having other people judge them for it, but that is their problem not yours and you clearly know what helps you <3

Do you have a good doctor? What do they think?

Good luck! BDD > TDS
Click to expand...


Im reporting this fucking, bullshit post!........for being too dam awesome. Well put, my friend, well put.
 
I can tell you that antidepressants have helped me a great deal in my life- but only for a limited time. In my case, the AD's just stop working after using for some period of time ( a few months at best). So treat them as a temporary solution. If you can combine AD use with therapy I think you'll get the most bang for your buck. Oftentimes, I've found that therapy made me realize I had to face certain problems I've been avoiding and AD's helped me get over the hump to tackle those challenges. So if you use them in a similar vein- your friends argument doesn't hold up. However, it all depends on how you intend to use them- don't just take them to numb yourself.
 
^^^

Fully support the above as Effie knows her shit on this stuff, lets not get into the do ADs or SSRIs work debate, that can have its own thread elsewhere, and has done many times.

I've been on and off ADs for about 3 years and should have sought medical help a long time before I did, SSRIs generally don't seem to agree with me at all and even some other ADs gave some quite extreme side effects but I'm also on Venlafaxine. I understand what you mean when you talk about your emotions, ADs make me feel compressed I have no upper or lower emotion and feel like I live in a smaller range somewhere in the middle.

I've tried coming off them before and I know how ill I was in the past, anxiety and depression are the main symptoms I suffer with but the reason I take ADs are the suicidal thoughts and ideation that I have without them. Just like the insulin analogy Effie talked about, that's the way I feel about my ADs I have to take them at the moment because not doing so could lead me down a path I don't want to travel again, the next time I might not find my way back.

I would recommend CBT, I've been having really good results from it, the ADs won't move you forward IMO whereas something like CBT will start to help you understand yourself and make the best of what you have but you have to put the work in, in the end its your head and only you can make real changes that will have a lasting effect.

The first time I saw a doctor about my depression I was very lucky, I was in a much worse state than I had admitted to myself (I was in residential care within 3 weeks of that first doctors appointment) she could see how bad I was but she sat me down and said that she couldn't guarantee how long it would take or that I wouldn't suffer depression like this again but I would feel better in time with treatment, that I would see the light again and feel happy again. I've been through some lows since but I've always hung on to that thought even at the worst of times. To the point of telling myself that I'll have another think about if I really need to kill myself tomorrow rather than act on the feelings now.

I'm still here inflicting myself on the world ;)

Best Wishes and keep on keepin on
 
Last edited:
atm23 said:
^^^

I've been through some lows since but I've always hung on to that thought even at the worst of times. To the point of telling myself that I'll have another think about if I really need to kill myself tomorrow rather than act on the feelings now.

I'm still here inflicting myself on the world ;)
Click to expand...

..And for that we're very happy!
That was so cool and uplifting.
 
Based on the title of this thread:

50mg of paxil a day has changed my life. I was a paranoid wreck before and now i feel like i am normal person again. I am also on 300mg seroquel a night but this is just for its off label use for sleep.

Before paxil i was uber paranoid about getting robbed and killed. This was due to an armed robbery PTSD, now i can live by myself without freaking out and its purely due to my daily paxil dose. For the right issue its a lifesaver. Cheers.
 
It was very dangerous of you to ween yourself off of the Zoloft and then lie to your doctor about it. You were prescribed the Zoloft for a reason and it was, by your own admission, helping you. To play doctor with yourself and ween yourself off of psychiatric medications, which could cause severe withdrawal effects and other adverse health conditions, was not a good choice. Medications are not evil. They exist to help people. They aren't a crutch. For many people these medications are necessary to treat serious mental health issues, like what you are living with. Mental illness is a very real and legitimate thing. Resisting treatment to trip and enjoy drugs doesn't seem very responsible at all and I think that you're very lucky that you didn't end up suffering serious health consequences because of it.

I would not be surprised in the least if your drug use has worsened your underlying condition, which seems to be the case from what you have reported here.

If you had diabetes, or serious cholesterol or heart issues, and you needed to take medications to ensure your health, would you choose not to take those medications? I see that you know, deep down, that what you did was not the best choice. There is no shame in needing to take medications to remain stable. The brain is just like any other organ in the body and many things can go wrong with it. I have bipolar disorder and, in order to remain productive and live my life the way that I want to I will have to take medications for the rest of my life. My medications work and, since I've been treatment compliant, the overall quality of my life has improved DRASTICALLY and I have been completely stable and in remission for going on four years.

I know firsthand that drugs + mental health issues always = very bad things in the end. Many people don't want to believe this, though, even after very bad things have happened to them because of their drug use. It's honestly best to avoid drugs as a person who has the issues that you do. Stay on your medications. It's going to take a lot of work with therapy and changing your lifestyle in order to get the most out of your life. The medications merely keep you stable enough to be able to do these things.

Hopefully what I've said helps you. Have no shame. Treat your condition. Try not to make similar dangerous decisions in the future. :)
 
Effie - Thank you for the detailed response. I think you are absolutely right about the AD's purpose being that of a stabilizer. Just taking the pill isn't going to make my problems go away, but it should be able to put me in a better mindset to help me tackle life's issues as opposed to just worrying about them. As for my doctor's opinion, he thinks I should be on it. I brought up my anxiety, and he was the the one who recommended zoloft in the first place.

my worst enemy - Well I'm only 20....so I am running some risk using psychedelics if my brain is still developing. I know how powerful they can be, and purposefully waited until I was slightly older to experiment. I started using psychs about 8 months ago, which was a month after I stopped taking my AD. (Was making sure it was all out my system). My usage wasn't out of control either. DMT once a month at most, and then shrooms and 4-AcO about once a month. So despite how irresponsible it was for me to quit taking my prescription AD, I'd like to think I have at least shown some harm-reduction. Also, thanks for sharing some ideas, I know for a fact that even if I don't start my AD again right away, I will for sure take a break from the drugs like you suggested. As beautiful as DMT experiences are, I should chew on their meaning/message more before dosing it again.

amt23 - I certainly like your idea of trying therapy. I tried some at a younger age but was very resistant to it having been sent there by parents. I actually ended up being a smart-ass to the psychologist and would feed him fake problems just to make my parents feel like it was doing something. That was a long time ago, and now I feel willing to go on my own accord and actually express some of my problems and feeling.

embers-fading - Yeah, you are right about it being a bad decision. However I don't want you to think I quit my AD JUST to start psychedelics. I quit them mostly because of the emotional numbness they gave me. As opposed to feeling the highs and lows of life, the ADs made me feel as if my emotions were flat-lined. In additional I didn't appreciate the negative side effects such as random sweating and almost complete loss of libido. Getting to use psychs was just kind of a bonus that I hadn't thought about when I quit. Again, thank you for the advice. I wouldn't be surprised if you were right about my mental health becoming worse because of drug use. On a positive note, maybe once I give my brain a break and recover, this whole ordeal will make me a bit tougher. I certainly have learned a lot about myself already.

So, I still have not made a final decision to start up my AD or not yet. However I will be giving my brain a well needed rest from drugs. As long as it takes. I guess my decision is going to come down to whether or not I feel I can recover with just therapy, or if I really need the AD to help. Zoloft takes about 2-4 weeks to kick in, so hoping to decide soon.
 
It is an incredibly difficult decision and there will be as many right answers as there are people. I think that the bottom line is that if you have tried everything else--good, effective proactive therapy like mindfulness, CBT, etc.-- and you still cannot get past that deadening kind of depression that saps all motivation, then it is worth exploring ADs. They come with so many dreadful side effects that they should always be a last resort IMO. But a last resort is still a viable strategy. Depression and anxiety are both debilitating when they are extreme. Finding non-drug ways to conquer them is obviously optimal but only you will know if this is possible or not. Good luck in your decision. Your thread has certainly generated some well thought out replies and I hope they help you as you explore what is best for you.<3
 
One thing to remember is that there are all sorts of shades of gray in this decision making process.

First of all, there's no reason you can't change your mind at any time and go back off antidepressants if you start them up again and regret it. It sounds like you don't have much of an issue with SSRI withdrawals, so that's not a worry.

Secondly, 200 mg of Zoloft is a pretty hefty dose. Maybe you could talk with your doctor about dropping the dosage once your depression symptoms start improving and see if that makes a difference with the negative effects you're having. Just because you were in a place last year where you needed 200 mg of Zoloft to pull you out of your depression doesn't mean that's true now.

Also, Zoloft isn't the only antidepressant out there. Have you tried other antidepressant classes besides the SSRIs? I've had less problems with Wellbutrin which is a SNRI as opposed to a SSRI. Its main effect is not on serotonin, so as an added bonus you can still use your psychedelics/roll without an increased risk of serotonin syndrome. The tradeoff is that with Wellbutrin there is a small risk of decreasing your seizure threshold, so you need to take that into account when taking other substances that also decrease your seizure threshold. Venlafaxine (Effexor) is another SNRI you could try, like Effie mentioned.

Psych med cocktails seem to be all the rage now, so there's also plenty of options taking smaller doses of two or more drugs. In addition to all the different classes of antidepressants, mood stabilizers like Lamictal or atypical antipsychotics like Abilify can augment the effects of antidepressants, even in people who don't have bipolar or psychotic symptoms.

It's a big decision, but luckily there's no external time constraint on when you need to make the decision (and doesn't even need to be your final decision). I find that meds are always a work in progress and constantly need tweaking to achieve a balance between their helpfulness and side effects.

I would vote for taking the conservative approach: It sounds like you feel they might be helpful, so why not start them up again until you're out of your current dip in mood and then evaluate other options with your doctor?
 
You want the truth IMO these drugs will not solve root issues... All ssri did for me was make me have less emotional range/response .... Eat balanced healthy nutritious , 8 hrs of sleep a night, 45 minutes of walking everyday and after 90 days of doing this straight tell me how different you feel..

It's so simple stupid it actually make a huge difference..

If you want to real go crazy also practice mindfulness meditation 15 minutes twice a day
 
Well first I wanna say that I'm sorry you've been feeling down lately, I suffer from depression and I know how bad it sucks.

As for medication, perhaps you should talk to your doctor about trying a different antidepressant or a lower dose of zoloft? The numb feeling could possibly come from a too high dose. Someone else mentioned wellbutrin as an option, which I have to disagree with as it's bad for anxiety.
When it come to tripping on an SSRI it really just depends. I can trip just fine even if I take my meds normally. For most people it diminishes the effects but they can still trip.

Honestly for anxiety and mild depression I wouldn't bother with meds. Give therapy a go first.
 
Artica - I think you are absolutely right about there being no time constraint. It's not like I am in a state where I am unable to function. Since starting this thread I have not gone back the Zoloft yet, and am doing pretty damn well. Since my issues lean more towards the anxiety part and are not as serious on the depression half, I feel even more confident in being able to go on without medicating it.

It's also funny you brought up Wellbutrin, as that was the first anti-anxiety med I tried before Zoloft. After 3 weeks on it I had a seizure....so uh, yeah that turned out to not be the right option. I was on no other meds or drugs so it was completely induced by the Wellbutrin.

cire - I like the fact you pointed out that medications aren't the solution, and that taking care of your body and using alternatives like therapy and meditation are much more effective. This is the mindset I was trying to touch on when I made this thread, as I feel SRRIs do more harm than help in numerous cases of anxiety and light depression.

joezapartor - Yes, I certainly was on too high of a dose considering my depression wasn't terrible at the time (still not unbearable now). I also find it amazing you are able to still trip on an SSRI. I never experimented with this, as I didn't want to risk any possible negative interactions. Especially after I had my seizure from the Wellbutrin. And as you mentioned, I have already started looking into therapy. My college offers free professional therapy which is limited to 1 hour sessions a week to keep it free.
 
Hi Glaive, just catching up on this thread now. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about anti-depressants so I think that neither you or your friends are right/wrong. But ultimately, YOU are the patient, YOU are the one who is suffering with depression, so I think that you should be able to decide which path to take when it comes to getting relief from your symptoms.
Having said that though, I really think that it would be worth giving therapy a good solid try, perhaps in addition to going back on zoloft (depending on the severity of your symptoms), as therapy can provide some very effective and long-term relief from anxiety and depression. Have you tried any therapy before? (sorry if you've mentioned so already). If so, how did you find it?

Have you discussed your current bout of depression with your doctor? If so, what did they have to say? If not, perhaps you should chat with them about it before you make any decisions, just to see what they suggest. What do you think?
 
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