Mental Health the life without SSRI

[ione]

hi there

I was on citalopram 20mg7day for almost 4years. life was manageable, citalopram took away my suicidal though when my depression started. After 2years on citalopram I notice that I could not remember last time that lol, or that I was sad. My dad was in hospital and I live far from him, and I was not able to feel sadness. My doctor advice me to get out citalopram after 4 years, I tryed, in 1 months I was out of it. Withdrawing was manageable, but suddenly after that the physical discomfort was gone I was sinking in the same depression that I was 4 years ago. In the last 7days I was thinking basically only to kill myself, I was not able to work properly, my brain could not focusing. I life was the same shit of 4 years ago. I am back on citalopram right now........ and no, thanks I WONT stop it again. Anyone had similar experience in getting out anti depressant?
sorry for my poor english

 

[endotropic]

Lots of people experience the same thing you did when they stop taking antidepressants. Those drugs were never meant to "cure" your depression, they just help you manage the depressive symptoms so that you can make the changes in your life that will allow you to feel better in the long term.

A lot of doctors don't explain that very well, or actually might not understand it themselves, which is a real shame.

 

[ione]

thanks for you replay endotropic,
honest in 4 years my life is changed. I finish my PhD, I move abroad, I left the university for industry,,,,,,,,
but after stopping the citalopram the depression was there, just waiting me.....
too sad

 

[Bagseed]

I think 1 month is a really quick taper after being on it for four years... maybe take more time to get off it?

 

[Mysterie]

i agree that 1 month seems too short to taper after 4 yrs, 3 months+ might be necessary

 

[SixBuckets]

If your depression is so severe that you can't manage it without medication, just keep taking the medication. There is nothing shameful about needing to take pharmaceuticals to manage a serious medical condition.

 

[Mysterie]

not all antidepressants blunt emotional range, some examples of drugs which improve mood, but do not stop your ability to feel emotions are, tianeptine & agomelatine. if you are looking for a subtle gradual lift of mood and a decrease in the level of depression, agomelatine is good. if you want to have immediate relief from the symptoms of depression and anxiety, whilst having a mood lift, tianeptine is great.

the medical establishment dislike novel antidepressants because they don't fully understand all the mechanisms of action, funnily enough they don't understand how ssri's work with depression in the brain. i'll take no side effects over being devoid of emotion.

 

[aq.]

Lots of people experience the same thing you did when they stop taking antidepressants. Those drugs were never meant to "cure" your depression, they just help you manage the depressive symptoms so that you can make the changes in your life that will allow you to feel better in the long term.

A lot of doctors don't explain that very well, or actually might not understand it themselves, which is a real shame.

this is the truth. it's sad how doctors just shove ssri's down everyone's throat and expect everyone's problems to go away.

to the op-- have you ever tried anything else for your depression, non medicine related? (dbt, cbt, therapy, etc)

 

[ione]

hi aq.
yes i tried therapy with a phycologist, it really helped but was very expensive, I was see her 2/3 times a week,,,,,
i stopped whan i move abroad, is very hard express your self, deeply in a foregine language.

maybe I tapering down to fast , but I tought it was ok.... anyway I think that depression was there just waiting me.

 

[checktest]

I've definitely seen similar experiences with the return of depression after coming off an anti-depressant. I've had this happen myself- went off my antidepressants after a period of doing well, tired of side effects and having to take medicine. I've never had any real problems with withdrawal from any medication, just a couple odd feelings. Was doing okay for the first month, after maybe a week of odd zaps and the like. Second month got iffy, and by the third month had the return of the same depression from the past, with psychomotor retardation, guilt, and suicidal thinking. (Unfortunately, I denied it for a while and blamed other things. Didn't end up well.)

While some people absolutely have major withdrawal problems and reactions, and the drugs cause a lot of problems, I also think there are situations where the balance is toward taking the medicine, and that perhaps another time in the future might be a better time to come off the drug. I've seen some people suffer more from deciding not to be on anything, or leaving their routine before other things are in place. (Again, not denying or nullifying harmful experiences- I've had them myself.) It still does seem minimizing/nullifying sometimes to say that dealing with a mental health problem without medication is better than being on a drug, in every case. Sometimes it seems like a lot of forums create an environment so strongly against the use of medications, often understandably coming from a place of harm from the drugs, that benefits are overshadowed, and some people are left with the sense that they are off or wrong for taking them. (Again, not that the opposite, or fear of coming off of drugs and some inner problem, isn't an issue either.)

Right now it seems like the balance is toward the citalopram with its side effects for you, and perhaps some time in the future, when you've had other things in your life and maybe found a therapist who covers your language or some routine that is beneficial, you can try coming off it again. Even some self-guided CBT, or looking at some of the therapy material could be helpful. Good luck, nonetheless- I hope things feel better.

 

[Rybee]

Lots of people experience the same thing you did when they stop taking antidepressants. Those drugs were never meant to "cure" your depression, they just help you manage the depressive symptoms so that you can make the changes in your life that will allow you to feel better in the long term.

A lot of doctors don't explain that very well, or actually might not understand it themselves, which is a real shame.

That's probably one of the most simplistic yet best explanations I've ever heard about the role in which an SSRI should play.

Thanks for sharing that, it's spot on.

 

[Erikmen]

not all antidepressants blunt emotional range, some examples of drugs which improve mood, but do not stop your ability to feel emotions are, tianeptine & agomelatine. if you are looking for a subtle gradual lift of mood and a decrease in the level of depression, agomelatine is good. if you want to have immediate relief from the symptoms of depression and anxiety, whilst having a mood lift, tianeptine is great.

the medical establishment dislike novel antidepressants because they don't fully understand all the mechanisms of action, funnily enough they don't understand how ssri's work with depression in the brain. i'll take no side effects over being devoid of emotion.

I agree but the doctors insist in changing a lot your medication. Do you believe antidepressants actually work?

 

[ione]

I agree but the doctors insist in changing a lot your medication. Do you believe antidepressants actually work?

well to be honest, in one way I think they works.
In my opionion they helped me, suicidal tought, went away. physical side effect were almost zero.
the back side, I live in a grey lane. No real able to feel high or low level of emotion. I never feel sad, I never feel happy. I am almost indifferent to every think.
but yes, they made the life for managable .

 

[Mycophile]

Lots of SSRIs do not blunt people emotionally.

Having been on Prozac before and Lexapro now I have never once experienced an emotional blunting effect.

I think it all depends on your unique brain chemistry and the medication and dosage you are on.