Depression- thinking of medication

[an hero]

I'm a 20 year old male and I've suffered from depression for my whole life, most severely during my teenage years. I also suffer from anxiety which I usually counteract by drinking alot or other drugs.

I'm probably going to my GP soon, and I've spoken to him about medications before but I didn't get any. My brother is on zoloft and he said it has really helped him.

Does anyone have any experience with depression and anxity medication- does it help?

 

[Sweet P]

I was prescribed prozac when I was about 12 for depression, but I didn't respond very well to it, so I was later put on citalopram instead - and clonazepam for anxiety. Medication definitely isn't a magic cure. Sometimes it can take a while to find the right medication for you, and even then it may not work 100%. I still get depressed and anxious from time to time, but it's not nearly as bad as it would be without the medication. A combination of medication and therapy often has the best results.

 

[TheMatador]

Yeah man I'm on 3 medications,
Klonopin I was prescribed when I was a teenager for anxiety, Opana for my pain and I take Prozac also for my depression.
Although back when I was in my 20's and first started treatment for my depression I was put on Lithium but it just made me a zombie in the end so I was eventually switched to Prozac when I was 27 after being on Lithium for 4 years.

Now I'm feeling better than ever, even a reduction in my anxiety level allowing me to taper my Klonopin which is going great

In the end, the doctor is the one that has the true answer to your question, just remember to be very open and proactive in your treatment, make sure to note how you feel and note all changes your experiencing during induction and for the months after when trying out a medication. It helped me a lot as I had to try a few other antidepressants (Wellbutrin, Lithium, Paxil, etc. etc.) before I actually found the one that worked for me, Prozac. Try to be patient, you will find the right medication for you it just might take time, that's important too.

Good luck,

-TheMatador

 

[ben2990]

I HEAR U BUDDY! im in the same spot. HOPEFULLY im going to get prescribed some medication so i can continue with school, job, and life in general (iv also got a meeting with a psychotherapist coming up for the first time)

hope the meds work out for u, as well as for me. cheers

 

[deadhead507461]

I think SSRIs were made by the government as a scam for money.
I took 10mg Celexa everyday for 6 months or so, ended up just stopping because I would wake up angry or more upset that I was before I started taking the pills.
Then 20 min after I take my pill I would feel content. Just felt so fake to me.

Xanax .5 mg once a day for anxiety does work wonders tho.
Its just the SSRIs seem so "plastic" to me.

Try some 5-htp first. something natural and not a expensive prescription. At least just consider trying it before you go to the Doctor.
Good Luck

 

[ben2990]

bin there, done that

 

[Sweet P]

I think SSRIs were made by the government as a scam for money.

Sounds like you could benefit from some anti-psychotics.

But you're right, some people do respond badly to SSRI's, becoming irritable or even more suicidal than they were before.

 

[deadhead507461]

Sounds like you could benefit from some anti-psychotics.

But you're right, some people do respond badly to SSRI's, becoming irritable or even more suicidal than they were before.

Howd you figure lol.
SSRIs did just make me more depressed before they would lift me up.

I just took 50mg of seroquel tho for the first time a few minutes ago, ill see if this will help me sleep finally. I am not psychotic/bipolar tho its for insomnia

 

[Sweet P]

^ Yeah, I'm on 100mg's of Seroquel a night for insomnia, and when I need it, up to 10mg's of Haldol - or Hell-doll as I like to call it!

 

[purple_cloud]

OP, I'm 22 and am currently on 10mg Citalopram a day (have been for the last year) and .5mg Xanax as needed...it's worked wonders for me. I personally responded to the citalopram very well, and it really has improved my quality of life. It is worth talking to your doctor about --- I really don't think these medications are as evil as some on here make them out to be, I agree with Sweet P...some people respond badly, but others get quite a lot out of medications along with therapy.

 

[hobhead]

there are several "axis" of psychological 'craziness". treatment is not an easy thing to do .
if you can somehow get your GP recommend and psych-doc, ordinarily you would have a better shot at a chemical resolution .
depression is driven by so many things that talk therapy is an adjunct to meds much of the time .
there are totally incompetent Psych and Talk docs that you may have to go through a few before you find a brilliant practitioner .

get after a cure quickly as untreated depression dominos into worse and worse depths as one ages.

 

[woamotive]

They work well for some, not so well for others. It won't hurt to try. Just give them time to kick in. Side effects WILL occur but will also fade in a few weeks. It takes about a month to feel the 'positive effects' of SSRIS. For me, I went through about 5 different ones and didn't like any. Eventually I opted for psychotherapy and clonazepam for anxiety. The depression was alleviated, in time, and I currently remain with my benzo script.

See what works for you. Congrats on making the decision to change your mentality. I hope you find what works for you !