NWR: Antidepressants? Effects?

Agreed Brit!

In the year that I have been trying different kinds of pills I have gained 75 lbs. Ya, talk about making me MORE depressed! But every person will re-act differently. Even my sister re-acted differently than me ( she took them for the "baby blues" )

My son has been on many different psych meds. For a while he was on anti depressants (prozac and cymbalta). They kept pushing him into hyper mania. When he came off the first one, we decreased the dosage over a 2 week period to lesson the withdrawl effect. The last time I admitted him into the hospital for a detox and he was there for a week. Thats when they started him on the meds he has been taking for the past 2 years, one being Abilify which helps with his depression. He was still a little irratable for about a week. Just as it takes 2-6 weeks for any psych med to start working properly, it can take that long for it to clear your system.

Sorry, don't mean to be taking up so much of the space here but:

One of the main things to remember is this!! A LOT of ppl are on them or have been on them. You just probably didnt know they were on them. Being clinically depressed is not as depressing as it sounds. Don't let the "label" get you down. A lot of ppl take them their whole lives and live normally bc that's all the little push they need. My other sister was on them for 6 months and felt better and was able to be weaned off. Being depressed doesn't mean all the things in the movies ( crazy, suicidal, drama, dark, dreary, blaaahh ) It just means you need a little help to be happy. Just like someone with diabetes needs insulin sometimes to balance things out.... Make sense? Don't be scared my darling!

Have taken them for years.....just need to stay "balanced" is all, nothing to be ashamed of!

I was put on Lexapro years ago when it first came out on the market. I had horrid side-effects from it - No sex drive at all, hot flashes, etc. The doctor then put me on Welbutrin CR which seemed to work. I was on it for approximately 5 months or so. I just stopped taking it and was fine. I have recently been told by 2 of my doctors that I should be put on some sort anti-anxiety meds but I don't want to go back on meds for fear of being on them for the rest of my life. Although I know it is supposed to help but anything that messes with brain chemistry just scares the crap out of me.

I'm on 150mg of Zoloft. It has been a life saver for me. No serious side effects and I feel like a real person again. Each person is diferent and reacts differently to every drug. I tried several different types before finding one that was best for me. If your not satisfied one after the first 8 weeks or so then ask your doctor to try a different one. good luck!

I've been on and off antidepressants for about 10 years now. I tend to cycle between anxiety and depression, with a little OCD thrown in for sh!ts and giggles. I'm going to list my experiences with various prescriptions I've been on - but I'm sure other people have pointed out that everyone is different, you may or may not experience the same side effects, blah blah blah.

-I was on Paxil briefly. I basically slept through the entire 8th grade. Needless to say any benefit did NOT outweigh the side effects, so we moved me onto something else. I don't remember the name of it now.

-I took Luvox for nearly 3 years. It's an older drug that most doctors don't normally bring up when going through your options. It had worked for my dad in the past, so we figured we'd give it a shot. What I noticed - we had to keep upping my dosage over those 3 years, almost like my system would acclimate to it. If I forgot to take it, I would have HORRIBLE headaches.

ctd.

-Celexa. Overall not too bad. It was on the $10 prescription list, which was pretty awesome. Lots of life events took place in a short period of time, which pretty much negated any effect that this prescription seemed to be having. Not a fun time for me, but I don't blame the drug.

-Zoloft. Most recent. My doctor prefers me to be off of it for the remainder of my pregnancy, and while I'm breastfeeding. My prescription ran out, and I'm getting the run around from dealing with Medicaid and a PCP, so we'll see how I do over the next few weeks unmedicated. So far, I've noticed that the only withdrawal I'm noticing is increased night frights. Could be pregnancy related.

~ To sum up, Paxil was awful for me. I didn't really notice any other side effects on any other prescription I've taken, other than the withdrawal effects I've noted. Lower sexual libido, maybe, but that can be attributed to depression regardless of being on meds.

Hope this helps!

I havent read all of the comments and it seems like youve gotten some great help.

I want to mention that it typically takes these meds 2-3 weeks to start working...so If you dont feel better immediately, then dont worry or panic, give it time. However, if after a month or two, they arent helping then talk to your doctor-they may need a dosage or med change.

Ive been on Prozac and Zoloft. I took them for like 3 years before meeting my FH, I also went to counseling. As soon as I had someone to talk to about my feelings, I didnt need them anymore and didnt experience much depression. I didnt experience any side effects, or change in my weight. I do think I had a change in appetite, but thats about it.

Thank you so much, Ladies!

I really appreciate that you've taken the time to share your experiences.

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So update:

I went to the appt with the psychiatrist and she thought that I had mild depression-which I agree with her. This week I have been feeling pretty good. Last week not so much due to bad PMS which I do get every month.

So we will just see how it goes with therapy- individ and maybe group if I want.

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@Julie: Yah, my psych did not really want me to be on Zoloft, but she said that it was the safest in case I got pregnant. Still, there is enough risk of harm to the fetus that it scared me not to go on it at all, esp. during the last trimester she said....After you give birth however and if you breastfeed, there is very little risk of harm to your newborn, she said........

I was on welbutrin and that with the depo shot made me gain weight but it could have been just the depo. but dont take seroquil you will gain like 50 pounds in 1 weeks but zoloft made me start losing weight and most adhd meds (sometimes they use it for depression if you also dont consintrate) that would make you lose alot of weight

I just got off of Pristiq (50mg) after being on it for a year and a half. It did cause me some weight gain (but I think it could also be that with my BC pill which I began taking at the same time). It was HELL going through withdrawal from Pristiq. Absolute HELL. I would have never have started it if I would have known had bad it would be. You're supposed to wean yourself off of it, but I was still feeling incredibly dizzy and nauseous while doing that, so I said, eff it, and just went cold turkey. It lasted a week, but I'm good now. It made me numb to the world sometimes and I would have a hard time expressing extreme joy or sadness. So I guess it was successful. LOL. But I want to TTC next summer and I wanted those chemicals out of my body. Def try therapy first.

Thanks, Jenn and Abigail!

JJ... I was on Prozac for a while. I dont recommend you taking any medication at all. Try counseling but stay away from meds. What helped me was just keeping myself busy. Try a new hobby or do something that is not part of your routine. Good luck

I had a bad bout with depression and was put on prozac at first. I stopped taking it because it made me feel well foggy is the best term I can use. I needed to be alert when I was at work due to natural hazzards of my workplace. Talking with my PCP I switched to wellbutrin first one I had to take every 4 hours then to the longer acting one. Was able to wean myself off it and have not had a bad bout of depression since even after my son was born and we were watching for it then. I will say my PCP is very careful about what medications she put me on since I do have an alergy to sulfur. Even if it was in the makeup of the drug we didn't try it. But I don't think that had any effect of the anti deppresents as much as migraine meds I have taken.

My doctor was fine with me taking Zoloft during my pregnancy, especially since I'd been taking it since November. I did stop taking Straterra. My gyno was really the only one who had concerns about me continuing to take Zoloft throughout the entire pregnancy, and she was willing to be ok with me taking it if it was one of those situations where a better qualified doctor thought it'd be better for me to continue taking it. My prescription ran out this past week, and my PCP wanted me to come in for an office visit to get a refill. Apparently he's no longer taking Medicaid, so I got screwed there. I had an appointment set up with a psychiatrist (made the appointment back in August) for earlier this week. FH and I show up, and the office is closed! WTF? By the time the whole thing with my PCP came about, I'd already been off the meds for nearly a week, so FH and I are just going to see how it goes. Trying to get another appointment with a psychiatrist probably wouldn't happen before ctd.

My 3rd trimester, which is what everyone was concerned about. FH shouldn't be leaving the country for work before the birth, or going on any extended state-side trips, which was what was really concerning for me - being left alone with no job, no real friends, just a dog.

But your point - yes Zoloft is the preferred antidepressant to be used during pregnancy. Lol. It is also on the $10 prescription list, which is awesome.

I have to disagree with whoever said that meds are not the answer. With clinical depression, a lot of times just talk therapy or "keeping yourself busy" doesn't work. Therapy can be expensive. If you're truly depressed, getting yourself up and out of the house to a therapy session, much less forcing yourself to be busy can be next to impossible. Clinical depression is a chemical imbalance - something that often takes meds to level out.

Sorry but Tom Cruise pisses me off.