treatments for depression

[Ms. Walsh]

I was wondering if anyone has taken or is currently taking medicine for depression or other psychological problems. Does it work?? I'm really scared about taking something that affects my mind, but at the same time I think I need to start taking something. Any suggestions??

[AbFabGL4ever7]

Nooooooooo!!!!! Don't do it. I found that taking depression drugs just leave u feeling like a zombie. Then depending on how bad the problem is they will keep upping the dosage until they get the level right. If they tell u they want to put u on effexor tell them hell no. My mother almost suffered a nervous breakdown after her sister passed away a year ago and they started her off on 75 mg of effexor.....she still wasn't right, then 150 mg still wasn't getting it, finally they upped it to 300 mg and now she's regulated. Side Effects.....mood swings, irritability, & OCD is what she has a lot of times. She can't wait to get off of it though cause even she realizes the other things are in check, it creates more problems than u had before.

If u like to have intimate relations it will only be happening in your head cause the rest of your body won't react to any thoughts of sex at all. I was on anti-depressants for 6 months after my ex went back to england. I couldn't get aroused for anyone, I thought I was impotent at 23! (although if it was Gary Lucy or Bradley Cooper who walked passed me and I couldn't get it up I'd prop that [!@#$%^&*] up with a splint!) LOL. After that I quit taking them cold turkey.

Truth be told, a pill isn't the answer. I found that I was unhappy with myself....being by myself was eating me alive. So I decided to work on what was driving me crazy.....my skinny body. I was 23, 6'2, and was 155 pounds of pure skin and bones. I started to workout which was pure hell at first, but dedication and a room full of hot men sure did the trick. After I gained a six pack, nice arms, and a bubble butt I was a happy camper, but it wasn't until I started getting attention from guys who wouldn't even give me the time of day that I started to come alive. For the first time in a long time I was truly happy with myself. It wasn't the pill or therapy that helped me, it was me helping myself. My self esteem was the problem. I still have my bouts but I will never resort to a anti depressant ever again. You would be much better off with a sack of ganja and a marathon of Absolutely Fabulous......ok that was my method for a while. But u get the point. LOL!!!

If it is truly bad than that is when I would advise medical help, but if its something u know u can overcome then by all means find something constructive that makes u feel good about yourself.

I hope this helped you out, I'm not good on medical advise but here is a small list of what u may get put on if they decide that a pill is the best way to go:

Zoloft

Wellbutran

Effexor

Prozac

Surzone

Remeron

Paxil

Remember if u feel u don't need them don't take them. Most of these arnt fast acting and take weeks to get into your system to try a regulate the problem. It won't cure you. Once again I hope this helped.

[KLN]

I'm no expert, but if your depression is caused by something situational, I don't think that any kind of medication will help. Medication only helps if the problem is chemical... I think. I'm not sure, though.

I used to take anti-depressants. I didn't notice too much of a change -- and the change I did notice was probably mind over matter more than anything.

I've been pretty depressed lately, due to situational things. To the point where doing daily routine things seems almost impossible. I hate it. Ugh. I'd take a pill, if I knew it'd help. But I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't, because the problem is situational rather than chemical.

[Q Steph]

I'm a bit of an expert. I've battled depression for all of my life due to a situation that has been diagnosed as post traumatic. I'm afraid it may be more serious and I'm actually bipolar. Labels...

I've been taking Zoloft for about two years now. They do regulate the awful moods, but it's not a quick fix answer. The side effects can make you feel stomach pains, sleepiness and chills but the benefits are that your chemical reactions are in sync and not in conflict. At the present moment, I'm enjoying one of my manic moods. I'm so happy. Well content. Very content. But the second I start believing I'm really "cured", I stop taking the meds and it's a downward spiral.

I start to get anxious, nervous and upset. My head starts to spin and my mind is just ravaged by all these thoughts. It's not much better than feeling like a zombie when you're on the meds. Sometimes, I can't bear to take them because I want to feel again. Feel anything. It's usually anger or sadness, but it's still an emotion.

If you do decide to take the meds, talk to a counselor as well. The meds only help but so much if you're keeping everything bottled up. A chemical regime does work. I can attest to that, but I know I don't want to rely on a pill bottle for salvation for all eternity. I know, for me, there have been times when the Zoloft hasn't given me neough of a kick and the depression still weighs me down.

But pm me if you have any further questions or concerns and I hope that you can find shelter from this storm.

[King]

I would definitely go the therapy treatment route, if you haven't.

I don't really know anything about battling depression, but I know in the fall, I was having a horribly stressful time. Money issues, a family medical issue, major drama between my friends (they're engaged, cheating was involved, I was in the middle) and with my coming out, well, that didn't help. It was all in the same week too. The stress, sleeplessness, and the exhaustion just all caught up with me, I guess, and one night out with my friends, I collapsed. They said I stopped breathing for a few minutes and had seizure like symptoms. They think I had a seizure, but my doctor believes it was an anxiety attack. And it seems to fall under a lot of the same symptoms as a seizure or a heart-related problem. My doctor thinks I should go on my meds, but the doctors in my family don't. And I honestly don't see the point either. I think it was just situational, like Kenny said. It was honestly one of THE worst weeks of my life. Anyone who has come out can attest how awful and gut-wrenching it is, not to mention all the other [!@#$%^&*] that was going on that week like all the money-worries. Oy.

Anyway. But I have found that really, REALLY finding someone you can GENUINELY vent and tell everything to can help tremendously. So, I'd go the cognitive therapy route before I'd go the medication route. I am personally not seeing someone, but since that happened, my parents are much more willing to listen to me and counsel me when I'm feeling stressed, although I have not felt as stressed as that week, and probably never will. *knocks on wood.*

Have you tried that?

[darraholic]

My grandma has chronic depression. She takes so much medication that she acts like a zombie as well and she's still depressed. They even had her on lithium for awhile.

[JamesF]

I don't think there's any right or wrong answer until you see the doctor. Admitting you have a problem is really the first step to sorting out your problems.

I suffered periods of depression all the way through my adolescence which wasn't helped by a variety of dramas. During my year out and first year of college, I wasn't quite as bad and put it down to situational difficulties of being a teenager but gradually at the beginning of this year, things started coming to a head again. I couldn't get out of bed in the morning and despite putting on a "happy" face for everyone else, I knew that I was self-destructing. There's only so much bottling up you can do.

Going to see the doctor about it was incredibly daunting but a relief at the same time. The irony was the depression had already turned me into an emotional zombie i.e. I felt so bad I couldn't even cry but the doctors' trip was the first time I felt close in months, pouring it all out.

Suffice to say ever since I've been taking fluoxetine (prozac) and there is a noticeable difference. Gradual but noticeable and the side effects are minimal. Just occasional stomach upsets and sleeping difficulties which are to be expected. Eventually when I feel fully regulated I have the option of counselling or cognitive therapy.

Meds aren't always bad. For me personally, they managed to regulate me so that I could assess how to deal with the problem.

[Shawn]

Zoloft seemed to help me when I was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder about five years ago. It also works for some other friends.

The thing with medication though is that its not for everyone. The key thing to do is to see a therapist and find out if its the best way to go.

Like Steph said, if you need any advice/answers, hit me up on PM. I'd be more than happy to listen and help in any way I can.

[Ms. Walsh]

Thanks for all your replies!

I've been suffering from depression for 5 years, and I used to go to therapy for it, but absolutely refused to go on medication because I was afraid of the side effects. Eventually, though, things seemed to be getting better, except for the occasional mood swings, so I stopped going to therapy. Also, I thought that once I was out of high school, things would be better...but they're just the same in college.

But some bad things happened last December, and ever since then I've been suffering from anxiety. I've already had two anxiety attacks since February, one that was really serious (my roommate had to call the college police) and another that occurred this weekend that I handled on my own. But I've also been feeling really depressed. My head and stomach hurt all the time, which were symptoms that I had when I was first diagnosed with depression. And I've been paranoid about dying. It's really weird, but it's scaring me because I can't even think about next semester without crying.

One of my friends told me about Xanax, and then another one told me about Zoloft...but I'm really nervous about even taking them just because I have this huge phobia against medication.

There is a counseling service on-campus, but classes are over this week, so it might be too late to schedule an appointment. And once I go home, it will be even more difficult because I'm working full-time. I'm hoping that a change of environment and not having all the stress of homework will make things better, and then when I return in the fall, I'll start counseling services ASAP.

[Scotty]

I used to take Lexapro for my depression. It was okay, but I don't think it really helped me all that much.

I have suffered with depression for much of my life, and it got soo bad a few years ago that I would cut myself (on my upper arms) from time to time.

Although, I still suffer from 'dark moments' from time to time, thankfully I haven't had a severe episode of it in about a year.

Hope this helps. I know how you feel. I've been in there. Hope it's gets better. I'm pullin' for ya.

[KBT]

I have only taken pills once(Lexapro) and for me they made me so nervous after 3 days I quit them cold turkey and decided to fight through my depression myself. The doctor wasnt happy with me, but pills have basically ruined my mom and I refuse to take pills for almost anything. I am not Scientologist or anything but I rarely take aspirin or whatever for headaches, I just dont really believe in medication unless I am hurting or in pain for a long periods of time. This is just my opinion, but after watching my mom basically become a zombie after taking so many pills I just dont want to become so dependant on pills. My mom hides in her room if she doesnt take or have her medicine, and for mainly that reason I just wont take any pills unless I find out I have something life threatening.

[Q Steph]

I may be wrong but I think Zoloft is on the lower degree of prescribed meds. It's dosage and effects are not as powerful as others, such as Lithium.

I tried therapy but it was an unbelievable waste of my time. I canceled and I chit chatted about how my day went. And then, the counselor had the nerve to cross out my name. Go figure.

[Yankee Boy]

Hi Lucinda....I'm usually a lurker, but post for issues like this, because I work in the mental health field with people that suffer from depression and several types of mental illness. It sounds like you have been doing the right thing for years by going to therapy and have crashed some lately. I would advise you to TRY medication. Tell the doctor what your symptoms are, and request a medication with few side effects (there are some that have few side effects). Also, side effects are different for EVERYONE. Your body and my body are two totally different make-ups. I know that Wellbutrin is typically a nice drug with few side effects, however, it is pretty unsuccessful for women (not all the time, but geneally speaking). This post could go on for days....so if you want to talk about the situation drop me a PM. I'd be happy to talk with you about different meds and their side effects. If you are truly suffering from depression, medication can help. It's up to you as the patient to decide what YOUR body feels like with the med and have it changed. You HAVE to self-advocate. Well....hope this helps, and hope to hear from you. Good Luck.