Do you take antidepressants ? What is your experience?
So taking medication for mental health has quite a lot of stigma surrounding it and people often say they don't want to get dependent on antidepressants etc.
But I know that there are a lot of people that DO take antidepressants and with varying results.
I thought it would be good to set up some discussion around experiences with antidepressants and especially positive ones!
For me I think it's positive. Although I am far from normal, anti depressants do take the edge off and allow me to deal with things a lot better.
What has your experience been/what are your feelings towards medication for mental health?
But I know that there are a lot of people that DO take antidepressants and with varying results.
I thought it would be good to set up some discussion around experiences with antidepressants and especially positive ones!
For me I think it's positive. Although I am far from normal, anti depressants do take the edge off and allow me to deal with things a lot better.
What has your experience been/what are your feelings towards medication for mental health?
(edited 8 years ago)
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Ive been prescribed them to help with my anxiety.
They are really helping with it and there is a noticeable difference to what there was before.
My life is so much better now that I'm taking them.
However they do make me incredibly tired when I take them. If I take them in the morning (9am), I find myself struggling to stay awake at around 2-3pm. I'm now taking them at night to avoid that but it really sucked when that happened.
Overall my experience of using them is very positive. I don't know what I'd be like if I wasn't on them.
It's good that it's also helping you. It really sucks when we can't do things due to our mental health.
They are really helping with it and there is a noticeable difference to what there was before.
My life is so much better now that I'm taking them.
However they do make me incredibly tired when I take them. If I take them in the morning (9am), I find myself struggling to stay awake at around 2-3pm. I'm now taking them at night to avoid that but it really sucked when that happened.
Overall my experience of using them is very positive. I don't know what I'd be like if I wasn't on them.
It's good that it's also helping you. It really sucks when we can't do things due to our mental health.
Original post by FireFreezer77
Ive been prescribed them to help with my anxiety.
They are really helping with it and there is a noticeable difference to what there was before.
My life is so much better now that I'm taking them.
However they do make me incredibly tired when I take them. If I take them in the morning (9am), I find myself struggling to stay awake at around 2-3pm. I'm now taking them at night to avoid that but it really sucked when that happened.
Overall my experience of using them is very positive. I don't know what I'd be like if I wasn't on them.
It's good that it's also helping you. It really sucks when we can't do things due to our mental health.
They are really helping with it and there is a noticeable difference to what there was before.
My life is so much better now that I'm taking them.
However they do make me incredibly tired when I take them. If I take them in the morning (9am), I find myself struggling to stay awake at around 2-3pm. I'm now taking them at night to avoid that but it really sucked when that happened.
Overall my experience of using them is very positive. I don't know what I'd be like if I wasn't on them.
It's good that it's also helping you. It really sucks when we can't do things due to our mental health.
Literally everything you just said there is exactly my experience !
But yes I switched to taking them at night and it helped a lot.
I do find the tiredness goes away though. How long have you been taking them?
I'm so glad that overall you're feeling better! For me the tiredness or initial side effects are worth it for the functioning and mental clarity!
Keep going!
I've been taking antidepressants for about six months now, and overall my experience has been quite positive. I've definitely noticed improvements in my mood, and now I rarely experience crying spells, which I used to have regularly. Also, whenever I do get upset or feel down these days, I am able to stop dwelling on my negativity much more easily 
Original post by Ethereal World
Literally everything you just said there is exactly my experience !
But yes I switched to taking them at night and it helped a lot.
I do find the tiredness goes away though. How long have you been taking them?
I'm so glad that overall you're feeling better! For me the tiredness or initial side effects are worth it for the functioning and mental clarity!
Keep going!
But yes I switched to taking them at night and it helped a lot.
I do find the tiredness goes away though. How long have you been taking them?
I'm so glad that overall you're feeling better! For me the tiredness or initial side effects are worth it for the functioning and mental clarity!
Keep going!
Ah ok then. It's good to know that others are also benefitting too
It has defo helped a lot. Falling asleep in the middle of college is the last thing I want to do in my situation.
Ah that's good to hear. I've been on them for around 7 months now. Although my dosage was upped around 3-4 months ago.
Thanks. I'm glad your feeling better too
I agree there. I would rather be tired than be having lots of issues all the time.
You too!
Original post by Leviathan1741
I've been taking antidepressants for about six months now, and overall my experience has been quite positive. I've definitely noticed improvements in my mood, and now I rarely experience crying spells, which I used to have regularly. Also, whenever I do get upset or feel down these days, I am able to stop dwelling on my negativity much more easily
Ohhhh that's awesome. Is this the first time you have taken them? Are there any persisting negative side effects or mostly okay?
Yes! That is exactly it - the not dwelling on negativity thing. Things do still get to me but I don't dwell on it as much. Yknow that they have an indication for OCD as well so I think there must be some sort of benefit for obsessive thinking which often is associated with mental health problems.
What do you take and how much is your dose?
So glad to hear you're feeling better on them!
Original post by FireFreezer77
Ah ok then. It's good to know that others are also benefitting too
It has defo helped a lot. Falling asleep in the middle of college is the last thing I want to do in my situation.
Ah that's good to hear. I've been on them for around 7 months now. Although my dosage was upped around 3-4 months ago.
Thanks. I'm glad your feeling better too
I agree there. I would rather be tired than be having lots of issues all the time.
You too!
It has defo helped a lot. Falling asleep in the middle of college is the last thing I want to do in my situation.
Ah that's good to hear. I've been on them for around 7 months now. Although my dosage was upped around 3-4 months ago.
Thanks. I'm glad your feeling better too
I agree there. I would rather be tired than be having lots of issues all the time.
You too!
What do you take? How much did you start on and how much are you on now? Howcome you upped the dose? I've just upped my dose today (I'm on fluoxetine- started on 20mg now been upped to 40mg) and so I'm a bit apprehensive about the adaptation phase. Whilst originally prescribed for depression my anxiety has been very pronounced recently so I'm hoping that the extra boost will help me to deal with my anxiety better and be able to compartmentalise better!
I always end up thinking that my antidepressants don't do anything. So I come off them without consulting my psychiatrist and then get severely depressed and wonder what on earth could have caused the severe depression 
Put another way, antidepressants (and antipsychotics in particular but that's for a different thread maybe!) have vastly improved my quality of life and given me my life back. My symptoms no longer completely dominate my day or my life
Put another way, antidepressants (and antipsychotics in particular but that's for a different thread maybe!) have vastly improved my quality of life and given me my life back. My symptoms no longer completely dominate my day or my life
Original post by Ethereal World
Ohhhh that's awesome. Is this the first time you have taken them? Are there any persisting negative side effects or mostly okay?
Yes! That is exactly it - the not dwelling on negativity thing. Things do still get to me but I don't dwell on it as much. Yknow that they have an indication for OCD as well so I think there must be some sort of benefit for obsessive thinking which often is associated with mental health problems.
What do you take and how much is your dose?
So glad to hear you're feeling better on them!
Yes! That is exactly it - the not dwelling on negativity thing. Things do still get to me but I don't dwell on it as much. Yknow that they have an indication for OCD as well so I think there must be some sort of benefit for obsessive thinking which often is associated with mental health problems.
What do you take and how much is your dose?
So glad to hear you're feeling better on them!
Yeah, is the first time I've tried them. I'm on 20mg Citalopram at the moment, originally I was on 10mg, but my doctor increased my dose a few months ago. I've actually been very lucky in terms of side effects, the only thing I've noticed is that now I have very strange, vivid dreams every night, which can get a bit annoying sometimes. I had them before I started the Citalopram, but now I experience them much more frequently, and some of them can bit a bit disturbing at times too. But that's a tiny price to pay for not feeling down all the time!
Thank you, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better too (reading your previous posts)
Original post by Ethereal World
xxx
Hiya! Sorry to be a bit off-topic here…
Just wanted to let you know I've moved your thread to another section
I hope you're OK!Ethan
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
I always end up thinking that my antidepressants don't do anything. So I come off them without consulting my psychiatrist and then get severely depressed and wonder what on earth could have caused the severe depression
Put another way, antidepressants (and antipsychotics in particular but that's for a different thread maybe!) have vastly improved my quality of life and given me my life back. My symptoms no longer completely dominate my day or my life
Put another way, antidepressants (and antipsychotics in particular but that's for a different thread maybe!) have vastly improved my quality of life and given me my life back. My symptoms no longer completely dominate my day or my life
I do the same - I came off of 40mg fluoxetine (quite a high dose) completely cold turkey last summer with no psychiatrist consultation or even GP. Cue horrific withdrawal symptoms and then the slow descent to the depths of despair a few months later and being so self aware but lacking the ability to connect the dots.
I think one of the reasons I thought it was a good idea to commence them again is because in retrospect I looked back over the past 3-4 years at when I had been on ADs and when I had been off and I am significantly better on them, so that's why I know it's worth it and I don't mind taking them, even if it's for a long time.
Do you have to take antidepressants and antipsychotics separately?
Original post by Ethereal World
What do you take? How much did you start on and how much are you on now? Howcome you upped the dose? I've just upped my dose today (I'm on fluoxetine- started on 20mg now been upped to 40mg) and so I'm a bit apprehensive about the adaptation phase. Whilst originally prescribed for depression my anxiety has been very pronounced recently so I'm hoping that the extra boost will help me to deal with my anxiety better and be able to compartmentalise better!
I'm on Citalopram and started on 10mg. It was upped to 20mg which is what I'm on now.
I upped it because I felt that 10mg wasn't enough to help me overcome some of the really hard stuff. 20 at least allowed me to attempt it. Upping the dosage really makes a difference. It was really helpful for me.
Mine was prescribed to reduce the anxiety caused by my OCD (I've not been diagnosed with depression so im not too familiar with that). It also helped with speaking to people that I don't know (I would get really anxious about meeting new people but it's died down a bit since I started my meds).
Hopefully it will help you. My uppage really helped me to overcome some issues I thought I couldn't.
I sure hope it works for you! Having anxiety sucks big time!
Original post by Leviathan1741
Yeah, is the first time I've tried them. I'm on 20mg Citalopram at the moment, originally I was on 10mg, but my doctor increased my dose a few months ago. I've actually been very lucky in terms of side effects, the only thing I've noticed is that now I have very strange, vivid dreams every night, which can get a bit annoying sometimes. I had them before I started the Citalopram, but now I experience them much more frequently, and some of them can bit a bit disturbing at times too. But that's a tiny price to pay for not feeling down all the time!
Thank you, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better too (reading your previous posts)
Thank you, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better too (reading your previous posts)
The dreams are real!!! Oh man, it's weird discussing side effects because like you kind of think it's just you sometimes. But the dreams are insane. I have had like inception dreams when I'm on them- so a dream within a dream or whatever. That's freaky stuff!
Ahhhh I've never tried citalopram - only fluoxetine because I respond to it very well. But I know citalopram because you can go up in 10mg increments it's a lot easier to start on the lower dose whereas fluoxetine you go straight onto 20.
It's crazy like from TSR I would never have expected you to be taking them but that's why I wanted to open up discussion around it
Original post by Ethereal World
I do the same - I came off of 40mg fluoxetine (quite a high dose) completely cold turkey last summer with no psychiatrist consultation or even GP. Cue horrific withdrawal symptoms and then the slow descent to the depths of despair a few months later and being so self aware but lacking the ability to connect the dots.
I think one of the reasons I thought it was a good idea to commence them again is because in retrospect I looked back over the past 3-4 years at when I had been on ADs and when I had been off and I am significantly better on them, so that's why I know it's worth it and I don't mind taking them, even if it's for a long time.
Do you have to take antidepressants and antipsychotics separately?
I think one of the reasons I thought it was a good idea to commence them again is because in retrospect I looked back over the past 3-4 years at when I had been on ADs and when I had been off and I am significantly better on them, so that's why I know it's worth it and I don't mind taking them, even if it's for a long time.
Do you have to take antidepressants and antipsychotics separately?
I take them all in the morning after breakfast, so I take the antidepressants and antipsychotics at the same time. I just meant that antipsychotics have alleviated my symptoms more, but you have asked about antidepressants so tried to focus my answer in on that
I'm prescribed a low dosage antidepressant to prevent migraines. They work brilliantly. I bloat a little bit, but it's nothing too bad and it's well worth it not to have migraines.
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Original post by Leviathan1741
Yeah, is the first time I've tried them. I'm on 20mg Citalopram at the moment, originally I was on 10mg, but my doctor increased my dose a few months ago. I've actually been very lucky in terms of side effects, the only thing I've noticed is that now I have very strange, vivid dreams every night, which can get a bit annoying sometimes. I had them before I started the Citalopram, but now I experience them much more frequently, and some of them can bit a bit disturbing at times too. But that's a tiny price to pay for not feeling down all the time!
Thank you, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better too (reading your previous posts)
Thank you, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better too (reading your previous posts)
I'm also on 20mg Citalopram. Have you not experienced extreme tiredness (you're really lucky if not).
I haven't experienced the dreams before. Sounds rather intriguing.
It's good to hear you're also feeling better
Original post by Katty3
I'm prescribed a low dosage antidepressant to prevent migraines. They work brilliantly. I bloat a little bit, but it's nothing too bad and it's well worth it not to have migraines.
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Posted from TSR Mobile
Oh wow I've never heard of antidepressants being used to treat migraines.
How much do you take and of what type?
Original post by iEthan
Hiya! Sorry to be a bit off-topic here…
Just wanted to let you know I've moved your thread to another section I hope you're OK!
Ethan
Just wanted to let you know I've moved your thread to another section
I hope you're OK!Ethan
No probs tbh it annoys me that threads have to be checked in MH when you post them :spank:
Original post by Ethereal World
No probs tbh it annoys me that threads have to be checked in MH when you post them :spank:
Consider it checked
Original post by Ethereal World
Oh wow I've never heard of antidepressants being used to treat migraines.
How much do you take and of what type?
How much do you take and of what type?
10 mg amitriptiline nightly. It's an off label use, but it's known to be effective and it works for me.
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