antidepressants - worth it or nah

For me, fluoxetine really did help. There’s definitely side effects, but personally I’d rather deal with the side effects than myself without the tablets. It’s your choice and you shouldn’t take them if you don’t want to. If someone is pressing you to take them you need to remind them that it’s your body not theirs. If you have concerns you should talk to your GP and maybe they can prescribe other forms of treatment

Changing your toxic environment would help you more than anything else.

Like @YaliaV123 says, if you can make a significant change to your situation, that's always the first option. But you know that already. I think one benefit of meds is not that they are therapeutic in themselves, but rather, they disrupt the perspective you have gotten used to and so make it more possible to act.

Maybe the process is to ask, "Would I be content to live like I am living now, for ever?" If not, ask, if can I realistically change things "spontaneously" now? If not, could a different person in my situation change things? If "yes" - or "maybe" - the meds might make me feel like **** for a while, but maybe that's what's needed to change the circumstances that keep pushing me under?

i kinda hate my life tbh. but at the same time, there is no way for me to change my situation, at least not any time soon

To be honest, I don't think any medication works without the aid of therapy alongside it. I would definitely go back to your doctors and express your concerns - they may advise you to be put on a waiting list for CBT or interpersonal therapy, or something similar. Taking the medication is one thing, but being able to speak about how it makes you feel is another. You sound less concerned about the actual medication, and more concerned about the fact you feel like you can't deal with anything in your life. Medication on its own won't change that.

Not to pry, or disagree, but what I'd suggest by "changing the situation" would mainly be in terms of the creatures you live and interact with - human and non-human. So it needn't mean "get a job" or "dump your partner" so much as maybe volunteering for an animal sanctuary, or a food bank or something. Very hard when you're feeling antisocial and wounded, but maybe easier when you're on meds????

i don't want therapy. i always give up after 1 session, it's not for me.

i mostly just interact with a) my boyfriend b) our cat c) our dog. they all drive me ****ing insane. i've been neglecting my friends for so long that they're not really my friends anymore. idk maybe getting out of the house would help a bit but i just don't have enough energy to do that. i have to walk the dog twice a day and on most day it feels like too much. i hate to sound like a sociopath but i don't think i have enough empathy to volunteer and help people

i don't want therapy. i always give up after 1 session, it's not for me.

i mostly just interact with a) my boyfriend b) our cat c) our dog. they all drive me ****ing insane. i've been neglecting my friends for so long that they're not really my friends anymore. idk maybe getting out of the house would help a bit but i just don't have enough energy to do that. i have to walk the dog twice a day and on most day it feels like too much. i hate to sound like a sociopath but i don't think i have enough empathy to volunteer and help people

Giving up after 1 session will never improve anything, you kind of have to be committed to want to change to help yourself. Otherwise you won't get any outside help from doctors, etc. You don't really know if it is for you after just a single session, as usually the first is the person getting to know you and your background. By all means don't bother with it, but your situation won't get any better, basically.

You seem to be saying that you are completely stuck? Which, for me, would be a good argument for trying meds.

i just can't deal with talking about my issues irl. it frustrates me and upsets me. i have 0 motivation to even try again

yeah. so technically i probably should give them a try, since my life is **** anyway, but idk..

I mean, to put it simply, if you describe your current situation to strangers on the internet but contest any sort of advice, the onus is on you to try and sort your situation out. Good luck, but I don't think posting your problems online will be of any help either.

i know, i just wanted to see what people's experiences with antidepressants were like

There isn't much point in asking others - everyone is entirely individual and will experience them totally differently. The only way you will find out how you work with them is by taking them, really. Asking other people will only put you off more, which isn't beneficial. I'm not trying to be harsh, it's just brutal honesty. Your doctor will require you to have check ups every month-6 weeks anyway from when you start taking them. What's the worst that can happen, other than you don't enjoy them and just stop?

the same thing that happened last time. i remember obsessing over conspiracy theories and going without sleep for days. it felt like being stuck in a weird dream. ever heard of the game called silent hill - it felt like i was there. i wanted to die. i remember one of the doctor trying to misdiagnose me (as bipolar) - he was convinced i was experiencing a 'manic episode'

I mean, you were either diagnosed or not. And if you were, you would have been given medication of varying sorts. Seems strange that somebody with a bipolar diagnosis wouldn't be taking anything, nevermind fluoxetine.

idk what to do. personally, i don't really believe they work. they made me take them several years ago and they ****ed me up good. it was terrifying and they nearly drove me insane. now my dr has prescribed me prozac/fluoxetine (different a/d than last time), despite my protests. my bf wants me to give it a try and won't stop pressuring me, every goddamn day.

so maybe i should just give in so that he'll leave me alone. since i don't really care about my life anymore, it shouldn't matter. but i'm scared that the same thing will happen again. or that i'll lose whatever remains of my creativity. i'm scared that combined with benzos which i take regularly, they'll **** up my brain and turn me into a zombie. the whole thing is just humiliating. i'm sick of everyone constantly askimg me if i want to kill myself

has anyone on here even had positive experiences with antidepressants?