Mental Health Support Society Mk X

Thanks for your response. Will I become a zombie? Are there any lasting side effects / changes to your personality? How did it help you exactly? Ty

No i wasnt a zombie anyway
On the lower dose of 20mg i lost my sex drive but that wasnt long term

Made life more bareable i guess but i have deeper issues such as ED behaviour aswell as depression and anxiety so im now on meds for that instead of just depression and anxiety

Psych meds have a really bad reputation on the side effects front, like with zombifying and personality changes, but SSRIs don't really do that. Some side effects like anorgasmia and loss of sex drive, (very common) insomnia, nausea and constipation are pretty common but normally mild and only last a week or so for most people. A lot of people imagine that ADs are going to have extremely bad side effects, but actually for the most part that is a bit of a myth, carried over from the older style ADs and anti-psychotics, both of which have far less tolerable side effect profiles.

Citalopram is a really regularly used first AD because it has a generally tolerable side effect profile and is pretty inexpensive. If it doesn't work for you there are other SSRIs (which have similar side effect profiles but work differently for different people) or other medication classes, such as SNRIs (similar to SSRIs but target two different neurotransmitters rather than one) or tetracyclics, such as mirtazapine (generally tolerable and without sexual side effects but sometimes associated with excessive sleeping and weight gain), so don't give up hope if the first thing you try isn't that effective.

Personally, I was initially given citalopram for severe depression and anxiety. It had no side effects but didn't help, so I was moved to sertraline (another SSRI). That affected my sleeping a little once I got up to the maximum dose and I lost my ability to orgasm, and didn't alleviate any depression, so my psychiatrist switched to venlafaxine (an SNRI). I got up to the max dose of that for my size and it had had a slightly stimulating effect (I had more energy) but I was classified as a serious risk to myself and hospital was being discussed. At that point they added mirtazapine to my treatment and the combination of meds worked really well. I'm moderately depressed now which is miles better than how I was before, when I was completely non-functional and had psychotic features. It took a while but I'm glad I was willing to try meds because they have ultimately kept me out of hospital and alive.

Surely they can't open your letters?? I would say don't say no because it could really help. Your health should come first


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I've been put on 20mg too. Sorry to hear about the ED. I'm a guy and I've read worrying stuff about erections permanent post-withdrawal dysfunction. Pretty terrifying. As I say, the GP brushed all of that off as totally anecdotal from those people who didn't really need meds, but that begs the question of why they were put on them in the first place.

Thanks for this detail! I'm really not liking the whole sex drive loss thing, especially if it turns out to be permanent.

Part of me wants to try it but the possibility of permanent damage and changes is scary. I'm also hopeful in counselling and CBT since the source of most of my stuff is past trauma and social anxiety which might, if tackled head-on through that, loosen all the other stuff.

Their house, their rules. . it's quite sad really. They open everything, from results to birthday cards or bank statements.

I doubt knowing this will be much/any use to you, but it is illegal to open someone else's post without permission. I'm really sorry they invade your privacy so much. Is there any way that you could talk to your doctor about this and see if communication from therapy etc. could be done by phone, or even by having the stuff posted to your surgery? They should get copied in on everything anyway...

is anyone good at maths and percentages?

What you need?

i think google has been my friend.
trying to work out what i need in a module to blag a 2.2 from uni, and i think i need to get like 64% somehow
IF my degree is weighted 70% for 3rd year and only 30% for 2nd year

If you want to get a second opinion, feel free to post / PM me your marks so far, and I can work it out.

so if im right i think i need 64% from my final module??

Hmm, assuming all modules weighted equally (dissertation module having 2 marks), then to get 50% overall, you need 73% I think. However, if you have the same borderline rules as I do (49%+ and 6 modules over 50% = 2:2), then you only need 64%. If your dissertation is capped at 40% due to it being a resit, can you not claim for it to be counted as a first-sit due to EC, allowing it to be over 40%?

thats all forign to me
there all worth 20 credits

i didnt claim extenuating first time round though because i was being a stubborn mare and was adamant id get it done.
i claimed EC on my placement module, and another essay, but as i passed that module without doing this other essay my lecturer said its pointless risking messing it all up for a 1000 word essay.
basically im getting a 3rd really.
woooo, least i get a professional qualification aswell

Their house, their rules. . it's quite sad really. They open everything, from results to birthday cards or bank statements.

I have claimed EC for a module I did the year before, I was advised I could do so if I could get a letter saying my depression prevented me from seeking help at the time (which it did). May be worth looking into.