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expereinces with antidepressants - yes or no?

im thinking of going on antidepressants

do they work? do you not feel like 'fake happy' like you know its not the real you, so its all abit false and weird anyway

how bad are the side affects? i don't fancy anxeity and depression worse for a week?

thanks
Never, I was a very depressed person but I learnt how to control it and became the happiest man on planet earth. I love every second of my life! Chemicals did not help me personally, only you.. you can change this for yourself.. for your own good! Find the good things in life, love yourself, listen to music with happy beats and work towards your dreams because you are an unique and lovable person :hugs: :flowers: :love: Hope this helps, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask!
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by Steljoy
Never, I was a very depressed person but I learnt how to control it and became the happiest man on planet earth. I love every second of my life! Chemicals will not help you my dear, only you.. you can change this for yourself.. for your own good! Find the good things in life, love yourself, listen to music with happy beats and work towards your dreams because you are an unique and lovable person :hugs: :flowers: :love: Hope this helps, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask!


Antidepressants have saved many people on TSR. Have they worked for me? Absolutely not, I've had adverse reactions to them. But I accept that they may work for others. Yes, you need to put in the effort, but don't dismiss chemicals straightaway. :yep:
Depends on the person. I know one person who committed suicide after taking them. I would advise trying to beat the depression yourself. But then again you may not be able to.
Original post by Airmed
Antidepressants have saved many people on TSR. Have they worked for me? Absolutely not, I've had adverse reactions to them. But I accept that they may work for others. Yes, you need to put in the effort, but don't dismiss chemicals straightaway. :yep:


I see where you are coming from, I just personally think they do more harm than good but that is once again my thoughts and opinion :h: But yes you have a very valid point, I shouldn't dismiss them straightaway
Original post by Anonymous
im thinking of going on antidepressants

do they work? do you not feel like 'fake happy' like you know its not the real you, so its all abit false and weird anyway

how bad are the side affects? i don't fancy anxeity and depression worse for a week?

thanks



I was on antidepressants for around 6 months last year. I took 50mg sertraline/day. I never had anything that felt like 'fake happiness'. Instead, it cleared the fogginess in my brain, helped me think more clearly, let me go through counselling more effectively and get on with my life. I'm almost certain I wouldn't have gotten a first in my degree without them, for a start. I was already taking the contraceptive pill every day, so I just added it to my routine at the same time and got on with my life - I didn't even give it a second thought.

The side effects were hard for a week or so. I mostly had physical side effects - tremors, weakness, a bit of nausea and anorgasmia. After that, I was fine until I came off them (I ended up going cold turkey by accident when I got stuck in Europe when I should have had an appointment!) and the withdrawal process was hard again for a few days, but after that, no issues. The issue with antidepressants, as with all medications, is that people respond to them differently. Some people settle on one right away and are lucky, while others have to try a few different ones to find the best one for them.

I was nervous about starting them, but I'm glad I did. I also am happy to have gotten off them quickly, though.
Original post by Anonymous
im thinking of going on antidepressants

do they work? do you not feel like 'fake happy' like you know its not the real you, so its all abit false and weird anyway

how bad are the side affects? i don't fancy anxeity and depression worse for a week?

thanks


They don't just change your feelings and make you feel happy as a clam for no reason. I find they just help me deal with things a lot better and more productively, and help stop me getting really really low. It takes hard work on your end, just as it would without medication, but it's worth trying if you and your doctor feel that it's a suitable option for you. Some people have side effects, some don't. They take a few weeks to kick in when you first start taking them. Your doctor will keep a close eye on you when you first start taking them, if you start taking them, and won't leave you hanging to deal with any on your own, if you get any

Definitely don't rule out medication before properly considering it. It's saved many lived, including my own, and are really ideal for me. Some people will swear against them, and some people don't agree with the idea of them, but you have to remember they aren't making you feel happy. They aren't happy pills as some like to describe them as. You still have to put in the work, they just compliment it. They can clear your head a bit, keep your more stable, and help a lot more in that way
(edited 7 years ago)
Can't say I'd have got to where i am without them, And I'm not strong enough willed to cope at the moment without them, hopeful;y one day things will change, but I am grateful for how they have helped up to now
Original post by Steljoy
Never, I was a very depressed person but I learnt how to control it and became the happiest man on planet earth. I love every second of my life! Chemicals will not help you my dear, only you.. you can change this for yourself.. for your own good! Find the good things in life, love yourself, listen to music with happy beats and work towards your dreams because you are an unique and lovable person :hugs: :flowers: :love: Hope this helps, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask!


How can you say that? I'm glad you've recovered but you can't just dismiss medication because you've either never taken them or they didn't help you. I agree that ultimately you have to really want to get better and that it takes a lot of hard work, in fact I think the best combination is medication and therapy combined, but medication can make the difference between someone continuing in their depressed state and finding the energy or motivation to try to recover
Original post by bones-mccoy
How can you say that? I'm glad you've recovered but you can't just dismiss medication because you've either never taken them or they didn't help you. I agree that ultimately you have to really want to get better and that it takes a lot of hard work, in fact I think the best combination is medication and therapy combined, but medication can make the difference between someone continuing in their depressed state and finding the energy or motivation to try to recover


I don't know if you read the post above, I did say that I was wrong about dismissing the medications. Personally for me they never worked and I gave out my opinion about them. Here is the evidence:

Original post by Steljoy
:h: But yes you have a very valid point, I shouldn't dismiss them straightaway
Worked great for me, might have died without them.
Original post by Steljoy
I don't know if you read the post above, I did say that I was wrong about dismissing the medications. Personally for me they never worked and I gave out my opinion about them. Here is the evidence:


I didn't see your reply, fair enough :smile:
Original post by Anonymous
Depends on the person. I know one person who committed suicide after taking them. I would advise trying to beat the depression yourself. But then again you may not be able to.


Yes. One of the side effects of the anti depressant I've been on (I was on it for pain) is depression and suicidal thoughts. No-one had warned me about this and I had to come off the medication pretty quickly.
Original post by Tiger Rag
Yes. One of the side effects of the anti depressant I've been on (I was on it for pain) is depression and suicidal thoughts. No-one had warned me about this and I had to come off the medication pretty quickly.


basically that ^
Original post by Steljoy
I see where you are coming from, I just personally think they do more harm than good but that is once again my thoughts and opinion :h: But yes you have a very valid point, I shouldn't dismiss them straightaway


They help me, iv been on them a few years now and recently tried withdrawing as i was feeling much better but once i withdrew things got bad again though nothing in my life had changed so was adviced to go back on them and my mental health stabalised again.
I dont know if ill ever be off them but for now they are keeping me at a mid level!

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I went on 100mg of sertraline after the death of my fiance a few years ago. We'd been engaged for 2 years and were about to get a house together. Then he had a heart attack at home. I was so depressed I wanted to kill myself and started to self harm. I also developed a form of epilepsy as a result of the trauma. I'd never had any mental health problems before this. I had the tablets and some counselling and the suicidal thoughts went away. I still have seizures and will probably have them for the rest of my life, but I stopped self harming and thinking about suicide because I got help.

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