Do antidepressants work?
I tend to be really unhappy at school and home, even though I have great friends I always feel so alone. I spoke to a GP about this, and took a test, in which they said I was depressed and they said they think I should go on antidepressants. Do they work? How much happier will the make me? And also, sometimes I am okay and feel a bit happy, so am I depressed?
Original post by Sunset891
I tend to be really unhappy at school and home, even though I have great friends I always feel so alone. I spoke to a GP about this, and took a test, in which they said I was depressed and they said they think I should go on antidepressants. Do they work? How much happier will the make me? And also, sometimes I am okay and feel a bit happy, so am I depressed?
no you shouldnt take this medicine unless you have a genuine mental illness
I'm 17
Original post by study beats
no you shouldnt take this medicine unless you have a genuine mental illness
Apparently I do according to the GP, but I am not sure. There are times when I have felt just really unhappy with my life and have wanted to hurt myself (but I never brought myself to do it), but roughly once a month I do feel okay enough to hang out with friends and enjoy myself a bit, so I'm not sure.
Original post by Sunset891
Apparently I do according to the GP, but I am not sure. There are times when I have felt just really unhappy with my life and have wanted to hurt myself (but I never brought myself to do it), but roughly once a month I do feel okay enough to hang out with friends and enjoy myself a bit, so I'm not sure.
only a psychologist can properly diagnose you
I wish I could talk to my parents about it but they are a huge part of why I feel like this, if I told them they would just get really annoyed. I will definitely ask my GP about the side effects though. Thanks for the reply 
If you're talking in terms of actual evidence, then randomised controlled trials have shown improvements relative to placebo in quite a few cases. However, do keep in mind the following. The anti-depressant prescribed for you may not work, but they may switch to you a different one that does. It can become trial and error in some cases. Also, it may take a few weeks for you to start feeling improvements so do not expect results straight away.
I advice you to go speak to your pharmacist if you have any more medicinal related questions. They'll be happy to talk
I advice you to go speak to your pharmacist if you have any more medicinal related questions. They'll be happy to talk
Antidepressants work by giving you more energy. They're not some miracle drug that just makes you happy but it gives you energy to work on getting happy. That's why usually you would also go to therapy to work on it. But you get energy to actually go out and socialise.
Antidepressants also have suicide as a side effect. Not because it causes people to do it but because for those with suicidal thoughts, it gives them energy to actually go through with it. So considering you've had thoughts of hurting yourself but never actually brought yourself to doing it, the pills may give you energy and determination to do so. I would try talking to someone who was in your situation and talking through it with a friend or family member.
Antidepressants also have suicide as a side effect. Not because it causes people to do it but because for those with suicidal thoughts, it gives them energy to actually go through with it. So considering you've had thoughts of hurting yourself but never actually brought yourself to doing it, the pills may give you energy and determination to do so. I would try talking to someone who was in your situation and talking through it with a friend or family member.
I've been on Sertraline for around 6 months. I'd say it helped when I was feeling down but I did question whether the medicine was actually doing anything or if I just got over it. I'd say try them and see if you feel better antidepressants do take a while to start working but I haven't felt depressed since.
Anti-depressants basically re-wire your brain. In some people this is very helpful, but in others this wasn't the problem that needed addressing and can actually cause further problems. In other words, therapies should always be the first port of call, and if after giving it an honest attempt (as in, completing a full course and genuinely making an effort to improve) if it hasn't worked, then meds may work.
Original post by Sunset891
I tend to be really unhappy at school and home, even though I have great friends I always feel so alone. I spoke to a GP about this, and took a test, in which they said I was depressed and they said they think I should go on antidepressants. Do they work? How much happier will the make me? And also, sometimes I am okay and feel a bit happy, so am I depressed?
Moved to Mental health
Original post by Sunset891
I wish I could talk to my parents about it but they are a huge part of why I feel like this, if I told them they would just get really annoyed. I will definitely ask my GP about the side effects though. Thanks for the reply
My daughter took anti depressants and did not tell me. I was so sad that she did not trust me.
When I got divorced ( husband left me for some cheap....) I was devastated and was given antidepressants by the GP. I have to say they really helped - it took two weeks for them to kick in but the mood improvement was amazing. However I did get side effects - I got a rash after a month and then when I stopped them I got withdrawal symptoms - anxiety and palpitations - but they were good for that short time.
I now run twice a week for two hours - exercise is magic for improving the mood. But speak with the parents please - we want to help
they work for me (sertraline 150mg) but it's different for everyone
Original post by Sunset891
I tend to be really unhappy at school and home, even though I have great friends I always feel so alone. I spoke to a GP about this, and took a test, in which they said I was depressed and they said they think I should go on antidepressants. Do they work? How much happier will the make me? And also, sometimes I am okay and feel a bit happy, so am I depressed?
well if I've learned anything from level psychology then yes, they do work. How do they work?
Well i might be wrong but you can get SNRIS? or something alone those lines and it blocks the reuptake or noradrenaline into the post synaptic neutron and so theres more of it in the synapse keeping you calmzzz. Theres also BZ's that have something to do with your chloride uptake but they are a second line of medication because of the severe side effects
however ever heard of the revolving door effect? Sometimes the side effects are worse than the drug so peeps stop taking the drug. Then you ask yourself is there even a point.
Another issue is that research from some sick charity found that 80% relapse on drugs so you're better of getting therapy because that only has 30% relapse.
But people prefer meds because its cheep and easy and it doesn't require much effort.
Now can someone call my teacher an tell her to give me an A please
Original post by Sunset891
I tend to be really unhappy at school and home, even though I have great friends I always feel so alone. I spoke to a GP about this, and took a test, in which they said I was depressed and they said they think I should go on antidepressants. Do they work? How much happier will the make me? And also, sometimes I am okay and feel a bit happy, so am I depressed?
Their effectiveness varies somewhat from person to person and some people will not get on well with some medications, but on the whole they do work. They are certainly worth trying.
Do be aware though that most ADs take a couple of weeks to months to work and until that point they may feel pretty pointless. You may also experience some somewhat nasty side effects. If you do experience unpleasant side effects it's best to mention it to your doctor as they may be able to fiddle with dosage or try a different medication to improve things.
I would suggest that you don't just rely on ADs though and that you also try therapy. Depression and other MH issues inevitably lead to some flawed or unhealthy thinking and medication can't help much with that.
Therapy is helpful in sorting out any negative thought patterns and making the issue less likely to appear again once you stop medication.
So yeah I would have a chat with your GP about getting some therapy too.
Oh and as for your last question, depression doesn't mean you are unable to be happy. It's more like it changes your base level so you'll tend to always be apathetic or down and will easily have sadness and other negative emotions triggered. It is still possible to be happy or enjoy things, but it will be less often than otherwise.
If you aren't sure about having depression or taking medication you may want to start off with therapy. It can help you explore how you feel and work out if you are depressed and if it's a level you want to take medication for. It may be that you want to try other methods before you try medication.
It's totally your choice. Have a think about it, check out some sites like mind.org and sane.org, ask some questions and see what you want to do. You can always start or stop the medication further down the road (just talk to your dr about it beforehand).
Hope that helps. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have and I will try my best to answer well. Good luck
