Poll of the Day > Real Talk: Anti-Depressants

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm 27 and I always thought that wanting to take them was a sign of weakness, that as long as I meditated and prayed long enough or engaged in other spiritual activities, I would fix it. Or that they weren't good enough and had too many side effects.

But I have just reached a point where I realized that there has to be something wrong in my brain chemistry.

Recently, watching Jordan Peterson's commentary on taking Bupropion and how it added what was missing in his life has convinced me that there needs to be a change.

Anyone has experience with these types of medical therapies?

They've made a positive difference for me. I'd love to not take them... but I'd take them over not having the help
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Everyone is different. Best thing is to talk to a professional.

Some people are helped by them and some people are not. Some have positive effects from some but negative effects from others. Brains are very complicated things and there are too many variables to generalize.
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I haven't ever really taken anything for depression before, but I feel like for most people it's a kind of hit or miss experience. If the benefits outweigh the side effects for you, I'd say it's probably worth it.
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Nothing is a sign of weakness, we all live and we all die, anything to make that life better is a good thing not a sign of weakness

Except peeing sitting down. Thats a sign of weakness.

GreenTreeClub posted...

Anyone has experience with these types of medical therapies?

Been on Prozac and Zoloft; neither worked for me. I was on both at different points in my life for roughly a year and a half or so. Prozac was a bit more helpful, but I felt lethargic all the time.

My psychiatrist recommended what's called an MAOi to me and that's been helping a lot. It also helps mood stability (antipsychotics and mood stabilizers don't work on me which is a problem with borderline personality). The plant is called syrian rue and you make a tea out of it. It's really nasty but it's the most helpful thing in my experience. I wouldn't say I'm "better" but am at least able to handle things for the most part.

Talk to your psychiatrist about concerns and find what works for you. Don't forget that no matter what you end up taking (if anything) that you should also try and work at improvement as well - like, don't treat it as the "be all end all" for your depression.

Think of it like a tool that will nudge you in the right direction :)

Ive been talking meds for about half a year now. Havent really felt a difference. Ive even gotten my prescription increased twice.
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I've been angry a lot so I've been starting with vitamin d and I may do St John's wort. If that doesn't help I'm open to real medication.
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I commend you for trying to find other avenues of dealing with the burdens caused by whatever it is that ails you. Too many people are much too quick at asking for medication without seeing if they can first resolve the issue without resorting to introducing drastic chemical changes to the body.

I would highly stress it to your psychiatrist that you want to start low dosages over a good amount of time (2 weeks or so) to see what works for you. We incredibly have the developments to correct the issue, yet we don't have anything to accurately measure what we need to do the correcting. A slow and steady pace is vital and there are waaaay too many pill pushers in the medical field these days. Remind them that they are there for you, they work for you, not the other way around. I hate pushy doctors, but now I'm getting off topic lol

Good luck, TC, don't ever forget that it's okay to seek help elsewhere when it's just not working out for you.

I'm really thankful for all the responses.

Is the Maoi a natural substance like St. John's Wort? Though I am reading Maoi has some sideffects. I am definitely going to seek professional help, but I am willing to try the natural route first.

I've had mixed results with brain pills.

Zoloft helped me a lot for a while, but may have contributed to my psychotic episode that lasted most of a year.

Antispsychotics terrify me now. I was given one and I could only think about how much I looked forward to being dead. It was a dopamine blocker and took all potential for happiness away. Dopamine is good, y'all.

Now I'm doing as well as I've ever been in my life, from my point of view. Wellbutrin for antidepressant, lithium for mood stabilization. I don't have nearly as much of a temper, I have fewer anxiety attacks, I worry less, and it's almost difficult to feel sadness.

I kind of miss nice extremes like being really happy, or being able to cry more when something is sad. It's more like enforced mild contentment all the time. But the stability is really good. No more mental hospitals for me, hopefully.

I'm also on several things like vitamin D on the recommendation of my psychiatrist. Those sort of things can really help, sometimes even on their own.

There was a point in my life where I thought medications were a weakness or a way of giving up who you really are. They're not a weakness any more than getting a cast when you break a limb is a weakness. Everyone needs help with something.

And I don't particularly like who I was when I lost my mind from not being on the right meds, so... Maybe I'd rather be "not me". :P
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I was taking Zoloft at the start of the year but I haven't taken it all April. I feel fine. I found it useful for 2-3 months, and then just stopped with no side effects.

I understand the feelings behind thinking you may personally not need it; I had those thoughts. More like, "well i feel depressed but i don't know if my depression warrants medical intervention." I guess in some ways I was right.

I do go to therapy once a week. I think therapy + medication can have more meaningful impacts than just medication alone.
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