[LauRa Lu]

Wondering, what are people experiences of taking them?

Do they do any good, are the side effects dreadful, how long have you taken them... ? etc

I don't want to take them, but everything in my life is going good so for the first time I have no excuses, there's just still this dark heavy feeling hanging over me and it's getting to be tiring... it's hard work ignoring it and trying to block it out!

[Jan B]

I have been taking Zoloft for a few months now, and it has helped. I take 100mg daily. This dose is a little high for some, but not for me. A friend of mine, also 46, told me how much it helped her, so I mentioned to my doctor and he thought it was a good idea. My friend had to decrease her dosage, when, as she explained -- she could see a puppy get run over and not even cry. I can still cry easily on my 100mg!

Zero side effects. I know exactly what you mean about things going well in life - no major complaints, but still just not feeling the way you know you should. Or that dark cloud or chronic sad feeling.

I was diagnosed w/major depression when I was a teenager. It is in no way the same as the depression everyone gets. Which ever type depression you have, there still are some things that help, like exercise and staying busy.

Since I now have a bit of heart disease, it's even more important to take those anti-depressants if needed. For years I always got off them (didn't want so many pills), but I no longer have any embarassment about my real need!

You know you are on the right dose when you feel "normal" again, but like you aren't really taking anything for depression. Make sense?

Get better Laura!

[belyro]

Hey Laura,

I'm on Effexor, which is an antidepressant, but I started on it for anxiety, not for depression. For me, it has worked very well. That said, I"m going to be trying to get off of it sometime this year (with my doctor's help, of course) and I'm a little nervous about that. I had side effects when I first started (weird feelings in my head and on my skin), which is normal, but they went away after a couple of weeks (also normal). I haven't had any other side-effects, but I"m told that you can experience a lot of side-effects when trying to get off of them, so it's very important to get off of them SLOWLY and with the help of your doctor. At this point, even with the anxiety I have about trying to get un-addicted to them....I'm still glad I went on them because they made my life SO MUCH better when I was really really struggling. I felt like me again.

It's a decision that requires a lot of though, for sure, but it's a decision that I haven't regretted. (Ask me again when I'm in the process of getting off of it, though....)

Good luck.

[Dan Gato]

I've heard & read that anti-depressants lower the sexual desire in people, How true is it?

Have any of you tried St. Johns's Worth ? is a natural anti-depressant, over the counter.

I have never taken any antidepressant.

[Sheralyn]

LauRaLu,

I've had depression problems on and off all my life (I'm 62) -- I inherited it from my biol. father, whom I never even met (I found out this info years ago). Anyway, I've been on antidepressants since I was 20 and they can be miracle drugs. They do NOT make you high or anything -- they just let you be yourself, the self that's there inside you that the depression keeps blocking. I even took them when I was pregnant and NO problems, thank God. They're NOT addictive either. In all these years, they haven't hurt me in any way and though they may have to be changed/adjusted from time to time, they keep on working. As for St. John's Wort, I think that would be only for very mild depression -- if you are clinically depressed, that requires medication. Please don't worry; I've never known antidepressants to hurt anyone. But sometimes, it's trial and error; you may have to try a few before you find the right one(s) or combo. Trust your doctor and best of luck. Antidepressants have made all the difference in the world to me -- right now I'm on Paxil and have been on that steadily for approx. 8 years now. I am aware of no bad side effects, and I have blood work done every 3 months. I seem to go between Paxil & Prozac. They work very well for me. Good luck.

[Jan B]

Originally Posted by Dan Gato

I've heard & read that anti-depressants lower the sexual desire in people, How true is it?

Have any of you tried St. Johns's Worth ? is a natural anti-depressant, over the counter.

I have also read that sexual desire can be lower while on antidepressants. However, when I feel better (as in not depressed), my libido is naturally higher. It may be different for men.

As Sheralyn said, St. Johns Wort may help with minor depression; not sure it helps much.

[BlueSky]

I once used tri-cyclic anti-depressants, but stopped using them because of short-term side effects (upset stomach). And I have managed to get by without drugs since then. Anti-depressant drugs are a life-saver for many people. But the decision to start taking them should not be taken lightly. While they are well tolerated by most people, there are long-term side effects ( Long-Term Side Effects Surface With SSRIs ). And getting off them can be very difficult. There are various drugs available, and there are other options for dealing with mild to moderate depression. Here is a useful link to explore : Treatment of Depression- Medication for depression / Psychotherapy . Good luck with it!

[verynicebecky]

I was diagnosed with dysthymia a little over a yr ago (low level, on-going depression). I had never heard of dysthymia until then. I went home and checked it out via computer....wow, that was me!
I didnt look into taking anything until a few months after being diagnosed. A close friend told me to not speak to him until I was happy again. I began a low dose of generic Celexa...wow...what a difference! It was like seeing in color for the very first time. I still could cry..but I was no longer the sobbing idiot in the greeting card section. Hey, I just thought God had made me a bit extra sensitive.
I ran out of my prescription a few months ago. My friend is back to speaking with me but doesnt like the fact that I had resorted to pills. I can tell a difference. Without the med. I am much shorter with ppl. I have to remind myself (especially during my period) that I have a medical problem and things are okay. The medication took the "edge" off things and allowed me to not dwell on problems. In fact it helped me to address the problems in my life. I see my doctor soon and I will be getting my prescription refilled.

[Sheralyn]

VeryNiceBecky -- My son is a psychologist and he doesn't like meds! Drive me nuts! You'd think HIM of all people would realize that chronically depressed people often have no choice other than meds.

[rreno]

I took 150 mg of Zoloft per day for a little over 1 year. I was "weened" off it over August 2007 and stopped completely in September 2007. I took it for anxiety. I will say it was the best thing I ever did for my condition at the time. I was going to work, but would come home and spend all night away from my family (usually in bed). I didn't like to talk to people, wouldn't call people on the phone (not even to order a pizza!). It was completely the opposite of the type of person I am.

I took the edge off almost immediately (within 6 hours - not normal according to the docs) and, with counseling, I was able to get out of my "funk" - as I called it.

I did have "the shakes" each morning for about an hour after taking my dose. That lasted about a month, then went away. There were sexual side effects, but they also went away after about 2 months. I made the decision that the way I felt outweighed any of the side effects I experienced. Anyway, the side effects were not severe in any way.

I would recommend Zoloft for anyone who truly needs it. It worked great for me!

[palefacegirl03]

I was having lots of anxiety and depression , my doctor prescribes Lexapro for me, I started taking it in Aug 2007. I am much better, I can function, before I would go to work and just come home and sleep. Get up and eat and go right back to bed till morning.
I still have some stress in my life , DH is not working and money is VERY thight, so very stressful, but I am able to handle it better.

[pdxdennisj]

Depression is like saying "I feel bad" - there are all kinds of "feel bad" and different anti-depressants work/not work for different people - be prepared to find the right one for you. The SSRI's (Prozac, Paxil, etc) cause some to loose interest in sex or have difficulty having an orgasm. Wellbutrin on the other hand may cause premature ejaculation in some males (don't know how it affects women). I personally had a bad experience with Prozac and went into seizures (extremely rare) and was on an anti seizure meds for six months before it worked its way out of my system. Low doses of Wellbutrin and Buspar (anti-anxiety) for about two years. It has been about 10 years now and all is well.
Some folks need to be on meds for the rest of their lives.

[shabbie]

hi laura,

ive been taking citalopram for about 3 months, i too couldnt shake off the black cloud, even with all the positive attitude in the world! i told my doc i felt low and had suicidal thoughts, we talked about suitable options. i said i felt that psycho-therapy/councilling wouldnt help, it felt more like a chemical thing rather than an emotional thing. does that make sense?

the citalopram is a 'seratonin re-uptake inhibitor'.

it doesnt clash with too many other meds like st johns wort does, it doesnt appear to have any side effects in me (i'm pretty sensitive to drugs of any kind). and i do actually feel normal again, even on the low dose that i'm on.

the doc said it would take about 6 weeks to fully take effect, and that was about right.

i think i might come off them at some point but dont see any rush to do so just yet

[LauRa Lu]

Thanks guys... all very useful information

I think i'm going to make an apointment with ym doctor, I have a new doctor so hopefuly they will be more useful than the last one I saw about this 2 years ago, she just told me to go and read a book about it.. which was certainly no help.

[nneighbour]

To date I've been on 12 different drugs for depression and related symptoms (celexa, wellbutrin, effexor, lithium, risperdal, olanzepine, prozac, bromazepam, clonazepam, buspar, quetiapine and cipralex). They all have their benefits and they all have crazy side effects. At the moment I don't have much good to say about them as I feel over-medicated and like a toxic waste land. All I have to say is be very careful - these are medications that effect your brain. If you have any questions about any of the specific meds, feel free to ask.