Medications for depression and anxiety
 

TW mentions prescription drugs

Hiya :)

I am considering taking anti-depressants to help with the depression and anxiety, however, I was wondering what is your opinion on them in general?
I do not want any drugs that blunt emotions or turn me into a non-human being.I was on various in the past that caused that blunting of emotions and as a result, I ate to cope with it and other issues

Sertraline just made me a walking zombie - I felt absolutely nothing, no emotion whatsoever in me

Mirtazapine caused me to sleep a lot and horrendous headaches, plus I ate a lot on it as i was hungrier and numbed out flat. (Didn't intend to overeat)

Fluoxetine - stopped due overly tired,

Amptrietine - used for a while before the major issues with depression, but after using it for the second trial didn't get along with drowsiness and brain fog.

I think that you should be discussing it with whoever is in charge of prescribing your meds. We cant recommend any particular drug since it depends upon whether you are on other drugs and your medical history. Nobody is a doctor here. In addition recommending a particular drug may be against the rules.

It’s mainly about experiences of it even though everyone’s. Body is different I would like a general overview just so when I see my doctor in a few weeks I definitely say I don’t want x because of y. I don’t want to be zoned out or have a boring personality blunted emotions, no feelings.
I would rather have my emotions and mind in tact and not be completely shut down on the meds and dulled out..

Like I said it's best to talk to whoever is in charge of your meds. It isnt a good idea to discount a certain med before trying it because of another person's experience. Like you said everyone is different. The doctor is the best person to know what's suitable for you.

i'm thinking very differently about meds at the moment, years I wouldn't touch them for a long time and I was very anti-meds, but then I realized that they help alleviate the symptoms and makes things easier for myself.
I am also in the process of finding out if I can use M for depression as off label use. So, things could finally take off with life.

Just to clarify as it has been suggested publicly that this thread is not allowed- the moderators have discussed it and we do not think the thread needs to be removed.

Providing that it is only in addition to proper medical advice, seeking personal experiences of medications is within the rules and can be helpful. Bear in mind that different people can have completely different experiences with the same medication so just because something didn’t work for one person doesn’t mean it won’t be great for another person.

And now my own response to the thread!

I’ve found venlafaxine to be very effective, though as you may be aware, withdrawal from it is a nightmare so you have to make sure you always take it! I take it with mirtazapine and it seems as though they ‘cancel each other out’ a bit with regards to the side effects, for example I think the mirtazapine counters any adverse effects on appetite that the venlafaxine has. It’s still a bit of a pain in terms of side effects, but absolutely worth it in my case for the benefits.

I hope you find something that works well for you!

I'm 34 now and first started taking and then stopping many anti-depressants in my late teens. I never gave any one of them a chance to be honest.

I'm on Venlafaxine too and I am surprised just how much it does help with anxiety and panic attacks. I don't have any side effects from it but withdrawal happened in my late teens when I stopped it suddenly, and it was rough. I've been on it for 2 years now.

I hope you find the right treatment for you.