depression is forever?

[littlewhisper]

Okay so i've been on 50mg of Sertraline anti-depressants for about a year. They have been the only tablets that help and...well...they are not helping completely. It's so hard to know how good i should be feeling, is that normal? I've forgotten how to BE normal...also if i accidently forget to take my pill...i feel the effects within a couple of hours and badly...I go really scarily depressed and angry. I take it out on people, get paranoid and headaches and i have a tendency to only self harm in those times.

ANd i'm scared i am probably in the best place of my life that i ever have been and i am still struggling so badly. I'm never going to be able to come off these pills am I? I want to up my dosage but in doing so will I get more side effects etc? and be able to live normally.

rant of confusion over :'( x

[Poppet6]

It's great that you have found a drug which helps you!

If they are starting to be less effective it would be a good idea to gradually increase the dosage, there should be less side effects that way.

Is there anything else that helps you feel better apart from the Sertraline?

Hope your're okay xx

[dontforgettosmile]

keep going, you will get through it.

Just be strong :) pm me if u wanna chat xxxxx

[roiben]

With depression it is worth knowing that the medication is not a cure, it is there to take the edge of to enable you to work through the things that may have led to the depression - normally through some form of therapy or counselling. It is worth looking into these things if you do not already have them.

It is also worth discussing how effective you feel the med is with your prescriber.

A year, to be honest is not a hugely long time to be on a med, and I know a lot of places now encourage two years on a medication before considering it safe to remove the medication in order to reduce the risk of relapse.

I understand how frustrating it is to get withdrawal when missing a tablet. I am very similar. What it means is that your body is currently dependant on the chemicals being there, so when you do reduce your dose, you will need to let your prescriber know you are susceptible to withdrawal symptoms and develop a plan of gradual reduction of the dose to ensure you can minimise the effect.

Sorry that was waffly

Roiben x

[Geranium2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlewhisper

they are not helping completely. It's so hard to know how good i should be feeling, is that normal?

As Roiben says it's good you've found something that helps, but they're not a magic cure for most people.

There isn't a measure of how good anyone "should" feel, or what is "normal", so that's hard to answer. Do you think you currently have clinical depression though?

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlewhisper

if i accidently forget to take my pill...i feel the effects within a couple of hours and badly...I go really scarily depressed and angry. I take it out on people, get paranoid and headaches and i have a tendency to only self harm in those times.

Can you set an alarm? Because what you've said should give you quite an incentive to remember!

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlewhisper

I'm never going to be able to come off these pills am I? I want to up my dosage but in doing so will I get more side effects etc?

Most people who are prescribed anti-depressants don't need them forever, although some do. Side effects do tend to increase with higher doses, so it is worth asking about other options first.

hope some of that helps x

[not_so_insig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geranium2

Most people who are prescribed anti-depressants don't need them forever, although some do. Side effects do tend to increase with higher doses, so it is worth asking about other options first.

hope some of that helps x

I took myself about 6 months ago my medication, both my antipsychotic and antidepressant. Though I had to go back onto the antipsychotic (well changed antipsychotics in the end), but I am currently not on the antidepressant. I feel great and my psych is aware of that I am not taking it. I do have a month's supply so if I am getting depressed again, I can retake (as I was on low dose) it rather than waiting for my next psych appointment.

I know normally it is not a good idea to go off meds without professional advice, but for me (depression wise) it was the best thing I did. A similar thing happened 5 years ago when things were going ok (depression wise, I was still on my antipsychotic), is that I got off the antidepressants. However, that was talking to the psych I had at the time, and he agreed that I could try without the antidepressants, and that time it was done properly. I managed a year without antidepressants before I had to go on them again (ironically enough it was sertraline that I was prescribed that time!).

So when things are going well, and you have been on them for ages (and I mean at least a year, because antidepressants do take ages to work), then I would talk to your psych (or whoever prescribed them in the first place), about trying without them. But you would have to be stable, but I thought I would give my experience that it is possible to be off the antidepressants.

[boot93]

just to let you know youre not alone, i feel the same and im sure many others feel/have felt the same.
we just need to all support each other and try and stay positive :) xx

[silent_scars11]

I just wanted to add that you aren't the only one thinking this. I've been tempted to not take my meds before just because I don't like the idea of being dependent on them and because sometimes I feel like maybe they're doing nothing anyway. It's crazy-hard, but try to take it one day at a time, and not consider how long you may be on meds, etc. That just tends to make me more anxious at least. Good luck getting this sorted out and feeling better

[beets]

Depression is not forever. Your meds should be working (albiet they often work slowly) but if you are concerned about your dosage, talk to your doctor. You should not go off meds or up your dosage or anything without talking to your doctor because you can't just stop talking antidepressants...you have to go off them slowly and carefully.

It is hard to say how the side affects will or will not change if you up your dosage...I have a feeling they wouldn't go away but they will not necessarily get worse. Just another thing to ask your doctor. I don't know if you've tried any other drugs but I know that people often go through a few before they find one that works...so you might want to look into other ones that might give you fewer side effects and might stay in your system longer so if you miss a dose you aren't reacting so badly.

Hope this helps and I hope you are able to find a solution that works for you. Take care and stay strong!

[TomiJoseph]

If you are really concerned about it, you should talk to your doctor about other ways of managing depression. Start these habits while you're still on the sertraline and see if it helps when your doctor gives you the ok to wean off of them. I know things like regular exercise, adding more omega 3s into your diet can help with depression but if you research them or talk to your dr, I'm certain there's more things you can do. Hope you find this helpful :)

[RhapsodyInBlue]

I don't know if depression ever goes away completely, but recovery is all about being able to go about your day to day life with minimal effects from your mental illness, and being able to cope with them if they get worse.

As for being on tablets for a long time, it's not that bad. If they keep you well, why would you ever want to come off them? I'll most likely be on antidepressants for the rest of my life, but that doesn't bother me. Remembering to take them is the hard part for me!

[RhapsodyInBlue]

Also to agree with above, exercise is amazing for your mood. Even when you can barely drag yourself out of bed, if you manage to do even a little exercise it works wonders. x