Over the last few years I've taken fluoxetine, citalopram, sertraline venlafaxine and mirtazapine..i've heard after four types they just say you're untreatable? I've also had a few years of counselling including CBT..all of which seem to be improving me none, if anything i'm worse now than i was 5 years ago in terms of depression, anxiety and self harm.
just wondering if anyone else has experienced the lack of positive effects from medication and therapy, or know what happens next?
Medication made no difference to me and I've more types. They also tried APs and mood stabilisers. I have also been through counselling and CBT and now I see a clinical psychologist. Maybe you can try a different kind of therapy.
You have to want tog et better. Meds and therapy can only do so muhc but you have to really, really want a life free.
Some people aren't responsive to medication. Some are and some, like me, are hypersensitive to the point they're not always beneficial. It's about finding either the right mix of doses, or an alternative. For example, going for a early morning walk for 20 mins a day does a lot for depression. Consider natural alternatives like fresh air/sun/communication - all equally as effective as medication in a lot of cases.
I read a book written by a woman who suffered from depression so severe she ended up having brain surgery and it changed her life. She is also a doctor, a GP, and was able to return to work after years of being in PICU on 2:1 obs.
There's always hope, though hopefully it won't get that far.
Jodie is right though, medication can only do so much. You need to work at getting better, too, and part of that might be accepting that you won't feel 100% happy all of the time. You need to learn how to ride out the lows.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
I read a book written by a woman who suffered from depression so severe she ended up having brain surgery and it changed her life. She is also a doctor, a GP, and was able to return to work after years of being in PICU on 2:1 obs.
Ive read this book too as the author lives in the same city as me and the hospital she spent most of her inpatient time in is as horrible as she described, I spent 10 days in there (never again) though it has been closed now and a new unit been built to replace it.
To the OP - Please dont give up hope, I found anti depressants didnt work for me effected my Bipolar very badly, but there are other medications and therapies that can be tried to help you recover. Some can be used with antidepressants to help boost what they do others work as an anti depressant but arent in that class of meds. Speak to your doctor, your not untreatable, you just havent found the right treatment yet. xx
Its hard out there in that big world, im moving against the wind, but slowly Im pushing through and seeing through the foggy haze - Me
This is my family. I found it, all on my own. Is little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good! - Stitch
I've been on about a dozen different medications in the past 2 years and I'm only 19. Anti-depressents, anti-anxiety, mood stabilizers, stimulants for ADD, none of it worked. Some people just aren't receptive to medication.
I'm not exactly sure what CBT is but have you tried DBT? I think they're similar but I could be wrong. I know a girl who was going to have to get electric shock therapy if DBT didn't work she was so bad off, it's a really amazing program.
I don't have depression, but I have schizophrenia. I have tried 7 different antipsychotics, CBT and multiple hospital stays, including 2:1 or 1:1 in a PICU five times.
I have good days and bad days, but I must say that my ability to have good days is fuelled by the determination to fight this illness, despite being told I am treatment-resistant. I hear voices every day and the paranoia can be crippling (I stayed at home for the whole of the weekend last week because I was so scared), but I have a lot of support.
I'm going to university now (by a government-funded taxi) and I'm scared sh*tless of the other students, but I have a full-time support worker at uni.
Don't give up. With the right (even if that is a lot) support, and a huge amount of determination, things can get better, or at least be manageable.
It's getting through the bad days and enjoying the good days that gets me through.
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
So my knowledge of those meds is that 3 of the 4 are Serotonin Selective Reuptake Inhibitors and the mirtazapine works on increasing your norepinephrine. I'm on Wellbutrin (bupropion) which is thought to work on dopamine and norepinephrine. I wouldn't give up on medication just yet. But maybe a mood stabilizer or a medication that works on a different neurotransmitter can help. It's a thought. But everyone else is definitely correct in stating that you have to want to be better, which I would say with all of your different medication tries it seems like you are trying. I was on Prozac and then Lexapro before I found a mix of Lexapro, Wellbutrin, and Seroquel to work and that is just for the time being, who knows what else could happen. I would keep trying if that is a route you want to continue with.
I'd been on lots of different meds for about ten years, and did not think they would ever work. Then I found venlafaxine, and it has been brilliant, I went from being constantly suicidal to 'why on Earth would I want to do that'? Like seeing in colour for the first time.
I still have voices, but I don't mind them so much.
I was on citalopram and it worked well, now I'm on sertraline and it does nothing, so I'll be trying something new. It just takes a while sometimes to find the right medication.
I take chlopromazine and risperidone, and they practically do nothing too.
To say I'm completely devoid of morals, would be harsh. Although I would have to admit I find it difficult to give a ****.
When they say after 4 different types, they mean different types - you, I think have only been on one or two types so far.
You still have a fair few meds to try before they give up on them.
As others have said though, meds will never be a complete magical cure, even when you do find the right one, and the right dose. You have to also go with the therapy, and other things in life - friends, exercise, air... etc etc.
Don't give up just yet. You can keep fighting this, and in time you will find the combination that is right for you.
Roiben x
If the Human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we wouldn't.
ive tried many different medications. once, i was on quetiapine at 14, which didnt help, i then got put on clozapine when i was 15, which i took myself off 3 years later, then they decided to put me on quetiapine when i was 18, and it worked wonders.
so, i think some medications may work at different times in your life, im finding it hard to explain, so sorry if this makes no sense.
I'm fine! Totally fine. I don't know why it's coming out all loud and squeaky, 'cause really, I'm fine!
I thought that clozapine isn't supposed to be used in under-16s, or is that more of a guideline than a rule?
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
Like others have said, don't rely on meds to "cure" you because it won't work.
No drugs make everything better, all they can do is ease how you are feeling. You need to look at other things that might help you.
CBT isn't for everyone, and can be really hard work.
Since the age of 14 I've been on sertraline, fuloxotine, citalopram, venlafaxine, quitiapine, risperidone and aripiprazole. I've had therapies as a child, family therapy, CBT, counselling (pyshcodynamic approach and humanistic approach) and psycotherapy. I've also tried a lot of alternative therapies such as the Emotional freedom technique, hypnotherapy, bodytalk and homoepathy.
I've seen countless 'professionals' and doctors, and been given countless opinions.
Nothing has really made a difference. I've found its been the things I've done off my own back, because I wanted to that have helped.
Going to the gym and exercise classes made a big difference for me. I couldn't find anyone to go with, so it was a really big thing but it did wonders. I managed to get a passport to leisure, and it ended up being really cheap.
Also, you've got to find a reason to get better for. It helps if you have a good support network and ways to vent (an online journal can be good.)
A lot of it is CBT based, but there's some really useful stuff on there that you can use at your own pace.
I found the most important thing was to find a purpose in life (I started volunteering with adults who have severe mental health problems.) Its so easy to dwell on things if you have nothing to do, or aren't happy with your life.
Echo what Angel says above me but I was having a bad day the other day and dropped into my GP surgery. I've had numerous sorts of therapy over the years. It was always put down to Depression with me but I have recently been told it is GAD/Depression. I've been on and off SSRI's for nearly 10 years. I have always chosen to come off. Currently on Sertraline which doesn't seem to be working.
No drug is a magic wand but my personally and possibly slightly controversial view is that if medication helps then why not keep taking it; it's a personal choice though. My GP said that medical professionals don't give up.
I partially agree with what Angel says above about dwelling. Yes it can be easy to sit around and sleep/ watch tv all day and then things might spirral but for those with multiple needs being able to see a way out of a situation that seems never ending can be tough but ultimately finding a purpose is the way to go, yes.
Just to pick up on what Pink Freud said... That is what a professional at my GP practice has said. I suppose though, and this is what is sooo hard when struggling with mental health issues. You have to be prepared to stand up for what you think and get your views across. I am a huge believer in person centred care and it's written in the NICE guidelines.
I thought that clozapine isn't supposed to be used in under-16s, or is that more of a guideline than a rule?
im not sure, i wasnt really aware of it at the time. but if i tell a doctor or nurse that now, they act quite shocked, but say it can happen.
i was in an adolescent secure unit, so it was a very controlled environment, which is probably why they got away with it.
I'm fine! Totally fine. I don't know why it's coming out all loud and squeaky, 'cause really, I'm fine!
I've been on Prozac, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Celexa, Parnate, Remeron, Adderall, Vyvanse, and my current mix is Elavil and Seroquel at bedtime and Cymbalta in the morning. The doc has given up on treating my ADHD until my depression is under control. Nothing seems to help. I'm on the current cocktail until mid July. If there is still no improvement, ECT is next. I'm not afraid of the shock procedure. I'm more afraid that it won't work. That looks to be my last hope and if it doesn't work, I don't know how much resolve I'll have to continue on. I see my shrink once or twice a month and my psychologist weekly.
