Antidepressant journey

[ThomasJakeLim]

Hi there I suffer from anxiety for a long time but recent events in my life have made me feel so anxious to the point I can no longer function productively. I talk to myself way too often to help cope with negativity. Exercise is becoming a stress point.It looks like medication may be the next option. May I ask for some feedback on how medication has helped you cope with chronic anxiety so you can function as a normal being? Whats your experience?

[blondguy]

Hi ThomasJakeLim...sorry to highjack your thread for a moment!

Hello Booots

Welcome to the forums and thankyou for your support! You are spot on as the meds are never a fix all...yet they do help us help ourselves where recovery is concerned

I hope you can stick around the forums....only if you wish of course. If we didnt have new members sharing their own experiences the forums would struggle to exist

my kind thoughts and appreciation

Paul

[geoff]

Hello Booots, I agree that they don't automatically fix everything but they give us a solid basis to refreive us from falling back down the hole and not able to move forward even it's horizontal rather than downwards.

Nobody is immune to having a relapse which none of us want but other situations we were not prepared for can easily happen and still require counselling.

Take care.

Geoff.

[Cee123]

I just started antidepressants on Monday. These comments here aren't giving me a lot of hope. I've been so depressed lately, and having panic attacks, which are still occurring. I feel like they are starting to make a difference for me. I've been on them before, at a lower does, and they didn't work, so the doctor increased it and that's when I started feeling better. I came off the medication last year during the Covid, because I thought I was better. But this year, since signing up to the jobseeker, I've just plunged into the depths again and been having debilitating panic attacks, some of which are keeping me awake at night. Had to take some time out, get my mental health in check before anything else. When I went to a therapist years ago, she put me on a cocktail of drugs, which at first made me feel drugged but then later didn't seem to do anything. Don't let people turn you off... There's nothing wrong with taking antidepressants or antianxiety drugs.

[Guest_1643]

hey Cee - it doeesn't work for everyone though. I think this thread needs to allow for differing opinions as well.

[Booots]

Hi everybody - there are so many different types and doses available that it will take time to find what’s right for you.

They may be able to help you.

But it’s like blond guy said .

They help you help yourself !!

for me the meds are the difference between staying in bed all day or going out and trying to living life !
they are the crouch I need at the moment and am thankful that I have them . That’s my opinion though and my circumstance .but I hope this helps Thomas jake lim

[Guest_1643]

hey Boots - i think it's a bit more nuanced that that some meds have sidee effects (including suicidality) which may be harmful for some ppl. (eg ppl who are at risk of suicide...)

tbh i'm a bit concerned by some of this

i am glad they helped u and support their use to help ppl and be open-minded about, but we have no guarantees they will help or are suitable for any particular user. Cheers

[Guest_4643]

Hi Cee, I'm sorry to hear that.

Please remember that this thread is about someone asking what antidepressants are like. While none of us here are professionals, they were just asking for reassurance, etc.

Antidepressants of any kind, like any treatment, don't work for everyone - they may not work at all, may only work a little, different dosages, and so forth. There's lots to look into. It also depends on the persons diagnoses, age, body, health, etc.

It would be best discussed with health professionals. What works for some doesn't work for everyone.

This thread isn't here to put you off antidepressants, we're just saying that you have to be patient, they're not a fix everything and it takes a month or more depending on the type (SSRI etc), dosage, the person, etc etc. So it takes time.

I would suggest anyone discussing any concerns with a health professional.

[Cee123]

I know it doesn't work for everyone. I'm not trying to shut down anyone's opinions or push him to take something that he doesn't want to. It's up to him at the end of the day. It may work for him, or it may not, as you said.

[Cee123]

He asked what antidepressants are like. So I shared my experience with antidepressants. I didn't say they work for everyone. I wasn't pushing him into using medications. Especially if he doesn't want to do that as an option. As I told sleepy, that's entirely up to him what he chooses. It's no big deal, it's better to try different things to see what works for each individual. I wasn't trying to be a knowledgeable health professional or anything, I was only providing what my experience has been on antidepressants. And I know it takes time to work, and it doesn't work for everyone. I never even said those things.

[Cee123]

Another thing my doctor recommended was taking Magnesium. I don't know if it'll work for others. But for me it has a bit of a relaxant effect. Other things I've been reading up on, hoping something works - hypnotherapy, relaxation therapy, cognitive bias retraining, meditation.