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MisterM Do antidepressants shorten lifespans?
  • replies: 7

I was watching Q&A last night, they had a special on mental health to coincide with this week being mental health week. Someone on the show mentioned that antidepressants shorten a persons life. I am on an SSRI, my prescribing psychiatrist, pharmacis... View more

I was watching Q&A last night, they had a special on mental health to coincide with this week being mental health week. Someone on the show mentioned that antidepressants shorten a persons life. I am on an SSRI, my prescribing psychiatrist, pharmacist and also my GP never mentioned this to me. They all assured me it is perfectly safe. Anyone know anything?

Dot58 Current ECT treatment
  • replies: 7

Hi, I have just started ECT treatment. I had my third one yesterday. No memory loss so far, no improvement yet either. I was diagnosed with major depression in 1989 and saw a psychologist for quite some time before being put on anti depressants. I ha... View more

Hi, I have just started ECT treatment. I had my third one yesterday. No memory loss so far, no improvement yet either. I was diagnosed with major depression in 1989 and saw a psychologist for quite some time before being put on anti depressants. I have been medicated ever since with varying results. I did ask about ECT years ago but was told that it was a last resort. A few months ago, I ask my GP about ECT again, he referred me to a different psychiatrist. After talking about all the anti depressants I have tried, he agreed that I should try ECT. As I am doing it voluntarily , I can stop any time I like. I am seeing the psychiatrist today to talk about what has happened so far.

Enjii Doubled dosage and added more
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone I have been on an ssri to treat ptsd for 7 years at a low dose, 2 years ago a few events occured and I was having panic attacks so severe that I called my mother one morning and told her that I was having a heart attack and she needed to ... View more

Hi everyone I have been on an ssri to treat ptsd for 7 years at a low dose, 2 years ago a few events occured and I was having panic attacks so severe that I called my mother one morning and told her that I was having a heart attack and she needed to come and get my children. After being fit with a heart monitor for several days my doc doubled my ssri and added a beta blocker at a low dose. I stopped taking the beta blocker after a month. Fast forward to now. Several months of workers comp and soul destroying menial light duties and a couple other curveballs I am very unwell again. My doctor doubled my dosage again and had to phone through an authority and added double the last dose of beta blockers. Will I become a zombie? Has doubling dosage helped anyone who was able to subsequently wean off the pills to stop all together? ?

Blooming_Bel Anitdepressant withdrawals
  • replies: 4

Hi all,I'm new here but was wondering if anyone can help me I'm weaning off antidepressants recently and am going through hell to say the least...working full time and trying to deal with the horrible side effects! The nausea, pain, headaches and emo... View more

Hi all,I'm new here but was wondering if anyone can help me I'm weaning off antidepressants recently and am going through hell to say the least...working full time and trying to deal with the horrible side effects! The nausea, pain, headaches and emotions. I currently am on a weeks holiday, my first in a year, yet have been run off my feet. Keeping the house clean and seeing family who are all so keen to catch up but I am exhausted:(Has anyone been through the weaning off antidepressant experience? My husband is driving me insane and has been awful to me for a week and wont talk to me...he wants me off pills but doesn't understand what its doing to me. Don't get me wrong, it was my decision to come off but how do I get him to understand its gonna hurt me in the meantime? He thinks I'm being silly and making it worse than it is. Its not that easy, it's a slow process. I wish he would understand he thinks I am a hypochondriac. And crazy I think. I am suffering soooo bad, he has chosen the worst time to ignore me and treat me like crap!!! Advice please?? How do I make the withdrawals easier and how long will they last??

Guest_2350 Changing psychologists?
  • replies: 3

Sometimes I need to write things down and ask for another opinion to ensure I make the right decision. I have been with my current psychologist for a few months and it has been pretty rough at times as this is the first time I am opening up about my ... View more

Sometimes I need to write things down and ask for another opinion to ensure I make the right decision. I have been with my current psychologist for a few months and it has been pretty rough at times as this is the first time I am opening up about my past. I have been on and off thinking about changing psychs and also discussed this here and with my GP and psych and there are some reasons. I agreed with my GP to give it a go for another few months but now I am not so sure. I am worried about the timing and that I might be on long waiting lists again and that I might not find a better psych... but I don't feel safe. My psych has offered me support (sms, email, Skype) and does not follow through when I send messages. This frightens me as I have been spiraling at times when I go down memory lane. My psych also considered a treatment that he is new to and I don't want to be the guinea pig - I have too much to lose. I don't feel I get the support to learn new techniques, getting a link to a website is not sufficient - I was overwhelmed looking at the website and was not able to read through the long content. I am struggling to identify feelings and don't think I can learn reflecting techniques on my own - they scare me and I just don't do them. Communication between my GP and my psych is non existent. I get on well with my GP and hope to bridge the time until I can find a new psych with my GP. I am currently having to deal with it all on my own anyway, as I am traveling and I think I can just try and bottle it all up for a little longer as I have done for decades. I am worried about starting all over again and I am also worried that I might just be closing up again - I start feeling like I am shutting the world out. Am I wrong to think this way? How can I ensure to find a psych that is a better fit? Am I just trying to talk myself out of this journey?

Emmy. Tired
  • replies: 6

Have had to start taking anti depressants again (been on them for a week now) and feel really tired. Is that a normal side effect? Has anyone else experienced that too and if so, how long did it last? Thanks

Have had to start taking anti depressants again (been on them for a week now) and feel really tired. Is that a normal side effect? Has anyone else experienced that too and if so, how long did it last? Thanks

JJ69 Mess or no meds? Help!
  • replies: 5

I think I have had depression/anxiety for 4-5 years now. long story but it stems apparently from my environment. the father of my child has been emotionally abusive for the last 5 years and I think it's taken its toll on me. i don't feel like the per... View more

I think I have had depression/anxiety for 4-5 years now. long story but it stems apparently from my environment. the father of my child has been emotionally abusive for the last 5 years and I think it's taken its toll on me. i don't feel like the person I was before, which was a really happy bubbly person with lots of friends and very sociable. i feel like I have become very sinical and in social able. I have no patience anymore and I'm scared of everything. i never socialise anymore and I have to convince myself to go to work when I feel like just giving up on everything. i have my own small business which I started when I broke up with my sons dad 3-4 years ago. i don't feel like I deserve to be happy and be in a new relationship. i know this is bad to by feeling like this and I do see a psychologist. but I really don't tell her exactly how I feel. i worry about everything and feel ashamed to say I am a single mum as I feel like a failure. im embarrassed that not married and I'm currently living with my parents. i cant believe my life has turned out like this. i know my life is not as bad as other people's but my mind just cannot accept or change the horrible way I feel all the time. so my question is should I take medication? i have tried it before and it was working but I got ringing of the ears which I still have so scared to take medication again. plus i have tried so many and the only ones that worked gave me tinnitus. help!!

L-G How are you supposed to feel when starting on Meds? HELP!!!!
  • replies: 3

Struggled for 8 years with stress, anxiety and depression and always thought myself to strong to accept help Got to much for me last week, so I went to see the GP and broke down in surgery. I have alot of stress in my life. I have now accepted help a... View more

Struggled for 8 years with stress, anxiety and depression and always thought myself to strong to accept help Got to much for me last week, so I went to see the GP and broke down in surgery. I have alot of stress in my life. I have now accepted help and will go back in 3 weeks to see him, get a mental heath plan done and will start to see a Psych. He wants me on meds for 12 months. Dr Started me on 20mg meds taken at night last Friday with dinner, today is Tuesday and I feel terrible. He said 20mg is he lowest dose to start on, this is big for me as I dont even take a panadol if I get a headache. First few days and nights were kind of OK but last night I felt like I was on another planet. I feel out of touch, tired, slow, a little confused and forgetful and really spaced out, just overall weird and really odd. How long will this last for, will it get better, I want to stop taking them Any feedback you can share with me? I dont know how I am supposed to feel and wonder how I will ever function properly again? Is it worth it?

b_b_ Mental Health Care Plan - What to expect?
  • replies: 1

Hi there, I've been struggling with my mental health for almost 8 years now but have never formally spoken to a GP about it. I have made the step of booking an appointment to receive a mental health care plan, however, now I am stressing myself out a... View more

Hi there, I've been struggling with my mental health for almost 8 years now but have never formally spoken to a GP about it. I have made the step of booking an appointment to receive a mental health care plan, however, now I am stressing myself out about what to expect to the point of wanting to cancel the appointment. I know this is not a good idea and that I need to make the step even if it's something I'm nervous about doing. Normally when I find myself over-thinking things I find that the best way to reassure myself is to find out as much as possible about what makes me nervous in order to remove some of the scariness about it. I have looked at online resources but would appreciate some personal advice/accounts. So, in this spirit, I was wondering if anyone could give me a few tips about what to expect when seeing a GP about receiving a mental health care plan. What sort of questions do they ask? Things like that. Any help is very much appreciated. Thanks so much

Emmy. Back on anti depressants
  • replies: 2

Hi I suffer from panic attacks and a couple of months ago I came off my antidepressants (with the help of my GP) but soon after the panic attack returned and everything Id learnt from my psychologist couldnt help as they were so severe. Yesterday my ... View more

Hi I suffer from panic attacks and a couple of months ago I came off my antidepressants (with the help of my GP) but soon after the panic attack returned and everything Id learnt from my psychologist couldnt help as they were so severe. Yesterday my GP has put me back on the medication. I'm feeling really defeated. I was on them for 2 years (that seemed like a long time to me). I thought I was doing well

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