dilemma to take or not to take

[Lyana]

my depression came back ever since my papa passed away 2yrs ago.my dr sent me to councelling and told me to take my med again the one i took 6yrs ago which i stopped after a yr of treatment. Now the med is on my benchtop, i worry to take it thinking how am i going to wean it off and side effects as dr said i need to be on it for a longer time..like for the rest of my life maybe..after reading the forum about doses will be increased after a period of time creep me as our body got immune with the old dose..will my body be worse off, weaken and easy target for other illness as immune system is no longer as strong as they used to be...i just want to be happy and healthy like a normal person ro my kids n hubby can see that ..

[jess334]

Hi Opo, 

As you might remember from two years ago, it isn't always possible to ignore your depression or will it away.  You are a normal person, normal people have problems, someone who is happy and healthy 100% of the time is the weird one. 

I get why you don't want to start medication again.  I was very nervous when I had to switch my medication to a different one.  I had a lot of trouble coming off my first medication the first time round, and I was worried that the new one would be worse.  

Bottom line is that I might have to be on medication for the rest of my life. I needed to accept that.  If you had a different illness, such as diabetes, heart disease or asthma you wouldn't think twice about taking medication to help you. 

Yes there is a downside of medication, but there is also an upside.  Have you tried seeing a psychologist or councilor to talk through your problems?  If you really don't want to go back on medication then you still need help. Therapy can be very useful, even when you are on medication. 

Good luck Opo, let us know how your doing 🙂 

[Lyana]

Thanks Jess334

Thanks for your reply Jess334, Yes I'm seeing a nice councillor 6sessions now and wasn't on medication until  I was feeling rather low n flat in last session and I was asked to go see my gp that he said I need medication already.

I also just got an  email from a family physician too and I guess I have made a decision, a decision to be happy and be able to enjoy life and not feeling numb anymore..as my kids are still young, I don't want to miss a thing with them..otherwise before I knew it, they are already grown up and leave the house..

I'm starting tomorrow..

i will post on how I go a week later...

thanks again for your caring..don't we need that when we are here..

opo

[geoff]

dear Opo, can I offer my experience about taking antidepressants which you and Jess maybe able to associate or relate to.

I have been taking them for over 20 years, and have not tried to wean myself off them at any stage, although I have missed a day here and a day there because I had run out of tablets, and after a day of not taking them I would crash so fast and so low, realising that I need to continue  taking them.

It could be said that I am hooked onto them but they are not addictive, so I just know that I need them.

I often say that I have overcome depression, but this is not 100% cured, because people who have had depression are susceptible to any pointers that can trigger this illness, where as someone who has not experienced this illness can some how avoid a breakdown, they move on, and may forget about it.

But people who have had depression fall into a heap we aren't able to cope.

I will know when and if it is the time to stop taking this medication, all I have to do is stop for a day and see how my mood turns or if it stays stable.

The choice is whether I want to face life in a stable way or whether it's a yo-yo life, going from being OK to being in that black hole.

This all depends on whether your antidepressant is working for and sometimes this effect may take some time. L Geoff. x

[Lyana]

Dear Geoff

thanks for your reply.

i have started in a low dose. and already got a boost to help me clear clutters in my long overdue clean up.  i guess my mind just felt a bit cleared than before..and felt im seeing a bit of light in life..im able to cope better..

the other thing is im thinking to continue to take low dose eventhough told to take a tablet i thought half is just enough if i need to take them for long time..what do u think?:p

[Tracy71]

Hi Opo,

The best advice is to take exactly what the dr says to do. If your worried about dosage seek a second drs opinion. Different antidepressants act in different ways, some have terrible withdrawal symptoms whilst others are hardly noticeable. Anti depressants do not affect the immune system at all so please dont worry about being more susceptible to colds etc. Take what you need to take to get well and healthy, then taper off when the dr says so. I have been on and off antidepressants for almost 30 years. Once your well again you will notice if your going downhill again, so go straight to the dr and tell them your history. Good Luck. xx

[geoff]

dear Opo, 

Basically the dose you take all depends on how you feel, well that's what a doctor would say to you, and by saying that I am not trying to avoid your question.

The amount of mg's that you need is whether the dose you are taking makes you feel as though you are stable on a daily basis, but once there is a continual point in time that you have broken down and that the antidepressant isn't working now, is the time to see your doctor who will suggest to increase the dose.

The other point is that if your medication has been working but not now doesn't indicate that you should change to another type, it only means that it needs to be increased.

This may happen over time because our system becomes used to the amount we are taking, so that's why my medication had to be increased from 40mg to 50mg, and as I have said before when you start to drink alcohol one or two drinks makes you feel happy, but as time progress's your body would need 4 or 5 drinks to have the same effect. L Geoff. x