How many people here are on anti-depressants?

I've had all the symptoms of depression for much of my life, but just recently they've become so overwhelming. I think trying to overcome social anxiety is the root of the recent progressions. I'm really thinking about going to see a doctor about it soon. Does depression medication help all that much?

I don't want to get on drugs if it's not necessary, but I've lost so much weight and sleep in the past few weeks I'm becoming a complete wreck! I had a really bad relapse brought on by a specific incident today and ended up taking an hour smoke walk were I contemplated suicide... Not good. I was able to calm myself down at least, but it scares me that I've let it escalate to this.

I feel like I never hear anything positive about antidepressants, especially SSRIs. I have read a lot of positives experiences with people taking Nardil, but I know that most doctors do not like to prescribe MAOIs.

I have never taken any medication, because I'm too afraid to do so. The side effects really scare me.

I guess that would be another good thing to ask... What types of antidepressants are the most helpful for depression and social anxiety, and what is the likelihood that a psychologist/doctor would subscribe the right one?

karut said:

I guess that would be another good thing to ask... What types of antidepressants are the most helpful for depression and social anxiety, and what is the likelihood that a psychologist/doctor would subscribe the right one?

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I don't know if they are necessarily the most helpful, but it seems that SSRIs are the most widely used. I think I read that it has something to do with them being viewed as one of the "safest" types of antidepressants. As for being prescribed the right one, I guess it just depends. I've read posts of people trying 5 different medicines, none of which worked particularly well. Others say they have success with the first one they try.

I mentioned this in my previous post, but MAOIs (specifically Nardil), are apparently very helpful with SA and depression. Many psychiatrists don't prescribe them though because of the food interactions...the risk of a hypertensive crisis.

Thanks for the input. It's very helpful! I just did a little internet research on MAOIs and SSRIs. I'm guessing since I've never been on any medication, they'd subscribe an SSRI. I read that MAOIs have a better impact on anxiety disorders, but they seem a little scary to me. I'd rather avoid them. I still haven't decided if I'm going to talk about it with a doctor yet though. I'll wait for some more insight from others here.

Good luck! You won't have a problem avoiding MAOIs...it's rare for a doctor to prescribe/suggest one! I'm pretty sure that if an SSRI didn't work, they would have you try something else, possibly an SNRI.

In the past I've tried three antidepressants- Prozac, Citalopram and Zoloft (all SSRIs).

I didn't find any of them to be of great help, and I had minor side effects with each.

Good luck with whatever you decide karut!

Medication does help. If you're wary, I would recommend trying therapy for a while and deciding if you think that's enough. Either is better than just not doing anything.

As has been said, doctors will almost always go for an SSRI of some kind initially, and at the lowest available dose. Which one probably depends most on what their prior patients have had success with before. There are no hard rules, and they're all similar enough to be somewhat interchangeable. While some may be advertised for specific conditions, that's mostly because they've been specifically studied for it, not because it's particularly more effective than other SSRIs.

Some SSRIs seem to be worse than others in terms of side effects (fluoxetine (Prozac) appears to be less trouble than paroxetine (Paxil), for instance), and some side effects may only appear at higher dosages.

One thing many people don't know is that with some medications and SSRIs in particular is that they take a month or so to really take effect. You can't simply take one and decide whether it works or not. Unfortunately, the worst of the side effects happen in that first month before going away, which which makes many give up on them. (Don't do this!) The long list of side effects you may read about is a list of things that you may experience at some point, not things that are constant.

Discontinuing medication worries a lot of people too. In my experience, coming off of an SSRI without tapering is only about as bad as the initial side effects, and lasts a few weeks. Mostly characterized by some dizzy sensations and "zaps" or "shocks" in your temples. It's annoying, but I don't think it'd be worth avoiding medication entirely over it.

If you have panic attacks a doctor may add benzodiazepines (Valium, Klonopin, Ativan, Xanax). Usually only ten or so at a time, for taking as you need them, not daily. The effect is a pretty significant reduction in your anxiety for a few hours at a time, just enough to get through a particularly tough experience. A doctor may be reluctant (and rightfully so) to hand these out on first meeting, though, as they can be abused.

Sometimes people get on a certain dosage daily, but I would be very wary of this as it's said to be very hard to come off of. It also won't do anything for depression.

So that's what to expect; an SSRI or an SSRI+benzo. Whether this is "best" is still an open question, but it's the most common and probably best-studied course. You'll still want to talk to the prescribing doctor every few months about whether you think it's really working for you, and try other things if not.

I personally found bupropion (Wellbutrin) to work well, and quickly, but I was only able to get a month's worth from a friend when I was in very bad shape. I intend to suggest it specifically the next time I can afford to see a doctor, even though it isn't (yet) widely used for social anxiety. (NB: This is just an anecdote in a sea of anecdotes. I'd still recommend trying an SSRI first.)

the only way to know is to try them BUT you gotta try therapy first,CBT really helped me, dont rush in there and think medication will help on its own its usually has to be coupled with some kind of therapy.

You mentioned you had suicidal thoughts, that alone justifies going on medication. Don't worry about all the negative talk on here and the internet generally about SSRIs, they can really help. I remember I had doubts about going on meds and like people here I was scared about side effects and all the rest of it. But like you I was reaching the point were I needed to be on medication, I was a nervous and depressed wreak. I was put on Lexapro (SSRI) and about 8 days later it was kicking in. I honestly believe had Lexapro not have worked I would probably have tried to suicide, so in a way Lexapro saved me. Lexapro is a good drug to start with as it usually has little or no side effects.

My depression got better and was in check for a number of months then got bad again so I went on Effexor-XR, a drug which has a bad rep for side effects, I was fortunate to get none. Both drugs are great for depression and average for SA/SP. Bottom line is these drugs can really help people.

With my sensitivity and melancholic temperament, things can easily deepen into depression and anxiety. Because of my social anxiety and some panic attacks I had, I am on a light medication for 8 months now. I am on the lowest possible dose. The medication is called Deanxit and is a MAOI. No side effects.