Who here has ever taken anti-depressants?
 

How long did it take before you started feeling any better?

oh quit it... man up!

my ex takes them. it was probably a little over a month i think.

I think you need an anti-anxiety med for the wait

sometimes it can take awhile for the positive effects to kick in - up to 6 weeks. best to ask a doctor with a lot of experience with them.

I lost/left a g/f due to the quirks of Zoloft.

Your prescription or hers?

3-4 weeks. I feel so much better off all meds now. CBT is the way to go!

Exactly what I was wondering.

Suicide is very high for those who take them, that is exactly why when I first got some I threw them in the trash before I even left the Doctors office.

People say I am the most unhappy person they have ever met. I don't care cause I will not take a mind altering drug, I know how to be depressed I have 46 years of experience at it!

what did people do before mind altering prescription drugs were invented?

I used to think the same thing but two years ago I went and saw a doctor and got a perscription for Lexapro. I don't think is as strong, or has the same side effects, as some of the others you are talking about.

I would definitely recommend it. They have made a huge difference for me.

I could not live without my meds. Plain and simple.

Socialized healthcare in the states is the pharma's getting everyone medicated (like soma in brave new world). All these school shootings kids are coming off meds.

http://www.breggin.com/SSRIinduced.htm




http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6fce3400-e...nclick_check=1

Study casts doubt on anti-depressants

By Salamander Davoudi

Published: February 25 2008 19:25 | Last updated: February 25 2008 19:25

Prescribing anti-depressants to the vast majority of patients is
futile, as the drugs have little or no impact at all, according to
researchers.

Almost 50 clinical trials were reviewed by psychologists from the
University of Hull who found that new-generation anti-depressants
worked no better than a placebo – a dummy pill – for mildly depressed
patients.

Even the trials that suggested some clinical benefit for the most
severely depressed patients did not produce convincing evidence.
Professor Irving Kirsch from the university's pyschology department
said: "The difference in improvement between patients taking placebos
and patients taking anti-depressants is not very great.

"This means that depressed people can improve without chemical
treatments. Given these results, there seems little reason to
prescribe anti-depressant medication to any but the most severely
depressed patients."

The researchers focused on four widely prescribed anti-depressants and
the clinical trials that were submitted to win licensing approval from
the US Food and Drug Administration.

The drugs included fluoxetine (Prozac), venlafaxine (Efexor), and
Paroxetine (Seroxat).

All belong to a family of drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake
Inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs have become popular over the past 15
years as doctors consider them to be safer than tricyclic drugs that
carried a high risk of overdose. In 2006, 31m prescriptions for
anti-depressants were issued in England, up 27 per cent since 2001.

Alison Cobb, policy officer at mental health charity Mind, said: "This
study represents a serious challenge to the predominance of
pharmacological treatments for depression. Anti-depressants have been
shown to help many people, but by no means all."

"Too many GPs are being forced to dish out drugs because they don't
have proper access to psychological therapies services which are
recommended by Nice."

Mind is urging GPs to consider alternative therapies such as exercise
– particularly outdoor exercise – which it believes has shown to be
very effective in combating depression.

However, Dr Gary Bell, consultant psychiatrist at Capio Nightingale
Hospitals, the provider of private psychiatry treatment, contested the
conclusions of the Hull research. "Anti-depressants are one of the
great breakthroughs in the treatment of depression in last 20 to 30
years," he said.

"They do not always suit everybody but the results are often
life-saving. People who do studies do not have the hands-on experience
of using these medicines."

According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, at least one person
in five will suffer from a depressive illness at some point.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

The only anti-depressant you need!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...7120401863.jpg

Never have never will.

Alcohol is a depressant. So, avoid that and stick with cocaine?

have you had a hormone panel done? it could be your hormones are out of whack causing depression

brain fog, hard to get a good night sleep, lack of motivation, putting on weight, losing muscle, etc, etc...

i'd get that done before comitting to ANY type of anti-depressant

good luck

4 weeks, usually they up your dose until it kicks in

Great share of advice there :/ ...

Sometimes I think I could use some..but I just try to carry on with out medication

I've been on meds since high school for anxiety. I used to get crazy panic attacks, but the meds have stopped them altogether. I just stopped taking them this past december. Unfortunately for some people, they have to be on them for life.

You need to give your medication at least three to four weeks to see the full benefits. However, some people see a difference much earlier. New studies though are coming out that show that anti-depressants actually do very little for people and the real effect is mostly placebo.

The best things you can do for depression, if you haven't already are to cut out ALL recreational drugs, all caffiene, all booze, and not eat too much sugar. On top of that, start going to bed at the same time every night, and getting up at the same time, and don't let yourself sleep too long... get the hours you need and then get the hell up. Then two things that can really make a difference, get exercise and get sunshine.

Most people will grumble and say "oh that stuff won't work" or they will lie and say they are already doing those things. That's what I did for years.

But then when I honestly made an effort and changed those things, I improved a lot.

Monica speaks the truth! :thumbsup:thumbsup

Any issues when you stopped? You've been off for 2 - 3 months, any signs of your panic attacks returning? Did you change your lifestyle any to help?

Sorry to be such a "guy" here . . . . but, did your sex drive increase?

Never needed them. But I think pills alone are not enough. You must want to be well again. Be positive about the whole thing and you'll get better sooner. :thumbsup

2 weeks.

Usually about 2 weeks

I'd prefer if anxiety (for some: sleeping) pills like temazepam could be taken regularly at same dose, with no side effects.

As for anti-depressants, are there any that can be mixed with alcohol?
Not heavy drinking, but I'd hate not to be able to drink 3 beers with some friend because Im on antidepressant pill.

Hers, For some reason her regular doctor prescribed Zoloft. This was a beautiful girl that as far as I knew never had a need for antidepressants. Well soon she began to gain weight, a lot of weight. This is very common with Zoloft. Exercise just bulked her up more. This weight is not easy to lose as it's part of a metabolism change.

Within a year she was fat, sullen, depressed .... everything she wasn't before.

Here's the disturbing part ..... What qualifies a non-mental health doctor to prescribe a antidepressant? Depression for whatever reason is a mental issue that needs analyzed, discussed, treated with a goal in mind.

The drug is addictive, causes physical withdrawal symptoms, and severe depression of all things. The doctor keeps prescribing the drug and the original problem is forgotten.

Sad damn story .......

Observation: Is the weight gain associated with antidepressants part of our national obesity problem?

I got some from my doctor but I never took them. It was just a false pretense to not having to go to the army :)

Has anyone read "The way of the peacefull warrior" by Dan Millman? it's a pretty
intense book
danmillman.com/

looks like feeling depressed has a connection with being a webmaster... i admit i got a fucked up mind too, usually all through the day i feel a bit down and lazy, it switches up to more positive when evening falls, im more of a night person. Never took any pills or whatever, i try to get some exercise on a consistent basis cause i notice after i exercised i feel alot better.

they got depressed :P

it would take at least a month for the pills to take effect, you can take some stuff for anxiety for the long wait.

I used to think I needed anti depressants a few years ago. I was extremely depressed and though they would be the only solution. Instead I moved 2,000 miles to be closer to my family. They drive me insane but I am a lot happier. :/

does recreational use count?

With exercise, good sleep, and good eating it sure does.

Unfortunately, all kinds of anti-depressants will cause a decrease in one's ability to have an orgasm. It makes it take longer, or not happen at all... which might be a bonus to those who cum way too fast, but is no fun at all if you are a woman who takes forever to begin with.

I think age has increased my sex drive more than anything ;)

antidepressants cover a symtom and create new problems. the original core problem persists and now your dependent on evil. fix the problem