Anti-Depressants

[lisztisforkids]

I have been diagnosed with Clinical Depreseeion, and am going to take Anti-Depressants... I was wondering if anybody has any experiance with these things..

  Hopefully they will help me gain control over my life.. I am kind of scared of them.  I tried St.Johns Wort but I didnet like that. I am also going to try Acupunctre as I know people say that is almost as good as anti-depressants without the side affects..

[brewtality]

Hello, I know what you are going through. Earlier this year I went through a period of depression, the effects of which still linger. It got to the point where I just didn't see the point in getting out of bed and wanted to kill myself. I think the thing that really helped me was finally telling my parents what was bothering me after months of keeping it inside, they were there for me 100%. I tried counselling but that was useless. Finally I went to my doctor. I am on something called fluxamine maleate, it's also supposed to treat OCD. I am much better than I was but still not back to normal.  Anyway, I hope you will feel better soon.

[gilad]

there are a few classes of anti depressants. i think the most commonly used ones today are SSRI's, this is because their side effects are way less and they're pretty safe, eg prozac, ciprimil, aropax. They still do have side effects, but ive never heard of anything to crazy.
I have taken ciprimil, i took it for a year and a half. I think they helped, they never made matters worse.
I have heard there is merit in acupuncture.
ADs are shown to be way more effective in conjunction with other forms of therapy, eg psychologist or couselling.
It is also improtant that you are diagnosed accurately and given the correct AD.
They all somehow are shown to be more effective in treating somethings than others.
read some self help books, pursue you interests and hobbies, learn how to feel in control of your life,  These things not only help beat depression, they also make you feel good. it might take time, but there's no hurry.

[alessandro]

Dear Lisztisforkids,

How did it come this far ? You don't have to be too scared for anti-depressants.  They are in a way like cement.  It's stuff often made of fluoxetine (Prozac) or the similar paroxetine (Aropax) and they act on the production of serotonine in your brains, my dear.  Serotonine is the oil for the nerves' synapses, the juice in your brain that eventually is responsible for "mood-swings". The anti-depressants act on this process in order to 'tighten' these mood swings.  After taking Aropax for a week I felt a bit like a block of concrete.  I could laugh again, look at life in a more 'reasonable' way but I also felt more like a vibrating stone.  I stopped the pills, not the anti-anxiolitica (Xanax) and tried to go through this life in all its "extreme" splendours.  Everybody should have his life tailored, moulded in the way that's best for him.  And if you need drugs or a psychiatrist's advice, just have it.  Meanwhile, dear Lisztisforkids, I wish you all the best in your life and if you feel like sharing your thoughts-feelings, don't hesitate.  I think we're all here for each other.

Kindly

[pianistimo]

my son had been diagnosed last year with severe depression also.  he had gotten into playing a lot of computer games and got behind on his homework.  despite cajoling and all - he became more withdrawn and just really started not caring for a while about his homework or work or play.  i thought i could help him get out of it by talking, exercise, and sunlight.  but, he didn't want to exercise much (although we'd go to the ymca occasionally).

now, i see - you cannot really help a depressed person without extra counseling from someone else who knows what's going on.  they can't suddenly make the turn arounds necessary to feel better instantly.  nagging.  cajoling.  just makes it worse sometimes. 

we tried the counselors first suggestion of zoloft and that made my son an absolute zombie.  he was more tired than before and slept too much and when he was awake, he wasn't himself.  i guess it scared me so much that i quit going to that particular counselor and wanted to find a natural way to cope with depression.  but, my son decided that he wanted to follow his regular doctors suggestion of trying a different drug (welbutrin) and decided to start taking 150 mg of that every day - which is on the lower side of doseage.  he is now - back to his regular self.  i don't know if there are any bad side effects from welbutrin - but i've heard that some drugs can make people suicidal if they suddenly go off of them or don't get monitoring.

this whole thing is new to us, too...but what is reassurring is that when you are able to function - then you can do the work - and/or start doing more to make ur life more pleasant and your brain chemicals start working better normally.  i think (as one counselor confirmed) that 45 minutes of exercise at least 3 days a week - will increase your brains natural production of seretonin. and also, getting sunlight - which depressed people start avoiding.

another thing is that there ARE natural products but noone usually talks much about them.  that is because you can get them in the natural food stores and they aren't so expensive or addicting (i think).  L-tryptophan, st. john's wort, stuff like that.  i guess it really depends upon the person and what they are looking for. 

[pianistimo]

www.braininstitute.net also has some interesting stuff.  some natural.

www.nomoreadd.com/gaw3.html  tells about how some kids have a lot of 'brain noise' that distracts them.  occasionally my son would tell me that his brain wouldn't turn off at night and that he'd have this rush of information that wouldn't stop.  he never had mentioned this before - but - it's been interesting - the combination of depression and insomnia.

he's not going to the brain institute - but, was given 'ambien' to help him sleep at night by his regular doctor.  it gave him terrible stomach aches after a while.  i'm hoping he'll get a lot more exercise as he's feeling much better now - and that might make him more tired at night.

i fixed up his bike and bought him a new jersey and riding shorts - and try to get him to ride - but he's not into bicycling.  he's fairly tall and says it's the most uncomfortable sport he knows of.  so, then we talked about getting a personal trainer for him at the YMCA.  hopefully, this year school will go better for him.  he had some issues with 'testing' and the general sociology of public school.  he's a very bright kid but doesn't exactly fit into the 'norm' of academics.  we found some alternative ideas - one was to go for 1/2 day at a career center and 1/2 day academics.  they even offer taking kids to pt jobs after 1:30 pm - if they are needing IEP program to keep them in school.  i'm so glad we talked tot he counselors because i didn't want him to drop out.

he's so smart - and i couldn't really see him dropping out over just not liking to do academics as much as his sister.  he hates the read/answer questions/take tests routine.  much more a 'hands on' type person.  he's really good with computers and gaming and wants to be a 'game designer' right now.  i said' is that what you really want.  to get other kids addicted to games so they'll drop out of school?'  but, what do i know.  i'm just a crazy mom.  he said he'd make some more challenging ones than are the norm.  and, not overly violent...but the ones he had been playing WERE violent and kinda went a long with some wierd music he was listening to.

maybe parents worry too much - but i also worry about his spiritual life.  i think that our brains were meant to think of good things and not be worried about wars, and finances quite so much, etc. etc.  people are weighed down with worries nowdays.  as parents, you have to act not so worried even if you are.  to relax and calm down.  to take one day at a time and realize that little things aren't the end of the world (overreacting).  i try to speak and act a lot more lovingly toward my son.  sometimes you think boys can handle everything - but they are just as sensitive as girls and need a lot of reassurance that they are very necessary to the family, very loved, and very needed.  small words (good or bad) can make a huge impact on aperson i'm realizing.  it's easy to get impatient - but you can't take words back.  better to calm down and treat people (whether others or your own children) with a lot of respect.

[Tash]

i'll vouch for acupuncture- my mum is a big acupuncture person cos she has a smashed up leg and it helps rid the pain and ease her muscles. i occassionally get it to boost my concentration and immune system, haven't really thought about it for depression, but chances are it'll do something...just make sure you go to someone who knows what they're doing! but anyway, hope you get out of the depression soon *big hug*

[lisztisforkids]

Thanks everybody for the replies..

[timothy42b]

Acupuncture and herbal remedies will probably help with sadness, which tends to be self limiting anyway.

They will not touch true depression.  That is a major illness and it needs major care. 

The good news is the treatment has improved greatly in the last ten years.  I have family members who certainly wouldn't be alive today were it not for the improved medication.

Yes there are some side effects, as there are to everything that actually works.  (That is one of the ways you can tell if a treatment might have some effectiveness or not.  No known side effects, no known effect.) 

[gorbee natcase]

How about ephedrine which is no an antidepressant but a natural stimulant used by sports people to boost performance and weight loss

https://www.ephedrineuk.com/     

[alejo_90]

I know what you're going through. I've had severe deppression 3 times in my life, when I was 11, then 13 and this same year.

I must say I really felt like crap during those days. I used to think the worse for every situation, I felt my life was worthless, I thought I hated everyone and everyone hated me and spent half of the day thinking about how to kill myself without any pain (lol), and the other normal symptoms of depression.

I went to therapy several times, and was told to take fluoxetine (Prozac). I did and it didn't really help me very much, so I stopped taking it. What really helped me was the therapy itself, because my deppression was due to familiar problems, specifically the relationship with my mother (the hardest people to live with in the world). So I got to peacefully solve my differences with her, and slowly got better.

My mother herself has been through deppression a houndred times in her life, but she is healthy now, and you know how did she got better? By stopping the medicines (Venlafaxine 150mg). She chose not to give up, she would not depend on a pill to be satisfied with her life, she would not surrender to depression. Slowly she reduced the dose until she could stop, helping herself with a psycho-analysis therapy, and it worked, at least for her.

What I'm trying to say is that the medicine itself won't cure the deppression. On my life experience, I think deppression shows as the result of several issues with someone or something important in your life, and what will really cure it is to solve those issues, more than taking a medicine to temporarily run away from them.

BTW, Deppression is a very curable mental state, you won't die from it.

Best Wishes
Alex

[pianistimo]

that was an insightful message.  maybe the medication is good for the deepest part of the depression - but as you say , gradually weaning off as the situations in ur life improve. 

as a mother, i think that i have over mothered.  it's really easy to do - so i'm trying to back off and not be telling him what to do or even what he should do.  he's getting older and i now try to make suggestions and be positive.  and, to encourage what he's already doing and appreciate him for who he is and his basic personality (which is much different than mine).  i'm sort of this perfectionist type - and he's very laid back.  being 5 minutes late for a driving lesson is nothing - for me it's this huge problem.  i try not to say anything - but sometimes things just slip out.

'ur too concerned about urself - think about this poor man.  waiting for u...' etc.  his whole life has been centered around getting places on time, doing homework,  and manners -from my perspective.  well, i've decided he has to learn a few things for himself.  if the man is angry - he'll let my son have it.  i hope he can handle the stress of real life.  i've been sort of overprotective and try to keep him from having problems. 

agreed about how parents can negatively affect children.  i hope lisztisforkids, that ur mom returned.  i remember awhile back u said she went somewhere and u were concerned for her.  all moms have some point in their life they go a little crazy and say things they don't mean and get all angry.  it's part of making their life distinct from all the mommy stuff.  don't take it to heart.  in fact, enlarge ur thinking and sometimes be a sort of mom to ur mom.  she might literally need it sometimes.  surprise her with something nice - a card or surprise and just tell her u love her.  give her a hug - even if she's been avoiding everyone and scowling.  she might just need a stiff drink.  there's been times in the evening i don't want to recognize family members.  but, in the morning after a good nights sleep - they're so important.  it's sort of a dr. jekyl mr hyde thing.  you're mom loves you - will always love u - and probably just is dealing with all sorts of her own issues.

sometimes having children reminds u of ur own childhood too - and then u think wow, maybe i'm a good or bad parent in certain things because it's all i knew when i was growing up.  for instance, in my family - we'd have these yelling bouts.  now, guess what!  yelling just promotes kids who yell.  nanny 911 is a show that i watch (but i have to yell at the kids to be quiet so i can haer it - just kidding).  they have some great ideas.  one is to just get out with ur family and not have so many activities that split up the family.  to make time for each other and not let things go for a long time.  people get angrier and angrier that way.

[pianobabe_56]

Hey--I'm Clinically Depressed also. I see a therapist, and am currently taking Zoloft. I've studied this topic a lot for school research papers as well.

The overwhelming truth is that therapy is a must. Medication will never teach you skills or tools for how to handle different emotions, learn to recognize where your Depression arises, and know how to combat it.

Medication is also incredibly useful, though, as long as it is combined with adequate counseling. It raises the hormones in your brain enough that it stabilizes you, and makes it possible for you to practice the techniques you are learning.


I have a hard time really accepting the medication. I somehow view it as "cheating," but I keep reminding myself that it is another TOOL to put me at a fair advantage to learn how to live my life.

[timothy42b]

I have a hard time really accepting the medication. I somehow view it as "cheating," but I keep reminding myself that it is another TOOL to put me at a fair advantage to learn how to live my life.

If you were a diabetic, would insulin be cheating?

My parents smoked and didn't exercise, and had high blood pressure.

I don't smoke and am a gym rat, and still have high blood pressure, as do all my brothers and sisters.  So I take blood pressure medication. 

Cheating?  No.  Intelligent. 

Same would be true of depression. 

[alejo_90]

If you were a diabetic, would insulin be cheating?

My parents smoked and didn't exercise, and had high blood pressure.

I don't smoke and am a gym rat, and still have high blood pressure, as do all my brothers and sisters.  So I take blood pressure medication. 

Cheating?  No.  Intelligent. 

Same would be true of depression. 

Depression doesn't kill you or damages your body in an irreversible way, Diabetis and Nicotine do.

Best
Alex

[timothy42b]

Depression doesn't kill you or damages your body in an irreversible way, Diabetis and Nicotine do.

Best
Alex

Well, that is not really correct.  Mild sadness caused by a disappointment doesn't kill you, and you recover with a hug from your friends.  True depression caused by chemical imbalance very definitely does kill a large number of people, and makes many more lives all but unbearable. 

However, assume you were right.  What is your point?  Do a little critical thinking here, tell us why that makes a difference.  You've just thrown out an assertion with no explanation.  Why does the fact it might not kill you mean you should not take medication?  Spell it out, don't do a driveby post. 

[alejo_90]

Well, that is not really correct.  Mild sadness caused by a disappointment doesn't kill you, and you recover with a hug from your friends.  True depression caused by chemical imbalance very definitely does kill a large number of people, and makes many more lives all but unbearable. 

However, assume you were right.  What is your point?  Do a little critical thinking here, tell us why that makes a difference.  You've just thrown out an assertion with no explanation.  Why does the fact it might not kill you mean you should not take medication?  Spell it out, don't do a driveby post. 

My point was that diabetis or high blood pressure are completely different from clinical depression, and to take insuline for diabetis is very different from taking anti-depressants.

Insuline is essential for diabetis and there could be severe consequences if it is not taken regularly, however, for depression, the medicine alone won't cure it, and you certainly need more than "a hug from a friend" to do so. If you hide behind on the medicine for the rest of your life, it would be in some ways "cheating".

Anyways, you are comparing two kinds of illnes that have nothing to do one with the other. The treatment for high blood pressure doesn't work the same with clinical depression. Does it make a difference for you now?

Please revise your second post:

If you were a diabetic, would insulin be cheating?
No. Intelligent.

True

Same would be true of depression.

False

Best wishes
Alex

[timothy42b]

Ah, I see where you are coming from.

No.

You are completely wrong.

Diabetes and depression are both physical illnesses with biological causes and the proper treatment is chemical in nature.

The same is true for the major psychoses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression).

The same is not true for character disorders, laziness, criminality, meanspiritedness, lack of compassion, reluctance to think critically, etc.

Sadness is not depression. 

I understand your viewpoint.  "It is the depressed person's own fault, and if he can't snap out of it on his own he should be forced to suffer."  But I don't share it. 

I don't understand your comment about the same medication not treating blood pressure and depression.  The same medication doesn't treat blood pressure and diabetes.  Or measles.  Or pain.  Doesn't matter, what matters is that now that we know there is a biological cause, there is no excuse not to use a biological treatment. 


You don't believe that, of course.  But your refusal to believe doesn't make it untrue. 

[BoliverAllmon]

my dad is on anti-depressants and hates to be on them, it makes him feel like less of a man. But as a by standerd he is a better person when he is on them.

[gilad]

ADs dont make you less of a man.

[BoliverAllmon]

I didn't say they do, I am saying he feels that way.

[alejo_90]

I understand your viewpoint.  "It is the depressed person's own fault, and if he can't snap out of it on his own he should be forced to suffer."  But I don't share it. 

I'm sorry, but that's not my viewpoint, and there's no need to over-exaggerate it and put it like that.
Anti-depressants are certainly a big help, but they alone will not cure depression. You can't rely completely on them and wait for the depression to disappear.

I don't understand your comment about the same medication not treating blood pressure and depression.

I think that was my mistake, maybe because my english isn't very good, and I am constantly in trouble to find the exact phrase to express myself without commiting a linguistic crime.

My point here was that for diabetes, you take the insuline and that's enough. However, from my viewpoint, anti-depressants alone are not enough to cure clinical depression, you need therapy, a lot of support from your familiars, and certainly a hug from your friends to put it in simple words.

I understand your viewpoint, I just wanted to clarify that it's not as simple to take pills for depression, as it is to take pills for diabetes or high blood pressure. Taking pills for depression is not always the intelligent choice.

Best Wishes
Alex

[BoliverAllmon]

I agree. I think sometimes pills are prescribed too soon. I think someone should go through counseling first to see if it can be fixed without medication. now there are extreme cases of course that need meds right away, but not always.

boliver

[pianobabe_56]

I would also have to agree. Therapy is an absolute MUST, and in nearly all cases, therapy has been shown to be equally as effective, whether or not medications were taken.

Depression is very complex. Sometimes it is the cause of chemical imbalances in the brain, and at other times it can be an event that plunges people into sadness that remains prolonged due to incorrect behaviors or thinking patterns.

My depression is almost purely chemical, due to genetics. Anti-depressants have helped me a great deal, but I would urge anyone else considering them to use a lot of caution. Our world is WAY too over-medicated today.

[BoliverAllmon]

and once you start taking depressants it is next to impossible to come off of them.

boliver

[ada]

I wonder whether medication effects your piano playing? Like your ability to emote the  music?

[zheer]

  Depressants just provide temporary relief like asprin, as you can imagin a lot of people hane taken depressants at some point in their lives. As for piano playing i furmly believe that being depressed wont help.

[BoliverAllmon]

  Depressants just provide temporary relief like asprin, as you can imagin a lot of people hane taken depressants at some point in their lives. As for piano playing i furmly believe that being depressed wont help.

yes they provide temp. relief, but if you take them consistently over a period of time, your body will stop producing any of the chemicals that the pill provides. Now when you stop taking the pill, your body will crash into a more severe depression because your body has become dependent.

boliver

[alejo_90]

yes they provide temp. relief, but if you take them consistently over a period of time, your body will stop producing any of the chemicals that the pill provides. Now when you stop taking the pill, your body will crash into a more severe depression because your body has become dependent.

boliver

That's exactly what my mother went through, and also her reason to leave them.

Best
Alex