Antidepressant meds and you...

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I didn't know if this should be posted here or in Whatnots...so yeah...

Anyhoo...As some of you might remember, part of the deal with Jessica and I separating was to "fix" ourselves. I've been going to a therapist weekly for over 3 months now; and on her (and my mom’s) suggestion, I went to my doctor to try out some antidepressant meds. I have no problem admitting what drugs I’m on...I feel that if your body is broken - do something to fix it...if that means drugs, then so be it. There’s no shame is improving one’s life by taking pills...even if it’s a handful a day. That being said:

First round - Citalopram (Celexa) and Trazodone (Desyrel)

Less than a week after I started taking Celexa, it felt like the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders. This little drug got me though the day quite well, and the Desyrel helped knock me out - but also regulated my sleep to ~8 hours.

However, after being on Celexa for a month, my favorite part of my body (we'll just call it Kitrax Jr.) ceased to work....you know what I'm talking about. When you're only 25, that's not good!

Second round - Bupropion (Wellbutrin) and Desyrel
I ramped down from Celexa over a week as I ramped up to the Wellbutrin. I've been on it for a month now, and I feel great, and best of all, Kitrax Jr. works as he should...actually, a little better because the Wellbutrin give you more energy/stamina throughout the day! Wellbutrin is a wonder drug, it can be used to treat depression, SAD, ADHD, obesity, smoking cessation, and a handful of other disorders.

Third round - Stay on Wellbutrin and possibly replace Desyrel with an OCD drug.
I've been talking with my therapist about how I've been doing on the drugs, and after a few sessions, she thinks I have OCD...just without the compulsions. The reason I can't sleep is because my brain won't shut the F*** up! She said that is classic OCD...and the only reason Desyrel works is because it makes people very drowsy. If I was on an OCD drug that could act as an "off" switch for my brain, I'd be able to fall asleep without the need for any sleep aids.
The problem is, I need to see an actual Psychiatrist to officially diagnose OCD...and the good ones all have a 3 month waiting list!


So that's me. What about you guys? What experiences have you had with antidepressants? Do you love some, but hate others? Any bad reactions/side effects like I had?

 

I have no experience taking the pills, but found this quite interesting. Really would not be surprised if I had some kinda of OCD as well. More so in my younger days if I accidentally brushed my arm against a wall or something, I would have to do the same with my other arm, it was weird. That's gone now, but I do have trouble sleeping still with my mind just jumping around... I found music (that I've heard many times) helped, because it got my mind in one place and I didn't pay too much attention because I've heard it so many times before. That and a melatonin supplement can do wonders.

 

My only experience is from my old work. Saw some pretty weird side effects from psychiatric drugs. The funkiest one was one, dont remember which, that made the patient stink. Really, half the people in there stank, no matter how much you washed them and they all stank the same.

 

I was on prozac for a couple of years, it didnt really do much for me. I found the best anti-depressant drug to be cannabis, and I found the best treatment for depression was therapy (sans cannabis).

 

I was on citalopram but after 2 years, it stopped working. I'm on escitalopram now which is pretty much the same thing but stronger. Seems to be working fine. The only problem is that if I run out and can't take it for a couple of days then I get really bad vertigo.

Just remember kids, even with anti-depressents, you can still have days where you just want to cry for no reason!

 

I used to take citalopram (I think it was?) but it put my peep on the fritz. Thankfully I don't need it now. An antidepressant that removes your ability to have sex - it's almost oxymoronic.

 

HA! Too true. That's why I'm off it now!

I'm hoping to come off the drugs when my life turns around...i.e. when I move back in with my wife, I finally graduate, and I can finally quit my damn job!

1-2 months for #1
2-3 years for #2
1 additional year after I graduate for #3

One thing I do know about these meds, is that you just don't stop one day. You have to gradually ease off them. Hopefully you have a constant supply.

 

I've been told I've had depression from the age of nine thing is they can't cross prescribe my painkillers with any anti-depressants. So I either have one on my record or the other. Has been interesting reading this though.

 

I hate taking pills so I deal with my problems the old fashioned way i.e. by absorbing semi lethal quantities of alcohol into my system (preferably whiskey). Besides, pills don't mix that well with alcohol.

 

Kitrax:
Really, I don't feel good about pills treating anything other than a chemical imbalance in the brain. If that's what you have, then getting your life into a better place won't help (your brain will still be imbalanced). You're either looking at pills for the rest of your life (and if you find one that works, that's fine), or possibly ECT (which actually cures the imbalance somehow, but is only recommended for severe cases).

If you're taking pills to get through a rough patch, well, it just seems to me like a poor coping strategy. It's like taking something to mask the symptoms of the disease, but not actually treating the illness. Meh, maybe that's a bad analogy, or maybe comparing it to a cold would be better than a random illness, if the situation is actually going to fix itself.

Anyway, if you're seriously going to see a psychiatrist (and I'd recommend it if your therapist suspects OCD), take the time to talk to them about the antidepressant drugs, too. They'll know a lot more than anyone else and may be able to recommend specifics, or even say drugs aren't the best solution for your particular situation.

After saying all of that, though, my mother suffers from cronic depression (an actual brain imbalance) as well as SAD. She has a special lamp for SAD in the winter, and she's tried a number of pills for the depression. I think she's found one that works on it's own, without the need of anything to knock her out, but she's had some bad (and just odd) experiences as well. Most recently, her psychiatrist changed her to a new drug, because it may have worked the same with fewer side effects, but the one side effect she got was feeling frizzy/gittery all day (and into the evening). Then he had to put her on something else to knock her out at night, and then she was dead-to-the-world in the morning. Between the two, she was mentally worn out all the time, either feeling that odd buzz like you've gone two days without sleep (but without the tiredness) or feeling like she needs about 4 more hours of sleep. Plus, that put her on two pills, with two sets of side effects, instead of one. She's back to the one that works now.

I can ask her drug names this evening, as well as any other interesting experiences.

 

I took trazadone for a bit, but I stopped taking it because it didn't help, nor did it even help with the sleep problems I was having that it was supposed to fix.

 

I just take ethanol.

 

I occasionally take an anti-depressant (I forget what it's called), but it's to treat a chronic problem I have with severe muscle cramping/spasms in my neck due to a degenerative disc. Apparently the medication helps to relax the muscle.

 

Is 10 years considered a "rough patch?"
It's true that the events of the latter half of this year have been severely taxing on me mentally, emotionally, and physically; but the symptoms have been there since around the time we moved to Utah...everyone (including me) just didn't recognize them.


The harsh truth is, I didn't like the person I'd become over the years. I may be charming, witty, hilarious, and an all around awesome guy here on the BoM...but in RL I was closed off emotionally, bored, irritable, very forgetful, and generally uninterested in day to day life.

 

After the death of my mother, I went on Paxil. It helped a little. When my beloved decided to end our marriage, I really went into a rough slide -- some of you remember that. So I was given Wellbutrin and Trazodone for a while in varying dosages. They worked OK too. However, no force on the planet can ever keep my friend LDS* from working -- he was always ready to rock and roll at 30 seconds notice regardless of the meds I was on.

I used to be a real eh-hole about people who took antidepressants or who had nervous breakdowns (or whatever the term is today.) Cold hard reality has changed my position on the topic. For the short term, the meds are great -- they bring a person to a point where they can address their problems.

In the long term, for most cases, it is my opinion that the drugs become an unhealthy crutch. The root problems must be addressed. There are cases, though, that long term medication use is a viable option for a patient whose brain chemisty is seriously unbalanced.

So do what works for you, Kitrax.

*LDS doesn't mean what you all think it means. It means "Long Dong Silver".

 

The only stong pill I have ever taken was a Vike for pain, I pulled a muscle in my chest and it hurt to breathe. It made my senses go haywire, so I stopped after the 1st pill. I prefer to deal with my emotional stuff with straight willpower and common sense thinking, no pills or quack doctors for me. To be honest, I am afraid to take pills, I don't like not having control of myself. I am not a believer in therapy. Everyone I have known that has chosen that route seem to use it as an excuse to be a knucklehead and not take responsiblity for their actions. It gives them an excuse to fall back on.I don't think everyone who uses therapy does this, but in my limited experience with it, that is my take. But if you feel pills and therapy help and make your life better, then I say go for it.

 

That does sound like something more than a rough patch, but I have no idea if it's a psychological or chemical problem. If the former, then pills will just mask the problem, not fix it. As LKD pointed out, these can bring you to a functional position where you can deal with the problem, but don't look at them as a solution in themselves (which many do these days). If the latter, pills are exactly what you need, but don't expect to get off them any time soon. Just find one that works for you and stick to it.

There could be two reasons for this: one, the therapist was sh*t, or two, the people went to therapy to get an excuse, not to deal with anything. One of the classic laws of psychotherapy is that you have to want to change in order to change. It isn't like a pill that you take and it does the work for you. You get out only what you allow to happen, what you yourself do.

 

That's the rub NOG. If you want to change, just do it and stop crying that it's so hard. We all change as we get older, it's just that some of us don't cry about it aloud for sympathy. You don't need a therapist to tell you to change when you already know you need to.

 

I'm healthy as a horse. I don't take pills. Any pills. I don't use painkillers, pain makes stronger and gives wisdom. Never had the need to take antidepressants, although I have been depressed.

Have gotten a depression diagnose a couple of times when that suited my purposes, but mainly since I needed the diagnose. It was part of the training, nothing gets you out of the military than a psychiatric diagnose, and since the diagnose was a "minor depression", there was no need for any more intervention than the ticket out of there. The other time was a similar situation.

Been to psychiatrists. I'm clinically normal. Sometimes that makes me kind of worried...

 

I remember. That was back when you were Lord Keldin Depaara (or something like that)...

During my many sessions with my therapist, I've learned many thinks about myself that I was oblivious to. I also uncovered the reasons for why I became the person that I did. Absolutely no self-esteem from birth, thanks to my a**hole brother...who I will hate until the day *he* dies. I hate Utah, but I can't afford to go home to California. I hate my job, but I can't quit until a year after I graduate. I hate school, but I can't quit because I'm going tuition free (you don't pass up sweet offers like that). There are very few things I can control right now...and once those things I can't control are done and over with, I think I'll be off the drugs for good.

That's cheating!
People who cheat to get out of military duty, irritate me. I've wanted to be in the US Air Force since I was a little kid, and every branch of the military has turned me away because of my asthma.
I'm not saying that *you* irritate me Iku, just the actions of your past.