Are You Taking Any Prescription Medication?

[Moonshadow]

I'm curious as to how many members are taking anti-depressants. I've had several doctors try to prescribe different meds, and I have refused. I feel like they're offering "Happy Pills" as a band-aid remedy.

I have been taking 5-HTP. For those who are not familiar, 5-HTP is an herbal supplement, which is converted into serotonin in the brain. I think it's been helping me sleep, and my moods have felt more optimistic (possibly from getting some sleep).

So, my question is this: Which anti-depressants have you tried, how did they work for you, and what were the side-effects?


~Moonshadow

 

[2quilt]

I just stopped Cymbalta, and I will begin Reboxetine in a clinical trial in another week. I have been on many antidepressants before with limited success. If you do a search for 'antidepressant' in this website, you will be able to read an awful lot of very similar questions to yours posted over the years. They may be able to answer this and more questions on antidepressants, the pro and the con and the refusal to take them.

 

[cherryblossom]

Hi,
I first took anti-depressants in 2004. I had prozac (fluoxetine) first which upset my stomach. I had nausea and diarrhoea. I was told the side effect would lessen over time. But after about 6 weeks, I still had the side effects, so my Doc changed me to Venlafaxine (effexor). I only took this for about 3 days. I had really bad side effects, with involuntary movement and the shakes. After a couple of days, I saw the Doc, who told me to stop taking them immediatley, and gave me diazapam to stop the horrible side effects.

Next I tried dothiepine (dosulepine), which is a tri-cyclic. I think it had possitive effects for me, but the side effect I had from this was a really dry mouth. When I'm working I deal with the public, and because my mouth was so dry, I had trouble speaking with them. I took it for several months because my Psychiatrist could see it was beneficial, and told me to try to ignore the side effects. However, after trying for quite some time, I really couldn't keep taking that med and do my job. I know that sounds extreme, but I don't have the type of job where I could keep taking sips of water all day.

At that time things were a bit better for me so I stopped taking anti-depressants all together. But over the last six months, my depression, following an increase in PTSD symptoms has returned. I have been taking Cipralex (lexapro), since February. Whilst I haven't had any unwanted side effects, I don't feel any better for taking it.

Just yesterday, the ciplralex was changed to Sertraline (zoloft). I am happy to try something different, because I don't feel cipralex was having any benefit for me.

Whilst I don't see anti-depressants as a solution, I would like to think that they can help in the short term, whilst things are rough. I certainly don't want to, or intend to take medication for the rest of my life. The thing with anti-depressants is, that we all react differently. What works for one , may well not work for another. Also the side effects experienced by one person, will be different for another. Unfortunately, it all seems to be a case of trail and error. I think it's important to be aware of how your mood is affected and also to be closely supervised by a Doc when starting or changing medications.

Sorry this is so long....

Regards

 

[ladybug08]

I do not take any medication at this time. I have taken Zoloft. I hated the side effects. I did not feel any different while taking Zoloft. Now I exercise, changing my diet- no junk foods, take-outs- more whole foods, friuts, veges, no red meat, wheat or dairy. I am slowly changing to a raw diet. I had colonic hydrotherapy today... and I feel great!!:thumbs-up

 

[ga yankee]

I refused to take meds at first also. My therapist sat me down and said I had to look at them differently...not as a weakness but as a small aid. Something like taking aspirin when you have a headache. I told her PTSD was a hell of a headache. BUT she basically explained that with my anxiety, hypervigilence, and other symptoms....therapy wouldn't work if I couldn't sit in a room and feel safe and fairly calm. If my mind is racing on other things....learning in therapy and then applying that stuff won't work. She was right. I'm on Lexapro (fairly high dose) and Lamictal. The Lamictal was the life-changer...my moods don't swing as far as they did before and I can actually take a breath before having an anxiety attack or whatever. I also take a daily large dose of B12. I've noticed pretty significant improvement with that also. I have xanax and all that stuff but try not to take it unless I've had REALLY bad nightmares multiple nights and need something to relax me before I even think about sleeping. I get very little sleep at night and when I have my nightmares I usually go a few nights staying up around the clock. Hypervigilence is a bitch.

 

[linasmom]

Moonshadow -

I'm currently on 150 mg. of Effexor XR and 1 mg. of Xanax daily at night and extra "as needed".

I've taken several other meds that simply didn't work well for me: Lexapro, Wellbutrin (a combination of lex and well which made me hallucinate), Zoloft and Trazadone.

The Effexor seems to be working the best, as it is an SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor ) and not an SSRI. At one point, my doctors wanted me to try an MAOI since I was not responding well to most meds but I refused. I have, however, still suffered major depressive episodes on the Effexor, but they pass and my moods are much more manageable than they have been on other meds.

Of course, everyone is different. For me, I need to sleep or else I'm a complete mess, which is why I take the Benzos for sleep.

 

[Seeking_Nirvana]

I was on 5 medications when I left the hospital last year. Now I'm on 3 so that is a great improvement. I don't take anti-depressants because I want to deal with my raw emotions to get to the bottom of my traumas.

However, I do take Valium when I get panicked and I've cut back from 20mg a day to 5mg a day or as needed. I feel happy that I'm getting close to getting off medications with the exception of Adderall. That will be a tough one!

Tammy

 

[catjudo]

At one point, my doctors wanted me to try an MAOI since I was not responding well to most meds but I refused. I have, however, still suffered major depressive episodes on the Effexor, but they pass and my moods are much more manageable than they have been on other meds.

My husband, who does not have PTSD but does have severe depression, takes an MAOI (uses Emsam patches). He has to be extremely vigilant about anything that goes into his mouth because of the serious interactions MAOI's have with so many foods and other medications. Sometimes it can be frustrating but he has gotten such positive results from the Emsam that my husband doesn't even consider stopping the medication as a possibility. Of course, before the Emsam the only other thing that seemed to help with his depression was ECT so you can imagine that an MAOI seems like a much better choice than ECT.

As far as me, I've been on so many different anti-depressants and other medications over the years that I can't remember them all. All have had side effects...one particular combination caused me to have a seizure, dislocating my shoulder and causing permanent damage to my shoulder that I still have to deal with. The anti-depressant that has worked best for me and that I tend to come back to whenever I just can't get through life without some medicinal assistance is Effexor XR. For me I get the fewest number of side effects with the greatest benefit from this medication. But as others have said, this is different for each individual.

Presently, however, I am refusing all medications. Hopefully I can continue with this but only time will tell.

 

[Moonshadow]

Thanks for the input, everyone. It seems like finding the right medication can be tricky, and is a matter of trial and error.

This raises other questions for me, such as:

How long would someone reasonably expect to be on these medications?

Do any of them (besides Adderall) help with daytime energy levels?

How much is exercise recommended with these 'scripts, and what types of exercise?

 

[Lucky Laser]

I've got 10 mg daily Lexapro and 10 mg Ambien as needed. I've also just started 10 mg Lisinopril daily because I was diagnosed with essential hypertension. I'm 27 so that is kind of an odd one. My gyn thought it might be related to the birth control I was on so now I've got a shot for that... ew.

 

[ga yankee]

The Lamictal helps my energy...I take it in the morning so it off-sets the 40mg of Lexapro that can drain me. Don't give yourself a time-line on going off. I've had mine adjusted and re-adjusted the last 18 months since I started all this and as much as I would LOVE to dump all of them in the toilet...I do see how they help my recovery. Like therapy, I'll take them as long as needed to help me get better.

Exercise--- I've heard any type of cardio is good. I prefer cycling because it's easy on my bad knee. I also swim. I try to do at least 20 min of something a day...whether it's a full-blown workout or just raking the backyard. I've found that being able to look back on the day and know I did just a little something really helps. BUT--- it is still hard for me not to beat myself up when I don't exercise. So please don't get caught in that cycle of thinking. Even if I lift my 3pd weights over and over while watching tv I feel better about myself.

 

[linasmom]

How long would someone reasonably expect to be on these medications? That's a hard one - it all depends on the person and their symptoms, in therapy or out - what is going on in their life. Some people go off and on at different times in their life depending on what is happening with them at the moment.

Do any of them (besides Adderall) help with daytime energy levels? Hmm, not sure I understand this. They can help in a way that they lift depression, so in that instance, yes. However, they also, for me at least, seem to have slowed me down so that I'm not "all over the place".

How much is exercise recommended with these 'scripts, and what types of exercise? I don't know what is recommended, but my husband and I work out together for 30 minutes every night. These work-outs consist of weight lifting, cardio, push-ups, and pull-ups.

Best,
Rachel