Increasing Antidepressants

[Deleted member 28942]

Hi,

I've been taking 20mg Prozac for less than a year now. Before I started taking it I had horrible insomnia and my anxiety level was really high. After I started taking it I sleep well and my anxiety has lowered. I am considering increasing my dosage to 40mg. I will talk to my doctor this week about it.

I am also doing EMDR and Hakomi therapy which also helps a lot but sometimes it increases my anxiety or OCD.

Anyhow, for a long time I've been struggling with taking medication. I see it as a weakness and a bad thing. I realized that this comes from my family because when I would get sick they would blame me for being sick and that it is bad to take medicine. Also, all the pop science saying that antidepressants are bad and that they are nothing more than placebo got me more apprehensive about it. However, I can tell for sure that it is helping me significantly. I realized that I was buying into all that stuff and was willing to risk my life and feel bad but not take medicine because of all this articles out there. Then, I weighted taking vs not taking Prozac. my thoughts are when I take it it helps me significantly without considerable side effects. Not taking Prozac, means I am willing to feel miserable, low energy, battling with anxiety, compulsiveness, stuckness and all because some people decided that antidepressants are not useful although there has been a lot of research on showing their benefits. I understand that only taking antidepressants but not working on my problems is only a temporary solution. However, taking antidepressants and working on my traumas is a journey to healing.

What are your thoughts? Are you struggling with this?

 

[Panda Bear]

Personally, antidepressants or SSRI's makes me bonkers! Celexa will work for a short period and I've needed it for 1yr following my last two pregnancies. But the withdrawals are something, boy!!

Taking medication and working towards independence from it down the road, nothing wrong with that at all!!! Sometimes, if it works, we need a bit of a helper. Trauma and garbage can be too much at times for some to handle. You may always need a helper regardless and thats okay too. I just haven't been able to use them without major suicidal side affects. They ended up making matters worse. If they're helping you? Then please. Use them.

If it's your plan to titrate off of them down the road, can you stay comfortably at the 20mg?

 

[Deleted member 28942]

@Panda Bear thank you for the response.

Yes I am planning in the future to get off them one day. However, currently I am going through a hard time. A bit more details, I was away for the summer. When I came back I was looking forward to see one friend. She is a really good friend and very supportive. However, when I saw here she told me she has breast cancer and is going through chemo therapy. I was heartbroken for her and this also set me back. She will be fine but currently she is going through a rough time. I lost that emotional support for a while. Other friends that I trust and I have good time with moved to England and Spain. So, I am very lonely and no emotional support at all. This is the reason I am considering increasing the dosage. Also, recently I've been drinking quite often on my own. I don't get wasted but I have few glasses of wine and it is not good because I do it cause I feel lonely. In addition, therapy can be hard sometimes although helpful. To build up the emotional support by finding trustworthy people and working on my trauma in therapy I'll have to rely on medications. Otherwise, I am afraid I'll go down an abyss from which it will be difficult to recover.

 

[dnp]

It's not weakness at all. If you have a vitamin D deficiency you should take vitamin D. If a calcium deficiency eat more calcium.

SSRIs didn't help me at all and had horrible side effects. I tried for two months and then I said, I'm done with this, oh hell no. They don't work for everyone. But if they mesh with your biochemistry then go for it!!

 

[The Albatross]

So if your anxiety is lowered and your sleep is better why are you considering increasing my dosage to 40mg? I see the 3rd paragraph as conflicting with the first. The idea that if 20 mg helped, that 40 mg may help more may be flawed. The can test for serotonin levels now from what I understand. I think I'd consider it before making a decision or like you said discuss it with your doctor.

 

[Deleted member 28942]

I talked to my doctor and he increased my does to 40mg. I also talked to my therapist about it and about the shame I feel for taking antidepressants.