what are antidepressants like?

[ed miliband]

i'm not planning on going on them any time soon, just interested.

i've heard so many horror stories about them that it amazes me they're used in the treatment of depression and anxiety at all.

[l'Enfermé]

it amazes me they're used in the treatment of depression and anxiety at all.
It's a multi-billion dollar industry, go figure. The sales market is worth 11 billion in the US alone.

[ed miliband]

It's a multi-billion dollar industry, go figure. The sales market is worth 11 billion in the US alone.

well of course, it always amazes me when i hear how easy it is to get drugs from american doctors.

but by the same token - and especially in times of recession - don't mental health issues cost businesses and so on millions?

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

i've heard so many horror stories about them that it amazes me they're used in the treatment of depression and anxiety at all.

What part of it? What would you like to know?

I tried to stop taking mine. Was all right for a while after the withdrawal passed. Then the anxiety, why I started them in the first place, despite their unpleasant side-effects (difficult concentrating, poor short-term memory, so on, being the most mentionable and annoying) came again, and I had to resume taking them after being unable to sleep, eat or do anything for three days. They are reasonably effective for treating this acute anxiety, I'd say, but naturally, I'm still chronically depressed.

[Comrade Jandar]

From personal experience I'm fairly sure its more than just a placebo effect. I've been on them for a few years so it's hard to remember what it was like off of them but I can say that it does help. It by no means cures anxiety or depression but it does "turn down the volume on your mind's mental chatter."

[Manic Impressive]

Placebos

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7263494.stm

[Ocean Seal]

Well I just started taking them yesterday, so I don't really feel anything yet. I'm sure there are a fair deal of horror stories, but then again as l'enferme said its an enormous industry, and I'm sure most cases don't turn out that way. Anyway I need them, so you have to do what you have to do.

[ed miliband]

Well I just started taking them yesterday, so I don't really feel anything yet. I'm sure there are a fair deal of horror stories, but then again as l'enferme said its an enormous industry, and I'm sure most cases don't turn out that way. Anyway I need them, so you have to do what you have to do.

are you taking them with another form of therapy like cbt?

[Ocean Seal]

are you taking them with another form of therapy like cbt?
I've started seeing a therapist so it is possible (it hasn't been made explicit to me though).

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

are you taking them with another form of therapy like cbt?

CBT is quack rubbish!

[ed miliband]

CBT is quack rubbish!

i agree, it's new age nonsense.

one of the worst things is how mollycoddled you are: anxiety isn't anxiety but 'worrying', depression isn't depression but 'feeling low'.

[hetz]

They have serious side effects and can fuck you up even more, sometimes.

[ed miliband]

They have serious side effects and can fuck you up even more, sometimes.

speaking from experience? (don't have to answer if it's personal).

i've heard so much shit about them, from the aforementioned horror stories (inc. from my mum) to the vaguely positive appraisals in this thread, from the idea that they're placebos to some suggesting that the effects mirror a mild mdma. i don't know what to believe.

[hetz]

Not personal, but I know people who took them.
Also it may mess up with your "hydraulics" down there.

[MEGAMANTROTSKY]

i'm not planning on going on them any time soon, just interested.

i've heard so many horror stories about them that it amazes me they're used in the treatment of depression and anxiety at all.
I haven't experienced anything that resembles a horror story, but I can say this much. Anti-depressants are, in my experience, no panacea for depression. For them to be fully effective, I had to completely change my routine and behavior during the day, prioritizing communication and friends over the tendency towards sleep and laziness; Zoloft cannot replace people, after all. And of course, I would say therapy is a must during all this, though whether it has to be CBT or otherwise I cannot say. I've simply engaged in talk therapy, trying to get to the bottom of how and why I think the way I do each week.

That having been said, the reason I'm using anti-depressants in the first place is a pragmatic decision on my part, since I don't have the time or money to engage in intense therapy for more than one day a week. I don't like being dependent on a pill to get through my day, among other things. But for now that's all I can say without filling up an entire forum page.

[Lynx]

Still waiting for the pill that will allow me to work a crappy job for many hours for low pay and return home happy.

[Hermes]

I used to take them, and technically should be taking them, I guess.

I'm pretty bad at self-analysis so whether or not they actually helped (as well as whether they were detrimental) is pretty lost on me. My initial reaction is always 'Please don't change who I am', but then I realize that's not really what they're supposed to be doing, I guess.

[Ostrinski]

They make you very numb. I've been on anti-d's for four years now. It's really hard to explain really. I've never been happy in four years and I am occasionally miserable but for the most part it's pretty stagnant just being content.

Many people call it flatlining or something.

[Ostrinski]

Also, physical withdrawal from anti depressants is the worst. You get heat flashes, dizziness, headaches, and worst of all, a very intense pulsing or shocking feeling every time you move your eyes.

[Art Vandelay]

I stopped taking mine and in retrospect going on them was a horrible fucking decision. Two days after I stopped taking them I felt like I was awake for the first time in months. They numb you the fuck out that's for sure. They made me tired all day long, I had to have a nap every single day. I would wake up after 8 full hours of sleep, if not more, and an hour after waking I'd start yawing. I got erectile dysfunction, so I couldn't even enjoy sex with my girlfriend (you have depression and the pills that are supposed to help, make you incapable of doing one of the only activities you can always enjoy). I could really go on and on, but bottom line is that pills don't cure depression and I think it is a much better plan of action to seek non chemically invasive solutions to mental health problems.

[Landsharks eat metal]

I don't know. Mine seem to have no effect whatsoever, so I guess they don't work, but my psychiatrist still makes me take them for whatever reason even though I've told him several times they don't work, but he says a lot of his patients on the autism spectrum don't seem to respond to medication (which still isn't a reason to make me take unnecessary medication, plus I've tried to find some verification of his statements but have not been particularly successful.)

Keep in mind, this is the same stupid fucker who tried to tell me that Jesus would solve my problems, so...

[prolcon]

Speaking as a dysthymic, antidepressants help you feel "tighter," and that's really all I could describe it as. I've never had a serious problem with sexual dysfunction, but I get that antidepressants can make you feel a little funny, especially early in the morning when you take them. That said, I personally feel like my medication has done a world of good for me. I saw a psychologist for a while, but I really felt like I got more accomplished through chemical therapy.

I find that it helps to mindfully make the decision to be more social, though. I'd say, really, that my only want in life is a friend.

[Art Vandelay]

I honestly forgot to even mention that my anti-depressants made me ten times for suicidal and only began cutting when I was on them too. Ultimately those clearly weren't the right anti-depressants for me, but the whole experience soured my opinion on them. I'm also not interested in being some fucking doctor's lab rat as he pumps me full of 4 different pills over the next year, unsure if any of them will even have a positive effect.

[Lev Bronsteinovich]

i agree, it's new age nonsense.

one of the worst things is how mollycoddled you are: anxiety isn't anxiety but 'worrying', depression isn't depression but 'feeling low'.
Words that could only be written by someone that has not experienced high end clinical anxiety or depression. I am a psychologist -- I work with many people suffering with mood or anxiety disorders.

Antidepressants include many different drugs with different actions in the brain. Most make more serotonin available -- some do more with Norepinephrine others have an impact on dopamine. They all have side effects and some people have very bad responses to certain anti-depressants. Good therapy is generally as or more effective. CBT is not New Age anything. But I'm not a big fan.

[ed miliband]

Words that could only be written by someone that has not experienced high end clinical anxiety or depression. I am a psychologist -- I work with many people suffering with mood or anxiety disorders.


what is that meant to mean? i feigned depression and anxiety enough in my early teens to know what i have experienced for the past two to three years is all too real, and i don't think you have any right to make any judgements regarding that. further, and with all due respect, psychologist or not, i don't think you can decide something like that based on flippant remarks made on an internet forum.

regardless, i tried out cbt and i found it helped me very little. perhaps it was my therapist, but yes - i did find it new-agey, wishy-washy and quite patronising. and i've spoken to many other people - online and in real life - who feel much the same about it. it's alright at getting you to think about the way you feel and certain modes of behaviour that may effect those feelings, but in terms of making changes to these patterns of behaviour i did not find it useful at all.

when i expressed this to my doctor yesterday he certainly didn't think i was faking anything, which seems to be the implication of your post.

[maskerade]

i have never taken them myself, but my mother took them when i was younger. it essentially turned her into a zombie, but she claims that it helped her during that time. she doesn't take them anymore. i guess it depends. i'd say they help a lot of people, but for others taking those pills becomes more like putting yourself in a mental cage.

[Ostrinski]

AH yes, good to point that out 9mm. I have no or close to no libido since taking them. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing but supposedly young people are supposed to really enjoy sex, but I've never had it, haven't really had the desire to. And I don't see myself going off these things anytime soon so I can't help but wonder if I'm throwing my sexual prime away.

[Lev Bronsteinovich]

what is that meant to mean? i feigned depression and anxiety enough in my early teens to know what i have experienced for the past two to three years is all too real, and i don't think you have any right to make any judgements regarding that. further, and with all due respect, psychologist or not, i don't think you can decide something like that based on flippant remarks made on an internet forum.

regardless, i tried out cbt and i found it helped me very little. perhaps it was my therapist, but yes - i did find it new-agey, wishy-washy and quite patronising. and i've spoken to many other people - online and in real life - who feel much the same about it. it's alright at getting you to think about the way you feel and certain modes of behaviour that may effect those feelings, but in terms of making changes to these patterns of behaviour i did not find it useful at all.

when i expressed this to my doctor yesterday he certainly didn't think i was faking anything, which seems to be the implication of your post.
Comrade, I apologize. I thought you were making light of people's suffering from depression and anxiety. I misunderstood. As for CBT, it has helped many people, but I think has severe limitations and like any treatment, does not by any means help everyone. Good luck to you in finding your way to felling better.

[ed miliband]

no hard feelings :)

[Sea]

I was prescribed Geodon (anti-psych) and generic Zoloft (sertraline, anti-depressants). The Anti-Psychs took my soul, the Anti-depressants took my Spice. That's all I can describe it as. (Not to mention I gained weight)
Everything was so boring. I stopped taking them. Still trying to figure it out.
This. So much. When I was on risperidone, I was so dysphoric I thought I was gonna go crazy.

Those things should be used as an enhanced interrogation technique, not as medicine for the public.

[GoddessCleoLover]

Risperidone is a powerful anti-psychotic medication and IMO it is overprescribed.

[Goblin]

I started taking antidepressants about five months ago for my anxiety and depression, and they seem to be working well. My social anxiety is pretty much gone (i still have some trouble talking to people, but thats just because im shy) and im not as depressed as i used to be, though i still feel kinda down.

[Ostrinski]

This is the one I take. I was prescribed it when I was diagnosed with MDD.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effexor

[Os Cangaceiros]

I've never taken anti-depressants. I've taken anti-anxiety medication before, though (benzodiazapines). I liked that drug a little too much. I liked how it would make my mind go blank and I could cheerfully whistle through any situation, it's awesome.

But I don't take anything like that anymore. It's probably better to deal with light-to-moderate stress in a non-habit forming way I suppose.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

As for CBT, it has helped many people, but I think has severe limitations and like any treatment

The recent popularity of CBT is a fad. Critical evaluations of the result made regarding the municipal healthcare around here shewed that overall the results were just slightly worse in general outcome from more conventional therapy. It's general fundamentals are preposterous and unfounded. Every time I see one of those psychologist pricks go on about how it is "excessively negative world view" and "inability to appreciate good things" - it's universally patronising and a self-satisfied rejection of others experience, which is something they have in common with the "drug everything and don't care about anything else"-type psychiatrists.


AH yes, good to point that out 9mm. I have no or close to no libido since taking them. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing but supposedly young people are supposed to really enjoy sex, but I've never had it, haven't really had the desire to. And I don't see myself going off these things anytime soon so I can't help but wonder if I'm throwing my sexual prime away.

Although when I initially started taking them (I also initially took effexor, now I take a similar one called Venlaflaxin, a generic replica) I had some effects such as less frequent excitement (not to say it was a negative - after all, just a it less masturbation:lol:), but I can't say I do that any more, though I quite wish the effect was still present sometimes. But then again, the thought of engaging in sex with another person always reviled me to no end and this sexual enjoyment stuff always struck me as silly and more as a chore you do to quell the pestering erection of that abominable prick (double meaning quite intentional).

The most troublesome aspect for me, I think, is how it makes writing much more difficult. I am unable to write much, and will sit and stare at the empty space before me, and it feels like a huge wall right in-front of me, like an emotional Berlin wall, so to say; and when, for a while I went without taking them, I managed much to my own surprise to finish a whole 50,000 words in a single month, a feat impossible to match when on the medication.

I would like to stop them, but there is no way. My thoughts simply get too bad when I don't, and I'm struck by this deeply unsettling feeling of generalised dread and a soul-wrenching fear. I'm depressed enough when I do take them. :mellow:

[Lev Bronsteinovich]

I honestly forgot to even mention that my anti-depressants made me ten times for suicidal and only began cutting when I was on them too. Ultimately those clearly weren't the right anti-depressants for me, but the whole experience soured my opinion on them. I'm also not interested in being some fucking doctor's lab rat as he pumps me full of 4 different pills over the next year, unsure if any of them will even have a positive effect.
Well, that's the deal with psychotropic meds, no one can tell the precise effect it will have on a given individual. So you have to try them. No one will require that you take them, but if you are feeling horrible it might be worth a try. A good psychopharmacologist has the best shot of getting it right to begin with.

Psychotherapy can be very helpful -- it costs more but has fewer side effects. There a MANY different schools of psychotherapy -- best to find a therapist that you like and that works in a way that you are comfortable with. Also, regular meals, sleep and exercise can help a great deal.

[Lev Bronsteinovich]

I was just speaking with a colleague about CBT. Part of the reason it is viewed favorably is that it has, by far, the largest body or research in comparison to other psychotherapy methods. In terms of the research I am familiar with, it is really no better than psychodynamic psychotherapy for most problems. In my experience, it does very little for smarter, psychologically sophisticated patients. That being said, it has helped many and should not be dismissed.

Besides, psychotherapy research kind of sucks. There are too many variables to really understand what is going on.

[GoddessCleoLover]

I was just speaking with a colleague about CBT. Part of the reason it is viewed favorably is that it has, by far, the largest body or research in comparison to other psychotherapy methods. In terms of the research I am familiar with, it is really no better than psychodynamic psychotherapy for most problems. In my experience, it does very little for smarter, psychologically sophisticated patients. That being said, it has helped many and should not be dismissed.

Besides, psychotherapy research kind of sucks. There are too many variables to really understand what is going on.

My experience is that CBT in the hands of an empathetic therapist can be useful. In the hands of a less empathetic therapist it can be preachy and useless.

[Let's Get Free]

Similar to this

jKxRCR7-fMA

[Dominicana_1965]

When I took anti-anxiety pills a long time ago I really hated it. It really fucked with my emotions..like one second I was happy the next I was extremely mad..it just makes your emotions completely confusing.

[GoddessCleoLover]

When I took anti-anxiety pills a long time ago I really hated it. It really fucked with my emotions..like one second I was happy the next I was extremely mad..it just makes your emotions completely confusing.

Were the anti-anxiety meds in questions benzodiazapines like xanax, ativan etcetera?

[Dominicana_1965]

Were the anti-anxiety meds in questions benzodiazapines like xanax, ativan etcetera?

It was like over 4 years ago but I think what I was taking was "buspar" and clonazepam..

At times they even made me completely lacking in emotions..its weird..I don't really know how to explain it.
I also had suicidal thoughts but it wasn't because of depression but because the medication just made me feel "idle" or meh.

[Ostrinski]

Until recently I took buspirone to supplement by effexor prescription, low dosage though. Didn't really affect me at all so I quit taking it.

[GoddessCleoLover]

It was like over 4 years ago but I think what I was taking was "buspar" and clonazepam..

At times they even made me completely lacking in emotions..its weird..I don't really know how to explain it.
I also had suicidal thoughts but it wasn't because of depression but because the medication just made me feel "idle" or meh.

My experience is that psych meds tend to "flatten" out emotions. That can be beneficial in the short run, but there are better alternatives in the long run.

[prolcon]

I'm perfectly miserable if I don't take my medication regularly. It's hard to say, but I doubt this signals some kind of dependency on these drugs. I figure, when I forget to take them, I feel much the same as a I did before I began taking them: miserable.

[GoddessCleoLover]

Other than benzos dependency does not seem to be a problem. I basically trust the docs and therapists, IMO they are doing their best to help. Mood disorders are tough to deal with.

[soso17]

Okay, just have to throw my two cents in...

As someone living with bipolar disorder, medication has helped me have a healthy, productive life. When I am completely unmedicated, I run the risk of extreme depression, suicidal thoughts, crippling anxiety and pretty much dropping out of life. On the other end of the spectrum, if I have a manic episode, I end up completely out of control...irrational, risk-taking, disappearing for a few days at a time...in other words, a very dangerous situation indeed.

After several years of trying different medications and doses (as someone said above, these medications affect everyone differently), my doctor and I have found the combination that keeps me balanced while minimizing side effects (some drugs cause more than others, and since there are so many options now, they can usually find something that works for the patient). I work a full-time job, have a happy marriage, good family relationships, and other things that I would not be able to maintain were I not properly medicated.

That being said...there is A LOT of overdiagnosis/overmedication going on in the US right now (and possibly elsewhere, IDK). I've seen parents of rowdy teenagers try to use meds to control them, to the detriment of the child. I've seen adults go to doctor after doctor until they find one willing to medicate them out of reality. I've seen people using their diagnosis as an excuse for complete inaction in one's life. As someone who knows how awful it is living with mental illness, these situations piss me off as much as, or more than, anyone else who sees all this misuse of valid treatments going on.

I think that we all need to recognize how young the field of psychiatry is, and that researchers/doctors are still grappling in the dark with much of it. The human mind is, for the most part, a giant mystery that we will not soon solve (if ever), but any advances that might help people have life worth living are a positive, IMO.

--soso

[Lev Bronsteinovich]

Comrades, all of these medicines have drawbacks. It is up to patient and doctor to determine the cost/benefit balance. Buspar, in my experience often has little effect. As for becoming chemically dependent, the benzos (klonopin, xanax, ativan and their generic equivs) are quite addictive. This does not mean they are particularly harmful. But it does mean that if you are taking a decent dose of it daily, you must be tapered off by a doctor or you risk VERY SERIOUS complications including psychosis, seizures and death. That being said these are fairly benign meds that are quite effective in reducing anxiety. Of the anti-depressant meds, effexor is one of the hardest to get off of -- mostly you might feel really crappy, but usually no dangerous complications. People report rebound issues with Paxil and most of the other SSRIs, some of the time.

But, as I said earlier, individuals have widely divergent responses to psychotropic meds. A small percentage of people have very negative reactions to certain SSRIs, zoloft for example. They become much more depressed, or anxious or even suicidal when they take these meds. A different SSRI, might very well work nicely for them. It really helps to have a decent psychiatrist to help one navigate these waters.

I should also add that I am not a psychiatrist and any psychopharm decisions should be made in consultation with a physician. But if your doctor does not listen to you, try to find a new one. There are a lot of whack job psychiatrists out there.

[piet11111]

They make you very numb. I've been on anti-d's for four years now. It's really hard to explain really. I've never been happy in four years and I am occasionally miserable but for the most part it's pretty stagnant just being content.

Many people call it flatlining or something.

That sums up my experience with Effexor and paroxetine.
The last one made me lose a lot of memory's i have almost nothing left from before i was 18 or so but thats the good thing about those pills.

I lost my ability to concentrate to the point where reading a page in a book would mean that by the end of it i forgot how the page started.
That is why i decided to quit after discussing with the shrink.

I havent been on AD's since 8 or so years but i find my ability to concentrate is only slowly returning.

But if i had to say what helped me most i would have to say not going back to school after all that crap i went through.

[Regicollis]

I'm on zoloft and the only side effects I have experienced is a little dizzyness for a day or two when I started taking them. They don't work miracles but they take the top off my social anxiety and depression. I would rather like to get some real therapy by a psychiatrist or psychologist but there is several years of waiting list to get a psychiatrist and you have to pay yourself to go to a psychologist.

I don't like the idea of doctors handing out antidepressants right and left. From a medical perspective the current practice doesn't make much sense. The patients would benefit more from having therapy combined with medication. Unfortunately the pills are all the system can offer at the moment.

The politicians only want to improve conditions for "proper" diseases like cancer. Diseases that fit the auto mechanic model of medicine: you find the faulty part, replace or repair it and things are back to normal. The psychiatric field has been starved off resources for decades since there are no votes in improving it.

[Aurora]

I took anti-depressants when i had problems with major depression and anxiety with periods of derealization and moments of depersonalization, overall i'd say they made me feel nothing at all or flat emotionally which was a big improvement at particularly bad times. Coming off them i had 'brain zaps' these quick but intense headaches they really make you want to start taking them again but they tapered off eventually.

I think they are probably best used for short periods of time, they give you a bit more of an ability to try and deal with the problems that are making you fucked up rather than actually solving them.

I did CBT for awhile as well and it was a mixed bag, psychotherapy is proven to be useful but i think this has more to do with actually being able to open up and talk to someone freely rather than recording your 'negative thought patterns' or whatever, certainly this was my experience, this would also explain why different psychotherapies are shown to have about the same efficacy.


[on CBT]In my experience, it does very little for smarter, psychologically sophisticated patients.
Could you elaborate on this?

[Lev Bronsteinovich]

I took anti-depressants when i had problems with major depression and anxiety with periods of derealization and moments of depersonalization, overall i'd say they made me feel nothing at all or flat emotionally which was a big improvement at particularly bad times. Coming off them i had 'brain zaps' these quick but intense headaches they really make you want to start taking them again but they tapered off eventually.

I think they are probably best used for short periods of time, they give you a bit more of an ability to try and deal with the problems that are making you fucked up rather than actually solving them.

I did CBT for awhile as well and it was a mixed bag, psychotherapy is proven to be useful but i think this has more to do with actually being able to open up and talk to someone freely rather than recording your 'negative thought patterns' or whatever, certainly this was my experience, this would also explain why different psychotherapies are shown to have about the same efficacy.


Could you elaborate on this?
Sure. Cognitive therapy generally focuses on negative and often unconscious thought patterns -- often where a person believes that something problematic is catastrophic. They use the influence that cognition has on affect (emotion). Now this can be extremely helpful. But the influence is bi-directional. Affect exerts a powerful influence on cognition -- often, I believe, you need to work more directly with the emotions themselves. Often this is done through the healing relationship between therapist and client. Also, I think CBT does not focus on the human growth side of therapy.

[Quail]

I've tried citalopram, escitalopram and venlafaxine. They helped a little, but IMO the side-effects were worse than the anxiety they were prescribed to treat. They made me feel lifeless, uncreative, zombie-like. I was sleepy and forgetful. I still had panic attacks, just less often.

On a related note I've also had valium for anxiety, to use kind of only when I really need it, which I did find pretty useful. It was most useful just because I knew I had a back-up plan; if I started to get uncontrollably anxious I could just take a pill and feel better. Knowing that often helped me to calm down without even needing the pill.

Generally, I think that talking therapies are probably more helpful than medication. Medication only masks the problem, and should only really be taken to make things bearable enough to focus on some kind of therapy.

[Comrade #138672]

Well, I'm getting a low dosage and it's not so horrific as some people make it sound. However, you should still use them with caution and preferably not at all. They don't cure a depression directly by the way. They only make it easier for you to fight it.

Also, I'm pretty sure many depressions are caused by the effects of Capitalism on society. For example, stress related depressions...

[blake 3:17]

Well, I'm getting a low dosage and it's not so horrific as some people make it sound. However, you should still use them with caution and preferably not at all. They don't cure a depression directly by the way. They only make it easier for you to fight it.

Also, I'm pretty sure many depressions are caused by the effects of Capitalism on society. For example, stress related depressions...

Stress, isolation, unemployment, light & noise pollution, work where you don't use your body...

Depressions are brought on by many many things.

I've had terrible luck with them. The only that worked for me was taken off the market. I've suffered terrible hallucinations from the SSRIs.

For some people they are life savers.

[Sentinel]

I've tried citalopram, escitalopram and venlafaxine. They helped a little, but IMO the side-effects were worse than the anxiety they were prescribed to treat. They made me feel lifeless, uncreative, zombie-like. I was sleepy and forgetful. I still had panic attacks, just less often.

I've only tried the first one, but that one I used for years. Although it initially was effective against the panic attacks I was suffering from during that time, after a while I started suffering from side effects similar to those you describe.

So my experience leads me to give the following advice to anyone considering using SSRI: use them if you have to, until you feel better - but try to get off them afterwards to avoid possible severe, long lasting side effects.

[GoddessCleoLover]

Sure. Cognitive therapy generally focuses on negative and often unconscious thought patterns -- often where a person believes that something problematic is catastrophic. They use the influence that cognition has on affect (emotion). Now this can be extremely helpful. But the influence is bi-directional. Affect exerts a powerful influence on cognition -- often, I believe, you need to work more directly with the emotions themselves. Often this is done through the healing relationship between therapist and client. Also, I think CBT does not focus on the human growth side of therapy.

This. Spot on.

[Rottenfruit]

i'm not planning on going on them any time soon, just interested.

i've heard so many horror stories about them that it amazes me they're used in the treatment of depression and anxiety at all.

they can save your life (from suicide) like they did in my case.

Yes anti derepasnt have side effects but they have gotten alot better last 30 years, prozac was a breaktrough because it replaced maoi, whatever you read about prozac the shit that maoi anti depresents did to people was 100 times worse. Thankfully you were not live in the 50´s when the most advanced anti derepsents were higly toxic medication like hydrazine and lithium.

[Il Medico]

I took an anti-depressant for a while. Never saw any ill effects. I wasn't taking them for depression or anything though, they were for chronic headaches I've had for pretty much ever. Worked alright too.

[ed miliband]

update: i've been prescribed citalopram, which i was meant to start taking today but i've been out with friends / drinking so i put it off for today. seeing some people today so i'm going to start taking it on sunday; mixed feelings, but i reckon it's worth a try.

[Art Vandelay]

update: i've been prescribed citalopram, which i was meant to start taking today but i've been out with friends / drinking so i put it off for today. seeing some people today so i'm going to start taking it on sunday; mixed feelings, but i reckon it's worth a try.

Good luck. I hope it helps with whatever you're dealing with.

[ed miliband]

cheers mate.

[blake 3:17]

update: i've been prescribed citalopram, which i was meant to start taking today but i've been out with friends / drinking so i put it off for today. seeing some people today so i'm going to start taking it on sunday; mixed feelings, but i reckon it's worth a try.

Take good care. These meds work wonders for some people, and sometimes mess people up. There's often a temptation if they're kinda but not really working to up the dosage. That works for some people, but sometimes less is more.

Good call on not mixing it with booze. & get some exercise if you can! Works wonders!

[Os Cangaceiros]

I thought that Thorazine was used more for treating schizophrenia...