Anti-Depressants
 

Recently (within the last two days) I've started taking anti-depressants. I'm taking generic zoloft, and I know I won't feel the actual effects of not being depressed for another month or so and I've only had two pills so far, but it kinda makes me feel sluggish when I take it.

The first day, I took it around 5pm, and it made me waaaay too drowsy to drive, so yesterday I took it around 11pm when I went to bed, now I'm up (10am) and I feel sluggish, like I do the morning after I take nyquil.

I guess I was just wondering if anyone else in cellarland is taking any anti-depressants and had any advice about them for me. I haven't told my family (only my SO) because I don't want them worrying about me any more than they already are.

Quite a few. I'm not on Zoloft, so I'll back out and let people with relevant experience talk first. Then I'll probably share my experience for the record. Just one tip though - the first two weeks are the ones in which any side effects will be worst. Try to stick it out. After that, go back to your Doctor for a review. And if you really feel that they are not right for you within those two weeks, go back and speak to your doctor. That's what they're there for. I managed about 6 days on Prozac and had to have it changed.

Yeah, lots of us.

It'll take patience to get to a good level. Symptoms you feel now may be temporary as you get used to the new chemistry. The thing you have to remember is that help is on its way. It may take time to find the right dosage for you, as this is different for everybody, but there'll come a time, in a month or at most a month and a half, when you suddenly realize there are birds singing, and you see colors in the sky. That place is called "normal".

sky: I just started therapy as well, I've delt with depression my whole life, and don't use medication. Recently though it's begun to have too much of an effect: i.e. I'm not even doing the things that I like to do, or taking care of myself nearly as well as I should be and I've been missing work and time with my family because of it, so medication is necessary.

Also, self-medicating with alcohol if you're already depressed is very bad adivice, lol.

SG: I highly value your opinion, so I'd like to hear what you have to say, even if you're not using the same medication :)

UT: Thanks, that's comforting. I'm just nervous about the whole thing.

If you get jittery or anxious, this is probably temporary.

Consider this family of drugs is a great improvement from the side effects and difficulties caused by the *previous* families of drugs to treat depression. On MAO inhibitors, you couldn't eat cheese, drink wine or take decongestants because it could elevate your blood pressure until you had a stroke!

Millions of people take this family and have seen benefit from it. I know I have. (Wow, I get to play out in a band! I didn't get to do that so much before, I was too socially anxious.)

The docs can help, but you don't get much time with them; once you get past the first three months, it will be up to you to notice how you are, and to find the right level for you. It gets a lot easier.

Another thing to consider...perhaps...once you get accustomed to the prescription and start to feel a little more alive, you might want to consider you diet and activity level....they both have a serious effect on your brain chemistry. Do some reading up on nutrition and maybe start going out for short walks. If you can manage the walks, you will soon discover that they become a form of meditation for you...they are a great tress-reliever.

I'm not in therapy not even self therapy with alcohol.( which was a joke)
Maybe I shoudn't have deleted my prior posts but I am sure I made it clear who is was about.
I didn't think the person I was talking about would want to find that post so I deleted it.

I do think CBT is a good thing however but maybe it dosn't relate to depression?

lol good luck to you

sorry sky, like I said, I'm groggy from the meds so I didn't mean to come off as if I'm attacking you...(I figured you were kidding about the booze.)
Also, I didn't see your second post before it was deleted...and I left my response to you up because you brought up a valid point that I left out of my original post: the fact that I'm also in counseling, and that I also don't want to depend on the meds forever. (Also, didn't really want to get on them in the first place, but I think they're necessary at this point.)

Can you imagine a diabetic saying "I don't want to depend on the meds forever...?"

If this is something you've fought your entire life, then you have a chronic situation. The drugs are awesome.

When I asked my doc about going off, he said "OK, what did you experience when you were off the drugs?" "Panic, anxiety, social phobia." "And you want to return to that why?"

I can speak from the other side of the coin: I went through a course of almost every anxiety and depression medication around in the late 90s and early 2000s. None of them helped. Some of them made things worse. Others did nothing at all.

What ended up working for me was a diet and exercise regimen (along with therapy). A serious one. I've kept it up non-stop for 5-6 years and have been doing great.

Good to hear Perry! Some depression is due to poor diet, exercise, and/or circumstance.

My best friend always tells me that she is depressed and thinks she needs meds. Then I have to point out recent major occurrences in her life that would make her that way. Circumstantial is all. When she keeps up with counseling, I don't get those calls or messages from her.

When she is busy taking care of herself it's totally different. Of course I am convinced that it isn't organic. Just circumstantial. When everything is going ok, she's exercising, and eating right, she seems quite happy.

The last time she mentioned her depression her grandma just died, I'm like, and? Your grandma just died!! Yea. You're depressed, why wouldn't you be? That's normal psychology. Grief and circumstantial depression are sometimes confused for chronic disorders. That's why when I get depressed I let it happen, and don't over-react. It does go away. All that pain means I need to be making some choices about me, my lifestyle, love-life, career, or vices.

It's hard to tell your friends, hey, you're depressed because your life is screwed up right now for this or that reason, and a pill is not going to fix it, you are. She isn't always depressed, just depressed when things have to change. I think depression is a natural human condition, and neccessary.

Now I'm not talking about you guys, which is why this is off topic. But I'm glad Perry is taking the baby-steps approach.

Yeah, I did CBT in conjunction with antidepressants.

You may need to experiment to find the right time of day to take it.

I honestly feel that too many doctors and too many patients are too willing to turn to the drugs. Some things to consider are that
A)that the brain function/chemisty isn't fully understood and that using these drugs might cause further problems we can't forsee

B) That this is a guess and check method with the meds, I just don't trust the doctors to not mess me up since they can't really understand the consequences of these medications, especially long-term.

C) That exercise and diet are a big factor for many people in depression, and since that is already a healthy way to live, why not try that safer route?
Anom, I was on zoloft for a bit as well and had the same prob w/ grogginess. I took it long enough for that to go away (1mo I think) but didn't stay on it for much longer. I've recently been talked into a low dosage of lexapro to help me with fatigue, but have quit recently because it wasn't helping and quite frankly, these medications scare me. I actually felt crazier on them, even to a point that I thought I was goin to have to commit myself. A very good friend talked me out of it, and out of the meds. We made a pact, I stay off my crutch, he stays off his.
That being said, you have to make the decision that is best for you. Even if you want to give the meds a good trial, do the exercise, diet (not the "lose weight type of diet" although weight is a contributing factor to depression), and see a counselor. I think stopping the counselor was my biggest mistake, especially since mine didn't want me on the meds. If I were you I would try to work myself off of the drugs, I think they should only be short-term usage. :2cents:

UT some diabeties can be controlled w/o meds. Trying not to be critical though, I think you're comparing apples and oranges. The drugs are not awesome, they can have serious consequences and like I've stated before, are not fully understood. When you were off the drugs, and while you were on them, what else did you do to alleviate your problem? This is probably rude to say, and I think you're awesome no matter what, but your photos show that you are overweight. Do you exercise and diet? Have you tried methods like meditation, yoga, or regular counseling? If you're not willing to share more I understand, I'm just trying to get the full picture.

I had the problem when I was skinny too.
Had it when I was young
Had it when I was in College and played soccer and was in awesome shape
Had it when I moved out to my own place
It was partially caused by exercise in my mid-20s. What a loop that one would be.
Had it after reading many books about how not to have it and trying them
Had it when I got married
Had it when I was miserable
Had it when I was transitioning to middle-age
Found the drugs
Didn't have it again until I went down to 10mg cos I thought maybe I would get off them
Haven't had it since I went to 15mg

Without the drugs I was crawling up into a little foetal ball on my bed instead of going out with friends to concerts.

Without them I was convinced I was dying or permanently disabled.

On them about a decade now, if there is a long-term effect I think it is a normal life.