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After at least 2 years of being depressed, and it getting much worse over the last 8 months I finally made an appointment with my doctor to get some help. I've always felt a little down and had low energy. I've had good days and bad days but since moving more then 21k miles from my home state I have steadily been getting much worse. I find that I sleep for 10-12 hour a night, wake up several times a night (3-14), have an increased appetite for sweets (resulting in gaining 10 pounds in 6 months), easily become tired, and no longer have any interest in doing any of the things I used to love. Most of my day is laying around and it takes a huge effort just to get dressed. My sex drive has weakened and I no longer make the effort. Yesterday my husband planned a great day out for the 2 of us doing several things I love, and I was down the whole time. Several times I almost started crying. I'm at a point where I can no longer put on a happy face and pretend that I am "okay". As a teen in High School I was on anti depressants but that lasted only a year. Now that I'm in my 20s I'm ready to go back on. Before I talk to my doctor tomorrow I want to educate myself as much as possible about the different medication options. I was on Prozac 8 years ago, and medicine must have changed since then. I do eat healthy for the most part, take a multi vitamin, and exercise 6 times a week (only 1 hour a day, where before I could stay at the gym for 4 hours because I loved working out). Had blood work done less then a month ago to rule out anything. Everything came back great. Doctor thinks I'm healthy as can be (have not told her that I'm depressed, as I've been hiding it for years).
Paxil did nothing for me, but wiped out my sex drive.
Zoloft did nothing for me.
Prozac didn't help my mood much, and it gave me EPIC dreams. We're talking Ben-Hur style, 3D, full Technicolor. Incredibly vivid and complex and just weird. I woke up every morning exhausted because of these dreams. Going off Prozac was such a relief!! Ugh.
Wellbutrin was prescribed for me because it, supposedly, has less inclination to wipe out your libido and cause weight gain. It helped in the beginning by giving me a bit more mental energy when things got particularly stressful, but after a year or so didn't make a difference at all. This one also had more side effects than the others. If I took my afternoon dose too late in the day, I was unable to fall asleep. The drug also gave me a hand-tremor, a racing heartbeat, and an arrhythmia (that lasted while I was on the med, and then for a period of several months after I quit it.) DO NOT take this drug if you have a history of anorexia, bulimia, or seizures.
Celexa was the last one I was on, for about 8 months total. It was prescribed with the ADD drug Concerta. This cocktail worked very well for me, but that could also have had to do with the fact that I was finally free of an abusive marriage, was living on my own -- meaning, I wasn't constantly under his controlling and critical thumb -- and I was getting some really good work done in therapy.
None of them interfered with my BCPs. None of them made me gain weight -- I gained weight while I was depressed and on these drugs, but that was because I ate crappy food and didn't exercise and drank too much wine. None of them ever made me feel "normal." A few of them provided some mental energy that allowed me to do good work with the therapist or just cope with the day, and the Concerta helped TREMENDOUSLY with mental clarity and memory, which allowed me to function better in my life (ie. at work), and therefore helped me feel healthier and less depressed.
I took Paxil years ago, it was prescribed because was dealing with a serious medical issue at the time and my doctors thought it would help me with anxiety and depression.
It helped a lot!! I always felt like I just had 2 drinks, I was very happy and calm and social. bad side effects were weight gain, 15 pounds within 6 months and sexual side effects, I was only on it for a year.
What has your doctor prescribed? My doctor was adamant that I take Effexor, but I read WAY too many negative reviews so I opted for Wellbutrin. I take the lowest dosage possible.
What were the side effects? I was hoping this drug would help with weight loss, but it hasn't. In fact, I think I've gained 2 or 3 pounds. One of the biggests things I've struggled with pre-meds was lack of motivation. I still have it, severly, but not as bad as before. I actually do things now--not to the extent I want, but I'm making progress. I have severe bouts of depression a few times a month, but 80% of my days are great. I wanted something to combat those awful days, and since taking Wellbutrin, I haven't had any horrible days. My good days aren't as amazing, but at least I'm not a wreck anymore.
How long until you felt "normal"? I never felt off, so I can't really answer this. I was adamantly opposed to taking any kind of drug because I thought I was fine, but some days I knew I needed to be on something short-term.
Sexual Side effects? Nope. All good in that department
And negative reactions with birth control pills? I stopped taking BC a year ago, so I can't say.
Any weight gain? Yes. Food doesn't taste as good to me anymore, which is a great thing, but I still eat just as much.
Zoloft for years worked just fine then I got so apathetic I could hardly funciton. Switched to Cymbalta and felt the best I have in my whole depressed life. But then I got suicidal out of nowhere - and you can't quit cold-turkey, you have to taper down or you might really kill yourself. Back on a low dose of Zoloft as a maintenance dose.
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 04-12-2010 at 10:27 PM..
www.askapatient.com is a good site to see what others say about the medications you want to try. Just type in the medication and you'll see a rating and reviews.
cymbalta - gave me a very uneasy anxiety like feeling...blurred vision, only took one pill for me to say no...felt almost like a "bad trip"
wellbutrin - worked pretty good for a few months, then just stopped working...
zoloft - same as cymbalta
i've been taking provigil for the past week...i'm not 100% sold yet, but it's given me the ability to focus on the task at hand, be it work, family, or whatever...it's a little "speedy" but no too bad. my doctor actually told me to take as needed....if i wake up and feel like a rain cloud is hovering over me, it's a provigil day...
provigil for depression is an "off-label" use, so not all doctor's will be on board...let us know how things go!
I guess I'll be the only one to say fix what's causing it.
If the PCP has any mental health sense you will be referred to the appropriate doctor.
BTW; if you go on the antidepressants they actually don't kick in for about 3 to 4 weeks and many people have some pretty serious side-effects.
I would recommend to try fixing the "cause" without meds as a start with a mental health professional.
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