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That is the dilemma I'm in now. I haven't taken any SSRIs for over ten years, after being on them off and on for a total of probably 5 years. While I have been able to keep a job and otherwise function, virtually every day can be a struggle just to get through.
The worst side effects were having excessive, foul smelling flatus, diarrhea, dry mouth, and a feeling of being wired. Withdrawal, even with a taper was accompanied by the infamous "brain zaps."
The public as always is used as the guinea pig for long-term drug studies. Not to fault the DEA (about this point) because there's no way to tell what effect a drug is going to have several years down the road. It's the way the system works. The drug approval process is itself flawed.
Even though I could definitely stand to have therapy or treatment of some sort, I'm averse to trying any SSRI because of possible dangers. They aren't the panacea we've been told in all those flowery commercials.
I have dysthymia and have been on Celexa, Lexapro, Cymbalta and Lamitrigine that I recall. They worked great for awhile and that was short lived. When they stopped working I became worse that I was before taking them and became suicidal despite not being a "young adult". I've always thought it a little odd that anti-depressants can increase depression and suicidal thoughts in young adults. Seems counter-productive in my opinion.
About 8 months ago I weaned myself off the anti-depressants hoping my natural serotonin would kick in and it seemed that, for a while, I was doing better. I got a part time job, started back to the gym and was feeling almost normal. I didn't have a lot of happy feelings but I was able to get through the day.
Unfortunately for the last few weeks I have been getting worse and worse. I lost three pets in the last few months and the last one just really threw me for a loop. The holidays make it worse. I just want to crawl into bed and stay there but I can't sleep well and the minute I'm awake the anxious thoughts come. I've also been on lorazepam for many, many years taking 3 mg a day during a period in my life when I was having panic attacks. I weaned down to 1 mg a day but now I'm back up to 2 mg because I can't sleep and I feel like I'm on the verge of a panic attack most days. I'm so tired of this struggle; I've been living with this for most of my life.
Unfortunately for the last few weeks I have been getting worse and worse. I lost three pets in the last few months and the last one just really threw me for a loop. The holidays make it worse. I just want to crawl into bed and stay there but I can't sleep well and the minute I'm awake the anxious thoughts come. I've also been on lorazepam for many, many years taking 3 mg a day during a period in my life when I was having panic attacks. I weaned down to 1 mg a day but now I'm back up to 2 mg because I can't sleep and I feel like I'm on the verge of a panic attack most days. I'm so tired of this struggle; I've been living with this for most of my life.
Lorazepam is a serious drug meant for short-term use only, chiluvr. It may be the source and not the relief of your problems. The benzos have a sneaky habit of making us think they are making us better when they are actually setting up a rebound effect for when we quit using them. So then we take them and feel better and again confirm the drug is the solution when the discomfort we have been feeling is actually a long-term withdrawal effect from the drug.
Long time users of this chemical find it nearly impossible to believe this and really struggle to free themselves from the cycle because it takes such a long time to free themselves from the withdrawal effects. They don't interpret them as withdrawal effects but rather proof that they need their prescription drug.
Bad news. But reading your desperation I thought you may want to know. I'd like to get ahold of your doctor and all the other naïve doctors out there who have zero education regarding dependency. Hugs.
I was doing well weaning myself down to 1 mg from 3 by doing it a little bit at a time. I was feeling okay but then things were happening in my life to cause me to have a lot of anxiety, both medically and circumstantial in addition to stopping the anti-depressants. I called our local mental health hospital yesterday and they gave me the name of another psychiatrist. I was really having a hard time yesterday.
It's funny you could read the desperation in my post but rarely can anybody in my family. I guess I just hide it better from them. I'm afraid if they know how bad I am feeling they will roll their eyes and think "there she goes again". They've never done that but I always feel that people will because they don't understand what we go through with depression.
You're among hundreds of thousands who have gotten stuck on the merry-go-round, chiluvr. The story is usually similar and it fits the theme of this thread.
You go for help and a well-meaning, but insufficiently educated, professional prescribes a drug to help that eventually becomes the core problem. You switch doctors and he offers a new "solution." They know the treatment dose but aren't trained to recognize the cycle of despair you're describing or it's root cause.
All the while it never occurs to people in the medical profession that what they are prescribing may be the problem not the solution. It's hardly their fault. The medical profession has a higher rate of misuse of these types of drugs than the general population so they are twice subject to the denial that goes along with dependency.
Side note: I'm not talking about anti-psychotics but rather benzodiazepines and minor tranquilizers. The best people to give you counsel regarding those would be people in the chemical dependency business.
Lodestar - thank you for your post. I have read online recently how difficult it is to get off benzos. There is a whole regimen. Little did I know what I was first prescribed these in 2002 when I started having panic attacks, that I would be on them so long or that they are so addictive. Every time I go below 1 mg I can't sleep at all. I usually only take them an hour before bed. Rarely do I take them during the day.
I went to a local mental health clinic to see about getting anti-depressants and they told me they won't prescribe benzos to anybody anymore. I will make some calls this week.
A lot of psychiatrists are ignorant about these medications. They just basically prescribe something they think might work based on feedback. But unless theyve experienced it themselves they will never truly know whats its like to be on them.
Some of these medications can have real long term side effects that harm the person taking them. At least let the recipient know about them before they take it.
I picked something up called Calms Forte from The Vitamin Shoppe today. It was recommended to me by someone on the forum. It's a natural sleep aid. The bottle claims it "relieves stress to help you sleep". It contains Avena Sativa, chamomilla, and a bunch of other stuff I can't even begin to pronounce.
Now I just need to find out if it is safe to take with lorazepam.
Lodestar - thank you for your post. I have read online recently how difficult it is to get off benzos. There is a whole regimen. Little did I know what I was first prescribed these in 2002 when I started having panic attacks, that I would be on them so long or that they are so addictive. Every time I go below 1 mg I can't sleep at all. I usually only take them an hour before bed. Rarely do I take them during the day.
I went to a local mental health clinic to see about getting anti-depressants and they told me they won't prescribe benzos to anybody anymore. I will make some calls this week.
I don't take what you take but I take xanax (another benzo) for my panic disorder. I was so afraid to take them though. My doctor, bless his heart, didn't even give them to me until he felt we had exhausted so many options and I was at a serious breaking point. It's a low dose and I don't take it daily. I just went a few weeks without it actually and was very excited! But I still really worry about the addiction aspect. I read we get used to the quick fix and we think we need it. I can already see that in myself, even with how little I take it. He monitors my intake closely, we both agree it's not an ideal situation and only temporary. I worry I will never find a way to control these horrible panic attacks
My boss takes xanax just to sleep. His doctor literally gives them to him because he had complained that sometimes he had some issues sleeping. Now he can't sleep without them AT ALL. He's been on a higher dose than me for 7 years..just to sleep. I can't believe how easily some will just hand them out :/
Proof what an abysmal failure almost all psychiatrists are.
When all you have is a hammer in your toolbox, everything is judged as existing as a nail.
So they used electrocution (the gall to call that therapy), or lobotomy, or drugs: ALL harmfully destroy.
None such tortures are used, by the few that do in fact help sufferers gain sound mental health.
Why?
The latter genuinely care about Well-being, so they learn how to skillfully help people gain Emotional health, plus teach how to maintain excellent emotional states of being. Instead of the exception, this should be normal ...
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failure almost all psychiatrists are. 
excellent emotional states of being. Instead of the exception, this should be normal 
...
