Help with anti-depressants

[mark115]

Anti-depressants are a mixed bag. There is no such thing as an anti-depressent that works well without some work on the causes of the depression. If your depression is situational in origin and not chemical in origin taking them may help short term, but, this needs to be looked at very carefully. As has been said by others many of them have negative side effects with regards to your love life. The few which have positive side effects do not have them in all patients treated with them.

In the year 2001 I was faced with a great deal of stress and this of course brought on depression. I was given and tried a handfull of different anti-depressants and none of them did anything other than mask symptoms. I still was depressed, the difference on the medications is I didn't much care and that was wrong too at least for me.

I had a very good MD at the time. He did some other blood work and found that I had wound myself up so badly and had done other things via stress to my body. His treatment for me was 8 weeks on mild testosterone therapy because I had killed the production from stress, and 8 injections of human growth hormone. In three days my depression was GONE. I started feeling good and I really started getting things done especially with regards to a bunch of paperwork I had to deal with as a result of the death of my Mother. It is nearly 10 years later and a borderline T level then has continued to descend, this time I will probably be on replacement for the rest of my life, but, the difference it made in me was nearly immediate. Then I used injections, the MD is considering it and next time it will be a transdermal creme.

Get your T and estrogen balance checked and also look at your prolactin levels. All three of these can have effects on depression and or cause it if they are not where they are supposed to be.

thanks. i'll have it checked. btw, how do they test it?

 

[mark115]

I want to repeat for emphasis what a few people have said above: you can't do anti-depressants without a doctor.

Anti-depressants require a prescription. That is for a good reason. Different people react differently to different drugs and you may not need drugs at all. If it is a mild depression a doctor may start you out on a change of diet, routine and exercise. Or be able to direct you towards some good counselling. Or you might need drugs and a doctor will need to supervise that with you.

As for addiction, Principessa is right - there is a world of difference between having a drug help you feel better and addiction. As someone once put it to me, "I'm not addicted, I'd just have a lower quality of life without them".

Go to your GP and tell him/her what you told us.

If you really don't want to go to a doctor then are still some things you can look at yourself:

• When did you start 'feeling crappy' and was there a specific event or series of events that occurred at the outset of this 'feeling crappy'? (i.e. what has changed in your life, if anything?)
• Lethargy can be an issue. Do you get much exercise in a day? If not have you time to add some in? Something you enjoy - not forcing yourself to go down the gym if you hate that. I'm a stroll in the park kind of person. You might be a swimmer or runner or tennis player, etc..
• Routine can be an issue. Are you doing the same ol', same ol' day in and day out? Can you add something new in your life to give you more variety? A new hobby, a weekly trip to the cinema if you like that, an evening class, a book club, whatever, as long as you can enjoy it.
• Look at your diet too. Cut out things like caffeine, eggs and dairy and dramatically reduce wheat products. See how you feel. Then slowly reintroduce them one by one, a week at a time. See how you feel. The foods I mention there are more specific to diagnosing a migraine cause but they are among the chief offenders of foods than people do not realise are having an adverse effect on them.

If you are depressed those above steps may do absolutely nothing for you. I'm not suggesting that all depression can be cured by stopping to smell the flowers and drinking less coffee. It can't. But if you don't want to go to a doctor yet it is worth taking a month to try it - and then, if you do go to a doctor, you can tell him/her that you've done all that.

Best of luck with feeling better.

yes, i think i'm going to see a doctor.
to answer your questions:
* i can't really remember when I started feeling crappy. i think it started slowly when i just feel sad at times. then now i think it's gradually getting worse.
* maybe lack of exercise is also a factor. over the last year, i graduated from college and my routine changed. i used to go to the gym 3-4 times a week then play football on saturdays. but ever since i graduated and got a job, i barely have time to work out and play football.
* i also thought that routine is a factor since i'm all consumed by my work so i resigned two weeks ago. but it didn't help. i still feel crappy.
* as of my diet, i quit drinking coffee recently and i try to avoid food that causes migraine as i always have migraines when i was a child. I still follow what my doctor back then told me to avoid.

i'm really considering going to a doctor but maybe try to change some things before i consult one. i really hope something will work to help me get over this.

 

[798686]

Sorry to tell you this but I went to a Psychiatrist not too long ago & told him I was on antidepressants when I was a kid & they didn't kelp much, he said it's because antidepressants don't actually work.

(My Dad's a Psychologist, and says they do work, lol.)

Good luck btw, Mark.
Speakin to the Doc and changing a few things both sound like good ideas. Getting a bit more daylight and exercise should help - as long as you do what you feel you can manage and take it one step at a time.

 

[SpeedoMike]

antidepressants are best used for clinical depression which is caused by a medical condition. situational depression is caused by "things" going around you and is usually short term.

a psychiatrist treats medical problems which cause depression. he best starts by doing a workup to see if the depression is a symptom of a medical condition. Meds are one alternative of treatment. there is no single magic antidepressant pill which cures everybody. in fact, the doctor may need to try several different meds at several dosages before finding the best one.

be open with the doctor. give him a chance to treat you; those meds don't work in a day or two and can require a month or two to determine if they help. before you start bitching and yelling at the doctor for not curing you overnight, fully discuss how the treatment plan is or is not working. find another doctor only if you reach an impasse.

BTW, there is a small percentage of patients who do not react positively to treatment. You may be one of them... I am.

ask your doctor if he recommends therapy or counselling.

 

[deleted356736]

(My Dad's a Psychologist, and says they do work, lol.)

There was a recent large-scale controlled double-blind study using a range of anti-depressants and placebos, and the result was that anti-depressants don't work.

I'm a psychologist too.

 

[FuzzyKen]

The biggest problem is that many MD's are very quick to get out the Rx pad on these drugs. The cause of the depression has to be assessed and defined before they are Rx'd if they are used properly. They must be given for the right cause of the condition because they are not equally effective against ALL forms of depression. In fact, there are now some anti-depressent drugs made to be taken with other anti-depressants that can be extremely dangerous.

I have a Niece that takes this stuff like candy. The girl has been on anti-depressants for over 10 years and no surprise she is still depressed. Her depression is such that she cannot hold a job and from long term usage she is now at age 26 starting to show evidence of some memory loss.

The girl has problems and these need to be addressed. What the treating shrinks have been doing with her for the past gazillion years as hand her a new Rx and say "See ya next week". Hey this gives them a lifetime income.

- - - - - - -

With regards to hormone profiles these are done as simple blood draws. If you do this, do not let them get away with a simple "serum testostrerone" That is only part of an answer and is not necessarily accurate. A second test is what is called the "free floating" testosterone test and this one tells what is available for biological use. If the estrogen level is at all above normal, a "dude" gets depressed and "weepy" for lack of a better term. You can be elevated without developing female secondary sex characteristics. It does not take a great deal to make mood changes. The final test to look for is an elevated level of the hormone prolactin. If this one is high it also has the ability to "upset the apple cart".

 

[798686]

There was a recent large-scale controlled double-blind study using a range of anti-depressants and placebos, and the result was that anti-depressants don't work.

I'm a psychologist too.

Maybe the thought of taking them has helped ppl then?
From my own experience, and others I've spoken to, I'd say they do work - but it's just my opinion.

What results have you had generally when treating ppl with anti-depressants?

 

[deleted356736]

Maybe the thought of taking them has helped ppl then?
From my own experience, and others I've spoken to, I'd say they do work - but it's just my opinion.

What results have you had generally when treating ppl with anti-depressants?

It's thought that the combination of the thought of taking them, and talking through issues with a doctor when getting a prescription is what makes anti-depressants work.

I'm not a clinical psychologist, so I don't treat people. But the psychology I studied does give me a good insight as to what goes on in the mind, and also how to determine a good psyschological study from a poor study.

 

[kerby280]

Hi! it's been a long time since I posted a thread here. In the last few months, i've been dealing with what i think is depression. It's not really very severe but there are times that i'll just feel very crappy. i also started having difficulty in sleeping because i'm always thinking about things that make me feel crappy. so now, i'm considering taking anti-depressants. i don't know much about them but i don't think i'm ready to go to a shrink to ask about them. are there anti-depressants that doesn't need prescription from a doctor? and is it ok to take them because i'm worried i might get addicted to them?

try taking 5-htp, its an over the counter mood stabilizers, i took them for about 2 months before i started taking antidepressants. its a synthesized version of tryptophan(yes the stuff in turkey that makes you sleepy), and it works fairly well if taken before bed as it makes you drowzy. newer antidepressants (SSRI's) are actually stimulaters, they're taken in the morning, so expect to have some restless nights still even if you talk to your doc about being put on antidepressants.:redface: good luck!!

 

[helgaleena]

I am a person who struggled since childhood with undiagnosed depression that led to suicidal episodes at its worst after which I had to try for years to find the correct antidepressant to live with. Now I am slowly decreasing my dosage but not going without it.

If you had migraines as a child you are probably rather sensitive to substances and medications, so it might be a good idea to try OTC before prescriptions. St. Johns wort is an herbal remedy which does not linger in the body and it helped some of my friends. It does not mix with what I take myself though.

Fish oil capsules were recommended for some of my relatives by doctors and a happy side effect of that nutrition is said to be mood brightening, much like light treatments for S.A.D. the seasonal depression. I take them too now and feel more energetic and less like overeating.

 

[clav2]

I'm on 10mg of paroxotine daily, specifically to deal with PE, and it works just fine. Any more than that and I become anorgasmic. I find it also helps me tame my road rage.

 

[oral7454]

Have been on Paxil for 15yrs. have been weening myself off for a long time. Hated the side effects espically sexual couldn't have orgasam, then no erection. Know that my depression will force me back on some type of medication. Wellbutrin sounds like it might be what I would prefer. Thanks!

 

[ZOS23xy]

I had serious depression from dealing with my father's death. The zoloft had a few side effects: one was, for a period, unable to ejaculate. The other side was, when I could orgasm, it was very intense to the point of pain (after a while, I got to like it)...

...got off the drug. It did help. There were times I couldn't get out of bed, and lost time from work and money. My wife and son were concerned by my withdrawing from everything.

 

[ZOS23xy]

I am a person who struggled since childhood with undiagnosed depression that led to suicidal episodes at its worst after which I had to try for years to find the correct antidepressant to live with. Now I am slowly decreasing my dosage but not going without it.

If you had migraines as a child you are probably rather sensitive to substances and medications, so it might be a good idea to try OTC before prescriptions. St. Johns wort is an herbal remedy which does not linger in the body and it helped some of my friends. It does not mix with what I take myself though.

Fish oil capsules were recommended for some of my relatives by doctors and a happy side effect of that nutrition is said to be mood brightening, much like light treatments for S.A.D. the seasonal depression. I take them too now and feel more energetic and less like overeating.

There's also rhodiola, which is exceptional in some case of a mild "down".

 

[BIGBULL29]

To OP: Xanax is not an anti-depressant, but rather a benzodiazapine (used mainly for panic attacks and high anxiety)

 

[Not_Punny]

A really good book that is easy to read (and which gives a bigger understanding of the various medications and what they can do) is Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Dr. Daniel Amen.

The brain is a very complex organism, and you need a COMPLETE diagnosis, not just a hastily-written prescription.

Reading this book (or listening to it on CD while you drive) will give you the information you need to find the right doctor and the right prescription.

 

[naturistMale]

mark115
i'm going way out on a limb here. there are plenty of very good suggestions above.
all i want to say, 2 things
have your sugar checked
and rule out ADD
"feeling very crappy" can be depression and it could be other things too.
i hope you can find out what's wrong and fix it.
Cheers Mate

 

[Smoldering]

This thread contains some very wise and very accurate advice.

See a doctor and don't try to do this yourself.

 

[ZOS23xy]

Some people also get depression during the winter season.

 

[deleted15807]

Some people also get depression during the winter season.

That's called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). There's a lot of good stuff on the web about it.