my physciatrist is trying to get me to say yes to...?

Question

anti-depressants will these hurt me? If i take them can i go off them whenever i want?

Answer 1

Try the recommended medicine and dosage, but trust your body and your feelings. After ten years of lithium intake, my kidneys began to malfunction, causing weight gain of 40 pounds and painful swelling of the ankles.

Prozac made the attainment of orgasms nearly impossible. Depakote caused immediate ankle swelling. An ER doctor said that I should never take the stuff again. Remeron made it very difficult to arise in the morning. While I took Remeron a mental health staff member berated me because I lacked energy.

Many physicians will resist any changes in their medication plan. They may treat you with some derision, or apply pressure from colleagues. You will have to assert yourself. One doctor prescribed lithium with a diuretic. I knew from reading Physician's Desk Reference that those two drugs combined would result in higher than normal concentration of lithium in my body. Fortunately, my doctor was not threatened by my awareness.

Be careful about going off of an anti-depressant all of a sudden. Many individuals must taper off gradually to avoid a traumatic withdrawal.

After trying more than 15 different medicines for bipolar illness, I am finally down to 200 mg of Lamictal at bedtime. Before this, I was also taking Wellbutrin daily. After taking Wellbutrin for a long time, it began to act like a sedative. Now that I am off Wellbutrin, I have less difficulty waking up.

I recommend anti-depressants for suicidal ideation or profound depression, but I do not think that they should be used for the long term. With anti-depressants there is always some kind of side effect unless you are one of the lucky ones. My feeling is, that the less medicine you take, the better off you become. If you allow it, some medical "high priests" will transform you into a dizzy and dazed zombie. Doctors tend to over-medicate at first. Remember that doctors are not infallible. Many prescribe specific drugs because the drug companies reward them with cash and other incentives.

Your body is the your best adviser!

This is not an easy process because psychiatry is still a "trial and error" process.

Best wishes to you.

Answer 2

If you do not want to take these then you probably don't need them. I do take medicine but there was no doubt that I had to have something. I wasn't able to function without it. The questions I would ask is if something has happened recently and if it is just situational, then you can be put on a mild anti-depressant until you feel better. If this has been going on for sometime and nothing in particular brought it on, you may need to be on medicine. Are you seeing a counselor? They can help you sort this out to understand what is causing you to feel this way. Most important though, if you do decide to start taking medicine, do not stop without your psychiatrist knowing. You need to be monitored during this time because you can go back down faster than anything. You also may want to look for a different psychiatrist if you don't trust his judgment or he doesn't seem to be listening to your opinions. Best of luck!

Answer 3

your question is actually complicated.

will antidepressants hurt you? depends up one what is prescribed and what side effects are common. ANY medication can hurt you. tylenol in excess can cause liver failure. st. john's wart interferes with oral contraceptives so a woman isn't protected from pregnancy.

herbal alternatives are a possiblity if you aren't severely depressed.

if you are, or if your functioning is affected by the depression, medication is probably the lesser of two evils.

i have been on the same antidepressant for 10 yrs. WITHOUT IT i would NEVER have graduated from medical school, i would NEVER have finished residency, and i would NEVER have had five successful years as an attending psychiatrist.

I BELIEVE in medication, not just because it has helped me, but because it has helped family and it has truly helped my patients.

that said, i also believe very strongly in therapy. (i have been seeing the same therapist for 12 years, once a week). it helps EVERYONE.

if one of my patients is depressed but struggling through life and not interested in meds, i give them the option but assist them with whatever decision they make. if they aren't functioning or are suicidal, i am more forceful about recommending medications.

i believe that medications are just as important for depression as for diabetes. both are biologically based chronic illnesses that can be managed to some extent by behavioral and environmental changes but often require medication to control them well.

FOR YOU: ask your psychiatrist exactly what medication he is suggesting (he/she should actually suggest several options and help you understand the differences between them so you can choose the one best for you). make certain he/she tell you of the side effects as well as what he/she hopes the medication will do for you. if you then feel it would be helpful, go for it!! if you are still skeptical, keep an open mind but wait until you are ready. good luck!

Answer 4

Anti-depressants have some potential side effects, for example, loss of libido is a common one for the SSRI variety.

But if your psychiatrist feels it's necessary, I'd give them a try and see how you feel.

A lot of anti-depressants, you can't just "go off them whenever you want", you need to wean yourself off of them. So yes, while you can make a decision to go off them any time, based on what one you're given, you may have to taper off of it slowly.

Best wishes and hope you feel better soon.

Answer 5

They won't hurt you, but you may have side effects. No, never tamper with the dosages of antidepressants on your own. Your doctor should be giving them because you need them for a specific reason and the doctor will help you get the most benefit from them. You can of couse stop them at some point in life with the doctor's consent. Its not life once you are on them, you will always be on them unless that is what your body needs.

Answer 6

If you are placed in medication then it is important not to stop them cold turkey..that can cause more problems..don't be afraid of taking medication..they doctor will be careful to follow with you and let you know about any side effects..the best thing about this there are many more medications out there to help us and many more choices..you will be very happy to find that medication that will help you get back to happier times and coping easier with life..I wish you the best and a successful future.

Answer 7

if your depressed no they will not hurt but help you it takes about three to four weeks for them to start working and you may need incresed or have a nother durg added to it or even try a whole new drug it is all trial and error but when it is all set the improvment is wonderful as for getting off you should leave that dicission up to the dr you may feel better but without the pills you will just slip back into the hole of depression agin also you could cause your self to go into seiaure if you get off of it to abruply

Answer 8

All drugs have side effects and are bad for you. Thousands of doctors gave millions of people Vioxx yet it is off the market since it was killing people. Before you tale a drug ask the doctor himself to take one first. He will refuse to take it.

See this site for MD advice on how to help depression with diet and lifestyle. People without depression can benefit from this info. Plus read a great inspirational story! Everyone should read this fantastic story. See depression on this site.

http://phifoundation.org/heal.html

Answer 9

Most anti-depressants take at least 4 weeks to get into your system and do their job, However, some are prescribed for other reasons and NO you can't just stop taking most of them without severe withdrawals. Get a second opinion.

Answer 10

If you can help yourself without pills i prefer NOT TO TAKE THEM .. All such drgus ae not healing the diesease they are just syptomatic maintianers .. they are serious to your nervous & Psychatric stability .. although they do help in some ways for a short period of time then you will have to revise the dose then you will get used then addicted .. while you will never feel better untill you come to use your self confidence and faith in GOD to get out of that hell cycle ..