Depression & Anxiety - Experiences with medication ?

Question

What are you experiences with medication for Depression & Anxiety and which did you find effective ?

I was on Zoloft for about 3 months (100mg) and it made me so tired throughout the day and didn't really do much for my anxiety. I've just come off it and am seeing the doc this week - I was just wanting to hear some personal experiences.

Answer 1

Throw away the medicines, take vitamin B complex, and minerals and zinc. Do running exercises, and do lots of yoga, stand on your head to get blood circulation. Have plenty of sex and drink lots of water and fruit juices. Eat no meat, no coke, sugar, or high stimulant diet. Green tea is good.

Answer 2

When your depression or anxiety starts affecting your life negatively to the point that you can't enjoy things you used to, or you find it has turned into a handicap, then it's time to talk to a doctor. I suggest doing some "talk therapy" in addition to taking medication because many studies have shown that people who do both improve more than people who just do one or the other. I have suffered from fairly severe depression for over half my life, and I cannot even tell you how different my life is now that I'm taking medication for it. During most of my adolescence I had undiagnosed depression, and it crippled me, plain and simple. Once I started taking medication, I found I was more easily able to control my moods (ie. think positive thoughts and actually feel better) and enjoy fun things. All depression medications have side effects, but there are trade-offs to just about everything. I would not say that taking medication has affected my personality, I still feel like me, just a saner, healthier me who can cope with everything life throws at me. If you start a medication and find that you just cannot live with the side effects, there are many other medications that you can try until you get a good fit. One thing I want to mention is that you have to be patient with medication. Some people take medication for a couple of weeks and then decide that it's not working, so they stop. Others don't like the side effects, so they quit taking it. As long as the side effects aren't debilitating, try to stay on the medication for a bit, even if you don't feel 100% good. Depression medications take awhile to fully work, and oftentimes side effects will show up at the beginning and then go away. Medications for depression are not "happy pills." They will not make you instantly happy, cheery, or unnaturally giddy, unless you were that way before you became depressed. Basically they just let you be yourself. Best of luck, I hope medication helps.

Answer 3

I have found a number of medications helpful for my Depression.
What works best for me are Sersone and Effexor. I need to take both of them. I am on Buspar for anxiety and that has helped a lot. Buspar is not addicting and you don't build up a tolerance and have to take larger doses over time.

You know that response to antidepressants vary from person to person so that you can't go by 1 persons experience. Also that
the side effects listed for a medication are "possible side effects",
some people don't get any.

I have some minor side effects but the relief from Depression is so much more valuable.

Sersone and Wellbutrin are the antidepressants with the lowest
incidence of sexual side effects. For a man these can be; Erectile
Dysfunction and/or Anorgasmia. Erectile Dysfunction is difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection. Viagra and medications like it are effective in this case. Anorgasmia, is the difficulty in achieving
orgasm.

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

Have had anxiety without depression for 8 years, been on Effexor XR from the start. Only possible side effect has been tiredness, although hard to say if it's from the meds or not. Also had Xanax, now clonapin, only for panic attacks. I only take them if I need to in fear of becoming dependant.

Started having depression a year ago, added Welbutrin to my Effexor, I think it's helped although lots of stress in my life with a new baby and my wife chronically ill... Meds can't always solve the problem alone, I recommend counseling as well. For me understanding more about myself, why I am the way I am, why I have anxiety, what stresses me out, etc... has helped a lot. Good luck!

Answer 5

I've been on Zoloft on and off for a few years - I have had few sides effects (any that I had were minor and subsided quickly), and it has helped immensely with depression and anxiety (ocd)..

On the other hand I tried Effexor XR and that is the worst med I have ever taken, it has terrible withdrawal effects and when i tried to come off the medication I felt depersonalised and i felt like self-harming... not a good med - I would say avoid it at all costs.

Meds afect people in all different ways, go with what your doc says, try and it if it doesn't work know that there are heaps of options out there... :)

Answer 6

I've been on a number of different meds over the years for depression and anxiety. Some I remember the names of, some I don't.

Prozac, helped the depression but caused anxiety attacks so I had to take xanax for the anxiety and that kept me awake so I had to take ambien in order to sleep.

Paxil, helped the depression. . . . for awhile and it allowed me to get off the xanax and ambien.

Remeron, I started with this after having an episode while I was on Paxil and wound up in the phsyc ward for 72 hours.

Finally after a fairly long time I was able to come of all anti-depresants but then I had some mild attacks and I also have peripheral neuropathy. I was put on Cymbalta which was developed for both problems and it works well on both.

I'm currently still on the Cymbalta, it is fairly new, you might have to ask your doctor about it and see what he/she says.

Good luck

Answer 7

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RE:
Depression & Anxiety - Experiences with medication ?
What are you experiences with medication for Depression & Anxiety and which did you find effective ?

Answer 8

I have been on antidepressants for about 20 years now. I can never be off them. I have tried a lot, Prozac, Lexapro, Celexa, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Effexor. Some I have had good experiences with, others not so good. But after my 3rd child was born, my body chemistry changed and what worked before I got pregnant didn't work after, and what didn't work before, works now. I am currently on Effexor XR and Wellbutrin SR. I just added the Wellbutrin because I'm maxed out on the Effexor and I needed a booster. Good luck to you. You'll know if something is not for you, just be sure to be honest with your practitioner.

Answer 9

I experienced great results with Paxil but after using drugs, my brain chemistry changed and the paxil no longer had the same effect on me so I had to change meds. I am currently taking Wellbutrin but prior to Wellbutrin I was taking Cymbalta. I had a very bad experience with Cymbalta and my doctor just recently optimized my dosage. So far I am still experiencing both depression and anxiety and still struggle with suicidal thoughts. The fact of the matter is, is that all of our body chemistry are different and what might work for you might not work for me. I recommend trying different medications until you find one that works for you.

Answer 10

Chronic depression - Effexor XR, Prozac
Anxiety - Xanax,Revotril,Stilnox,Dormicum

Answer 11

I am so happy, it was only a 35 minute drive ( 70 minutes total) but absolutely no sign of anxiety or panic i shopped till I dropped - brilliant! I will now go for the next stage DUAL CARRIAGE way, probably at the weekend, with my husband accompanying me first then the solo drive, if successful the final stage of driving on motorway

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