Will I ever be well enough to stop taking anti-depressive meds?

Question

For the better part of the last 14 yrs, I have taken Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Ambien, Lunesta, Xanax, Ambien CR, Trazodone, Buspar, etc. Currently I am taking Zoloft, Ambien CR, and Buspar. I also have to take medication for allergies and bladder incontinence. I have headaches sometime a couple of days a week and hate to add another pill to the mix, but I can stand having a headache. I also am Lactose Intolerant, so I try to avoid most diary products most of the time, but if I do indulge, that is more medication that I will have to take. Will I ever be able to see life after medication? Mainly, I don't want to deal with depression anymore.

By the way I have been seeing a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist.

I am only taking the Zoloft, Buspar and Ambien CR now.

Answer 1

It's possible you may always have to take some kind of medication.

I have many of the same issues (dairy problems, depression).

Here's my advice. Start with your diet. If you're having frequent headaches, take a look at your diet and see if you get rid of food additives, etc. Start keeping track of the headaches and see if there's anything triggering them.

I used to have frequent migraines. I kept a headache diary and kept track of food I was eating and headaches I was having. At the end of the month I found a pattern and was able to avoid those things that were triggers.

Something that really helped for my headaches was increasing the amount of water that I drank. When I had 8+ glasses of water I had less pain and less allergic reactions.

Next a regular exercise routine can really help depression, since physical activity can increase endorphines, which give you a natural "high". It can also help you regulate sleep patterns, which may help you reduce your need for Ambien.

I really think if you take it one problem at a time and focus on one thing and try to find a solution. Getting rid of dairy products is not the end of the world.

Eating better, exercising, etc. will give you something to focus on and make you feel like you're really working towards something. A sense of purpose and a feeling of empowerment can help with depression.

And as one final thought: if you are not in counselling, consider getting some counselling. Drugs alone cannot fight depression. You need to talk to someone, sometimes. Share your feelings, work out the places that the depression comes from. Sometimes depression is just repressed anger.

Hope all that helps.

Answer 2

I would highly recommend that you find a good therapist and psychiatrist in your area and re-evaluating your medication regimine (as you still sound depressed, despite the zoloft, busbar and ambien). It sounds like you've been through a lot, and having space that's just for you (i.e. a weekly session) might be helpful and would allow you the time and space to work through whatever is contributing to the depression.

Below is a blurb on medication in combination w/ therapy. Also, I'm including under "sources" a link to find a therapist. Good luck to you. You deserve some support! :)

"Studies show that often the best management for psychiatric issues comes from a combination of talk therapy and medication. Dr. Raskin adds, "It's like taking muscle relaxants and undergoing physical therapy for back strain; the two treatments work together to get you back on your feet."

Finally, don't be timid about asking questions about any aspect of your treatment. Be assertive in managing the overall process. If you feel uneasy about any part of treatment, share this with your healthcare provider. If your concerns are met with resistance or a refusal to consider your ideas, it may be best to get a second opinion."

Answer 3

Do not stop taking the medication under any circumstances or you will get sicker. I am Bipolar and i know how you feel i too have been on every drug known to man. After a while you start to feel like a Guinea pig but don't give up. Have you ever asked your doctor about Seroquel before? If not ask him because you take it before you go to bed and wake up rested and not so depressed. Don't stop taking your meds until a doctor gives you the ok to stop it. Have you ever been on Lexipro or Celexa for depression? I have had great success with both of these drugs. Maybe you should talk to your doctor about these two drugs if you have never been on them. I have been on Lexipro for about a year now and i am not depressed anymore but if i stop taking the medication I know that i will become depressed. Ask the doc like i said maybe you will have better luck with on of those two drugs. Good Luck.

Answer 4

if you have major depression, you'll likely need to stay on meds - if they're helping you - for the rest of your life, unless they find some other way of dealing with it. left to its own devices, major depression worsens as you age. i assume you're not taking all of those pills, at once, but a number of them are addictive (paxil, probably ambien and lunesta, probably trazodone, and, definitely, xanax); this may be a complicating factor. when i went off paxil, i had serious heroin level withdrawl. my doctor says i will NEVER be able to get off xanax (and, sadly, my tolerance is almost too great for the drug to work, anymore... a full ten mg - the maximum dosage - won't necessarily stop a panic attack, for me, now). stopping would likely cause seizures, even with a doctor supervised reduction, to say nothing of straight withdrawl and a worsening of the anxiety i take it for. bleh. still, what're y'gonna do?

Answer 5

You still have put your addiction need infront of yourself and you are letting the addiction control you..you're in control not this addiction. Try meditation it works very well, and i don't think you want to see your mom crying all the time if you keep doing it, it will make her life horrible and everyone elses that cares about you, because they are worried for you and don't want to see you hurt yourself anymore.You can go to a councelor or therapist, they should also be able to help..its a matter of solving the problem making you do this and the tolerance for it you have. *hugs* gl Btw im 14 too =)

Answer 6

I've been on all those meds, too. Don't think about the future. That's too overwhelming. Right now, focus on getting better. Stay in therapy....I assume you see a therapist?? If not, start....that could speed the process. Keep your doctor informed of how your'e feeling and realize that everyone who takes meds for depression won't take the same ones. Different meds and different combinations work for different people. If your meds are helping at all, then I think I would rather stay on them and have to take them for the rest of my live then to not have to take anything, but be miserable with life.

Answer 7

are you getting relief from taking your meds for depression ? if you are than odds are you will always have to take them if you wish to remain stable. it sounds to me as if you are dealing with your depression correctly and satisfactorily, it is more likely that it is taking so many medications that you no longer want to deal with.you will have to decide which is more important to you being well or not taking the necessary pill/s to stay that way ?
best of luck....doda

Answer 8

I'd be a bit more concerned about the seeming lack of definitive diagnosis of your condition.

Your medication regimen has been all over the place. You've been on sleep aids, anxiolytics, and antidepressants of varying types.

What the hell is the diagnosis calling for these varying medications?

Answer 9

Email me for help id post the websites but they dont come out properly for some reason..... but they do when I write an email so email me if you are serious

[e-mail]

Answer 10

Get out there, you are the only one who can pull yourself out of the slumps.