2007-01-04 04:31:33 · 21 answers · asked by kalina_walters 1 in Health ➔ Mental Health
Depends on your personal situation. Talk to your doctor. You should not being taking drugs alone. It should be accompanied with therapy.
2007-01-04 04:33:29 · answer #1 · answered by Blunt Honesty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most anti depressants take about 3 - 4 weeks before you notice any difference. This is called a trial period. A level of medication has to build up in the body before the desired result is known. past that you decide if it's working or not. Some work better than others, and everyone is different. It can take quite some time to find the right medication this way. Sometimes they don't work at all.. Again a very individual thing.
2007-01-04 04:34:53 · answer #2 · answered by bds_bunni 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends how long your doctor thinks you need them for. In general anti depressants are taken for about 6 months AFTER all of your symptoms have cleared. Some people may only need them for a relatively short time (less than a year), whereas some (like myself) need them for many years. I have currently been on anti dperessants for 4 years continuously and show no signs of being able to come off them yet. Basically it depends on each individuals case.
2007-01-04 23:56:52 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Antidepressants are not like antibiotics. You don't take one tablet four times a day for 10 days and you are cured. Depression is frequently a chronic condition and therapy, including drugs, can last a lifetime. I spent years on various "happy pills". I finally threw them away and resigned myself to my depression.
The only thing they did was make everyone around me happy. I was not myself. I felt like a doormat, a smiling, lying about how I felt doormat. I was saying things I didn't mean and meaning things I wouldn't say. And I felt like everyone I encountered wiped their feet on me. Depression "SUCKS" but there are worse things. A complete loss of your identity, character and the total inability to stand up for yourself is worse.
They do help some but I wonder how many are just going through the motions of living while under the influence of these drugs. And don't forget, some antidepressants have been linked to suicide and suicidal thoughts, especially in younger people.
2007-01-04 04:49:50 · answer #4 · answered by gimpalomg 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The doctor will genarally recomend a course for the amount of time he/she sees fit they will talk about it with patient it is not normaly more then 2-3 months as there is a high chance on becoming dependant on them
2007-01-07 08:03:03 · answer #5 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As can be seen their are a number of different ways to answer your question.
I will add that if you are receiving appropriate therapeutic support and working in therapy to uncover your reasons for your depressive state the length of time will almost certainly be shorter than if the only ' treatment ' you are receiving is with drugs and be considerable more negotiable.
2007-01-06 03:18:59 · answer #6 · answered by Gone 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It can be anywhere from a few months to the rest of your life, depending upon recurrence of symptoms and how well the medication works for you, as well as how many medications you might have to try in order to optimize your treatment.
2007-01-04 04:52:22 · answer #7 · answered by Dovie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A course is as long as the doctor thinks you need them, be guided by what your told ,they now best
2007-01-04 05:07:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You carry on taking them until you and your GP or consultant decide you are better and no longer need them. For some people this is just a month, for most people it's a good deal longer.
2007-01-04 04:33:43 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
However long a doctor feels a patient needs to be on them. The dosage can be altered meantime.
2007-01-04 04:33:30 · answer #10 · answered by little_jo_uk 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋