Serious question about meds!?

Question

I dont know where to begin. I have suffered from depression for probably close to 10 years. I have never believed in using meds. I have had mixed results. Good periods and then bad periods where I would quit my job because I couldnt deal anymore.
I guess my question is what can I expect if I do go on meds? How much will it improve my day-to-day outlook on life? Will I still feel sad at times? Will it improve my anxiety and feeling of hopelessness? What are the side effects? Is there anyone who would not reccommend them? Please help!!

I am in therapy. I have a sponsor and I am working the 12 steps. But, in order to go back to work, I think I might need the meds until I feel better.

Answer 1

“Your tendency is just to wait it out, you know, let it get better. You don’t want to go to the doctor. You don’t want to admit to how bad you’re really feeling.”

-Paul Gottlieb, Publisher

The first step to getting appropriate treatment for depression is a physical examination by a physician. Certain medications as well as some medical conditions such as a viral infection, thyroid disorder, or low testosterone level can cause the same symptoms as depression, and the physician should rule out these possibilities through examination, interview, and lab tests. If no such cause of the depressive symptoms is found, the physician should do a psychological evaluation or refer the patient to a mental health professional.

A good diagnostic evaluation will include a complete history of symptoms: i.e., when they started, how long they have lasted, their severity, and whether the patient had them before and, if so, if the symptoms were treated and what treatment was given. The doctor should ask about alcohol and drug use, and if the patient has thoughts about death or suicide. Further, a history should include questions about whether other family members have had a depressive illness and, if treated, what treatments they may have received and if they were effective. Last, a diagnostic evaluation should include a mental status examination to determine if speech, thought patterns, or memory has been affected, as sometimes happens with depressive disorders.

Treatment choice will depend on the patient’s diagnosis, severity of symptoms, and preference. There are a variety of treatments, including medications and short term psychotherapies (i.e., “talk” therapies), that have proven effective for depressive disorders. In general, severe depressive illnesses, particularly those that are recurrent, will require a combination of treatments for the best outcome.

Answer 2

I understand your hesitance regarding drugs. But look at it this way, if you had diabetes, wouldn't you take insulin if necessary? And you've probably had antibiotics for something in the past. Depression has to do with an imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain, and sometimes medication is what it takes to get better. It sounds like your depression is very severe and debillitating. I think you should find a good psychiatrist to help you recover. A psychologist can provide counseling to help you, but you will need a psychiatrist because they are the doctors who understand this illness, and can prescribe the meds you need. There are many antidepressants on the market today, and only a doctor can help you find what will work for your specific situation. There may be side effects, or maybe not. If you do have side effects from the meds, there are others to try. And if the first doctor you call doesn't feel right, try another. Be honest and open with them, and they can help you better. You don't say why you're in a 12-step program. My guess is that, whatever your substance of choice, you've probably been self-medicating. Which means basically, you know subconsciously that you're out of balance, and you're looking for ways to put things right. It's taken you a long time to get where you are today and it'll take some work to recover. But you can do it--with help. Keep doing your 12-step program, it's very important, no matter what. I can't predict your future, but my guess is this: yes, your day-to-day outlook will improve, and yes, sometimes you will be sad, even hopeless, everyone is. But your moods will not control your life. You'll be better equipped to cope with whatever comes your way, and you'll feel better about yourself and your life. You owe it to yourself to try. Remember, if you could get past this on your own, you probably would have by now, so you need some help. And while you're working with a doctor and trying some meds, consider adding some yoga or other exercise to your daily routine. It can also help, more than you'd think.

Answer 3

Yes, i recommend meds. If you quit your job becauseyou couldn't deal with things any more then why not take meds. If you had a minor virus then if you don't believe in meds is fine but lets say you had a mojor virus for three or more months and won't go away wouldn't it make sense to go to a soctor and get some anti biotics or because you dont believe in meds you'd rather suffer than be cured. What about if you had gangrene and the doctor said here's some meds and you tell the doctor i don't believe in meds, now I need help so do some thing. Chances are the doctor will say either take the meds or will amputate your body parts.
You can go to a health food store and try what's called Gingko Biloba there similar to anti depressants but I suspect you need a chemical intervention such as Prozac because Gingko Biloba is to weak but is similar to Prozacs. I recommend ethier Prozacs or Celexia, I tried zoloft and paxil I didn't care for them althoug the do the same thing. I don't know the side effects of celexia, I have taken cellexia but I was on Prozacs first. If you do decide to take anti depressants I recomenned one in the morning another one no later than 2pm, I also strongly suggest to eat when you take them even if it's a slice of bread because eating helps make you feel better.
The effects of anti depressants is your head will clear up you'll have a sense of well being and lose the feeling of hopelessness and you won't feel sad or empty any more.
The side effects of anti depresants when you first start prozacs and I don't know if the side effects are the same on Celexia but the end results are the same.I recommend for the first few days to only take one in the morning so that your body adjust to it because of the way they work. If you decide to take the whole pill,you'll wake up be more alert but your body might feel numb so a suggest take the prozac capsill apart on a small piece of bread sprinkele a little of the chemical on the bread trying to stretch the pill to last for 3 or 4 days.Do that with the first 3 pills then with the 4th pill spill again sprinkle a little of the pill on a small piece of bread fold it up swallow it but do this one for 3 days. The 5th pill take half one day half the next day. The 6th pill take the whole one.
The reason I suggest to take it like this is because your body has to adjust to medication and if you take one in the morning you could possibly feel numb all day and scare you away from them.If yo decide to take 1 pill every morning the 1st three days the pills will make you feel sort of numb like you 've been drinking. The 4th day you should be fine and I do suggest to take 1 in the morning and 1 no later than 2pm because you could end up being awake all night

Answer 4

Your situation sounds like a classic example of where medication could be beneficial. Antidepressants these days have minimal side effects and can be very helpful. Be patient though, they may take 4-6 weeks to work to thier full potential.

Hang in there with keep with meetings, therapy and your sponsor.
Remember AA has no opinion on outside issues and antidepressants are an "outside issue". They also advocate utilizing the many fine doctors to help with these issues.

For best results, find a psychiatrist to prescribe. Not that primary care docs aren't great, but depression can be a serious issue and is best treated by specialists.

Hang in there, there is hope...

Answer 5

I am bipolar and I use to be on countless meds and I never felt any better. Being a recovered alcoholic my self adding meds only worsened my problems. I took myself off of everything except Xanax because of the amount of anxiety I have is extremely hard to cope with to where I use to be a cutter and would cut my arm during a anxiety attack to just stop them. Not only did I stop the anxiety I just caused more problems. But, since I quit antidepressants and Alchol etc. I have never felt more in control. Taking meds made me feel like the medications were in control. That is how meds affected me. I am not saying by no means that you should not look into antidepressants. You should consult your doctor and have plenty of options to choose from. Every one is different. The only way to know if you will benefit from meds is if you try. A good place to start I found to be webmd.com. Good luck and you have my best wishes.

Answer 6

I have taken the old antidepressant, Elavil, for over 20 years. Without it I: couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't work, was a bundle of nerves, and the list goes on.

They have tried newer antidepressants on me: some had very bad side effects, and others--they just couldn't get a proper doseage for me (too much/too little).

Some people swear that Prozac or Paxil have made them a new person--have really saved their lives. The same goes for some of the newer antidepressants.

The important thing is to keep your doctor/psych appointments--they really need to monitor you closely to see if the medicine is helping or hurting you. They need to observe you to see if your doseage is too high or too low. They need to see if you would do better on a different medication than the one they started you out on.

Note: If you've been using over-the-counter alternatives to antidepressants (such as St. John's Wort), you cannot mix them with prescription antidepressants.

Also: For some strange reason, I have been hearing that some antidepressants in some teens and young adults have had disasterous affects.

Answer 7

There are some very effective antidepressants available. Everyone has good times and bad times; expect it and then you'll be more able to roll with the punches. Everyone feels sad at times; we have sad things happen to us in life. Just be sure you have a therapist that can help keep you on track. Personally I have had great results from Paxil. I had panic attacks that just made me miserable. For four years now I have been free of them. Side effects? For the first three days I was shaky. After that, no side effects.

Answer 8

Antidepressants are only to be used in combination with therapy/counseling. Just taking medication alone will NOT help. Because the reason for your depression is still there. You have to get therapy to find the reason you are depressed and fix it. Then you won't need medication because you will be able to deal.