how do i know my anti-depressants are working?

Question

I've been depressed for several yrs and finally got on meds- and I understand its a trial and error thing with different brands of anti-depressants.
Well at first the one I was put on didn't work but he increased my dosage then I started feeling really good...but now a few months later I'm having some really bad days where I'm depressed again and don't feel as good or great as I did at first.

How do I know if its the medicine, or if its just other factors in my life? I don't want to get off this medicine not knowing if it was actually working or if I was just having high expectations.

I haven't been "normal" since I was a child so I dont know what I'm suppose to feel like.
Its hard to give my doc feedback when I don't even if I feel right or not.

So if you're depressed or have been medicated can you please tell me how you knew your medicine was right for you? And how good did you feel?

Answer 1

I also have suffered from depression all my life.

Antidepressants are a trial and error kind of thing.

Who is prescribing them?
The best person to do it is a Psycho pharmacologist. They should be monitoring you and adjusting your medications.

The questionn you asked should really be asked of your Doctor.

If you are having trouble expressing it to him/her just bring in a copy of your questio. Everything you doctor needs to know is written in your question.

Good luck. You can feel better. I do. It just takes a little work

Answer 2

It generally takes 3 to 4 weeks to feel the effects of most antidepressants. The dosage may need to be adjusted or changed to another type. For myself, I started on Prozac which worked for awhile, then seemed to lose effectiveness. I am currently on Zoloft which has worked pretty well for me. As far as knowing if the drug is working, it seemed suddenly I felt "normal", and was able to better deal with my problems

Answer 3

To be honest, when I was on medication I couldn't really tell the difference for myself. I still didn't have particularly 'good' days or times, but I scraped the bottom less often. My shrink would talk me through my days so she had the most perception of the difference, but after awhile other people around me started noticing some too. I think I was the last to know.

My best advice is if you can't tell for yourself and you have anyone you're particularly close to who you think might be perceptive enough, ask them. You might be surprised by what they say.

Answer 4

ask the doctor

read a drug handbook or any reference about the drugs you are using and find out how long it takes for these drugs to take effect. usually 2-4 weeks

if the effects do not come then tell your docotr, so he may change the brand or upgrade the drugs. the first ones may not be working right for you,

ask for adverse effects and side effects so that you will not be scared if anything new occurs to your body or mood

Answer 5

hullo
a drug trial for depression is between 6 and 12 months as a general rule,if symptoms persist,then your doctor should consider other brand of drug.
but drug therapy is not the whole story about depression,other ways of treatment is available like psychotherapy and cognitive therapy,you should really discuss these with your doctor.

Dr solo