Are there any people who have been taking antidepressants for a long time, and?

Question

regret having done so?
In other words if an antidepressant is working and continues to work for years, is there any reason to stop taking it?

Answer 1

I have been taking antidepressants on and off for about 15 years and have no regrets. I can tell a difference when I take them. They work for me.

Answer 2

That is an extremely good question. If we go back to pre SSRI days (the most common antidepressants used now), there were hundreds of papers recommending very prolonged use of antidepressants after severe depression. Basically saying that the longer patients stayed on the drugs the less the chance of recurrence.

The pendulum has swung in the opposite direction now, as it often does, and the media, and many doctors have become obsessed with the withdrawal effects of antidepressants and not using them long term.

This is odd since we have more understanding of the chemical nature of severe depression, much of it being due to low serotonin levels in the brain. I certainly have a significant number of patients who are only well while they take there SSRI antidepressants, after a discussion where we mutually agree management these patients are offered the drug as long term maintenance.

I see no real difference here to many other diseases where we do this normally.

Answer 3

I've been taking then for about 5 years now. I'm not sure whether that qualifies as a long time or not. I suppose I do regret taking some of them. The main reason being that they absolutely no effect on the level of my mood.

I put a lot of hope in the medication and I felt very let down as my depression got progressively worse. However, my psychiatrist eventually found one that did have an effect. So I certainly don't regret taking that one.

Although I'm not really sure whether the improvement is more to do with changes in my lifestyle rather than the pills.

Generally, my experience of taking them is rather negative, but I may not be as well as I am now without them.

Answer 4

I have been taking antidepressants for over 25 years. At present I am taking Seroxat (paroxetine) daily, and it helps. I have tried to come off it, but it doesn't work. I suffer from endogenous depression for which (apparently) there is no cure. So it looks like this will be my path ... but I work with people who are diabetic and need an insulin jab each day. Whats the difference? It's just illness, just part of the curse we are under. I also work with people who have Alzheimers and they need drugs too every day. Also with cancer sufferers and they would be nowhere without drugs. One day this will all end. The Kingdom of God will appear and all this suffering will pass. Just waiting ...

Answer 5

i know what you mean i do not see an end to taking the meds that i am on and i am coming to the stage that if i feel like this forever then it is not the real me any more and if it is not the real me what is the point of their being a fake me i dont like them sometimes for this fact then in another week i dont ever want the doctor to tell me to come off them i dont think i am really answering your question all i know is that without them i would not be able to work afford to keep our roof over our head and i suppose this beats the feeling that i am not the real me

i can not say i regret taking them in the beginning but i do think i regret still having to take them now

but then next week i will change my mind

best of luck to you
xxx

Answer 6

I took a-ds for about 8 years
in the beginning wen i just started i regreted very much so, but that was because they accidentally used my cousin's (we share both first name, last name and middle initial) blood file and they based the perscription of the medicine off that which didnt go well in my system. I felt terrible
but i highly doubt that happens alot
i got a steady medication for 7 years (Zoloft) and at the beginning of the seventh year of zoloft they started to lower my dose
because my brain adjusted the chemicals in it and i was leaving my depression.
that is why i stopped taking it
I FEEL AMAZING

Answer 7

Hi,ive been on prozac for 15years,and i can remember the day that it actually started working,it may sound corny but it truly saved me from a life of depression and possibly worse,Their are times when i forget to get my prescription and i start to feel low after a short while.
Its about finding the right drug for the individuel,many people dont get on with the drug i take ,but it works for me,,,good luck,Mark

Answer 8

I've been taking them for about 13 years, and I've no regrets at all. At first, i tried a few different ones, and came off and on them at different periods, but always got very down again when i was off them. About 6 or 7 years ago i starting taking one that really worked for me (Fluxotine) and i've been on it since. I still have bad days, who doesn't? But, i find they really help me to cope. I stopped them at one point, and felt really low again after just a couple of months, but felt loads better when the doctor put me back on them. Doctor suggested no need to try to go off them again - if they're working, let them keep working. My advice - if you find one that works for you, keep using it.

Answer 9

takes a while to find one that suits but when you do find one you'll notice the diff. there is a stigma against them but ignore it. sounds weird aswell but if you start a good excercise program you'll notice a diff after a few weeks aswell, releases either endorphins or seratonin in the brain. combine the two and see how you feel take care xxxx

Answer 10

i have been taking ad for 20 year just 20mg once a day thay keep me on the straight and narrow so no regret at all