Why do I experience a relapse everytime after I start to feel better on antidepressant?

Question

Are relapses like this common during the course of treatment from depression with antidepressants? Did you experience this before? How do you deal with it?

I've experienced this before and talked to my doctor about changing the medication but he just prescribed me a higher dosage of the same medication.

Answer 1

10 years mental health exp-

The most common thing with people who have mental health problems is that they believe they are getting better because they are feeling better and they begin to remove themselves from the medication that is prescribed to them.

I am not stating that this is what you are going through but it is a common problem.

Do not remove yourself from your medication or dosage. Give it about a month before going back to your doctor to ask for a change. If what he did is not helping you then go back to him or see another doctor. Changing your own medications can cause relapses.

Relapses are very common in depression. Medication is a cure for symptoms not a cure for the problems. Getting regular excersise and starting a project or work is going to help alot with your mental health. Also some people find writing letters as a stress reliever.

I also suffer from depression. I do not take medications for this. I do however practice coping skills often and try to stay out of stressful situations.

It is not easy when you are depressed. Medication doesn't always 'take it away'. No one understands how you can be in 'your own world' and you want to 'check out'. They just think you are supposed to 'snap out of it'.

Its isn't that easy is it?

Hope you have a good day :)
God Bless

Answer 2

What do you mean by a "relapse"? Most antidepressants are associated with a time when people can feel more anxious as a short lived thing, usually from about day 3 to day 6, after which their mood improves.

Your focus shouldn't be on feeling "better", it should be on feeling normal. If you have the kind of depression that antidepressants are supposed to work on, they should return you to feeling the way that they used to - they're antidepressants, they're not catch-all mood lifters.

If your "relapse" is a further episode of low mood that is lasting more than a couple of weeks, then that certainly sounds like higher levels of medication may be appropriate. If there are specific things that cause you to feel worse, then you may need to talk to someone about these triggers. Your doctor can guide you in this way as well. If you are not satisfied with what your doctor is telling you, make sure that he knows so that he can explain to you his rationale, or the two of you can work out another path to take.

The pills do not fix everything - they merely help you back on the path to recovery. Think of them as crutches for a broken leg - you still need to learn how to walk again.

Answer 3

are you missing doses? or quitting taking it when you start to feel better. Because that will trigger a relapse. I work in the mental health field with alot of people who take anti-depresents. I've noticed that some people who are chronically depressed, the anti-depresents they are on don't seem to help even when they are tried in a higher dose. Maybe your doctor wants you on this peticular drug for a reason. But I'd go back, and say your still experiencing it, and you want to try something different. If he isn't listening get a second opinion from another doctor.

Answer 4

Sometimes it takes a very long time to level off when using antidepressants. If you have the episodic form of the illness, your Doctor may keep you on the medication for 17 months, or longer, so that you do not relapse.

Answer 5

I've taken antidepressants for more than 20 years and it doesn't completely take the symptoms away, it just makes it easier to live with. If it's still too much to deal with, you might need a higher dose or a different medication.

Answer 6

Yes, I use SAM-e, a traditional antidepressant, it quite is helping me such a lot, and has modified my lifestyles eternally. I used to take Zoloft, however I felt extra depressed usually, like I used to be compelled to be glad, however now on SAM-e, I do not believe that approach anymore. And this is not a herm, or a hormone, it is only a molecule that every one dwelling cells produce, and it complements the have an impact on of temper-boosting messengers like serotonin and dopamine. It's all traditional, obviously much less poisonous than prescription, and quite has made me an additional man or woman in a totally confident approach. I enormously propose it.

Answer 7

Maybe it's not a relapse. Maybe your prescribed dose wasn't high enough to control your symptoms, and you were just experiencing your normal depression. But with a dosage increase, you symptoms should disappear. It's hit and miss with anti-depressants. It takes awhile to find the right drug, and then to find the right dosage. Don't give up.

Answer 8

Yes, most definitley. Sometimes it is helpful to increase the dose on the same med to help you get to the right dose for your metabolism. Discuss with your doctor some of the sustained release meds available now. But MD's often neglect the help that counseling and/or groups can offer. The best therapy for depression is a combination of both. And yes, I have been on several meds and know the ones that work best for me. It is trial and error, and it takes patience. Hang in there, and good luck!

Answer 9

Do not look simply to the pill to cure what is ailing you.

Depression is not simply an illness in and of itself, it exists for a reason.

The pill treats the symptoms as is with many cases , but is not the cure.

So a different form of drug and psychotherapy might be in order.

You might need to find what is causing the depression and work at that.

A closer examination of your lifestyle ie health and fitness, what you are eating, what you need to eat more of etc.

Look to a combined medical approach and your results might be more favorable.

Talk to your doctor about your concerns and see about changing your prescription and your own behavior.

Good luck

Answer 10

Hopefully you have a Doctor who is keeping track of you med levels doing blood work to check it. Your body might be getting used to the med and your dose should be going up and down with your needs you need to check with your doctor.
Stay away from "friends" that don't support you. stay near positive people. eat right. Don't drink alcohol. accept the fact that you might relapse. Stay away from Zoloft. Some anti-depressants take a couple of weeks to take affect if you switch.