What is the best pill for DEPRESSION?

Question

At the moment I am very heavily medicated
375mg venlafaxine and 80mg chlopromazine lots of other med's and my depression seems to be getting worse please help (try not to be too flippant please)

This has been going on for at least 20yrs and I am not forward enough to ask openly but every time I try it's like 1step forward 2 back and as for my family when I was sectioned for the first time they practically disowned me and said that no one in their family was mad so they dont seem to thinkof me as family,just someone who has a companion bus ticket so they dont have to pay fares and I end up everywhere except where I want to be.They also seem to think my benifits are their personal sub account.What can I do no one close seems to want to help

Answer 1

Ignore the answers from people who clearly do not understand or want to understand what it is like to suffer from long term depression.

I, like you, take a high dose of Venlafaxine. And also, like you, seem to be suffering from a severe bout of depression at the moment. (hence being awake in the middle of the night, and able to answer your question!).

For me, I think that my medication is about right, but I know from over 20 years experience, that my depression does go in phases.

At times it is manageable and I am able to cope with the symptoms, but then I have periods, like now, where the depression worsens and I feel that nothing will help me.

However, I also know from experience that these phases do pass, and I go back to suffering, but being able to cope.

I strongly believe that medication alone is not the magic answer, and also that there isn't a magic wand or miracle cure anywhere that can beat depression.

The best thing for me was learning to seek help and ask for it when I need it most. Not an easy thing to do, as I, like you, do not have an understanding family.

I found that being put in contact with my local Mind organisation helped me in a significant and life changing way.

I hadn't even heard of them before someone recommended them, but now realise that it was the best thing anyone has ever done for me to help with my mental health.

Take a look at their website:

www.mind.org.uk

there is lots of information that is easy to read and understand, including stuff about medication and also other treatment that may be better suited to you, or that you could have alongside your tablets.

They have a facility for you to search to see if there is a local Mind in your area. This will give you contact details, and a link to a website if they have one of their own.

You can access your local Mind by referring yourself, it doesn't have to be done by your GP or psychiatrist, and the great thing about it is that, no-one else has to know. I regularly used my local drop-in centre and gained support and encouragement for years without my family knowing anything about the place.

They will help and support you in all sorts of ways. Although staff are not likely to be medically trained, they do have lots of knowledge, and often see clients/members/service users on a much more regular basis than any others within the mental health field, so they can offer advice and suggestions based on 'real people' and what has happened to them.

It also helps that the staff tend to be much less formal than other people you are likely to meet in the treatment of your depression - and so it is much easier to open up and reveal your worst fears, especially when you know that you are not going to be judged or treated as inferior.

To them you are person who should be treated with respect and have the same rights as any other human being.

I have had to come to terms with the fact that my family don't fully understand, and probably never will, about how much I struggle on a daily basis with my illness..... but in a way this has helped me. I no longer expect things of them and try not to be surprised when they show their ignorance - though it is not always easy!

With the help of my local Mind, and after using their services for over 10 years I have been able to finally accept who I am and what I am, and that I deserve to be treated in the same way as everyone else. I also learned that my health was much more important than any job I had.

Nearly two years ago now, with the help of support workers from Mind, I reached the decision that work was hindering my progress and that I was being subjected to stigma and discrimination. So before I was dismissed I took the decision to leave my job.

I was then able to volunteer in the drop-in centre, which meant that I wasn't at home, alone, getting more and more depressed. They helped me to claim benefits and make sure I got all I was entitled to.

Six months ago, I was lucky enough to be able to apply for a vancancy, with them, and I was given the job.

I now view myself as priveleged to do the job I do, and to try and help others suffering from mental ill health. I am trying to use my own illness and experiences to help others, and this is rewarding and gives me a sense of fulfilment which I never believed possible.

Sorry if I sound like a walking advert for Mind......

but I am so passionate about the help and support that they offer people in aiding their own recovery, and want everyone to know that it is possible to live a full life and reach your full potential, despite suffering from a mental illness.

You are a person and should not be defined by the diagnosis you have been given!

Anyway, putting my strong personal beliefs to one side, back to the meds......

Sometimes the only way I know that my medication is working is when I, for whatever reason, miss some of the doses. I can feel a change in mood, notice that I am less able to cope, and generally feel unwell - that tends to be when I think "this isn't how I usually feel" and realise that the meds must be working...... as I can notice a significant change and downward trend. Sounds a bit strange, I know, but that tends to be the way I view my meds, and why I believe I'm on the right dose.

Talk to your GP and or psychiatrist about medication, I've tried many different ones over the years. There will be one that is most effective for you. Also ask them to refer you for other help.

A CPN (community psychiatric nurse) may be useful to you.
A counsellor might help you to look at some of the issues that may need dealing with - including how your family treat you.
An OT (occupational therapist) could also offer help and support.
Ask if there are any local charities in your area that they know of who could also offer support. Mind being one, though there are others to be found as well.
Support groups - there might be some that other service users have set up.

Please look at other ways of dealing with your depression and not just relying on the medication to sort everything out.

It's not easy, and it takes time and effort, and much hard work on your part, so you need to be willing to try and help yourself in the best way you are able to - but you don't have to do it alone.

There will be someone who can help, support and guide you on a path of recovery.

It's a much more realistic approach that will help you maintain your mental health, and cope with all the problems it brings.

I hope you can see that there really is a light at the end of tunnel, even if you can't see even a glimmer of it at the moment, trust me it is there and it is worth all the hard work and effort to get there.

Don't let your family make things worse for you. Maybe with help and support, in time, you will be able to stand up to them, and for yourself. Gain some independence, that will surely get their attention....!!

Good luck - you can learn to live with depression.

Answer 2

I am sorry to hear that. I was on prozac for a while. Are you taking contraceptive also?? That made my depression worse. I got better when I got off contraceptive and got pregnant. I think that you should find a clinic where they can do a brain SPECT exam on you. That should tell you which part of your brain is overfunctioning or underfunctioning, and how sever it is, and other things that are important. That should tell you where and what in your brain is causing the depression, ( they can pinpoint the problem in your brain.) So that will tell a doctor how much of which medications you should be on. I have been reading Healing ADD written by Daniel G. Amen becaue I have a three year old son who might have that and I have been learning a lot. This book talks about depression also. So maybe you could read this book and see if you want to try it or not. Seems like a lot of people's lives are saved because of what this exam can do.

Answer 3

Firstly, have you been on any other medication in the past? Did it help more than your current ones do?
Your medication dosage does seem a little high, but not knowing you, i wouldn't know the reason for this.
The best advice i can give is for you to talk to your consultant psychiatrist, they're the one that knows you best and knows what other medication might suit you.

Whatever you do, don't use drugs - i can't believe what some people have written - illegal drugs are well known to cause depression and other serious mental illnesses - cannabis especially.

I have always thought that the person themselves needs to be happy with the medication their taking, otherwise it wont be taken, you have to explain this to your consultant- any doctor worth their wages will listen and help.

Good luck chuck.

Answer 4

i dont think there is a best pill, i know what Depresses me
it cant be fixed or sorted, i cant live the life i want and i cant cope with that so im depressed the pills do nothing to change what makes me depressed thus dont work

the question is what is making you depressed in the first place can you fix it can you make your life how you want it to be??

what doctors dont seem to gett is that if you cant get away from whats making you depressed then its not going to do anything taking pills they may produce things in the brain that are ment to make you happy but they dont change the world around you and your propblems

can you find a life you want to live?? some place or something in this world that makes you happy try looking for that, its not the advice i should be giving but im actualy coming to the conclution that moving to jamaica sitting on a beach smoking some pot and drinking some rum may be my cure, im starting to thing to myself why live a long life of hell when i could just enjoy myself a bit

good luck, i feel for you its a nasty world to live in feeling this way

Answer 5

i can't believe how retarded people are with their answers..obviously they haven't suffered depression! I have, and am just stopping taking Effexor. The short answer is, no one pill works for everyone, unfortunately. I did well with Effexor, other friends I know have been on Zoloft or Celexa. Unfortunately you have to try one and give it enough time to see if it's working for you. With the amount of venlafaxine you are on, (seems like a lot) I would say you need to try a different medication. Hope this helps you. Good luck.

Answer 6

there are not "the best pills" 4 depression. if u have the financir possibility change radically your life. the unsatisfaction for what u work, for relatives, friends, for your life in general is one of the reason of the way u feel. u don`t have to prove anything to anybody. try to make u usefull. work something u like, take care for a pet, for the balens...for somebody. see some nice movies. think at people from kosovo. do what u like the best and make u usefull 4 something u like. i took xannax+anafranil pills. 3 weeks. then a brake 4 one month. and again. untill u`ll find a way to feel the joy of life.

Answer 7

Try doing things you enjoy doing,go for a walk see friends or family even if you find this so hard to do. Pills will not solve your problems just mask them. I have recently just come off a high dose of anti depressants after years and I'm no further forward in my life than when I started taking them. They can help to ease it but will not solve the causes of it thats up to you . Good look with your fight :)

Answer 8

This is a hard question, i dont think the doctors even know which was is the best one. I have been on mediation for years and still i feel awful. Constantly trying to pull myself out of it. My family are the same as yours and i have got to the point where i cant be bothered anymore. I ended up taking an overdose and was rushed to hospital and was given charcoal and my sister said that i was lying and they only give that to animals not humans.

So, I feel for you. The only thing you can do is keep trying different ones as everyone is different and what might work for one might not work for you. Take care of yourself x

Answer 9

Getting some sunshine is the best pill for depression. A nice nature walk with your favorite music blastin in the headphones. Quiet time at a lake or river or beach. You don't need medication, you need peace of mind.

Answer 10

Truly, this is not a question for us to decide for you. A proper decision needs to be left up to the medical experts / Psychiatrist who sees and knows you. He would know far more about the pharmacology aspects than you or I, and he can view you with an objective viewpoint, monitoring your symptoms. Inappropriate combinations can cause disability or fatality.
Remember, you do have the option and the right to have the use of each drug explained to you. Given your dosages, I would assume you have been depressed for some period of time, and have not gotten better on your own.

Sorry, I can't be of more help.

Answer 11

I know someone with depression and the best medicine is to get out a little more each day maybe go for a run or excercise its really good for you and it builds your confidence and you happiness also if there is a need for medication go to a doctor every person is different but don't worry you'll get through this think positive