should i take antidepressants??? is it safe???

Question

i've been depressed and anxious for almost 2 months now and was prescribed citalopram by my psychiatrist but i'm still scared of antidepressants... some ppl say it's not safe and can make your condition even worse. is that true??? sometimes i think this strange feeling will go away with time, rest of the time i just cry and have suicidal thoughts (but i wouldn't kill myslef). what should i do??? is it better for me to take antidepressants or function like this and pray this feeling will go away?? help pls. :(((

it's not like i want to ''fix'' my emotions with magic pills!! the thing with my depression is that it's not situational, it just got me over-night with no specific reason. i think i can handle life somehow without medication but i just don't feel like me anymore and nothing makes me happy. i'm anxious and feel really down even though i think i don;t have any reasons to be sad... i also have intrusive thoughts about death all the time. it's quite scary and i;m not sure what would be worse for my mental healt-to take antidepressants and feel better or stay like this and wait till it gets worse........ :(

Answer 1

I was depressed and anxious for ages but you have to make it go away, if you want to help get rid of anxiety/depression you need to change that something that makes you depressed.

If it is friends/peer pressure, make new friends... that sounds hard...and it is... but you will feel much better with new, kind friends, rather then "friends" who make you do stuff or try to.

If it is a boyfriend, you will know in your heart what to do.

If it is Family, say... step mum or dad, try and be nice to them and get on their good side... you can use this to your advantage!! xP

Pet..?well i have had heaps that have passed away but just think... they will be in heaven............. they will be happy!! ;)

If it is school, like bullies or teachers you ABSOLUTELY HATE, well, try and convince your parents to let you change schools, staying at the cause of the problem really doesnt do any good!

Anti-depressants do NOT work!!!!!!
just try and "sort" your problem out rather then using
anti-depressants please take this advice it is useful and my counsilor gave me most of it (: btw you can email me or IM me if you need a friend to talk I'm here!!. i sooo need a friend too ....

my ex friend can be really mean and i do not want to see or hear from her ever again.... she also stole some of my money!! this is bout you not me though so yeah

when i was depressed i just wanted someone to love or be loved by, i never found that someone but i'm sure your someone will turn up soon ( :

btw i was prescribed "lovan" it's DISCUSTING and its a anti depressant and studies showed most of the ppl taking it got suicidal thoughts and or killed themselves......... sorry to scare you but maybe it will scare you enough to not take it it is ugghh lol xP
i still get really anxious but it's because i have anxiety disorder. also, some techniques:

*when your anxious put your hand just under your chest and do 4-10 nice, even breaths, don't think about being scared think about nice times you have experienced in the place you are scared or with whom you are scared...

*try taking up a new hobby! studies have also proven that happiness helps cure depression. So try and make new friends, go shopping, go to the cinema, do pottery, go bike riding, scrapbooking, singing lessons, dancing lessons... anything that puts a smile on your dile!

*stay as much away from the internet as possible, some people can get you really depressed over the internet!! :O

*Make sure to have a nice healthy big breakfeast in the morning to get you going, breakfeast makes a difference!!

*Get a psychiatrist that YOU like, who YOU feel comfortable talking about YOUR life with, because it's not anyone elses life its YOURS YOU need to take care of it.

*You'll start to feel better soon If you try and use some of the advice on this website!

Just remember do NOT take the medicine!! it can make you worse!! i was seriously thinking of ways to kill myself only AFTER i started taking the medicine!! plz plz PLZ do not take it!!

*Drink a glass of milk or hot chocolate before you go to bed, it increases the chances of being able to sleep at night ;)

*write up a list of good things about yourself, make up some strange character be them for a while and look at your list (as a 'stranger'

*pop some soothing music in your cd player and that will surely help! speak to me through msn or yahoo.... msn i think........ and i will put the songs in the sharing folder!! (:

*when your feeling low, have chocolate!! scientifically proven that it makes you feel happier!! it's a 'comfort food'!!

*read for a bit before you go to bed, it calms the mind, you will be thinking about someone elses life not yours!! (:

*treat yourself to a shopping spree each fortnight or so....... it will give you something to look forward to!! ( : and a reason to live!

*if you want somebody to talk to who understands you you can talk to me if you want i am willing to give any advice thats needed : [e-mail]

Answer 2

You most certainly should be on medication of some sort...but not without some kind of "talk therapy"...meaning you should be speaking with a counselor or psychologist on a regular basis...not just taking pills. They will be able to monitor if the specific medication you have been prescribed is actually working for your. There are many different meds on the market for depression and some work better than others. Waiting and praying that this feeling will go away is not likely to happen...especially with the winter months in full force and can make you feel even more depressed. Make sure you are getting excersize as that will also help lift your spirits.

I know in the past I have felt like if I was a stronger person, I wouldn't need the medication...but I have discovered that taking an anti-depressent isn't copping out. If you had cancer you would getting treatment. Depression is a real illness. Treat it as such and get the help (and medication) you need to be healthy and happy.

Answer 3

They are not all completely safe the atypicals are better but things like Amitryptaline has been proven to increase suicide!!! newer the better research it look in a BNF. like the person b4 said combined with a cognitive therapy is best. remember there are loads out there and 1 may not suite u some work on dopamine and some seratonin so take your time and dnt expect instant results. mirtazapine and clomipramine seem to be docs favs at the mo but this all can depend on your age if your under 18 it's dofferent and if your over 65 it's differents and you'll probably have venlofaxine it depends on your GP. Ask about side effects especailly weight gain, if your a larger person that can be important of certain pills can interact with other meds for physical problems. gd luck xxx

Answer 4

If you need to take the antidepressants then you need to take them. They have been my life saver. So don't listen to everything you hear. The way you feel will not go away without help. Don't listen to the people that have no clue what depression and antidepressants are about. The ones saying not to take it have never been through what you and I and what the other people have been through. I am on the lowest dose possible for Paxil and it has made the world of difference for me. So do what you feel is right. Don't listen to people that haven't been through it.

Answer 5

until i sufferd depression after a serious operation i never realised what it was.i thought it meant fed up,hopeless andbeing able to see no chance of things getting better.i now know different.although i myself did not seriously consider suicide each night i tried to sleep i thought it would be such a relief not to wake up and my first thought whenever i woke(after a sleep that was disturbed fitful and left me feeling i had run a marathon) was OH NO NOT ANOTHER DAY TO GET THROUGH IM TERRIFIED.and the simplest of tasks,such as putting my socks on waS AS CHALLEGING AS CLIMBING MOUNT EVEREST AND FAR MORE SCARY.I WAS TERRIFIED EVERY MOMENT AND EVERY MOMENT LASTED A LIFETIME.if yyou asked me what i was so scaredof i could not tell you to save my life.the best description i ever heard was from a doctor who called them free floating fears.i was given an anti depressant called seroxat.i was told it might make me feel worst at first but within six weeks i would be feeling better.i might as well have been told six lifetimes.two months later though i dident believe it possible i felt worse.after attending a hospital appointment in my pajamas and slippers(because getting dressed wastoo difficult i was admitted to hospital and over about a week weaned off the seroxat and put on a drug called ZISPIN.within two weeks i was having a few minutes a day of feeling not better but not terrified.i would rather have had those few minutes than a million pounds.after another four weeks,at home now,i was seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. somedays i felt that i took two steps forward and three back but most days it was the other way round.so to answer your question,if you really are genuinely depressed and everyone i have met that was felt able to relate to how i felt even if their own experiences may have been very different,then yes the RIGHT antidepressants do work.they can make you feel worse at first and i was given a short two week course of diazepam to help me over this.i have now met many people who have/do suffer this awful illness.for me it was a long process,but for most people much shorter.today,six years later i still take the ziuspin.my doctor tells me i could probably come off them with little trouble but he saYS THEY ARE DOING ME NO HARM and for me the fear of even a miniscule chance of relapse keeps me taking them.i feel it is a small price to pay.i do not know anyone who has just "got better in time"get help but from someone who REALLY knows what they are talking about.a lot of very well meaning GPs dont.but if he dosent he will be able to referv you to someone who can.the first step is by far the hardest but i BEG you to take it.today i can cope with just about anything.i laugh and cry,enjoy myself and get fed up just like anyone else.i promise you you will too..................................

Answer 6

You should not worry much about this medication. I don't see how it can hurt you much if you are already having suicidal thoughts. Drugs like this one can cause suicide, but only because they help you deal with your problems. Some people decide that the best way to deal with their problems is to commit suicide and that is mostly why you hear bad things about anti-depressants. In some cases medication does make things worse. You should be fine if you are properly supervised at all times while taking this drug. If you don't have another appointment with your psychiatrist, you should make one for four weeks from now or go talk to him right away if you are still concerned about the pills.

Answer 7

yes take the antidepressent you need to live a balanced life and in this case you can by taking your medication. Not to worry your doc wouldn't prescribe you something that he thought would harm you. There are side effects and you should go on line and look the prescription up. If you feel after a few weeks that this isn't working for you go back and ask to try a different medication, not all medication works the same on everyone. Things will get better in time but you have to allow it to.

Answer 8

I felt the same way, but it got to the point where I had to go on medication because therapy wasn't working. I was put on Paxil and have felt great ever since! They found that I had problems releasing seratonin too often and that I really did not have any specific issues that were casing me to feel this way. Sometimes medicine is the only way to go, but if you do have issues that are causing your depression you should see a therapist.

Answer 9

clinical depression isn't going to go away by itself, you need help to deal with it. I would recommend you see a psychiatrist, they know a great deal more about treating depression than your family doctor, they can also connect you with a good therapist. Medication therapy is only half the answer with regards depression, counselling is equally important to effect relief. Taking antidepressant medication, under the direction and supervision of a professional is really quite safe. It may take some trial and error to find the med that works well for you, but the risks are minimal.

Answer 10

Sweetie,
My heart is with you!!! I suffered from depression after the birth of my second son. It changed my entire life. I was afraid to take anti-depressant medicine. I was afraid that it would "mask" my true feelings and "make me happy". In fact, anti-depressant medication does NOT "make" you happy, it simply allows you to feel happy. It is true that some medication can worsen your symptoms. I took Zoloft for a while and it made me much worse. If you are aware of your feelings and cognizant enough, you can call your medicating physician or psychologist at the first sign of worsening symptoms and he/she will advise you to stop taking your medicine and try a different prescription. For me it took almost two years to find the right combination of meds to cure my symptoms, but it was well worth it. Do not fear, sweetie!!! Take the meds and watch yourself for any decline in your thoughts or behavior. In the meantime,, if you need advice or a friend..... e-mail ME!!!! No one knows what it is like until they have walked a mile in your shoes, and I have walked a million miles!!!! Love and luck--MissDelanne

Answer 11

I don't think there goes enough thought into prescribing these "medicines". I can't say what has caused your problem, I just don't know, but it may be something to do with an aspect of your life you are uncomfortable with. If that is the case, you can deal with it directly (Which really does help, I've been there). If it is something to do with your past, anti depressants wont necessarily help, and yes they can make you worse. You have a psychiatrist you say. Well make your reservations clear to him/her, they should be able to offer alternatives to the pills, however, some people really do need them, any thoughts you have about suicide can manifest and in a moment, sometime in the future as a result of your depression can cause you to do something you shouldn't. So please make sure your psychiatrist is aware of your anxiety in this matter.