I've noticed that lots of us have tried or are currently taking meds after D-Day. Maybe we could all share our experience here?
I started Sonata (sleep aid) and Lexapro, 10 mg., after my H left. The Sonata didn't help, I still couldn't sleep through the night. About 2 weeks later, I finally did, on my own. I have tried Ambien since then and LOVE LOVE LOVE it... I can see how people get addicted to it.
The Lexapro - I swear, on the 10th day (results take 7-14 days) I woke up and felt BETTER. It didn't take away my ability to feel, it just took the edge off. The highs weren't so high and the lows were no where NEAR as low. I have taken Lexies for about a year and have just started the half step down to get off of them all together. The side effects - I haven't noticed any unless I miss a day and then I get light-headed.
For me, taking meds has been a positive experience.
Monica
This is your life. Are you who you want to be? ~ Switchfoot
I find the meds to be a lifesaver. I take Prozac and I take Ativan when I need it. It does not take the situation away, it only allows you to deal with things better. I felt better about a day after I started the meds, and if I miss for awhile, (the pharmacy is lax in sending it to me), believe me, I go bonkers.......
Jess, I have a few Ativan for the days when I just cannot deal with life, in general. They are wonderful... those are my "happy pills"! No side effects, immediate results, etc. G
Monica
This is your life. Are you who you want to be? ~ Switchfoot
I had a standing prescription for Elavil. It is an anti-depressent that is also commonly prescribed as a sleep aid. I suffered from a head injury from an auto accident in 1999 and because of the concussion I would be unable to sleep for no more than 1 or 2 hours for several days (this is with no stressful event in my life and me trying everything to rest) and then my body would shut down and I would sleep for 20+ hours. The neurologist prescribed the lowest dosage 10mg, 30 minutes before bedtime. Because of the sleep problem as a result of the accident, I would only take as needed for 3-5 days and then I would be able to go to sleep normally. I could feel the difference when I woke up in the morning. I would not advise taking it if you cannot get a full 8 hours of rest because if you have to wake up before the 8 hours I felt a bit dazed. My sleeplessness faded away occurring less and less and I would only need to use the Elavil maybe once or twice a year. And then there was d-day. Prior to d-day, my primary physician had asked me several times if I needed him to increase the dosage because 30mg is what was normally prescribed and I told him no because 10mg works fine. After no sleep a week after d-day, I started taking elavil at night to help me sleep. One didn't help so I took 2 at night and I was able to sleep. Then I had a crisis one night, and even took 3, and didn't sleep. (I only took 3 because I knew it was safe because of what my doctor had said) I didn't know if I was having a nervous breakdown or what but I was feeling like I was losing my ability to cope. When I described the way I felt to my counselor he said it sounded like I was having an anxiety attack and that was why the elavil didn't help me sleep. My doctor prescribed me lexapro. It took the edge of. I haven't taken it for more than 3 consecutives days. Maybe I should since from what I read it is supposed to several days to get into your system. I don't know if I have a low tolerance or what but I could tell the difference the next day. I don't think it was the placebo effect either. It didn't stop the thoughts, the tears or the pain but it kept me from sobbing uncontrollably. I would describe lexapro as the equivalent to the restrictor plate used in NASCAR to keep cars from exceeding a certain speed.
I REFUSED TO TAKE ANY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION.
I WOULD TAKE A HALF DOSE OF NIGHTIME SINUS MEDICATION
WHICH HELPED ME SLEEP.A WHOLE DOSE MADE ME FEEL LIKE I HAD A HANGOVER AND I HATE THAT FEELING. BUT IT HELPED ME SLEEP ON THE NIGHTS I FELT LIKE WAS GOING TO BE HARD
<<I would describe lexapro as the equivalent to the restrictor plate used in NASCAR to keep cars from exceeding a certain speed. >>
LOL!
One of my best friends is a pharmacist and absolutely insisted that I give it time to work. Of course, he went into this whole chemical breakdown, half-life breakdown thing which made NO sense to me... But, I kept taking it.
Monica
This is your life. Are you who you want to be? ~ Switchfoot
<<One of my best friends is a pharmacist and absolutely insisted that I give it time to work. Of course, he went into this whole chemical breakdown, half-life breakdown thing which made NO sense to me... But, I kept taking it. >>
For some people it may take time to work. I know I have a low tolerance for hydrocodone, whatever tylenol with codine is. I have been prescribed it before because of an injury and I can't take that stuff, the one time I took it I sleep for close to 16 or 18 hours and when I woke up I felt drugged and dazed for awhile.
To me it all depends on the person as to how long it will take for you to feel the full effects. Or maybe not even the full effect but the partial effects that you need to slow your body down. Most days I am fine and I can't see taking a drug every day if I don't need it. I understand the reason you take the full prescription of antibiotics. But I don't agree with you a drug will not work until you have taken it a magical number of days. Anything thing that you take even for one day, some of it is going to be absorbed and some discarded.
If it isn't working you may need to keep taking it or at some point try another med. If it is working I still recommend limiting your intake as much as possible. If you still need it you will notice as you go off of the med that you may not be ready yet. You know your own body more than anyone else.
Meds are a great alternative to suicide. When I got to the point of such pain after SIX years of recovery then separating from my H of 25 yrs., I knew that I needed something more than therapy or St. John's Wort.
I'm not a pill taker, and I believed that with enough willpower I could fix anything. Not this time.
I hope I can maintain this feeling of non-depression after going off the meds.
My degree is in Medical Anthropology and STBX is a physician, so I have a little bckground on how our brains react to chemicals of any sort. I never wanted to accept the fact that I couldn't do it on my own.
Do a lot of research, and make sure your doc knows your medical history- thoroughly.
How antidepressants work
Types of antidepressants
Interactions of antidepressants
Serotonin syndrome
Which antidepressant drug is best for me
Antidepressants are medicines used to help people who have depression. With the help of these depression medications, most people can achieve significant recovery from depression.
Antidepressant drugs are not happy pills, and they are not a panacea. They are prescription-only drugs that come with risks as well as benefits, and should only ever be taken under a doctor’s supervision. They are, however, one depression treatment option. Taking medications for depression is not a sign of personal weakness — and there is good evidence that they do help.
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Whether antidepressant medication is the best treatment option depends on how severe the person's depression is, their history of illness, their age (psychological treatments are usually the first choice for children and adolescents), and their personal preferences. Most people do best with a combination of medications for depression and therapy.
For adults with severe depression, says psychiatrist, Petros Markou, M.D., there is strong evidence that antidepressants are more effective than any other treatment. If depression is mild or moderate, psychotherapy alone may be sufficient, though even in this case, short-term antidepressant drug treatment or herbal therapy can help people get to the point where they can engage in therapy and get some exercise (which is also thought to help improve mood).
"How do I get better? Well, certainly, for me in recent years it has been through anti-depressant drug therapy - mainly in the beginning, because I think it’s very hard to get into all that positive thinking and raise your self esteem and all those things that you’re supposed to do, if your mood is so low you can’t even think at all. So to take anti-depressants, and most of them are very good, they do help me to shift the mood and then work on other therapies, and work with other people that know how I feel, and all of those things that will, I know, in the end make me feel better and put that Black Dog at bay."
Leonie Manns, Depression Sufferer
How Antidepressants Work
Most antidepressants are believed to work by slowing the removal of certain chemicals from the brain. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters (such as serotonin and norepinephrine). Neurotransmitters are needed for normal brain function and are involved in the control of mood and in other responses and functions, such as eating, sleep, pain, and thinking.
Antidepressants help people with depression by making these natural chemicals more available to the brain. By restoring the brain's chemical balance, antidepressants help relieve the symptoms of depression.
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Specifically, antidepressant drugs help reduce the extreme sadness, hopelessness, and lack of interest in life that are typical in people with depression. These drugs also may be used to treat other conditions, such as obsessive compulsive disorder, premenstrual syndrome, chronic pain, and eating disorders.
Typically, antidepressants are taken for 4 to 6 months. In some cases, however, patients and their doctors may decide that antidepressants are needed for a longer time.
Types of Antidepressants
There are many different kinds of antidepressants, including:
Like most medicines, antidepressant drugs can cause side effects. Not all people get these side effects. Any side effects you have will depend on the medicine your doctor has chosen for you. Your doctor should talk to you about your medicine.
SSRIs
SSRIs are a group of antidepressants that includes drugs such as escitalopram (brand name: Lexapro) citalopram (brand name: Celexa), fluoxetine (brand name: Prozac), paroxetine (brand name: Paxil) and sertraline (brand name: Zoloft). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors act only on the neurotransmitter serotonin, while tricyclic antidepressants and MAO inhibitors act on both serotonin and another neurotransmitter, norepinephrine, and may also interact with other chemicals throughout the body.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have fewer side effects than tricyclic antidepressants and MAO inhibitors, perhaps because selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors act only on one body chemical, serotonin. Some of the side effects that can be caused by SSRIs include dry mouth, nausea, nervousness, insomnia, headache and sexual problems. People taking fluoxetine might also have a feeling of being unable to sit still. People taking paroxetine might feel tired. People taking sertraline might have runny stools and diarrhea.
Tricyclics
The tricyclics have been used to treat depression for a long time. They act on both serotonin and another neurotransmitter, norepinephrine, and may also interact with other chemicals throughout the body. They include amitriptyline (brand name: Elavil), desipramine (brand name: Norpramin), imipramine (brand name: Tofranil) and nortriptyline (brand names: Aventyl, Pamelor). Common side effects caused by these medicines include dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, difficulty urinating, worsening of glaucoma, impaired thinking and tiredness. These antidepressants can also affect a person's blood pressure and heart rate.
Other Antidepressants
Other antidepressants exist that have different ways of working than the SSRIs and tricylics. Commonly used ones are venlafaxine, nefazadone, bupropion, mirtazapine and trazodone. Less commonly used are the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).
Some of the most common side effects in people taking venlafaxine (brand name: Effexor) include nausea and loss of appetite, anxiety and nervousness, headache, insomnia and tiredness. Dry mouth, constipation, weight loss, sexual problems, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate and increased cholesterol levels can also occur.
Nefazodone (brand name: Serzone) can give people headaches, blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, constipation, dry mouth and tiredness.
Bupropion (brand name: Wellbutrin) can cause agitation, insomnia, headache and nausea. Mirtazapine (brand name: Remeron) can cause sedation, increased appetite, weight gain, dizziness, dry mouth and constipation. Some of the most common side effects of trazodone (brand name: Desyrel) are sedation, dry mouth and nausea. MAOI antidepressants like phenelzine (brand name: Nardil) and tranylcypromine (brand name: Parnate) commonly cause weakness, dizziness, headaches and tremor.
Interactions of Antidepressants
Antidepressants Can Affect Other Medications You May Be Taking
Antidepressants can have an effect on many other medicines. If you're going to take an antidepressant, tell your doctor about all the other medicines you take, including over-the-counter medicines and herbal health products (such as St. John's wort). Ask your doctor and pharmacist if any of your regular medicines can cause problems when combined with an antidepressant. When taken together, some medicines can cause serious problems.
Taking an MAOI antidepressant at the same time as any other antidepressants or certain over-the-counter medicines for colds and flu can cause a dangerous reaction. Your doctor will tell you what foods and alcoholic beverages you should avoid while you are taking an MAOI. You should not take an MAOI unless you clearly understand what medications and foods to avoid. If you are taking a MAOI and your doctor wants you to start taking one of the other antidepressants, he or she will have you stop taking the MAOI for a while before you start the new medicine. This gives the MAOI time to clear out of your body.
Another risk of antidepressants is serotonin syndrome, a drug reaction resulting from the over-stimulation of serotonin receptors. This can occur when an antidepressant is taken either with another antidepressant, with certain recreational and other drugs (see below), or more rarely, even when one antidepressant is taken alone. Symptoms include hyperactivity, mental confusion, agitation, shivering, sweating, fever, lack of coordination, seizure, and diarrhoea.
To minimise the risk of serotonin syndrome, there must be a 'washout' period of at least two weeks when switching from one antidepressant drug to another.
Drugs that may induce serotonin syndrome when taken with antidepressants (not a complete list)
* ecstasy
* cocaine
* lithium
* St John's wort (Hypericum) - herbal antidepressant
* diethylproprion - an amphetamine
* dextromethorphan - found in many cough suppressants
* Buspar (buspirone) - for anxiety
* Selgene, Eldepryl (selegiline) - for Parkinson's Disease
* anti-epileptics - Tegretol, Carbium, Teril (carbamazepine)
* analgesics - pethidine, Fortral (pentazocine), Tramal (tramadol), fentanyl
* anti-migraine drugs - Naramig (naratriptan), Imigran (sumatriptan), Zomig (zolmitriptan)
* appetite suppressants - phentermine and fenfluramine
* tryptophan - an amino acid
Which Antidepressant Drug Is Best For Me?
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listen to HealthyPlace.com Radio Effectiveness of Anti-Depressants (Dr. Samuel Barondes, author of Better than Prozac: Creating the Next Generation of Psychiatric Drugs)
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Because the neurotransmitters involved in the control of moods are also involved in other processes, such as sleep, eating, and pain, drugs that affect these neurotransmitters can be used for more than just treating depression. Headache, eating disorders, bed-wetting, and other problems are now being treated with antidepressants.
All antidepressant drugs are effective, but certain types work best for certain kinds of depression. For example, people who are depressed and agitated do best when they take an antidepressant drug that also calms them down. People who are depressed and withdrawn may benefit more from an antidepressant drug that has a stimulating effect.
Antidepressants Are Not A Magic Bullet
While antidepressant drugs help people feel better, they cannot solve problems in people's lives. Some mental health professionals worry that people who could benefit from psychotherapy rely instead on antidepressant drugs for a "quick fix." Others point out that the drugs work gradually and do not produce instant happiness. The best approach is often a combination of counseling and medicine, but the correct treatment for a specific patient depends on many factors. The decision of how to treat depression or other conditions that may respond to antidepressant drugs should be made carefully and will be different for different people.
RELATED LINKS AND INFO
Antidepressant Medication Overview
Depression Medications - Classes/Types
List of Antidepressants
SSRIs
MAOIs
Tricyclics
Other Types of Antidepressants
Guidelines for Pharmacologic Treatment of Acute Major Depression and Dysthymia
Pharmacotherapies for Acute Major Depression
Depression Treatments
Depressed Patients Find Improved Outlook in Antidepressant Medications
Brain Scan Reveals Antidepressant Effectiveness
Explaining Antidepressants
All antidepressant articles
treatments: alternative ~ antidepressants ~ ect ~ emdr ~ therapy
self-help ~ transcranial magnetic stimulation ~ vagus nerve stimulation
I agree meds are not a quick fix and should only be used when needed. My experience was I reached a crisis point one evening where I could not stop sobbing, I could not no matter how hard I tried to calm myself and focus on the many, many blessings in my life, I could not stop the hurt. I had been unable to sleep for several days before this. My body was fatigued and I wanted to rest so bad and put the whole thing out of my mind and just sleep. At one point, I didn't necessary have the thought I want to kill myself. I just had the thought, make the pain go away. I envisioned a knife slitting both of my wrist and as the blood flowed maybe my pain would ease. I don't think I was suicidal but I think if I didn't get meds to adjust the chemicals/nerves or whatever the proper medical term is in my body to force my body to rest, I believe it would not be long until I became suicidal. There are several reasons I don't think I was suicidal 1) My handgun and plenty of bullets were right beside me 2) I had a cabinet full of elavil and other meds and made no attempt or had no thoughts about them 3) I won't say I was in my right mind, but I will say I was sane enough to recognize the danger, know there is a God, and know suicide solves nothing it just increases the pain for those still alive. I have 2 relatives that have been diagnosed schzophrenic and have been prescribed drugs for life. In some cases, that may be the only solution. But I think drugs of any kind should be the last alternative. Just like you cannot will an infection out of your body sometimes you cannot will a balance of chemical set of balance by extreme stress and an emotional trauma. I took lexapro for 5 days an it helped calm my nerves and get me back on track. The problem still existed, thoughts still came to my mind about the A, tears still came but the meds limited it from getting out of control. I did not stay on lexapro for the full effect as they say for the 4 weeks or whatever because I didn't need the full effect. I needed just enough to slow my body done and get back on track. Since that time I have not reached a crisis point. I did take lexapro a couple of days ahead of the Thanksgiving Holiday and Christmas imagining that a crisis point may occur at that time, but it never did. Again after 5 days I went back of of lexapro and haven't taken any sense.
The key is listen to your body. The doctor can advise you but he can't know exactly what you are experiencing, how much a med helps you or doesn't help.
I don't like taking medicine either and I see it as another tool to help you cope, much like this forum. However, the use of meds must be monitored very carefully to avoid the abuse of meds and addiction.
If you don't need it and never reach a crisis point, that is great, don't take any. If you reach a crisis point, don't dismiss the assistance of meds to help you get back on track. I think meds should never be seen as a permenant solution.
