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depression

Posted: Jul 7, 2011

For those of you who suffer with depression (like me) can you share your experiences with medications (good and bad)? I've tried Effexor, Wellbutrin, Pristiq and some others, but I haven't been able to find the right fit yet.

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depression meds - mthead

[ In Reply To ..]
I started off on Zoloft, which caused me to gain 30 pounds and gave me a very flat affect. My sisters complained I was a zombie. The effectiveness also plateaued in a very short period of time. I switched from that to Wellbutrin, which made me feel great but did nothing for my anxiety. My doctor added Lexapro and the combination is working very well for me.

Depression Meds - CVMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Zoloft is what works for me. I will say that the first 2 weeks on Zoloft is like being a zombie. But after that, it made me feel a lot better.

Zoloft - Snow Bunny

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I've been on Zoloft for several years and never had a single side effect from taking the medication. Perhaps it's because my physician started me off on only 50 mg (1/2 tablet) and titrated the dosage up every few weeks. Now, I take a single 100-mg tablet q.h.s. and feel great.

My mom has been on Zoloft - mthead

[ In Reply To ..]
for years and hasn't gained weight or become a Zombie (and she could stand some meat on her bones!) I didn't really notice the Zombie effect until after I was off it.

True what you say about going off it. Don't ever - go off any SSRI cold-turkey - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I made the mistake of allowing that to happen one time when my insurance stopped paying for it, right at the time I had run out. I kept thinking we'd get things straightened out, and I'd get my new Rx, and all would be well. But although it takes a few weeks to begin feeling the good effects of it, if you stop all at once like that, the depression can come crashing down on you within a couple days. I bottomed out before I could even get the insurance thing straightened out. I couldn't work for 6 weeks, was hearing things and seeing imaginary spiders on the wall, and could barely drag myself out of the house to go the the supermarket. So even if the med you try isn't the right one, be sure to get with your doctor and work out a weaning-off schedule, just to be safe.

Depression Meds - Loves to Type

[ In Reply To ..]
I have major depression and have tried numerous medications over the years. Currently I am on Wellbutrin, Celexa and BuSpar. The addition of BuSpar has really helped my anxiety and feelings of well-being. It is always a challenge to find out the right meds. Good luck!

Depression meds - Karen

[ In Reply To ..]
I haven't taken any depression meds for about 20 years but my sister and another friend were both on Cymbalta until recently and both say it worked well while they were taking it but don't try to just stop taking it, have to wean down or it causes severe dizziness problems. Unfortunately, don't know what they are on now.

What I found best - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I have been dealing with lots of depression since both of my kids have went away to college. I could not stop crying and did not want to do anything but lay in bed. My doctor put me on Lexapro, but also added a small amount (100 mg) of 5-HTP. It is the precursor to serotonin and it made a huge difference in helping the antidepressant work. You can find it at CVS pharmacy or Whole Foods is where I buy mine. Good luck.

Have you tried Abilify or Cymbalta (see message) - BizzyB

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't suffer from depression (thank goodness), but I transcribe a lot of psych reports where the psychiatrist has added Cymbalta or Abilify to the patient's antidepressant and it does seem to enhance the effects. Might be worth asking your doc about...Good luck to you and keep us posted!

I got lucky on the first try, with Zoloft. Worked - well, no side-effects. Well, - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
actually there WAS one unexpected side-effect, but it was a good one: When menopause time rolled around, I had NO symptoms whatsoever. I'm not saying you or anyone else will get the same results, but that was my experience.

Fast forward about 10 years (still on the generic version of Zoloft), and it still works pretty well, though occasionally I'll have short, less-deep breakthrough bouts of depression. (Going through one right now). Then I have to up the med to the 150 mg the doctor prescribed as my top-level dose, usually for about 2 weeks or so, then I gradually wean back down to my maintenance dose of 100 mg/day again.

Zoloft didn't completely make me "depression-proof" but it evened out the peaks and valleys between the ups (which were few and far-between, but were usually strong enough that even I noticed I was acting oddly, "too happy"), and the downs, which could last for months at a time. 1992 was a particularly bad year for me when it comes to depression. Other than about 2 days in the summertime, while I was on a short road trip and went for a ride on an old narrow-gauge railroad, I don't remember anything about the entire year. That was one of my longest depressive episodes, and was about 5 years before I starting taking Zoloft. It just wiped out my memory of the year (either that, or I truly didn't do anything all year), though I know I was still working in an office at the time, and still had my job when the depression lifted!

I hope you find what you need. The key is to keep looking, keep trying, until you find what works for YOU.

Depression meds -- Celexa/Lexapro - sunshine

[ In Reply To ..]
I've been on Depakote and either Celexa or Lexapro for ten years. I've been tried on other meds. Risperdal made me so nauseous I couldn't go to work for several weeks, and I eventually stopped it. I went through a horrible year of medicine merry-go-round with a doctor who was just chasing his tail. It was very frustrating. I eventually fired him as my doc and went to a new one, who put me back on Depakote and Lexapro. They seem to work the best. Occasionally, I will also take hydroxyzine, which helps both with sleep and agitation/irritability.

Of course, what works for me might not work for you, but please know that if you ever need someone to chat with late at night, feel free to send me a message.

If you are on Facebook, look up the group BringChange2Mind. I have made wonderful friends there, and we support each other through rough patches. It helps knowing that you're not alone.

Also, if you are able, join a gym and start out simple, like 30-60 minutes on a treadmill. That helped tremendously, as did gardening, asking friends for help (come over for coffee, garden with me, go for a walk together), play with some toddlers, and watch plenty of The Office (Cafe Disco is a good one!).

Cheers!

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