Any advice?

Clue to it all is you are worth spoilng. Spoil yourself. You can watch a sitcom you lke laugh uts good for you.

Eat something fattening, if thathat you fancy. Be good t yourself yiur wirth it. WE ALL are!!!!

Hi deborah,

I know where you are coming from I am there,I cannot take any of the meds.,so pat on the back for trying,I know not everybody get side effects I do,so if you would get them from changing I don't know I suppose the only way is to try and if you really cannot tolerate them go back to GP sorry not much help but you do know you are not alone on here.Keep posting on here it does help.Take Care.

Hi Deborah

My doctor changed me to mirtazapine after 8 weeks of trying 20mg citalopram. The citalopram caused an increase in my anxiety, and I had been having difficulty with insomnia. Mirtazapine is starting to go much better for me now, i've been taking it for 5 weeks and I'm just starting to get the benefits to my anxiety and depression. I have had some tough moments to deal with in the 5 weeks, but I've stuck with it. As they always say with antidepressants it can take up to 6 to 8 weeks until you start to feel better and you may feel worse to begin with, this is true to what I have experienced. All medications are different so just because you had problems with citalopram doesn't mean you will with sertraline, try to stick with it, good luck.

Thanks, guys. The side effects really aren't fun. I know it's different for everyone and all the meds are different, but waiting six to eight weeks for any effect feels like such a long time. Thanks for the advice/info

Hi Deborah,

All tablets will have different side effects and some may affect you more than others. I have been on Fluoxetine and Citalopram and Venaflaxine and they all stabilised me slightly and I didn't really get too many side effects, but for me, Sertraline was the one that my body didn't like. It actually bought on anxiety for me which I had never experienced before. It was the worst tablet I've ever taken. But that was just me and my body. As I say, other medications I either haven't had any side effects at all, or only a couple which have disappeared after about a week. So no, it doesn't necessarily mean you will also suffer from side effects from the sertraline, they could be the best thing you've ever tried :-)

Good luck x

Yeah I know it does feel like such a long time, and it is torture to go through, when you just so desperately want to be better straight away! But as a friend kept saying to me you don't get ill overnight so you aren't going to get better overnight, it takes some time and a lot of work, and yes I hated her every time she said that because I'd just be so frustrated that I still wasn't getting any better but it's true. x

Becca, I really hope it doesn't work like that for me! I tend to be sensitive to medications, so I'm just hoping that, if I get the side effects, they go away quickly. Thanks.

itssofluffy: you're right, torture is the word for it. I guess the problem is more that you have to wait that long to find out IF it's going to work, more than anything else. It is frustrating, but I appreciate the point. Thanks.

Hey, yeah I know what you mean, I had that with citalopram, tried it for 8 weeks but it gave me no improvement, then changing to something makes you feel like you're starting all over again!

I know, it sucks. Guess I just have to hope.

I did possibly the worst thing ever with Sertraline. I weened myself off of them. Not intentionally but I got out of the habbit of taking them every day when I returned to work. Then I decided to start taking them again when stress at work was getting to me. BIG MISTAKE. for about a month I was unbelievably anxious. It is weird becasue I never suffered any side effects whne I first started taking the sertrtaline but when I started the second time the anxiety attacks were terrible. I've heard that alot of anti depression meds cause anxierty as a side effect at first but they do get better. Just have to ride it out.

I did possibly the worst thing ever with Sertraline. I weened myself off of them. Not intentionally but I got out of the habbit of taking them every day when I returned to work. Then I decided to start taking them again when stress at work was getting to me. BIG MISTAKE. for about a month I was unbelievably anxious. It is weird becasue I never suffered any side effects whne I first started taking the sertrtaline but when I started the second time the anxiety attacks were terrible. I've heard that alot of anti depression meds cause anxierty as a side effect at first but they do get better. Just have to ride it out.

That doesn't sound like fun. I usually manage to take whatever meds I'm on, but only cause I'd worry about it if I didn't and I leave them somewhere I can't miss them in the morning. The anxiety is the worst thing for me, even when I know it's just a side effect it's completely debilitating. I hope I can stick it out.

Fortunately GPs today are better prepared for patients with depression and anxiety. We also have access to much better medication, in number and variety. That does not make it any easier to deal with depression.

I have had three very serious periods of depression in my life. The two early ones were never treated properly - one GP told me he would record my problem as nervous anxiety because if he entered the word depression that would mark me for life(!) - and I very soon realised that the drugs I was prescribed were both addictive and would not help my depression. So I was determined to beat it myself and managed to return to near normal until another serious event and the panic returned.

After bouncing about from near normal to going under I had a period of respite that gave me the time to relax and overcome the depression. Some years later I became unwell but had no realisation that I was again depressed. Went to my GP who immediately determined I was depressed and put me through the set questions which confirmed that. He put me on Venlafaxine and I am still on it. I've tried to reduce and come off that without success even though I was determined to do so. It seems I may not manage to come off the drug in the future, which is a bit of a pain as I do not like taking medication unless entirely necessary.

Meanwhile, my wife has also been through difficult times, some life threatening, and after I had repeatedly asked her to see her GP she eventually succumbed. As I suspected she is also suffering depression but the GP ascertained that hers is more anxiety based and after a few changes she is now on Paroxetine. At times I feel she might need a stronger dose, which she is reluctant to contemplate, although the Paroxetine has been a considerable help to her. There does not appear to be much of a chance that she can manage without the drug.

So, Deborah, my advice is not to expect a quick 'cure'. And before accepting any increased doses ask about alternatives especially if you feel the medication is not helping or the side effects are bad. Side effects are something that can happen from the drug or simply because you expect them do do so. Just by reading the leaflets listing everything you need to know and a lot you do not need to know can determine which side effects you may encounter. Having read something you may fear can quite easily become a reality. So do try to be as subjective as possible; to be certain about any side effect. Sometimes it can be best to put up with some small side effect if the frug is working on the depression and doing good. This is where you can help yourself by trying to be as positive as you can. Banish dark thoughts. Convince yourself that you are beating depression and are going to win. It can be done.

Why have I gone into all of the above? Because I want to tell everyone that depression is not a simple problem like, say, 'flu (not that flu is always simple!). Depression can hit us in many ways. It is clear that we become depressed but why and how and what to do about it can depend upon each individual. From my experience the first step is to find an experienced, knowledgable GP who cares. This is not a simple case of prescriptions; getting the right prescription is vital. So if your GP is caring then you will be told to return to the surgery, probably in two weeks. During those two weeks two things will happen - either the drug is causing problems (side effects) or there are none, and secondly you will know if you feel any changes (other than side effects).

Thereafter your GP should monitor you by asking to see you after set periods of time. Hopefully you will be on the drug that suits you best and getting good results. That is not the time to decide you no longer need the drug. Depression, from my experiences, can be "lying dormant" waiting for some upset that allows it to surface again. Everyone is different but I would suggest that a period of at least a year free from depression is best before considering yourself 'cured'. It is quite possible, as I well know, to feel that one is over the depression, stop the medication and get on with life. Yet surreptitiously depression can creep back because your mental health is not strong enough to to combat it. This is probably a most dangerous time; you think you are over it but are doing things and making decisions that the normal you would not do.

You need to be and feel very strong mentally for a long time before you can think you might be over the depression. During that time if you have stopped or reduced the medication try to have a relative or friend make serious assessments about how you appear to them. Someone who knows you well is well placed to notice if you change. If there is any hint that the depression is creeping back take the full dose medication immediately and see your GP.

Untill medical science has found out much more about our brains and the difference between normal and unwell so that treatment can be directed at the cause rather that treating the result it seems that depression is one of those conditions that we must beware of. About one third of the population suffers depression at any one time so you are not alone nor in a small group. As it is so debilitating and can destroy lives I hope that the science solution comes soon.

Jaguar,

What a wonderful post was so interesting,I do wish both you and your wife well for the future.

Thanks, Jaguar. I understand that there's no quick fix, but the waiting is a nightmare. Talking about the side effects, I know that for a lot of people it can be the fear of what could happen that causes problems, but for me I know it was just an effect of the drug, which is why I'm concerned it'll happen on a new medication. My GP has been very good, I have regular appointments and she's made clear that I should go back any time in between if I'm having problems. Hopefully this time it'll work. Good luck with it all.