Are antidepressants depressogenic / do they make depression chronic?
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi everyone,
I was wondering whether any of you has made the similar experience that since you're on meds you feel permanently kind of a little depressed and have lost the real joy in your lives?
After reviewing various literature and studies related to long term use of antidepressants it seems that they make you kind of chronically depressed and every time you try to quit them the withdrawal is hell and you find yourself "relapsing" or you go back to the drugs.
What bothers me is that no-one told me about these effects before I started to take the pills and i feel like it has done a lot of damage to my life. I've tried to come off the meds a few times and every time i tried to be more careful and still i do end up with nervous breakdowns and suicidality and have to go back on meds again in order to relieve the symptoms. Although i cannot prove this is withdrawal / brain adjustment i think it is evident as the symptoms start to fade soon after reinstation of the meds.
I would be very glad to here similar stories as i feel the health-care system and pharmaceutical companies owe us for the damage they've done. In my case i was not even that severely depressed when i started the meds yet got more and more depressed while on meds. This due to the side effects (chronic fatigue). It makes me angry.
Regards,
D
2 likes, 5 replies
mariano Dr.D
Posted
I agree with you, Doctors give A/D.s out like sweets,A magic pill for all. and lose interest in your ailments if you dont take them. I am talking from experience...They tell you they are not addictive..but they are..my sister is on one for years, and still cant leave the house alone...if she dosen't take it her head gets light,and she gets sick.All goes away when she takes the tablet.I refused to take A/Ds so my Doctor says, how can you expect to get better if you won't take the meds..makes me angry too...All a money racket. if you ask me...
wayne1962 Dr.D
Posted
Hi Dr.D - Yes I had a hard time when I finally faced up to my depressive disorder. Several sorts of meds were thrown at me, and several doctors had several different diagnosis. I was on Efexor for while and that was a particular sort of hell. I dispensed with that (against docs orders) after reading that it was thought to be responsible for some suicides. Withdrawal caused brain zaps, aching joints and disjointed behaviour. The next was pristiq - same story. I felt the docs were not even listening. Then they tried seroquel ("But your not psychotic"
, and I ditched those too. I've been on mirtazipine for years now - they help me sleep.
I haven't seen a psychiatrist or a psychologist for years now. I don't trust any of them. It can be a lonely journey, but having survived so much in life, I know things can be a lot, lot worse. I've just accepted that a depressive disorder mixed with anxiety is my lot, and it isn't forever. Chasing doctors for what they have done is a tough road. Big Pharma will back them, have oodles of money and tend to litigate the complainant into the poorhouse or until he/she is dead. We are commodities, collateral and guinea pigs. We are expendable to them, and it's in their own interests to keep us ill. Absolutely criminal.
Dr.D wayne1962
Posted
hi wayne,
thanks for your reply and insights. it really seems more like guess work than science on how they treat patients. i admire your strength and that you somehow accepted your lot.
i agree that going after them is very likely not going to bring any positive outcomes to my life and since there is no clear science behind the whole story it would be a case of opinions.
still i do not agree with the treatments and i guess the best way we can conquer is to inform people about the risks and the alternatives so they don't get caught in the psych-mill.
rebbecajdx Dr.D
Posted
hi Dr.D
I have just joined this forum seeking the same answers...
I have made a post regarding my issue.
unlike you stated above I was chronically depressed for 6 years but didn't alow myself to take medication until June of this year (citrolopram 20mg) when I started a high pressure job. the first month was hell I felt so ill and wanted to turn back.. from then until month 6 I was okay.. well I say okay.. I'd just started a new job and all my efforts and energy went on that
now at month 8 I feel a constant state of loss. I don't feel either happy nor sad. I don't really know how i feel yet I don't feel anything. I thought the medication would make me feel like 'me' again as the doctors described it. but I don't think this is me. I'm struggling at work and I'm usually a good worker. I have no interest in usual home life stuff and I use my days off to clean because it's something in my control. this is after 8 months of medication I've now even started to feel like I need to have a drink of an evening to relive myself and I am certainly not a big drinker.
sorry for the long reply but this is a question i feel relates to my experience of medication. I don't want to come off due to what you explained above and I'm now having a dosage increase suggested.
what to do....
R
Dr.D rebbecajdx
Posted
hi rebbeca,
i feel you, i really do. when i was on another drug (cymbalta) i did not really feel anything which made me do some stupid stuff so i could feel at least something. and i drank a lot. due to the meds i could tolerate even more than without and alcohol is never a good thing. due to the lack of feelings i broke up with my girlfriend as i rationalised i did not want to stand in her way of finding someone she can have a better relationship with as i was also tired all the time. i'm pretty sure the meds played its part in this as well.
unfortunately the meds can have very different reactions yet i experienced the same that i did not feel like myself or felt anything in general. this is often said by people who take these drugs. so in a nutshell they may take away your sad feelings but also take your moments of joy, it's like they narrow the range.
there are also reports of people that say that the medication stopped working at some point and they needed to increase the dose until they maxed that out and had to change to a different medication.
what has helped me in some stressful times in addition to the meds i was on were botanic meds such as valerian and hop, melissa. my sleep was much more relaxing but it took about 2 weeks to feel an effect. i took 1 pill which was about 400mg of valerian. the good thing is they don't have side effects.
i can't comment on what to do, whether to increase the dose, keep it or decrease but i can say that you can explore the options and what risks come with it.
one other consideration that comes into my mind is as far as i understand depression is that there is always a root-cause for it and even though they may be the biological component i believe that a lot has to do with the programming of our brains as we interacted with the outside world and have trained it.
have you done any counselling, psychotherapy, meditation?
do you know why you're depressed?
sincerely
dominic