Medication.

Hello Tricia,

I asked the doctor for AD and he gave me cipralex 10 mg,they were hard work with the side effects for the first 4 week but they seem to have kicked in now as I feel a lot better an hopefully it stays that way.it does say that u may have thoughts of suicide so if u have them kind of feelings I would be carefully but on the other hand you may need them an like me u just got to stick wit em an be strong till they kick in an start working,it was worth it for me.I have been fine for a good week now I'm just hoping that I don't wake up one morning an it all kicks off again but 4 now its all gud.sometimes u just got to take the plunge an go for it.what do u have to lose by not going for it if u are not in a gud place anyway.it's probably worth a shot.Well gud luck an all the best.

Hi I understand what you are saying but meds can be a valuable tool to help lessen the depression.  I agree it doesn't cure it but it does mean that you are in a better situation to deal with your problems.

I asked my doctor about overdoses and she said the ad's they prescribe these days are newer than the old ones and you are less likely to be able to commit suicide on them.  This is one of the reasons they prescribe these now and not the old ones like  valium and librium etc.  Things have moved on a lot since those days.  x

Anti depressants have really helped me. I also get severly depressed and suicidal and i also self harm but when on my tablets I feel my old self I still get slightly down every now and then but nothing like what i used to feel. They take a couple of weeks to kick in but it is worth it. Because of my suicidal tendencys the doctor told me to let my husband keep my tablets for me. They don't cover the problem they help the chemical inbalance in my brain that causes my depression. It is worth a try and then if they work you feel better must be worth finding out rather than staying feeling like you do now but I do know how you feel. Good luck hun and all the best xx

Hi Tricia, there are two main types of depression and a variety of others. The main two are Endogenous which means from within and it it purely and simply a chemical inbalance in the brain. The second type is Reactive outwith the body. This is caused by an event in your life ie a death of a loved one or a debt that you cannot pay and the baliff is coming to take your posessions.

Endogenous depression is treated with medication, most probably with a Selective Seritonin Re-Uptake Inhibitor or SSRI. The brain is made up of chemicals and electrical impulses. Get one of them to fail to function properly and you have good cause for depression, so a talking therapy will not work with this. The only way is to stop the seritonin from being soaked up by other chemicals and getting rid of it by the way of excretions. This is just a statement to get you to understand a little about the workings of the brain. Other chemicals or medicines might have to be also used to rectify the chemical inbalance.

Reactive depression on the other hand can be helped by a multitude of talking therapies. There are more than just CBT.

So Tricia if you have heard or read on the forum that you can have therapy for  depression you have been mislead. It all depends on what type you have. If your doctor has suggested a medication for your type of depression it is most probably a depression from within. You can also have bouts of anxiety and panic attacks, the medication will hopefully work on most of your symptoms. Lots of people who have depression have other problems associated with depression. Some of these you can get counselling for ie if you need to change a part of your life to make your thoughts or feeling change. ie the panic attacks or severe anxiety

So please think carefully about not taking your doctors advice and starting on a course of antidepressants. Lets say you had an accident and as a result you had a broken leg and told the doctor that you did not want a plaster cast on, you would treat it yourself cold turkey style. You would be in pain for a long long time, yes. It is the same with mental health, if you need treatment because you are in pain and have emotional turmoil in your head, it is exactlly the same as a broken leg. Hope you understand my babbling on. Best Regards Peter.     

Tricia55, 

I was very depressed and suicidal was successful in one attempt only to be revived and can honestly say if I hadn’t gone the medication avenue I'm not sure I would be writing this?? anti-depressants are as acceptable and important as heart medication forget what your family say about taking pills if you need them take them!! after all its an illness! For me nothing else really worked other than anti-depressants however understand that if you do go on them you may experience a number of side effects as the serotonin levels increase. I feel great taking them and am glad I did its very common for people with this illness to be on them it doesn’t have to be permanent just depends ! Good luck !

 

Hi you might find the first ad's you try don't work well for you as it is often trial and error but there are so many meds out there, there must be 1 that suits you.  If the first one you try has too many side effects then get it changed.  

You might not get any side effects or if you do then most of them are very mild.  I am on sertraline and the side effects I get are feeling hot sometimes,  bad dreams and a dry mouth.  All of them are liveable with and worth it for the help they give me.   You would be very unlucky indeed to get any serious side effects so don't worry about that please.   The newer ad's are a far cry from the old ones you are thinking of when side effects were perhaps more serious.   These days they are not.  x