Now I’m terrified I have Tardive Dysphoria.
Posted , 6 users are following.
It’s basically when you take an antidepressant for so long that it actually alters your brain, giving you long term depression that can’t be treated with any antidepressants.
I’ve been on citalopram for 4 years now, mostly 20mg but had to go up to 30 at times, but usually went back down to 20 afterwards. I started taking them for anxiety, not depression.
This year the anxiety hit me hard so I went up to 30mg once again, after a few weeks I thought I was getting better, but then I got hit with depression. The doctor decided to increase my dose this time to 40mg.
I haven’t been on the 40 for a week yet. I do have a few good moments, sleep is a little better, appetite is a little better at times, but the depression isn’t really subsiding much. Now I’m worried that the long term use of these pills is actually causing the depression and the 40’s won’t work for me at all because I have Tardive Dysphoria.
I’m terrified of feeling this way forever....
0 likes, 12 replies
Potatoghost nina87533
Posted
the article written about it goes back to 2011. this is essentially an opinion piece. As far as I'm aware, serious concern about this issue is currently far from unanimous in the psychological research community. As valid as the fears may turn out to be, the piece is clearly written from a single slant and doesn't seem to give much consideration to the evidence in favour of antidepressant use which brought about their widespread use in the first place. The original paper by El-Mallakh does not establish tardive dysphoria as a real phenomenon, it simply makes a case for the issue to be investigated. Also bear in mind that authors of papers will always write up the significance of their work. I'm not saying that it's dishonest to do this, but it's not in their interest to understate their research.
there has only been that one paper about it I think.
tardive dyskensia is more likely but even that is pretty rare and that's with antipsychotics rather than antidepressants
nina87533 Potatoghost
Posted
I think I know deep down I don’t have it, I’ve only ever been on one antidepressant and this is the first time I’ve been on a high dose.
But I tend to think that my antidepressants are sometimes working against me and I won’t know without stopping them, and then there’s the chance of withdrawals.
Ugh. I just hate pills and having to rely on them for anything.
Potatoghost nina87533
Posted
it's your anxiety telling you all this x that's what it does x preys on your fears. you are worried you're not gonna get better and now you have come across tardive dysphoria.
anxiety is a sneaky illness it gets your fears and latches onto them x you will get better x 😊
don't google anything! it makes everything so much worse! I don't myself too x
Potatoghost
Posted
tamsin07572 Potatoghost
Posted
thanks P that is reassuring as i am now freaking out about this too! i was on citalopram for 4 years and now have depression - is it really a thing?
nina87533 tamsin07572
Posted
I’ve done a little bit more digging last night (although I probably shouldn’t have lol.)
While some people don’t do well on antidepressants (after trying a lot of them) and gotten more depressed while being on them, there are a lot of people who said after stop taking them and using certain supplements instead, helped them recover. Besides that one article, I haven’t read about anyone actually going through it personally. Not to say there’s people out there who aren’t, but I’m sure if there was a lot of people going through it, they’d be more vocal, especially online.
Potatoghost nina87533
Posted
also if it's any help I didn't have depression until I increased my dose so i knew it was just a side effect.
my side effects don't normally hit for a couple of weeks properly into a dose anyway so it's likely that the depression is a side effect of the meds and will go away x the fact you are seeing some improvements is really good
the fact you take them originally for anxiety rather than depression anyway is good because tardive dyskensia if it's real. which there is not much evidence to support it really,
it effects people prone to depression not anxiety. you would be even less likely to get it. hope that helps a little bit. 😊
nina87533 Potatoghost
Posted
I know it’s my anxiety, but I’m just tired of not thinking consistently. One min I’m good, actually a bit happy, then a few mins later it’s gone and I fall into despair once again, and don’t believe I’ll ever get better.
I’m willing to stay on this dose for at least another month, I just don’t know what I’m going to do if they don’t work. I just wanna feel normal, especially for my family around this time of year. I don’t need to feel super happy, I just don’t want to be depressed...
Luckily I don’t think I have many side effects from going up in my dose (at least not yet), but I’m sick of feeling so down a lot of time....
peter27493 nina87533
Posted
I can assure you that tardive dysphoria actually exists. I have been struggling with it for more than two and half years. I have come off two antidepressants and continue to experience low mood, anxiety, restlessness and a deep feeling of dissatisfaction with myself and my life. The condition came on gradually after being on antidepressants for 25 years. I was taking sertraline and mirtazapine when I started to experience tardive dysphoria. I remember asking my psychiatrist if she thought that the antidepressants had stopped working. She said she didn't think so. It is dreadful condition about which psychiatrists don't know about, or refuse to recognise . The most terrifying aspect about tardive dysphoria is that there is no way of knowing if it will improve after stopping antidepressants.
katecogs nina87533
Posted
Potatoghost is right. Its one slant on this without listening to the science behind the pro's for this medicine. Also as Potato says, its your anxiety that has latched onto this - anxiety likes to find fear everywhere as thats what it thrives on.
Anxiety sufferers have a habit of searching online for answers and that's often where you'll find scare-mongering stories. Just don't read them - stop looking online for info.
These meds would not be on the market if there was a huge fear of someone getting tardive dyskensia (something I've never actually heard of) - and again as Potato says, its more likely to be connected with antipsychotics - and even then, its pretty rare.
I took SSRI's for over 16 years and before that anti-depressants for 15 years maybe - so a total of around 30 years. All is perfectly well. My doctors advice was you can take them for life if you need to. As it was I didn't need them for life 😉
Don't hate the pills - they're there to help you just as any other medicine helps any other ailment. You wouldn't expect a diabetic to go it alone without his insulin - and its no different to someone who has depression or anxiety. If you need the help, then those meds will help. It is though, all about getting the right medication for you as different types of anti-depressants work in different ways, and its finding the right one thats tailored just for you.
peter27493 nina87533
Posted
This is not scaremongering!! Some people develop antidepressant resistance which is ultimately untreatable. It's known as antidepressant treatment tachyphaxsis. There are now many studies that show that the incidence of chronic depression has increased dramatically since the introduction of the SSRI'S in the 1990's. This was first noted in the 1970's and 80's with the tricyclic antidepressants and the MAOI's. It is not known why some individuals develop this condition, but there are studies which now suggest a genetic predisposition in some people to go onto develop antidepressant treatment tachyphaxsis and ultimately tardive dysphoria. Patients and doctors are understandably reluctant to accept the fact that long term treatment with antidepressants can be pro depressant. It has been proposed that the condition is caused by oppositional tolerance to antidepressants.
katecogs peter27493
Posted
When I talk of scaremongering I’m not directly relating that to tardive dyskensia or of depression itself, but am using this term as general negative stories and of the anxiety condition, not depression. Lots of negativity and scare stories written are by people who haven’t had success with meds’, and rightly so - who wouldn’t write about their bad experience.
Anxiety sufferers tend to be drawn to negativity instead of positive stories and already in a vulnerable state, pick up on this which adds to their already fragile state. This is why I say do not read scaremongering stories - any of them.
Different antidepressants work on different neurotransmitters, and not everyone has issues with the same ones. If you’re on the wrong meds then its being aimed at the wrong target, or one neurotransmitter will counteract the other, not getting the balance right. Its trial and error getting the meds right which takes a very long time.
Another reason sometimes meds don’t work because people are too impatient, expecting to be well after a short time as often they aren’t told how SSRIs work, not understanding the length of time thats needed. So the person will then start hopping from meds to meds desparately looking for that elusive quick relief which makes them worse.