SSRI Antidepressant Users

ssri_users @ 2010-02-03T20:44:00

2010-02-04T01:44:10Z

im on zoloft now, or the generic version of it and have been for over a year. it works, very well but has very annoying side effects that apparently are common. Very vivid dreams, that usually involve worries that I will have during the day. So its like, even though im living through my day all nice and calm, when I sleep I am hating my life again. and the worst part is, all i feel like doing is sleeping. i sleep in every class in school, i will fall asleep when a teacher is talking, when im reading, or even if i am sitting up and pinching myself, thinking about not falling asleep. i sleep at least eight hours a day, and am still tired with that much. i can sleep for 12 and still want more. people are impressed with my sleeping skills. im not.

and im reading up on all these people who have similar side effects, or worse, or better and some who have been on them for so long and stopped taking them and are literally...dying. do i have to stop at some point? arent i supposed to take this for the rest of my life? what would happen to me if i do?

i have been this way all my life. and i have no reason to feel suicidal, angry, upset and such. i literally thought living was so useless, for everyone not even myself. death was like, the obvious choice and ive come too close to reaching it. i was just always a sad and extremely anxious little girl that would never talk to anyone for fear of judgement and i have beens self conscious of who i am and how i look and what others think of me to a point where i refused to do sports, school activities, call other people, take part in games even BOARD games for christ sakes i thought people would make fun of me and think im dumb. and as i grew up it only became worse and then i started thinking all the time and was just like, whats the point of this i know no one that is happy with their life that has been growing up in my situation i have no hope for a great future im stuck with suburbia america and taxes and cubicles and a failed marriage. DIE.

what i wanna ask the common joe is, has anyone been like this before? been depressed, and not from just a break-up or death or any other devastating event? just, thats how you are? and what, if anything, have you done about it?

id be very much appreciated because even though i feel like a happy person who just sleeps too much and has crazy dreams, i am afraid it wont last that long, and, if it does, worse things will happen.

Vivid Dreams

2009-01-29T02:39:24Z

I have been on Zoloft for about 8 months now. About 2 months ago, I started having really vivid dreams. The colors the sounds the subject matter. It is all really wild.

Also, I bruise like a hemopehliac. I read somewhere that this is a symptom.

Does anyone else have either of these side effects?

Better Ideas

2007-12-06T06:12:30Z

Hey everyone i have just been added as a co-moderator for the better_ideas It has been unkept for awhile and gets infrequent use from people so I'm hoping to get it going again. So for those of you interested in the topic please come and check the community out, join in and help me develop this into a positive community for us dealing with depression.

ssri_users @ 2007-08-03T10:15:00

2007-08-03T15:18:11Z

Mods: Please remove if this is not allowed.

New....

2007-07-18T05:11:07Z

Hi. My name is Melissa and I am 24. I have been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and anxiety for the last 6 years. With the Bipolar, I am on Seroquel, Cytomel, and Klonopin. However, I am having a lot of intrusive, obsessive thoughts. My pdoc put me on a VERY low dose of Celexa....just 10 mgs. I have noticed it helping out. But, anything I should watch out for? Any experiences?

ssri_users @ 2007-05-17T20:11:00

2007-05-18T01:11:01Z

hello, i'm ashley. new to this community.

i've been on a few ssri's before, celexa, wellbutrin, and lexapro, none of them really worked for me though. i start prozac tomorrow, 10mg.

in addition to already taking 10 mg of abilify, which is going to be cut down to 5 mg.

i've also taken depakote for mild manic episodes.

anyone else have any good/bad experiences with it? {prozac}

thanks!

Lexapro and Zoloft

2007-04-16T09:13:31Z

I recently switched from 5 mg of Lexapro to 50 mg of Sertraline/Zoloft. My psychiatrist and I decided to switch because Lexapro was causing some really bad headaches and also because when she increased my dose to deal with depression my anxiety increased way too much. Another thing that happened with Lexapro and did not notice until my mother told me is memory problems. I would forget where I had put my wallet five minutes before, in my own room and could not find it. I would forget about important deadlines and such. I don't know if this was a result of the meds or the depression. I am taking Sertraline now, I feel better than when I was on Lexapro in terms of my anxiety and depression, but I am having a really hard time concentrating and sometimes I feel out of it, like I'm floating, but not in an "I'm so high" kind of way, it's hard to describe.

Has anyone had similar experiences or side effects? Has anyone made the same med switch?

I will bring this up in my next appointment, but I just wanted to see if other people have had the same experiences. Thanks for sharing.

Off meds now, finally back to "normal"

2007-04-15T18:09:58Z

Question: what happens if you tell a doctor you're feeling suicidal? I'm alright now, but the last couple weeks I avoided going in and saying "I want to die" because I knew it was going to pass and I didn't know what would happen if I admitted that.

Background below:
Last quarter for a variety of reasons, I was sad for a few weeks. I've been horribly depressed off and on all my life, even when things are going fine. This time it just didn't let up though. I dreaded getting up in the morning and going through another goddamn day of seeing everyone (it seemed) succeed more and more easily, and even the things that used to make me happy were making me sad. I cried all the time, couldn't stop, in classes or just walking down the sidewalk I'd have tears streaming down, that no one noticed because I wouldn't make eye contact, and thinking "Why am I such a loser. I hate myself. I hate this. Why can't I snap out of it? Why have I fucked up every situation I've ever been in?" and so on.

I started thinking I didn't deserve to be happy after all the people I've hurt, the money and time I've wasted.

The counselor guy got me to start taking Prozac. He reminded me how hard it is to act rationally when I have a "Greek chorus in my head telling me how horrible a person I am"

I think the act of taking *something* was good, in that it meant I was doing something to try to feel better. I at least started going through the motions of life again.

After about 10 days of being on it, I stopped being able to have an orgasm. With my boyfriend, with myself, nothing. This is a big deal, and contributed to teh general numbness and apathy I felt. People started asking me spontaneously "Are you ok?" several times a day. One said I looked "dead inside."

I couldn't cry.
Then I stopped taking the meds.
And then I slept for two weeks. Almost literally, we're talking 12-20 hours a day. I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning, and I just... didn't sometimes.
I went to class and slept. Things in my life piled up, like dishes and emails and the random stuff people just do normally I couldn't bring myself to do. I didn't see my friends or boyfriend. The phone would ring and I wouldn't answer it.

Now I've started doing things again. Yesterday I just woke up, cleaned the room, got pizza and went to a party where I had an awesome time. We came back and hung out with people, great friends that I'd neglected, and now I'm excited about life again for the first time in a long LONG while. I *do* have a future and there are nonpointless things in life, and even a lot of the pointless things are hella fun.

I've decided I'm alright with bouts of depression as long as I still get these highs. Medication takes away pain, but honestly I'd rather feel anything than feel nothing.

Here's to enjoying it while it lasts.

Would like any thoughts from ppl who know

2007-03-08T03:00:28Z

I was diaognosed with depression and anxiety (with a strong pull toward social anxiety) in 2005
I was prescribed zoloft (sertraline) which i duly went on, much to my disliking.
since then i've been off and on them a few times.
I dont want to be on them, i hate that i can't control my life, and i hate that if i'm on them i'll be like my mother and sister (both on anti-d's and we DO NOT get along, partly due to the fact they think i should be on them and can't understand why i have a problem being on them.

Please don't get me wrong, i don't judge others for it, couldn't care less if you're on them or off them or anything, it's just a personal thing that i think i should be able to control my own life and head.

So the question i'm asking is this:

what are the alternatives? And do they work?

Low cost meds

2007-02-08T03:49:29Z

Hi, I'm new here and wanted to introduce myself and also to ask a quick question about filling scripts. I don't have prescription drug coverage and my doc said many of her patients are buying from Canada to save money. Has anyone done this and if so, what site did you use? I'll take any input on how to make my scripts more affordable. I'm in that awful income bracket where I don't make enough to afford meds but don't make little enough to qualify for public assistance.

ssri_users @ 2007-01-17T22:59:00

2007-01-18T04:01:31Z

hi everyone. i just took my first zoloft pill a few hours ago. it was 50mg, and now i feel very manic and my heart is beating fast. its pretty uncomfortable, i dont feel happy or calm necessarily. should i cut the pill in half when i take it next time? did this happen for any of you?

thanks, alison.

ssri_users @ 2007-01-16T12:36:00

2007-01-16T20:38:59Z

Is there anything else you avoid while on your SSRI othen than alcohol and dextrometorphan? Are vitamins fine?

Paxil or Prozac,

2007-01-15T20:13:15Z

I'm taking 10mg of Paxil for panic attacks and physical symptoms of anxiety. My doctor initially talked about prescribing Prozac rather than Paxil but then decided on Paxil. This is my fifth day of taking the medication and it's only now that I read about the weight gain often associated with Paxil.

What has your experience been? I exercise 4-5 times a week and eat a very healthy diet. I realize that everyone's body responds to the medication differently but I was wondering how likely is it that Paxil will cause me to gain weight, and whether this is reason enough to ask my doctor to switch me to Prozac.

Is Paxil, in your experience, considerably better at treating panic attacks than Prozac?

Need help on what to take

2007-01-05T23:24:21Z

Hello everyone-

I need some help on what type of anit-depresses to take. I was once on zoloft and it work for awhile but i had to stop cold turkey because was not working for me anymore. What pills are good? let me know...i mean zoloft help me in the begin but end up bad =(

ssri_users @ 2006-12-24T18:40:00

2006-12-24T18:59:28Z

Hi, I've never posted here before, but I've been through a number of SSRI's in my time. None of which has really worked for me, but I'm currently on cipramil/citalopram/celexa - whatever you know it by - it's the all the same drug under different brand names. I'm unsure of its effect yet - it's too early - I just feel a bit sick and numb.

Two things really. - Has anyone ever tried combining taking the food suppliment, 5-HTP along with an SSRI, because to my logic, the two substances should enhance the effect.
Serotonin is the chemical that we "supposedly" need more of in our brain synapses to help depression.
5-HTP is a precursor for the production of serotonin and therefore helps your brain make more.
SSRI's slow the destruction of serotonin and therefore helps the serotonin you make build up in the brain.
So - shouldn't taking both help? Sorry if I haven't made myself clear - but I would be interested if anyone has opinions, because I know that taking 5-HTP alone, has helped me a lot.

The only other thing was that I thought posting a quick link to this Wikipedia page would be useful to all members here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRIs

Anyway - thanks for listening, and good luck to all.

ssri_users @ 2006-11-27T23:34:00

2006-11-28T03:34:52Z

weight gain and celexa? any experiences?

Wellbutrin

2006-11-20T07:46:54Z

Has anyone had experience with wellbutrin? Today was the first day of uping my dose from 75mg to 150mg. All day I felt kinda shaky and nervous. It was a weird feeling but it did not interfere with my day or work. Has anyone else experienced this? Does it go away eventually? I want to call my pdoc tomorrow and see if taking it in 75mg doese two times a day instead of th whole 150mg dose at one tim. I don't know if that would help with the nervousness.

My hands were shaking a lot too. And I've been having a headache for several days now which I can not decide if it is just from allergies or the meds.

ssri_users @ 2006-11-11T03:32:00

2006-11-11T08:32:56Z

Generally (or in your own personal experience), how long did it take for Lexapro to start working?

A little history on me:

I started out on SSRI's for anxiety (sleeplessness, weird bladder tick, IBS). I started out on Paxil CR which worked wonders for me but made me sleepy ALL THE TIME. Tried Zoloft which made me want to kill myself - boy howdy, never doing that again. Tried the regular Paxil which didn't seem to do much. I wound up being diagnosed with depression a couple of weeks ago. My doctor is trying me on Lexapro. While I am starting to feel a little less depressed, I am still (/back to) having major anxiety issues (not to mention a loss of appetite and being nauseated nearly 24/7).

Anyone else have this with Lexapro? Did it take awhile to work for you? It's just ... I'm really hoping this will start kicking in and helping the anxiety because my only other option is to go back to Paxil CR and, while effective, I don't know if I can deal with being so sleepy all the time (due to medication, not depression) again.

ssri_users @ 2006-10-27T13:35:00

2006-10-27T17:42:53Z

Hi. My name is Stephani. I’m 19.

And basically, I’m looking for someone to talk to; I need some friends. I was recently diagnosed with anxiety/depression and I am on Zoloft and Ativan, which aren’t really helping. I’m sad and lonely and I am so unmotivated. It’s really hard for me to survive in a college environment when all I want to do is sleep.

But I don’t want to sound like I am complaining or begging. I just thought it might be good to find some people who understand or just people to talk to; to check in with.

I go to college in Philadelphia. I love music. I love my boyfriend. I love green tea. I love photography. I’m a journalism major & while I love to write, I want to work for a magazine, maybe editing or layout. I love sleep. I hate drama. I hate feeling so sad. But I am optimistic about the future.

So if you want to be friends, that’s cool. You can add me on lj. You can add me on myspace, facebook or aim: dearaffliction.

If not, that’s okay too.

no appetite!

2006-10-26T09:07:34Z

hello, after being off the luvox for six months, I'm back on it again. 125mg/day (50, 25, 50). It's been a few days and I'm not hungry!!! I had no side-effects last time I was on it. I know appetite loss is listed as a side-effect of luvox, but is it one of those things that go away as your body gets used to it? Or... is it permanent?? It'd make me sooo happy if it is.

anyone with experience? thank you :)

You're invited to join wellpartners

2006-08-31T19:55:54Z

wellpartners aims to be a support group for people who are in an intimate relationship with someone who has been diagnosed with a mental illness. Eating disorders, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder, social phobia, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, depression, narcissistic personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, everything goes. The primary goal of the community is to provide well partners - those who are romantically involved with someone suffering from a psychiatric disorder, but are not mentally ill themselves - with a place where they can share their experiences, exchange helpful information and receive support in times when it is needed. This community will offer its members valuable advice, support and a safe place to vent and be taken seriously. It should eventually serve to help those of us who are in a relationship with someone suffering from a psychiatric disorder to feel less isolated and more empowered.

Please tell your boyfriends, girlfriends, wives or husbands, friends and family, mistresses, lovers, spouses or anyone else who might be romantically involved with someone suffering from a psychiatric disorder. They’re all very, very welcome here.

I couldn’t find anything in the user info about this sort of thing not being allowed in here. If it is a problem, I'm sorry, and please feel free to delete my post – no hard feelings.

What next?

2006-07-24T18:10:47Z

Hi.

I was taking Effexor for three years, mostly for depression. I also have issues with anxiety, obssessive/compulsive thoughts, and migraines.

The Effexor worked very well, but I Went off of it because after long term use I felt very flat and lackadasical. I also had severe withdrawl effects.

I am trying to be drug free but think I might have to go back on something.

I am looking for suggestions regarding drugs with the least side effects that are the most gentle on the system, expeshally in terms of withdrawl, while still being effective.

Suggestions? [ssriu]

2006-07-12T09:21:48Z

Hey all..

I'm on a medication that increases my appetite, & my doc was going to perscribe me an appetite supressant when I see him next.. Unfortuatnely I missed my appointment & can't go back til I can pay the non-cancellation fee (I fergot when it was & plain ole missed it).. I was wondering if any of ya'll might have a suggestion on something over the counter that will help me not be so damn hungry..

Thanks!

Xposted

Meds, meds, meds

2006-07-04T21:33:38Z

I'm tired of meds.

I am seeing an endocrinologist for my thyroid and he has bumped my meds up 2 levels. I am awake and have energy, but I am sweating profusely almost nonstop. This sucks because I *HATE* to sweat.

My Effexor has stayed the same, but I have to take it 4 hours away from my thyroid meds and with food. So I am eating at odd times of the day and I feel kinda woozy.

My Xanax is the only good thing in my life right now. However, I forgot to phone in a prescription last Friday so I had been taking a half dose until last night. I think that I slept less than two hours on Sunday.

I'm considering talking to my doctor about getting me off the Effexor this summer. I don't think that it does much except make me fat. The Xanax calms my nerves, which are perpetually on edge.

I know that I can't take certain antidepressants because they cause me to crawl the walls.

ssri_users @ 2006-07-02T02:03:00

2006-07-02T07:07:25Z

I've been taking Zoloft since last Tuesday [1/2 of a 100mg pill, to be moved to 1 pill per day on Tuesday] and tonight it feels like I can't breathe. It will get better, to where I feel a little more normal, then come back and my throat feels tiny. Could this be an allergic reaction if it's taken this long to surface? Or is it panic? Anxiety?

Opinions? Simlar Experiences?

BTW I take my pill at 2pm and I started feeling like this maybe around.....midnight.