Anti depressants

[Sven]

Has anyone got any experience?
I’ve plucked up the courage to book an appointment this week.
I am worried about putting on weight (I have lost a lot), and side effects like changing my personality/moods - I have a toddler and don’t want it to affect how I look after her. I’m feeling so low right now that I feel I need more help.

 

[Badabing101]

100 % request a referral to a psychiatrist as they are the experts in terms of medication and diagnoses. It was through seeing a consultant at the Priory (I have private health via work) that I got to the bottom of my condition. Appreciate that not everyone has access to this type of support, but even if you can see a GP who has a special interest in mental health and would know more regarding medication that would help . Good luck

 

[jammy]

I put on weight too. Maybe because I felt lethargic most of the time and not much exercise.

 

[hrh89]

I found Mertazipine the worst for increased appetite! Made me ridiculously hungry.
Currently on 100mg sertraline but hate it because it makes my restless legs a millions times worse. Can’t win.

 

[TheWitchIsBack]

Has anyone got any experience?
I’ve plucked up the courage to book an appointment this week.
I am worried about putting on weight (I have lost a lot), and side effects like changing my personality/moods - I have a toddler and don’t want it to affect how I look after her. I’m feeling so low right now that I feel I need more help.

Sorry to hear you’re feeling like this but well done on asking for more help... that can be the most difficult bit. Speak to your GP about your concerns regarding possible side effects. If it’s your first time taking the medication they’ll realistically ask you to come back in for a review within a few weeks. They can take time to balance out in your system but if you feel like they’re not agreeing with you after a few weeks you can ask for them to be changed to a different type or dosage. It can sometimes take a few attempts to get the right balance.

Hope you’re feeling better soon x

 

[raynorxo]

I switched yesterday; took my 25mg at 6pm, had a lovely sleep around 9pm, drifted off nicely and felt quite refreshed today when usually I'd be feeling really out of it until early afternoon.

Felt very agitated and nervous though still, cant wait for that feeling to pass. I have one more 25mg to take tomorrow and then up to 50mg weds

I’ve been on sertraline for a few years now and recently have fallen into a deeper depression so they’ve upped my dose from 100 to 150 it’s upset my stomach a bit but it’s getting a bit better , it can take maybe a month for it to get properly into your system well it did for me , but hopefully it will settle down for you soon . I’m waiting for appointments for Cognitive therapy which I haven’t had before , have you been offered extra help ? I take mine in the morning but it depends as night time it used to keep me up . The side effects can make you feel worse than you did before taking them but never stop them on your own as it makes you worse . It’s so refreshing to see a feed for this as sometimes I feel like I’m the only one going through it . I hope this thread goes on for a bit longer as I would be keen to know how you’re all getting on x

 

[Snarkypants]

I've recently started taking citalopram and am having very bad nightmares. Hoping that stops soon. Has anyone else noticed a rapid decline in their libido since starting anti depressants?

It's really common, difficulty climaxing is also a very reported side effect across both men and women

 

[midnightrose]

I remember taking Sertraline 50mg. It made absolutely no difference to my depression at the time. However it made me feel horrifically suicidal in the first two weeks of taking it.

Although what I will say is everyone responds differently to various medications. Just because it didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean that it won’t work for others. Antidepressants are very much about trial and error. Different types at different dosages. It can be a lengthy process that is hard to maintain if you struggle with very severe low mood or anxiety.

Therapy is a really good idea, particularly CBT. A combination of medication and therapy has also been found to be effective.

Everyone is different.

 

[Sven]

Hi Sven I’m currently taking sertaline 50mg and have been for the last 2 years. Honestly they have changed my life for the better. My mum has recently started taking them too after an attempted suicide. I haven’t experienced any weight gain from them and they defiantly don’t change your personality or mood. They just ‘take the edge off’ and helps you think more clearly. I would 100% recommend them but that is just my opinion. My sister doesn’t agree with them so sometimes this can be a difficult discussion in our family however since my mum tried to overdose she is happy for her to try anything. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL IN THE FIST 4 WEEKS of taking them. I made this mistake and had negative thoughts on a night out. Told my boyfriend and we went straight home. It’s only why they kick in though

Thank you for your response, it’s given me a bit of hope. I actually don’t really drink at all and I never really get the chance to go out because toddler so there’s no danger of that at all.

Sorry to hear you’re feeling like this but well done on asking for more help... that can be the most difficult bit. Speak to your GP about your concerns regarding possible side effects. If it’s your first time taking the medication they’ll realistically ask you to come back in for a review within a few weeks. They can take time to balance out in your system but if you feel like they’re not agreeing with you after a few weeks you can ask for them to be changed to a different type or dosage. It can sometimes take a few attempts to get the right balance.

Hope you’re feeling better soon x

Thank you for responding.
I will ask about them - I’m really hoping something will help

Thanks admin for moving, I didn’t know this part of forum existed

 

[bumshell]

I'm currently on Day 3 of taking S. I'm currently experiencing some of the side effects, which I am hoping will wear of as per my doctors advice. I feel dizzy, drowsy, no motivation, headaches, loss of appetite, clenched jaw, keep zoning out and I cannot sleep for the life of me - did anyone else experience the same?

I think I'm going to go back to the doctors to get signed off from work for the week until these start to settle down as i'm sat at my desk on the verge of falling as sleep and I don't want to talk to anyone at all

 

[Tesla's Ghost]

@Allthehashtags as @Blackbird said, discussing with your health practitioner is the best way to go. I've tried several anti-depressants and had the best results with sertraline (100mg), but there are many others. And I've noticed even a difference between manufacturers. But the biggest help was combining anti-depressants with therapy. I don't know if you have access to it, but for me that was very important in the beginning. Now, I see my therapist only when necessary, and it's been a while.

I didn't have any negative physical or psychological effects like weight gain with sertraline, but I remember when I first started taking paroxetine, it was like I was going to throw up and took huge amounts of speed (I suppose ), but I honestly didn't care as I felt "alive" and as "my old self" after a long time. These effects wore off after about 2 weeks, I can't remember anymore. I had to stop taking it due to some unforeseen events, the depression came back with a vengeance, and for what ever reason they put me on sertraline that time and I'm glad they did.

 

[KateESJ]

I've recently started taking citalopram and am having very bad nightmares. Hoping that stops soon. Has anyone else noticed a rapid decline in their libido since starting anti depressants?

I've always had nightmares so I can't tell if citalopram has increased mine. However, I have a low sex drive. it's been that way for years but it's definitely declined since I started taking them.

 

[J-Dog]

Oh god! I totally forgot about that. I swallowed one with a tiny bit of water and had horrible heartburn/throatburn for the rest of the day.

 

[bumshell]

I'm the exactly the same, day 3 and all of the things you listed above. Do you take it in the morning or evening?

I'm on 25mg every day for a week then up to 50mg. Currently take them first thing g in the morning but I'm wondering if taking them at night will mean I sleep through what I'm feeling during the day. My appetite seems to come back around 10pm (by then I'm far to shattered to actually eat anyway) but seem more alert than I do in the day.

For the first 3 days I took them in the morning as the doctor instructed me to. On Sunday I ended up having to call 111 because I just felt so bad, they ended up sending an ambulance to my house to check me over. The paramedics really reassured me that it is common to feel like that during the first week-10 days.

I was feeling really drowsy in the day after taking them at 9am so I changed to taking them at night at around 6pm and I’m ready to sleep by about 10pm and then during the next day I’m starting to feel better and less drowsy and more with it. The paramedic advised me of this as well.

I’m going back to the doctors next week for a medication review, Im currently on 50mg (which I think is bit high considering this is the first time ive taken anti depressants and I was really reluctant to taking them) I hope they don’t up my dosage to 100mg as I’ve heard you get the side affects again

 

[Rac]

Hi, was looking for a bit of advice! I have just started taking Sertraline and was wondering if anyone else has and what the side effects are? We are going to start trying for a baby in September wondered if this would effect it?

 

[Sven]

Well done on booking an appointment, it is so difficult to take the first step!
I have been taking Sertraline for 9 months (started on 50mg, increased to 100mg recently). Apart from a bad couple of months at the end of last year/beginning of this year, they have made a huge difference and on the whole I feel better than I have in years. I’ve only had 2 side effects- one was restless legs (this stopped a couple of weeks after I started taking it), the other is very vivid dreams.
I took citalopram a few years ago for about 6 months- it calmed my anxiety and whilst I didn’t feel depressed, it just muted a lot of my feelings generally (although the only side effect I had was hives- which didn’t start until about 5 months after I started taking it. )
I was prescribed another antidepressant during my recent bad period but the side effects were so horrendous I stopped pretty quickly.
What I’m trying to say is that everyone responds to each antidepressant differently. The first one you try might be the one for you and you might not have any side effects, or it might take a while to find one. Best of luck to you and I hope things start to improve for you soon x

Thank you.
I have pretty vivid dreams anyway tbf. And I feel numb now anyway. I just don’t want to feel like this any more. There’s not a lot I can do about my personal situation - more than I’m doing anyway and I’m getting so low I’m not sure what else to do

 

[clickthrulink]

Just going to throw my story out there because I wish I’d heard something like this years ago... I’ve struggled with my mental health for most of my life (stemming from a traumatic childhood). It finally got to the stage where I was an adult and was struggling, so I went to the doctor, who prescribed antidepressants. I tried them for a few weeks, felt no different, went back to the doctor and got a prescription for a different antidepressant. This went on for SIX YEARS. I tried a huge list of them, tried them for the recommended few weeks/months, took them consistently, listened to my doctor, did everything I was supposed to do. But I never felt any better. I felt like I was completely broken, because antidepressants are supposed to help with depression but they weren’t helping me. I felt incurable and lost hope

After six years of this I stopped functioning and had a mental breakdown. It was only at this point that I saw a psychiatrist and was put on an atypical antipsychotic which is normally used to treat schizophrenia. No, I’m not schizophrenic, but it worked! It wasn’t a miracle cure by any means, but it helped level my mood out which had a wonderful knock on effect. I still have struggles (medication can’t cure situational shit unfortunately, nor can it erase trauma) but being on this medication has been the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental health

Just wanted to post this in case anyone else was finding that antidepressants weren’t helping despite trying different ones/dosages and feels as incurable as I did. There are other options, talk to your doctor and don’t give up hope

Thanks for sharing this. My partner has had a breakdown and is on sertaline and was using diazapam ad hoc, but how now been switched to an "anti psychitic" instead of the diaz (something beginning with Q) but to be used as an anxiety relief instead, was wondering how common it was to use them for something else.

 

[Kat26]

Hiya. I’m on setraline. I started off 50mg then the doctor prescribed 100mg which was too much. It was making me so ill and I had my boy to look after. Went back down to 50 mg and was alright with it. Went to another doctor and she has given me 75mg to take. Felt no symptoms at all.

 

[Blackbird]

I've tried so many different ones over 20+ years but have been on Sertraline for about five years straight 50mg daily).

I do wonder if the medication changes somehow between batches, as sometimes I'll have no side effects when starting a new pack, but then other times I'll get the headaches, sweats (during the day - the most inconvenient time), anxiety, sleeplessness, itchiness and nausea. Other times I'll just get one or two of these side-effects at random times. At times I take (prescribed) anti-nausea tablets to combat that and (prescribed) antihistamines at night with a sedative effect to help me sleep (and to combat the itchiness) ... but would make me feel groggy in the morning. It's a bit of a vicious cycle but I only take them when I need to. I also take a lot of Ibuprofen for the headaches.

Of all the ones I've tried over the years, Sertraline has been the best. It took a couple of weeks to get used to them - I felt suicidal in the first week, which was truly frightening as I take them for anxiety, not depression - but the side effects are not as bad as others I've tried. I do find that if I don't take them at the exact same time every day I seem a bit out of sorts and, like others have said, if I don't drink them with a huge glass of water, I get the most atrocious heartburn.

Edited to add: Weight gain! Yes, I have put on a huge amount of weight (about 10kg). I am a relatively newly diagnosed Coeliac and, while I'm still adapting my diet, eat like a sparrow ... yet the weight has not come off at all. But I'd rather have my anxiety under control, which Sertraline does a wonderful job of doing, than worry about not fitting into my favourite jeans.

With regard to Sertraline and pregnancy, yes it's a safe combination. But, Sertraline may not be the drug for you. I would suggest you try it - give it at least a month before deciding whether or not it's the drug for you. If you decide it's not, don't hesitate to ask your GP for something else. What works for one person might not work for you. I have friends who rave about Fluoxetine (Prozac); for me, the side effects of shaking, dizziness and vivid nightmares were too much to handle.

 

[Brocoligal]

Hi guys I was wondering if anyone had any advice on drinking alcohol on Mirtazapine? I am have been on them for 5 or 6 weeks now and take them at night. I have been totally avoiding going out at weekends now, I am a 19 year old with a great social life but have just been terrified to drink whilst on them. Its tough having been going put every other weekend the last two years on no prescription medication to being scared to go out because I take Mirtazapine! Any advice appreciated x

Never taken mirtazapine but you can drink whilst taking them. My advice would be to take it easy at first and see how it goes, maybe a couple of drinks at the pub rather than a big night out? I would drink whilst taking fluoxetine, I went on a BIG night out a couple of weeks after starting them and I was an emotional mess but could have been a combination of things, never had a problem any other night out afterwards.