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Thread: Antidepressants question

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    Featured Member Magdalena_666's Avatar
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    Default Antidepressants question

    I am on the antidepressant medication effexor and it dosen't seem to be helping me alot.
    It helps a little. But I am still depressed. And the withdrawl symptoms are bad enough to keep me on them.
    Plus I have tried nemerous other antidepressants with little or no help.

    Well, I have just read an article in allure magazine that says taking the dietary supplement called SAM-e(s-adenosyl-methionine) may help.
    It says that in a study of depressed subjects they combined SAM-e and there usual antidepressants and that for 43% of the subjects there feelings of depression subsided completly.
    Also, sexual desire and functioning improved.

    So my question is has anybody personally tried this combination?
    Or tried SAM-e?
    If so what were the results.
    And do you guys think this sounds safe becouse im seriously considering buying a box of SAM-e tommorow and trying it out.
    If anyone knows anything about this I would greatly appreciate any info you can share with me.

    Thanks


    'Success is relative. It is what we can make of the mess we have made of things.'
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    I believe you Dottie and you have my support






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    Member Susane's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    Sorry I may not answer your question very well, because I didn’t heard about the dietary supplement that you are talking about, but I am doing right now one antidepressant program at home that I have order from TV/ commercials ( I know, I know let see if it works)- I mean it better works was pretty expensive. Anyways just wanted to tell you, that if the program I’m doing works I let you know, so far I’m doing it for 3 weeks and it seems be good, but I would prefer to wait at least 1 more week before I give out opinions on it. The reason why I will not take any medications is because, everyone says it make you trouble with sexual drive and have other side effects.
    Hang in there, depression sucks I know.

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    Member distortureddoll's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    I was on different antidepressants for a couple years. Everytime I felt depressed, my psychiatrist would up my dosage. I eventually felt like a zombie, dropped out of college, and started doing things that I would have never done if I were not on medication. I stopped everything cold. I went through withdrawl for 2 weeks and gained 30 lbs.

    I now realize that I shouldn't rely on the antidepressants to help with my depression or anxiety. You can deal with it by eating better, exercising, therapy, reading about it, and can use herbal remedies such as St. John's Wart-- which pretty much has the same affect as prozac. It's been working for me. The best thing is to surround yourself with friends that are supportive and care about you. Channel your depression or anxiety into something else. For me it is painting. For you it could be music, dancing, exercising, whatever. A lot of creative people deal with depression and anxiety. What I didn't realize before is that it is normal to have anxiety/depression. I just kept taking medication to cover up everything until i was a happy drooling vegetable.

    Well..that's my experience.

    Try St. John's Wart and find a creative outlet.
    *yes, I'm still bruised and sore..*

  4. #4
    tampafldancer
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    I HEAR GOOD THINGS ABOUT omega 3 for depression.

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    God/dess
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    Ask your doctor about the Sam-E just so you'll know if it can interact with your medication. Also talk to her about your experience with your medication--maybe you should be trying another one instead.

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    Featured Member krys's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    SAM e is sposed to be really good mags but don't take it with your current meds.

    http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshel...25,818,00.html is some more info you might like to check out.

    There are alot of factors that come into play with depression, one pill won't cure it all but it can help.

    K xo

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    Featured Member krys's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question


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    Featured Member krys's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    Sorry still a bad link... don't know whats going wrong?
    Got to http://www.wholehealthmd.com/ and search under SAMe and the info will come up.

    K xo

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    Featured Member cottoncandy's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    I think you should go off of effexor slowly if you decide to go off. I've been on effexor for 4 years and it helped me but I'm going off now because I'm no longer on insurance and its $300 a month for my dosage or $150 a month for a lower dosage. Anyway my psychiast said that with effexor that most important thing is to go off of it slowly because once your body is used to having it in your system and then you don't have it you go through very bad withdrawl symptons. I've had this when I picked up my pills late and missed 3 days-I'd be really annoyed with lots of people and wanted to yell at them (which definately isn't noraml for me) , had a headache- it wasn't that was how I acted without the pills but the withdrawl symptons.
    My dr. said to lower the dosage by 35.5 mg every 3-4 days so it is gradual.
    Effoxor worked for me but everyone is different. I was on 225 mg. When the pills started to help me a little the dr. raised the dosage from 150mg to 225 mg so that I could get the most benefit. I think rasing the dosage could help. But effoxor may not be the antidepressant for you- I also tried wellbrutren and zoloft to find an antidrepressant that was good for me.
    I haven't heard anything about SAM-e but I think that it's probably not as good as antidepressants because antidepresants were designed in a lab specially to alter the amount of seratonin (or feel good hormones.) SAM-e (from what you said) sounds like it may be effective for people with mild depression and who don't have acess to the stronger anti-depressants but not as effective as prescription pills. Anyway that's what the pharmacist said when I told him I'm going off my antidepressants because of money and asked him about using St. John's Wort instead because it's cheaper.
    I think its probably not a good idea to be on SAM-e and effexor at the same time because their interaction could cause weird side effects or lessen the effect of either one of them.
    Anyway if you decide to go off your antidepressants do it slowly- 35.5 lower every 3-4 days. Or you could email your psychatrist (if you have his email) or call and leave a message with his secretary that you'd like to about SAM-e and are thinking of going off your medication to go on that (that way hopefully you won't have to pay for an office visit which are exspensive.)
    (I hope this message doesn't come off as bossy but I don't want you to go through the bad withdraw that I experienced and I want to feel better.) I hope you find something that works for you and you feel better.

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    Featured Member Muyaha's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    Okay I'm taking effexor currently and I hate it too. Compared to other medications I've taking in the past I have much more ups and downs. I would wait a week or two before taking SAM-E because effexor is a MAO I and could affect SAM- E. let your psycharist/ or MD know that you want to try it

    I may have many faults, but being wrong ain't one of them.

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    Featured Member krys's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    YOu should not take SAMe with any other antidepressant medication.

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    Featured Member polecat's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    Krys is absolutely correct. You should NOT just decide to mix medications if your current regimine isn't working effectively.

    The $1 million dollar question here is- are you self medicating or are you taking meds from the advice of a qualified (i.e. paid/visited, not a customer or relation) therapist?

    Antidepressants are designed to help deal with chemical imbalances and physical effects of depression syndromes. They are absolutely the single most abused substances as people get a hold of them and take them to use as an emotional crutch versus true medicinal purposes. This leads to addiction, dependency, and diminished effectivity. You're not fixing a core issue- you're instead clouding your mind with the effects of the drugs.

    If you're not seeing a therapist, you should consider seeing one. If you feel you can't afford it or are uninsured, you should contact an insurance broker in your area and have them pick a plan for you. A good broker can usually find you an insurance plan for 90%+ coverage/$0 deductible for $200-$300/mon premiums, and your health and happiness is worth so much more. There are also 'free' therapists and state run programs, but I'd highly recommend to go to those with their own practices.

    Don't think of it so much as therapy as it is a consultation with an MD that can isolate if there are imbalances and prescribe the right medication that applies to you.
    It doesn't matter if you're somebody in this world, it rather matters you mean the whole world to somebody.

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    Featured Member exotica17's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    Hmm, have not heard of SAM-e. I've tried St. John's Wort, and it worked for a couple of weeks. I've tried Paxil in a variety of dosages, but it did NOT work for postpartum depression. I now take 1/2 Zoloft--works great for me. If there are sexual side effects with prescription pills, you can usually be prescribed with Wellbutrin. There's also some "feel good" teas out there that may work.

  14. #14
    Member evie's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    I'm currently taking 10mg of Lexapro. It's one of the newer drugs out there (one of the new batch of SSRIs). I'm also going to a psychiatrist. If you can bludgeon your insurance into paying for it (or want to cough up the dough yourself) definitely go to counseling. I had to sit through a bunch of assholes before I found the right one, but it helps soooo much! Please be careful switching if you decide to! I've heard all kinds of bad things about people just dumping their meds instead of weaning the dosage. Don't just go cold turkey!!!! Good Luck!

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    Senior Member Izzy's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    Right now I'm on Celexa...it's not bad...but I'm starting to feel like it's not working as well as it used to. I was on Prozac before, but it was a nightmare. Seriously....possibly the worst 3 months of my life...I was a total zombie and landed myself in the hospital (not fun.).

    www.webmd.com is good for basic med interactions and info. But always talk to your doctor...and be skeptical, lots of doctors are just pill-pushers who want to get you in and out asap.


    there's beauty in the breakdown





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    God/dess Casual Observer's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    Antidepressants are designed to help deal with chemical imbalances and physical effects of depression syndromes. They are absolutely the single most abused substances as people get a hold of them and take them to use as an emotional crutch versus true medicinal purposes. This leads to addiction, dependency, and diminished effectivity. You're not fixing a core issue- you're instead clouding your mind with the effects of the drugs.
    So damn true.

    Antidepressants are the biggest lie going in the medical industry. For some reason, it's a news flash to people that part of this life is feeling like shit, and that feeling like shit is better than not feeling anything.

    When I first met her, my last serious GF used to take Celexa but thankfully stopped--ironically because it killed her sex drive, of all things.

    Your answers aren't in a pill.
    Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.

    William F. Buckley, Jr.

  17. #17
    Senior Member Izzy's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    I definitely do not intend to take anti-depressants for the rest of my life. And I absolutely agree that they are over-prescribed and over (and mis-) used. And I will always advocate dealing with core issues and not just treating symptoms, therapy is great, I don't know where I'd be without it. However, you have to remember that sometimes it's not about life just being shitty. It takes time to "deal with" and "get over" your problems sometimes, and if it's a choice between something that will make each day liveable until you can manage on your own, and living in hell/commiting suicide...well, the pills really do seem like the lesser of two evils.

    the bottom line is, like any medication, people need to make educated choices about what they take, and not just pop a pill because the doctor said so.


    there's beauty in the breakdown





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    Veteran Member Gerina's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    I was on antidepressants for a few months, and they completely messed me up. Before that I was depressed and suicidal and afterward I was manic when on them and anxious when off. Some people need drugs to survive, but I wouldn't take them if you can help it. Consult a physician and/or therapist before taking any supplements to ensure there are no drug interactions or if they have any better ideas.
    ...and the day came, when the risk it took to remain closed in a bud became worse than the risk it took to blossom.

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    Featured Member Muyaha's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    Okay I'm not in the boat that anti depressants are a lie or whatever. Yes they are over marketed by physicians to the point that people that aren't really clinically depressed are taking them. I'm one of those that are clinical depressed and need to be on antidepressants to function just at a sub normal level. and honestly probably tried every antidepressant, but that what you do... you have to take a couple to find out what is right for you any M.D.s and psycharist will tell you that. What they also tell you is that you have to go to therapy while taking the medications, but usually people take the drugs and not go to therapy. Also being clinically depressed usually has nothing to do with life being shitty or unfair or not making as much money as they like to...People that are clinically depressed aren't that way from life but has more to do with genetics and if others in their family are depressed the more possible that person has being clinically depressed. It's very hard for people that aren't or haven't been clinically depressed to understand the bottomless feeling that those are clinically depressed feel unless you are a therapist that sees it daily.

    I may have many faults, but being wrong ain't one of them.

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    Member shinychar's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    I know very well how sensitive our bodies are to anti depressents. Bottom line though, get off of the medication if you feel it is not doing anything for you or making you worse. I took prozac and it made me lethargic and unexcitable. So now I am on Wellbutrin SR and it has changed my life. Of course I get sad every once and a while, but it doesn't consume me. The Wellbutrin has taken away my obsessive compulsive behaviors (i.e. thinking too much... dwelling... binging, etc.) I have a very positive outlook on the stuff.... been on it for a year and a half.

    Also don't forget that it takes about a month for our bodies to adjust to new meds, so patience is needed to see through the rocky begining.

    As far as herbal anti depressents that you can pick up at any drug store without a prescription, I hear they aren't as effective as the prescribed meds. If you have a chemical imbalance versus just being down in the dumps, they won't do much. My best friend tried both Sam-e and St. Johns Wort... did nada.

    My suggestion is - slowly get off the meds you are on and play close attention to your diet. Take vitamins. There are certain things like Folic Acid and B complex vitamins that help keep the mood areas of your brain healthy.... serotonin and such. I actually take Pre Natal vitamins... it is a muliti vitamin that women take when they are pregnent or ever wanting to get pregnant. Helps stabilize chemically and provides the vitamins our bodies need as women, including all the general ones.... not enough calcium though, so make sure to get that somewhere else.

    Once you have slowly weened off the current anti depressents, just try something else... do some research on them. Doctors many times promote/prescribe certain medications because they profit from it if they have an arrangement with a certain company... legal and perfectly normal, but sometimes not good for the patients. I really like Wellbutrin but everyone's chemical make up and issues are different.

    Good luck hun.... you'll find the right one for you. Just keep trying and be healthy. It'll work out. :smiley:

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    Featured Member LEIGH_LANDON's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    http://www.anxietysecrets.com/lounge...tm#azaspirones

    heres some info on alternatives I found - maybe it can help?

    LIVE LONG & PROSPER!
    Leigh Landon

    Never explain yourself to anyone, because the person who likes you doesn't need it and the person that dislikes you won't believe it.

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    Featured Member LEIGH_LANDON's Avatar
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    Default Re:Antidepressants question

    if you can - I know this sounds so benign but in all reality IT DOES help - exercise - hit the gym take seriously long walks - your body is a pharmacy all on its own and exercise releases your very own feel good drugs as you need...
    Try adding some extra exercise to your regime - if only to see if it can help - yoga is exceptionally helpful -

    It wont hurt to try and your helath is so very important that it shouldnt even be an issue to do what you need naturally to get what you are missing.

    Add a walk to your regime 3 times a week -

    Join yoga - or even pick up a taped yoga and do it at home twice or more a week....



    LIVE LONG & PROSPER!
    Leigh Landon

    Never explain yourself to anyone, because the person who likes you doesn't need it and the person that dislikes you won't believe it.

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    Newbie forte's Avatar
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    Default Re: Antidepressants question

    I have been on Wellbutrin and Zoloft.. Zoloft has the best ads but made me gain a lot of weight.. Wellbutrin was not strong ebough.. now Im on Prozac and have never been happier.. but not in a scary, I want to take over the world way. I highly reccomend.. Im actually only on a 10 mg cus im rather small and even so it works wonders. talk to a psychofarmacologist.. yea, long word, plus if its a good one itll be pretty expensive, but its definitely worth it.. they can work on whats perfect for you exactly. good luck!

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    Senior Member Devinn4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Antidepressants question

    IZZY, I agree with what you are saying, and thank you for saying it! Yes, sometimes meds are over-prescribed, but depression IS A REAL THING for many people. It's crazy to me that some people STILL don't believe that. And that's what makes it even harder for people who really ARE suffering. I know I've done my fair share of beating myself up because I feel like I should be able to just flip a switch in my head, just think positive thoughts and it will all be better. It's hard to admit that you may have a mental disorder/illness because there is still such a stigma in society......and that's sad. I actually told my doctor that I DIDN'T want to take meds, but she insisted that it was important for the short-term. Because you need to get yourself into a mental state where it is actually POSSIBLE to start dealing with problems you may be having. It's necessary to get yourself out of that downwards spiral. But I also agree that you have to do BOTH.....medication and therapy! Medication without therapy is probably not gonna get you anywhere. And there ARE some people that will need to be on antidepressants for the rest of their lives......and that's OKAY!

    I'm currently on Celexa and Wellbutrin, but I've cycled through so many trying to find something that helped with depression and anxiety. I've just been taken off my sleeping meds(ativan and zyprexa)by my request, although I may have to go back on, it's too early to tell.

    But DEFINITELY what I've learned so far is that if a med is not working or is making things worse(which Paxil did for me), TELL YOUR DOCTOR right away! INSIST that they try you with something different. Being on the wrong med can be very dangerous. Specifically watch out for new thoughts of suicide, as that can be a major side effect of some meds.....scary stuff. And if at all possible....get a psychiatrist to prescribe your meds, not your family doc.

    And remember, you're not alone
    HUG

  25. #25
    Pamela
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    Default Re: Antidepressants question

    The biggest problem with antidepressants are side effects. However, many many people actually have turned their lives around because of these drugs. Another key here is to NOT see your primary care doctor. See a specialist for these drugs. The pharmacy is great for answering questions about any side effects.

    Some people just don't give the drug long enough to work, and are at that part of feeling any side effects that will pass. Others stay on a drug for many many months or years feeling crappy...STOP. Listen to your body. The newer SSRI's are the friendliest, but still have side effects.

    And remember these are BRAIN drugs, very powerful! If you feel odd, stop. I knew a woman who had depression so damn bad she had no energy,been to all kinds of doctors, tests, only to have a doctor tell her to see a specialist, she did who then said lets try an antidepressent, started off on the smallest dosage, and in a few weeks she was working and feeling great!!

    You never know. If it works, your on the right path. If you feel like shit, stop. Years ago they said you don't need to wean off an antidepressant, i believe (just me ) you don't, as these meds break down very slowly (a half life) in the body.

    Good luck.



    Pamela

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