# Anyone been put on antidepressants?



## florie (Nov 28, 2006)

Hi guys

I haven't been on here for quite some time......been trying to get on with things without my infertility taking over....needless to say it hasn't worked! 

I just wondered if anyone had been put on antidepressants by their GP? And if so did they help? I'm am really battling at the moment with all my feelings of loss. I feel very low and I'm not sleeping either. I am off to the GP this week and i think he may offer me antidepressants.....if anyone has any experience of them i would like to hear if they helped? I have always tried to manage without them but i am so tired of battling on my own and after tons of counseling i still feel rubbish!

Luv
Florie x


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## maybe tomorrow (Jul 5, 2008)

Hi Florie,
I have been put on Prozac to try to help me through what Im going to be going through over the next few months which is a Hysterectomy.(I wont bore you with the details)
I am finding that I dont feel particularly well on them to be honest; Im shaking a lot and also my eyes feel like they are going to wobble out of my head....I also feel sickly most mornings as if Im going to be sick but just go through the motions of the heaving.... 

So, I have made the decision to not take them, after discussions with my DP about the future, I feel a little more positive, and know that I can get through it. 
IF is a terrible thing for any woman to have to endure, and my journey is so final I feel. But if you hve good ppl around you who understand you and can help you get through it, it does help you mentally.

Have you heard of Bachs Flower Remedies? I use that if I feel particularly bad, they are available in drops or a spray...maybe try that.

I am sending you big hugs hun.   
Love and best wishes
Karen
xxx


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## florie (Nov 28, 2006)

Hi Karen

Thanks for your reply, I'm sorry to hear your tablets made you feel poorly   and I'm so sorry to hear about your situation     

You sound like you are being so strong about things and your DP sounds really supportive too  

Thanks for the tip about the Bachs flower remedy......i was going to ask my doctor if perhaps i could try a natural approach e.g St Johns Wart.

I find that although i have good friends and family around me nobody really understands what IF is like unless they have been through it. I think this has lead to me just not talking about it.....i can end up sounding like a cracked record so i keep quiet. I know this is pretty unhelpful for my state of mind and i do talk to my DP about things but again it is hard for him to fully understand where i am coming from. I have undertaken lots of counselling but i still seem pretty 'stuck'! 

Good luck with your operation, it has been suggested to me that a Hysterectomy would be the best route for me long term too...... Sending you lots of    and  

Luv
Florie x


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## maybe tomorrow (Jul 5, 2008)

Hiya,
Thanks for the    
I think that IF you can get by without Anti-Depressants then do it, but every person is different and dels with stress and worries differently.
I may need them when I have had the operation, who knows, but Im hoping that I can get through it with the support of friends and family that I have. It is the hardest time of my life, to have to deal with everything that comes with it.
I dont get paid whilst off work so thats been a worry, I live by myself at the moment so problems soon become massive issues at silly o'clock during the night. - Im sure you've been there.
My outlook now is concentrating on the bright future I have with my DP, we have talked about me selling my house just after the op when Ive started to recover, and maybe moving in with mum for 6 months til Im fully recovered, then we can concentrate on buying somewhere for us and his 2 little girls.
If you would like to PM me to chat about things then feel free - Im also a good listener and think that sometimes to offload to someone you dont particularly know but has similar problems can help.
Take Care Florie
xxxxxxxxx


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## florie (Nov 28, 2006)

Yes i agree that it can definitely be really helpful to chat to people who are in similar situations but who don't have an emotional investment in the situation. 

I was just reading your post on another thread, our situations are similar in a few ways.....i know how scary and overwhelming things can feel especially when you can't sleep at night! My diagnosis was very 'final' too   Stay strong   You seem to have a very positive outlook at present and I'm sure that will get you through your op.....along witht he support of your lovely family and friends  

I have to run now but I'll send you a PM tomorrow, thanks!

Florie x


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## Natalie01 (Jun 10, 2007)

Hiya,

I was on Fluoxetine and Paroxetine for ages. They seemed to work, but they made me feel like a zombie.  When you come off them, just take it slowly or it can make you feel as if electric shocks going up your legs.  However, the placebo effect wore off after a short while, so back to square one.  But as the others say, its horses for courses.

xx


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## maybe tomorrow (Jul 5, 2008)

I know exactly what you mean Natalie, I have felt so poorly on them and sometimes I went to bed and didn't remember going...It blocks things out of your mind..I'd rather deal with my issues head on and have a straighter mind.
Sometimes life throws us some ****e doesnt' it....stay strong and keep talking xxxx


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## florie (Nov 28, 2006)

Thanks guys for the info....i will see what the doc says.....i am pretty against them still so fingers crossed he can recommend something else. I'm gonna see if he can recommend a new counsellor

Luv
Florie x


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## skydog (Jan 6, 2006)

have been on citalopram for the last two years and at first it didnt help a lot and made my stomach a bit upset to start but they gave me a tablet to help with that and now it really takes the edge off things, dont get me wrong you still have bad days and some terrible days but it makes life easier doesnt stop the feelings but does make it easier to cope and less tears at the end of the day.


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## Myownangel (Aug 24, 2005)

I went on Prozac for 6 months and recommend it. For ages my GP wanted me to go on it and I ket saying no and in the end I just ran out of excuses and thought "Well I may as well try it - I've tried everything else". Like you, I really didn't want to go on it, but I was just exhausted. So I viewed it as a 'holiday from my emotions'. I was clear from the beginning that this was to be a temporary thing - and I knew that I had to be on it for 6 months for it to have a chance of working. While I was on it - I felt kind of limbo-ish. I didn't get the terrible downswings but didn't get the natural highs - I was in the middle. Other than that I functioned ok - didn't feel too weird. After 6 months I came off them easily enough - and felt ok. Being on Prozac works best when combined with counselling – and I personally would recommend it. Just view it as a temporary thing - a holiday. A chance to get well again.
I hope you find something that helps,
Bernie xx


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## suzieshoes (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi

I just wanted to add that of all the anti-depressants I've tried I've found citalopran to be marvellous as opposed to others that I had taken in years gone by.  Altho I can only speak from personal experience they had fewer side effects and helped me feel "normal" and as though I could cope relatively quickly (4 weeks before they really kicked in).

I am currently struggling with my situation and have already decided that if i'm unable to keep my head together over the next few weeks I'll go back on citalopran without a backward glance. I have never personally struggled with withdrawal symptoms when I've felt ready to come off them.

In my life I've felt a lot of people have had views on anti -depressants but I've always ignored those around me who frown upon the taking of medication.  It's whatever gets you through in my view and only you know how you feel.

Hope this helps


x


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## florie (Nov 28, 2006)

Hi there

I did get put on anti depressants in the end, i am also on Citalopram but on the most minimal dose. It has helped no end and i feel really well   I'm not suggesting they are for everyone and i am certainly not relying on them as a long term solution (i am returning to counselling this week) however i needed help and they have worked...and that is a relief lol! 

Florie xx


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## catfan (Jan 30, 2007)

hi, i've not been on antidepressants for because of involuntary childlessness, but have taken ant ds in the past and have found them very good. i'm glad they are helping you as well. to anyone else reading about this topic the side effects are normally far less painful than suffering depression, very occasionally you can get serious side effects (eg feeling much worse/suicidal) but you just need to keep an eye on your state of mind and be aware of this possiblity and if you feel worse go back to the gp, also don't stop taking antid's without telling your gp even if you feel better as gps need to monitor these stages(can feel bad at withdrawal) but serious side effects which outweigh the benefits are rare. Therapy as well is thought by most doctors to be better than druga alone, but choose a therapsit who supports the option of medication as well. The idea that taking medication for depression is a con perpetrated by the drug companies is nonsense - enormous amounts of research as well as huge numbers of individuals testimonies establish that antids do help most (not all) patients with the symptoms of depression. theses drugs can be life savers. drug tratment can also help to get people in the state of mind where they are able to explore their issues. plus some people attest that their depression has been treated by drugs alone.
best wishes and good luck, catfan


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## florie (Nov 28, 2006)

Hi

I just wanted to say that i totally agree that counselling/therapy is necessary alongside the use of anti d's however i agree with Catfan that the medication can be necessary for reliving the horrendous symptoms of depression and anxiety. *As i said before I'm not suggesting everyone should take them*. I am only taking them until the summer, my GP was clear that i should not be on them long term and only until my chemicals have altered enough in my brain to relieve the depression......i don't know of any counselling that can actually physically change chemical levels in your brain! I am on the lowest dose possible and feel my GP really listened to my concerns regarding using Anti d's. I haven't had any side effects at all.

Florie x


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## Rowan22 (Dec 29, 2008)

Hi all,

I'm going to see my doctor next week but I have to admit I wouldn't go on anti depressants. I stress that this is a personal decision and not in the least intended to be critical of anyone who does! Also, everybody is different and needs to take professional advice.
Yes, it would be nice to have a holiday from the emotions, as somebody put it on another thread but the damn things will come back, sooner or later. When I lost my father as a teenager, I put the grieving process on hold for ten years. I froze and wondered why I was so depressed all of the time. Eventually, I had counselling and out it all came. It was like a volcano erupting. 
Therapy helps, if you can get the right therapist. There is a way through, well, there was with this bereavement, anyway but it does seem to involve feeling all the wretched emotions. It's interesting that some psychiatrists and psychologists share Meredith's opinion, I was reading a blog yesterday written by a psychiatrist who works with older people with mental health issues and he was suggesting that anti d's often don't work and nature will take its course. I'm not qualified in this area, so as I say, it's just a personal decision I've made not to take them. I'm hoping my doctor will be able to come up with something to stop the cycle, as I can't endure those periods anymore. 
I hope they do help you if you do decide to give them a try. 

Rowanx


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## suzieshoes (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi Flori

Am so glad that citalopran are helping you and just wanted to say that your post in my view is entirely proportionate and accurate.......like you say and I wholeheartedly agree - you can't counsel your brain into increasing it's seratonin levels.  I think that anyone who has truly experienced the horrors and fear of anxiety and depression would be grateful for the respite these drugs can bring whilst addressing their issues with the help of counselling and the like long term.  I get so sick and tired of judgemental people advocating the evil of such medication (often with very little information).  It is also true that this is a matter of personal judgement as per the previous post  x

Most of all just so glad that citalopran work for you as they have worked for me and so many people I know 

suzie

xxxx


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## skydog (Jan 6, 2006)

have been om citalopram for a while it does help but numbs things which have to get out now and then, like todat pardon the spellin i am havin a bad day am pretty worse for ware but most of the time am under control. but have to have a bad day now an then or go bonkers.
do it girl it hurts less  idf you just let it.


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