(The following is just for thought as I ask for your opinions/experience.)
My IC thinks I should try an AD medication. I have always been leery of medicine...all kinds. I don't even like to take ibuprofen or acetaminophen if I have a headache. I figure that most medicine is just masking some other issue that needs to be addressed... [snip] Anyway, I've had more than enough time periods where I have gone through depression that I can easily recognize it myself and the thought of less volatile emotional states and stress is rather appealing, but am I crazy to not want to mask this pain and experience? It has been a stimulus to growth that I NEEDED to go through. It has been a reminder of perspective and priorities. Do I really need a pill and am I okay with taking it to "feel better"? [snip]
The IC says if dosed properly, the medicine will just make the severe lows less low...like how I feel on days that I now call my new "normal." "Normal" sad that I am getting divorced, don't see my daughters every night, etc. Not the "I feel like I am being crushed by an insurmountable weight and every day feels like a week" kind of sad.
I can guess as to what some of your responses might be, but that would be mind reading and a habit I don't want to fertilize in the garden of my mind.
Good day! -PM
I know exactly what you mean; my W used to get on me because I preferred to suffer through headaches, colds, or allergies instead of taking medicine.
I've been on at least four different SSRIs over 20 years in my life, plus another type of AD that hits different receptors. I can only give you my opinion and my experiences:
If I had it to do over again, I would stay away from them. Far away. One made no difference at all. One gave me a few weeks of euphoria before settling down into a gray, zombie-like haze. One seemed to help for a bit, but on reflection, I wonder if it did anything at all. And the last one slowly, gradually, and almost imperceptibly let me slip into a haze of apathy and depression I blame (in part) for the death of my marriage. I didn't realize what a bad place I was in until my wife was out the door.
SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed AD and they can have nasty side effects that nobody likes to talk about. Google SSRI sexual dysfunction. Google SSRI discontinuation syndrome. Yes, they help some people. For me, they just allowed me to ignore my problems and gave me nasty side effects like apathy, weight gain, and decreased libido.
I am currently on Welbutrin and I find it is currently working for me. I can still feel the highs and lows (for now) and I do not seem to have ANY side effects. I hope to wean myself off it once this D thing is over.
In my opinion, regular vigorous exercise and CBT have been much more helpful to me than SSRIs ever have. Some people may need ADs to give them the kick in the pants to start exercising and getting CBT. If you do, then I recommend taking ADs but getting off them AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Again, this is just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. I am not a doctor.
