Posted by PattyK on March 31, 2001, at 8:58:20
In reply to Re: No More anti-depressants for me, posted by ItsJustMe on March 31, 2001, at 0:39:37
> You are lucky that your depression is so mild.
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> > I have suffered from depression most of my life. It's a condition that has plauged me on and off for 25-30 years. I finally decided to try anti-depressants about two years ago...people had urged me to try them for years, but I resisted. First, I tried Zoloft. At first, my depression was lifted and it was great. But after a few months, it stopped working. In the meantime, I started gaining weight and had that emotionally numb feeling that is a common side effect of SSRI'S. I felt flat and emotionless most of the time. After about a year, I asked my DR. to let me try something else. He put me on Effexor 150 mgs. I was concerned about gaining more weight, and was told it was unlikely. Wrong. I gained even more weight on Effexor, and the numbness continued. Effexor didn't work that great for me. After 5 months of Effexor, I decided to stop. I thought about trying another anti-depressant, but first I I had to get through Effexor withdrawal. That was very hard. Nightmarish. I think that Effexor will eventually be removed from the market, after the class action lawsuits get started.
> > It has been almost two months since I stopped taking Effexor. The withdrawal effects bothered me for about 2-3 weeks. Since I stopped taking Effexor, I am no longer having nightmares and disturbing dreams. I have real emotions again! I love being able to feel emotional again...even though it has the down side of feeling sadness and other unpleasant emotions more...but I feel human again, instead of like a lifeless zombie. I think that many of us are relying on anti-depressants too much, to rescue us from that somtimes painful condition called humanity. If a person has debilitating depression or anxiety, and they find it hard to function in life because of it, then, by all means, use medication to help you function.
> > I have decided that for me, anti-depressants are not the answer. I do not enjoy being overweight, (I am an avid excerciser) or emotionally numb, or grinding my jaws, or having disturbing dreams, or going through horrific withdrawal effects. I think from now on, I'll take my chances, and just live my life medicine free. I'll deal with the sad times, and enjoy the happy times. I now can enjoy crying at a movie (something I never did while medicated) and just accept the ups and downs of life. For me, SSRI'S had the unfortunate effect of taking the joy along with the sadness. It's not worth it to me. This is the best decision for me....but it may not be the best one for everybody. Each person has to decide what is best for him/herself. I wish everyone here the best that life has to offer. God Bless.
I wouldn't call 25-30 years of chronic, intermittent depression "mild". Luckily, even when I am depressed, I can usually still function...and I realize that this is not the case for everyone who suffers from depression. That is why I said in my original post that for some people, anti-depressants are the best choice, because the benefits outweigh the side effects. In my particular case, I decided that the benefits do not outweigh the side effects. Each person is different, and has unique circumstances. I am not saying that everyone should stop using medication to treat depression.
But please don't dismiss my depression as "mild" because it is something that I have had to live with since I was a child, and it has robbed a great deal of my life.
Hopefully, some day another option will become available to treat depression. Something that doesn't cause such severe side effects like anti-depressants generally do. Just read these posts...and see how the anti-depressant side effects are causing so much discomfort and misery. It's a trade-off I am not personally willing to make anymore. I like being able to be moved to tears by a good movie, or a beautiful song...and I felt emotionally dead while I was on anti-depressants. Again...I am not knocking anti-depressants though..for many people, they are literally a life saver. And I think that they will improve as time goes on, and cause less side effects.
poster:PattyK
thread:58166
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010327/msgs/58196.html