Posted by Racer on April 13, 2004, at 17:57:15
In reply to Anti-depressants on an as-needed basis?, posted by budgie on April 13, 2004, at 14:30:49
Has your doctor tried lowering your dose? The initial response sounds like placebo, and the worsening anxiety sounds like it might be related to starting at too high a dose. It's possible that titrating up is all you need to do.
As for the side effects, those are a whole nother matter. Some side effects do wear off over time, but others are here to stay. Some ADs cause more stimulation than others, and sometimes an AD can highlight an otherwise undiagnosed anxiety disorder. Talk to your pdoc about this, and make sure you're both on the same page. If your pdoc is working WITH you, rather than ON you -- if you get what I mean -- you may be able to tolerate the effects until they wear off.
As for the as-needed basis, no. It's not a myth that ADs take time to work. What it sounds like to me is that you still have the drug in your system, so the half dose is just bringing it back to work again. Or, it's placebo again.
I know, this is the news that I hate myself, and is the reason that I'm sitting in front of my computer hating my life and hating myself. The drugs need time to work. The drugs have side effects that can have a significant impact on your life. The adverse effects of the drugs may mitigate the effectiveness of the treatment.
On the other hand, I think that I, personally, could handle that if someone, anyone, involved in my treatment would say, "Hush, I know it's hard, and I wish I could do better for you. I can't, but I will listen to you, and I will hold your hand." That's true for me, but it might be true for others as well. See if it feels right to you, and if it does, talk to your pdoc about it.
Good luck.
poster:Racer
thread:336019
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040412/msgs/336083.html