i guess i'm having trouble with the idea of staying on meds forever b/c i have tried so many of them this past year and either they have made me feel worse than the depression, or the one i finally wound up with keeps needing increases. each increase has side effects and sometimes i feel i wish i were dead even with the increase. i hate how i feel both on and off meds - i mean psyiologically rather than b/c of stigmma
I too have had depression for as long as I can remember but sometimes it is incapacitating and other times just there. Have also felt great for a short time on medication but that does not last. I think that depression especially the chronic,mild? type can well last your whole life. It certainly has mine. Exercise and socializing make a big difference as does this kind of sharing and of course medication. I plan to stay on mine. It's just not worth the relapse. I sometimes wonder as well if it takes longer to climb back out of the hole of depression the older we get. I am 64 and had my first major depression at 28. I remember taking medication for the first time and being absolutely amazed when I realized how "normal" people felt and realized i had actually been suffering a more mild and chronic form all my life.
I agree with LB. My doctor has finally convinced me (and I have finally accepted) that I have an illness that must be treated for the rest of my life. I also have thyroid disease. I will have to take medication for my thyroid disease for the rest of my life ... it is the same with my depression. Talk therapy is great, but I know it is mainly the meds that are improving my mood.
Hope this helps.
Bea
I don't know that it's possible to know when to stop taking meds. That's something you definitely need to talk to your doctors about.
A warning...a lot of people feel better and think they can just stop taking their meds on their own, not realizing that it is the meds that are actually making them feel better. You quit, you relapse, and the whole cycle starts over again.
I may be on meds for depression for the rest of my life. I've come to terms with it in the same way I've dealt with other illnesses. I'm diabetic. I wouldn't stop taking my diabetes medication just because I felt OK. I also have asthma. I wouldn't throw away my inhaler just because I hadn't had an attack in a while.
The stigma of mental illness will not go away if those of us who suffer from them stop feeling guilty about being sick. (Sorry, I'm feeling a little militant tonight I guess.) It's not our fault.
So, when to stop your meds needs to be a decision between you and your doctors. Some medications cannot be abrupty discontinued. You need to be weaned off of them or you can have bad side effects.
take care - lb
anyone out there recover from depression? i have had it as long as i can remember being alive. been in talk therapy for about 15 years. just started meds last year.
how do you know when to quit meds? don't want a medical answer, just people's experiences. anyone have a good experience going off meds?
