I took Effexor for 4 years but kept having these brain zaps. My docs thought I was imagining them, to the point they almost had me believing it. I called the pharmaceutical company and they said it is a common side effect of the medication! I read the insert when I first started taking them, it wasn't mentioned but had changed. I take lamictal now. It does keep me somewhat stable even though I am not diagnosed with bipolar. I don't get as down. I also have an anti-anxiety med that I have been on since the start. At first I had to take it regularly, now I take it as needed. I hate the "having to shop" "having to try this or that", but at one point, decided I didn't need any meds and that was not the case. Gee whiskers, learned that one the hard way!
Keep plugging away. I don't think we should deny ourself the relief that medications can bring. Even if some of us have more treatment resistant depression than others. Oh, I didn't mention all the others that I went through getting to these two. The weight gain, the other side effects, but I know where I'd be, if I didn't have the medications at this point in my recovery.
Good for you Panda!! Just because it isn't working for me doesn't mean it can't for you. Right now I'm actually doing better without them, but that's still not great. So keep up with what you're doing. Anything that helps I'm for!!
Hang in there Panda, we all have these issues but not necessarily do the the same things work. Depression is as unique as an autoimmune disease. It affects different people differently and it there was a good fix we'd all have it by now.
Very interesting Mom. I'm hesitant to quit because I'm trying to think that, "The Dr. knows best" I've tried doing it on my own and have never been successful .
So I'm digging in , trying to do my Activity Schedule the best I can and trying to understand the lessons.
The biggest reason I stopped was because my husband told me I've "changed" since I've been on them. He has many times said he didn't think they helped. I stayed with the Lexapro because I did feel it helped, now I'm not so sure. Celexa has been a different story, I have not felt that it's been helpful at all. I tapered off, and the more I tapered the more I realized there was no difference in my mood with or without. In fact my panic attacks seemed less without the medication.
I am not against medication but I am wondering if my husband had a point. Even Lexapro didn't stop me from shutting down.
This is why this program has been a welcome relief, I'm learning to challenge things in ways I couldn't do before because no one was able to tell me how until now. (Granted I'm not great at it) Going to the gym and exercising has also been helpful - more so than the meds.
I haven't discussed stopping with my Dr. He had offered me some anti-anxiety meds at last visit and I declined. I'm hesitant to go back to meds at this point because I just don't know if it's worth it. I don't want one that causes weight gain either. I've been working too hard to take weight off and I don't want to have anything go against that.
I'm glad yours are working. Please don't think I'm knocking meds altogether. I think I'm a little frustrated with the fact that mine aren't helping and I'm not interested in "shopping" for another one at this point. I won't hesitate if I begin to feel like I really do need to try it again.
Mom 3, Why did you stop.? Did you taper off? I'm on Celexa and thinks it makes me foggy,groggy. I'm now taking less Celexa 40 mg + wellbutrin. I feel more alive.
The problem I find with meds is the Dr.'s prescribe but don't really know what's going to happen.I asked my Doc to change from Celexa for ages and he wouldn't. Now I feel the difference of the wellbutrin and I'm pissed off that it wasn't changed before.
I've tried to deal with my depession many times before with lots of groups,doctors, and always quit .This time I'm sticking with this system with this particular therapist .
How about the standard reply first ... the drugist / pharmscist who sold you the prescription has all the info and should be there to give you all the general info. The bottle should have the phone number for you to call if you thought of anything since then... so give them a call!
next, the pharmaceutical companies makes millions off of us and have marvellous web sites!!! they have drug info and a whole bunch of tools to help - it is your money that went into the develepoment so take advantavage of it. Then there are some associated with but independant web sites that give you a bunch of drug info that is helpful. Just take all web info to your doctor before making up your mind!
I am bipolar which is a spectrum illness... it has symptomes of several mental illnesses so when we look for a med for ME we try to target the worst of my sympotomes and where they come from in my brain. So my Topiramate works in the frontal lobe of the something or other and slows other things down that also provoke the anxiety responses. My med that I use as a mood stabiliser is usually for migrain and grand-mal seizures; not really for bipo... but reading info off the net I would have thought the Dr crazy and that this lunatic was trying to poison ME!!!! If you read a few other posts I readdy am doing a lot better these days.
So do get some basic information, and open the lines of communication with your doctor. You can calmly question and ask and voice concerns. Remember, the person on the other side on that desk is a not a robot and does have feelings and expectations and prejudices like all of us. Confrontations, accustions, and mistrust is not going to be helpfull. This is your health and there is no "objective" blood test, nor body scan that is going to tell the doctor what you have. You have to to detail what is going on in your body and MIND so that the dr and target meds and therapy to your manifestations.
oh yes, the majority of psych meds take WEEKS to work properly! so hang in there and when you Feel better tell the dr and you might have to continue for a bit longer to allow you body a proper healing period. do not get discouraged. Depression is an illness not an injury. It takes time to heal. and the gang is here for you!
I've been taking Celexa 60 mg/day for quite a while. I've told my Dr. that I feel sluggish and foggy with it. He finally changed my meds a bit and I'm now on 150 Bupropian in the morning, and 40mg Celexa at night.
I've been on this combo now for about a week and feel a lot more alive. I've phoned people I haven't talked to in years.I'm doing things around the house I've long neglected.
One thing about Buproprian is that it's the same as Zyban the stop smoking medication.
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