Antidepressants don't seem to work

voicelessagony2 · January 06, 2015, 05:25:33 PM

I am on medication for ADD, for about 3 years now, and that medicine has made a WORLD of difference to me. It actually helps with depression, but I think it's having a numbing effect. It's helping me stay busy, so I'm able to get out of bed & do stuff - I can't even begin to describe how amazing it feels compared to my entire life before, being so lethargic and possibly even using sleep as an escape from life. So, while maybe it's not good to just be numb, I still feel it's doing more good than harm because my emotions don't get so out of control like they used to. I do realize that ADD meds probably intensify anxiety, as well, but for now it's manageable.

That being said, I've tried a couple different anti-depressants (for anxiety) but I DO NOT like how they make me feel. They actually increase my anxiety and negative thoughts. Bupropion (sp?) and zoloft are two that I have tried and I refuse to take them any more. I tried prozac years ago, way before I ever tried any ADD meds, and it was horrible! I got off it after 1 month.

Anybody have any luck with ADD meds and anxiety meds working together?

Elly · January 07, 2015, 06:51:55 AM

I don't know about mixing meds, but I've been on antidepressants alone and my experience was that they do lower the emotional defenses so that if you're not in a safe, healthy, supportive environment or if you even continue to have memories about it that aren't processed in talk therapy, then the effect of the meds is really "worse before it gets better." Add to the complications that the symptoms of depression (oversleeping, forgetfulness, not only feeling emotionally bad) can vary in intensity for the antidepressant to target, and not everybody's biochemistry is the same...

I was able to feel the peak effects within about two weeks, though, I've read it takes three months for the neurological damage from depression to be repaired. The psychiatrist also said that you don't get high on zoloft, which is either a total lie or I'm a boisterously happy person by nature (I think it's a lie.)

marycontrary · January 07, 2015, 12:24:04 PM

I am on no meds....though I think I counted 11 of them I have tried in my life, with great failure and damage.

voicelessagony2 · January 07, 2015, 10:54:32 PM

Wow I wish zoloft did that for me. I don't know what the deal is then, because my environment is OK... memories come and go, but there is no obvious direct connection between memories and feeling bad.

I start therapy tomorrow. Maybe if this therapist is a good match, I will start making some progress. Our initial meeting gave me hope, she seems to be very knowledgeable about CPTSD, which surprised me, and tomorrow will be a good 2 or 3 hour session.

Kizzie · January 07, 2015, 11:47:06 PM

VA I am on Celexa and it has done wonders for me. I saw a pdoc for a bit in the spring last year when I had big time panic attacks and was drinking and she switched me from Prozac which I had been taking for decades and didn't really do much. Within a month my attacks had subsided completely and I started to "feel comfortable in my skin" so to speak.

Hope you have a great session tomorrow

voicelessagony2 · January 13, 2015, 10:54:24 PM

Thanks Kizzie, I will ask about Celexa.

I've come to realize that my specific problem is anxiety, not depression. They always want to treat them together, to the point they don't seem to believe there can be one without the other. I have a very low opinion of doctors right now. X(

neenonee · January 17, 2015, 04:11:41 AM

Yeah hang in there VA. It's a trial and error thing and what works for one person doesn't work for another. I've taken antidepressants for 15 years with some success but they tend to stop working for me after a couple years and I get a lot of bad reactions to some of them. The best ones for me have been Luvox, worked for several years, and Effexor, which I take now and it keeps me functioning but not happy. I've wanted to take ADD meds as I believe I have that, but the docs believe it's just the depression. Anyway, if the ADD drugs give you more benefits than bad effects, they're probably working for you. Are you able to supplement your meds with natural options like vitamin D, exercise, healthy foods and hobbies? I know these are supposed to help though I am not always functional enough to do these things.

Kizzie · January 17, 2015, 05:24:07 AM

Hi Again VA - I should have mentioned that Celexa was prescribed for out of control social anxiety I was experiencing. It made all the difference for me but as Neenonee suggests it can be a crap shoot trying for find what works for each person. Misdiagnoses don't help that unfortunately

voicelessagony2 · January 21, 2015, 07:31:09 PM

Quote from: neenonee on January 17, 2015, 04:11:41 AM
Yeah hang in there VA. It's a trial and error thing and what works for one person doesn't work for another. I've taken antidepressants for 15 years with some success but they tend to stop working for me after a couple years and I get a lot of bad reactions to some of them. The best ones for me have been Luvox, worked for several years, and Effexor, which I take now and it keeps me functioning but not happy. I've wanted to take ADD meds as I believe I have that, but the docs believe it's just the depression. Anyway, if the ADD drugs give you more benefits than bad effects, they're probably working for you. Are you able to supplement your meds with natural options like vitamin D, exercise, healthy foods and hobbies? I know these are supposed to help though I am not always functional enough to do these things.

Thanks for sharing.

Hobbies, yes, only recently I've been on a crafting binge, with no signs of stopping, which is awesome! It's the first time since I was a kid that I gave a sh** about anything at all, or looked forward enough to anything to use it as a self-reward for getting through work or tasks I don't want to do.

The other, diet/exercise, etc, not so much.

I know how important it is, but knowing does not make it happen. I'm working on that.

Phoebes · March 05, 2015, 04:55:11 PM

Marycontrary,
I have had the same experience, and am constantly doing and trying natural, homeopathic, herbal, acupuncture approaches, all of which help, but are costly. What are some things that work for you? I eat healthy, exercise, but still experience many bouts of depression, sometimes severe. The meds only numbed me out, and I cannot think of damaging my liver and other organs with medications any more than I already have. I would rather be depressed than that toxic. Although, I am always trying to find what works best. What are your thoughts?