Are antidepressants worth it?

>>17846144

I was prescribed Prozac for depression and after one dose I immediately knew it wasn't for me. I felt different, but not better. My libido disappeared and my genitals went numb and unresponsive. It took about a week before everything went back to normal.

Antidepressants will fuck you up if you don't know what you're doing. Unless you're desperate and nothing else works, I recommend almost anything else.

>>17846144
Take them with therapy, it's how they're designed to be used. Don't take them if you haven't even tried CBT, you can do it yourself to some degree, but you do need to see someone at least sometimes, because you can't always address healthy thoughts.

>>17846192
SSRI's are very mild medications, it's the opposite of what this guy's saying, side effects aren't that common, and they're quite mild when they do.

Plus, you're meant to take it for at least a few weeks before you get any signs, one dose giving you any side effects (bar like an allergic reaction or something) is just placebo.

I was depressed and here's something that's really useful to know.

Factually, a good exercise session is just as if not more effective than an antidepressant. Seriously they've done studies on this and that's what they concluded.

Getting your health under control will go a long way towards helping you cope with the depression.

>>17846192
This guys an idiot, it takes weeks for the medications to take effect.

>>17846252
Can't afford CBT
>>17846254
I've been trying to get more active; I used to be very active as a kid, but I just haven't been able to hold onto a routine for more than a week.

>>17846254
Honestly after a good workout I feel even more depressed as shit. Usually crying in the shower after or something.

I think my brain is fucked chemically?

>>17846299
Might be doing something wrong with your workout plan that would contribute to your mood getting worse.

Like if the workout was a too hard compared to the intensity you should be doing you might just feel sore and drained afterwards which might trigger more depressed moods.
You might exercising too frequently and too much and start to over train which makes you feel more worn down and more irritable than usual. That could trigger some depressed moods as well.

But honestly i'm not a doctor. I just know the exercise is known to help as an anti depressant. I wish I could help you figure out why you're feeling that way even after you exercise and i'm sorry you're feeling that way at all

File: UBGkXg0.jpg (43KB, 635x656px) Image search: [Google]

43KB, 635x656px

I've dealt with social anxiety disorder since I was 5, and mild depression all the way until this year.

I say mild because compared to this year in july-october, it was nothing. This year, my home life got so horrible, it was to the point where I was ridden with anxiety so bad that all I would do is sit in a chair all day and browse 4chan or imgur and listen to my heart beat out of my chest at the slightest noise.

I was overeating, I was caring about nothing, I had no desire to do anything, and all I could think about in my waking hours was mortality, existence, and how I was going to die.

On October 10th, I was prescribed Zoloft by a doctor at a walk in clinic I was seeking therapy at.

In two weeks, the people around me told me I was seeming slightly happier.
In a month, I was doing my daily tasks without dreading them. I was indifferent.

Today, the difference is night and day. I have been able to say these past couple weeks that I have actually been HAPPY. I have had no problem going out into the world, doing daily chores. I'm not dreading it. I don't think about existence or death anymore. I don't jump at every noise. And the best part is - I didn't even get the common sexual side effects of these drugs - my sex life is fucking great.

Sorry for going on so much. Anyway, I'm just trying to say - that for me, it was worth it. I feel better now, at 26, than I have since I was probably 8 years old. My life is getting back on track, I'm losing weight, I am starting to enjoy my old hobbies.. I am excited to see what comes next.

>>17846290
Then buy a book on it, do whatever you can afford to do.

And I'm not sure where you live, but most places have some form of therapy that's specifically aimed at being affordable to the mentally ill, disabled people and the like that can't work.

And really, just walk, do whatever you can, the second guy is completely correct.

Here's an article on it
>http://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-and-depression-report-excerpt
> One group took part in an aerobic exercise program, another took the SSRI sertraline (Zoloft), and a third did both. At the 16-week mark, depression had eased in all three groups. About 60%–70% of the people in all three groups could no longer be classed as having major depression. In fact, group scores on two rating scales of depression were essentially the same.
>A study published in 2005 found that walking fast for about 35 minutes a day five times a week or 60 minutes a day three times a week had a significant influence on mild to moderate depression symptoms. Walking fast for only 15 minutes a day five times a week or doing stretching exercises three times a week did not help as much.

You don't have to be lifting or doing any of that stuff, and it's probably not best to try starting lifting if you're depressed, it's hard for a well person to stick to. Just walk, try to fit it into your daily schedule so you always do x, then straight away go and do your exercise.

>>17846299
It's not likely to be chemicals causing that, is it possible that your feelings of depression are mainly based around self image?

We put far too much focus on the idea of chemicals causing depression, when we don't honestly even know what the baselines are. Medications could just as easily be causing an imbalance that helps you instead of fixing one.

Psychological and social elements are far more important to look at, which is why therapy is considered a first line treatment for most disorders.

>>17846362
Thanks for posting that. I was told that walking was also really effective but I never looked up the studies on walking myself. Mainly because I don't know how to look up studies on things. The anti depressant stuff was what my doctor told me and they said there were some studies done

Walking is great because it's really easy to do which is great for somebody with depression who barely has any motivation to do anything. If you can just walk 30 minutes a day it'll make a big difference.

>>17846379
Walking is great for any mental illness, from the actual physical activity helping to the fact that you're accomplishing something every day, it's really useful. Plus, you're being more social than you were before, even if you just wave at people or say hi when you walk past your neighbor, it's more than sitting inside, and social isolation can hurt a lot.

I'd really have to emphasise trying to doing some CBT if you can, it's so helpful, and online armchair doctors shitting on it gives it a bad name. Really do it, try everything you can.

>>17846348
Next is the part where it stops working after a few months or years and leaves you worse off than you began, probably.

I'll try getting in some walking without freezing my ass off.

>>17846144
I doubt it.
Try psychedelics, educate yourself on them beforehand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81-v8ePXPd4

>>17846144
yes yes yes 1000 times yes the meds are worth it

please get some $$ and try them, see your doc tell them your a bit low on cash, ask for samples ask if they know about subsidy programs to reduce cost

Recovery International offers training in a form of CBT in local group meetings and online. It's free, though donations are accepted at meetings. The main book they use is Mental Health Through Will Training by Dr. Abraham A. Low, Recovery's founder.Many local libraries have copies. I recommend it very highly. Their website is at http://www.recoveryinternational.org.
Good luck anon.

>>17848570
I've been curious about psychedelics for a different reason.

>>17848597
>>17848619
I'm extremely suspicious of leaving a digital record of my therapy sessions.

>>17849039
Please don't take psychedelics or any sort of recreational drug when you're mentally ill, that never goes well.

They possibly might help trauma victims under very strict therapeutic conditions, not just taking it in your own room.

And the whole digital record thing is dumb, if you're seen a doctor you've already got it on your record that you have those issues, you seeking therapy for them isn't going to change that. Plus, who cares? It's an illness, people get sick, anyone who doesn't understand that is an idiot.

No-one can get to your medical records unless you let them, too.

>>17846252
youre legimately stupid. snris give the worst side effects. zoloft will give you extreme dizziness if you up your dosage, and lexapro will give you a weak enamel

>>17846264
yeah prozac takes a couple of weeks. lexapro will make you notice the effects in one day.zoloft is a one day effect too.

>>17850908
SNRI's are worse, but they're a different class of medication, dizziness is mild as fuck, and I really don't think you're trying to claim that fucking weak enamel is a serious side effect.

Compare this to anti-psychotics, another class of psychiatric medication, where you can get permanent dyskinesia, a symptom commonly associated with fucking parkinsons.

You're a moron.

>>17850913
You're just talking out of your ass mate, it takes a fair while for any of these medications to take effect, unless you have some sort of reaction to the chemical (as in allergic), you're not going to see side effects first day on any.

Maybe first week or so, but generally doctors put the lowest estimate for any to be around 2 weeks.

No anti-depressant takes effect the first day you take it.

>>17850928
I should add, by worse I mean they're just a bit more likely to give you side effects, and are actually feasibly possible to OD on.

Side effects for SNRI's include nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, a headache, irritability and more rarely stuff like feeling tired lots, being constipated, not hungry or loss of libido.

There are more serious ones that happen incredibly rarely, but neither of those medications are a particularly dangerous class, compared to say tricyclic anti-depressants or MAOI's.

You're an idiot in short, and you really shouldn't make statements about medications because you think getting a bit dizzy sometimes is a super serious side effect.

>>17850496
There's a difference between sealed medical records and possibly insecure or untrustworthy online aid, though. Their homepage doesn't even have SSL; which doesn't matter if I'm reading a self-help blog but is unsatisfying if I'm looking to spill my guts.

>>17851003
I was talking about the first part with your doctor and medication more than anything, but why not just get their book from some other online store, or borrow it from a library?

>>17851034
Ah, I see.

nah senpai youll be worse off in the end. try actually finding a hobby like reading or music that you can toil away at. get on a regular exercise schedule, i believe you can make one gym friend that will keep you honest. also by all means experiment with psychedelics, sometimes all you need is a new perspective. also get the fuck off social media and stop watching the news if you do that, none of that shit matters

>>17851756
You were good until here
>also by all means experiment with psychedelics, sometimes all you need is a new perspective. also get the fuck off social media

Any recreational drug when you're depressed is dangerous as fuck, and he's not going to go on some life changing trip, he'll just be tripping for a few hours at most, and more likely he'll end up being miserable for a few hours.

Staying in contact socially is important, and deleting social media can often lead to even worse feelings of social isolation, which is the absolute opposite of what he needs. It's hard to be social when you're unwell, making that even harder won't help.

>>17851761
to each his own with psychedelics but i really dont know anybody thats had a bad trip on acid (myself included), fortune favors the bold op you should trust me on this. also couldnt disagree more about social media, get too much perspective and youll end up on the verge of madness. i think internet has made humanity to aware of its own meager efforts and existence. granted im saying this on an image board but i guarantee you will be happier if you rawdog and interact with actual humans face to face, rather than see what all the posers have to say on facebook that are in reality emptier than you

>diagnosed with depression
>medical diagnosis based on no physical evidence

Liiving in Ameeeerica, super highways, coast to coast, station to station

>>17851790
>i really dont know anybody thats had a bad trip on acid

There are countless stories of people having a bad trip on any psychedelic, it's not uncommon if you're stressed or unhappy most of the time anyway.

And no, you need to be staying in contact with other people when you're unwell, social withdrawal is fucking dangerous. Drop the philosophical crap and think about how the average depressed person acts. It's hard for them to stay in contact with friends even with social media, you take that away and you're adding an element of isolation on top if it.

>>17851792
MDD isn't a disease, it's a name for a set of disordered behaviours or thought patterns that require treatment.

Bringing up the lack of physical criteria in this context is just dumb.

I wouldn't reccommend taking their for a long time to be honest. Get your physical health in order and therapy etc. I have taken antidepressants for awhile and honestly I just feel like they fucked me up a bit and made me numb or I just don't feel as extremely. If you really need, I guess so, but personally I think they should be avoided if possible.

>>17852063

This.

After 5 years of quitting them, I still feel like numb. I wish I'd never had taken them.

I can't really hate my therapist or be angry at him, since I can't really feel.

Unless they are prescribed by a doctor, don't take them.

>>17851761
I don't have any social media profiles; unfortunately, I've fallen out of contact with all of my friends in the past three years, and though I've finally gotten back in touch with some of them, I'm moving for school now and will only be able to see them two months out of the year.

>>17846319
The exercise per se shouldn't trigger depressive episodes, as the only actual thing that happens chemically is an increase in the release of serotonin and endorphines.
It is more probable that there are unmentioned factors in play: for example he could exercise while thinking of his ex, or he may be listening to the same music he associated with his best friend who died in a car accident. In medicine there are almost always a lot of factors that many people wouldn't think of.

My personal suggestion is for >>17846299
to change his workout routine in the following manner: listen to a new podcast (new voices and something to focus on) and change room in which you train.
Ideally also time of day, but that is far more difficult.
Choose a well lit room, possibly with windows which look in a garden.
Change deodorant and try to variate your food as well (smell and flavour can trigger memory).

>>17852465
I'm not the post you were replying to, but I'm
>>17852449
and OP.

Do you have any recommendations for not focusing so much on the past? The past three years have basically been a waste because I snowballed into doing less and less, and now whenever I try to get into something, I feel like they were things I'd be doing if I hadn't fallen off the rails three years ago and I'm (despite only now being the drinking age) too old/can never catch up. It's an extremely demotivating mood.

Bump. I'll be heading out and would like the thread to live while I'm away.

No. Just stop fapping, find a hobby, focus on your career and goals, and try to become a better person. You feel like shit because you acting like a piece of shit.

The truth is you're awesome, you're equal to every human on earth. You just need to become a stronger version of yourself.

Try MDMA, LSD, mushrooms, or DMT. One dose of one of those will cure your depression and put you in the right mindset.

>>17852449
Then you should make one, add your friends, you need to not be isolated to recover from depression, and in todays world, that's definitely the easiest way to do that.

>>17853594
For fucks sake, no, taking drugs won't make him all of the sudden happy, tripping for a few hours isn't some spiritual experience or some shit, he's not going to come out a changed man.

He needs to make meaningful change in his life, which a good start towards is exercise and getting back in contact with friends, and trying to find a path to move on.

By the way OP, 21 is nothing, you're not at all too far behind or anything like that, it's a couple years.

Drugs can be helpful for trauma in a controlled environment with a trained professional there, not ordering shady shit off the internet or from some random drug dealer that might not even be the right thing, and is just going to result in him being fucking retarded for however long it lasts.

>>17853594
I started feeling like shit well before I started withdrawing from things, Anon.

>>17853668
I have started walking/jogging, though I'm still iffy on social media. I exist as an Anon often enough and want to cut down on that, even.

>>17853845
Keep up the exercise, it takes a bit of time to kick in, but in the long term it will help you a lot.

If you can stay in contact with friends other ways, that's great then, stick with that. But a lot of people find it hard to otherwise.

antidepressants suck. i dont think they work and all they did for me was make my cock not work. First time i got laid it took me 45 mins of straight pumping to cum. It was bullshit. I flushed the rest of my meds and never took them again.

>was on celexa

>>17853861
I've got their numbers, but nobody really does phone calls and all that.

I'll try to make some friends in university. I've been eying the fencing club.

I'm actually about to go for a walk now, though it's already the dead of night given the season.