Antidepressant experiences please .

My daughter was prescribed Sertraline when she was 17. Her first boyfriend died after rejecting a transplant, then she had exams. She is still on it, 5 years later, now stress from finals at Uni. Her side effects were sleeping problems and itchy skin, which has also added to the stress. A vicious circle.
I hope your medication works for you Tawny12, and I am sure you have been told, not to stop taking them, just reduce your dosage, as advised by your GP

Hi Tawny, sorry for the late reply as I’m afraid I didn’t do much yesterday due to me having a bad day but I resonate with you so I wanted to respond. I’m afraid I don’t have any experience of these particular anti-depressants but I have researched sertraline a bit so thought I’d share it. I’ve heard good things about it but like you, I seem to be very sensitive to meds so I’m scared of trying it. I posted on another forum for some information and someone responded saying that it wasn’t like Prozac (one I had a bad reaction to years ago) or other mind altering meds. It is gentle and mood elevating and she would highly recommend it. She also said that after 3 weeks she was an entirely different person. I haven’t been brave enough to make the switch yet as I need to come off my older anti depressant first (lofepramine). My husband was given amitryptiline as a pain reliever and the pharmacist told me it’s an older type of AD that they’ve found works well for pain, which other posters on here have experienced. I’m so sorry for your loss, it must be very hard for you. I too suffer from anxiety/depression caused by trauma from supporting my son through an illness for many years and whilst I am extremely grateful that he has now moved on (although still has the illness) I have been left bereft and suffering from ptsd. I’m going through EMDR treatment for this but it’s not easy and sometimes feel I need a boost from meds. I hope you find something to help you very soon. Good luck!

Be prepared to feel worse for the first 2 weeks of taking antidepressants - this is common; just persevere and you should feel the benefit of the tablets by week 6. I wouldn't hesitate to take them if you are struggling.

Thank you very much . It’s a tough decision to make as I’m very sensitive to medication .

I've been on a range of anti depressants. Some made me go to sleep. Some left me unable to sleep. Only one ever worked really well and I'm sorry but I don't remember which one it was! It begun to work within a week of taking it (although they can take longer) and lifted me from a dark place back into normal life.

I'd take them again if I had to, but would be wary of the side effects.

Thank you . What dosage was that ?

A few years ago I was prescribed Amyltriptoline for neuropathic pain. However, the medication was making my heart race and I had to stop taking it. Apparently this is one of its side effects.

Twany12 Welcome to GN so sorry to hear of your loss I lost my wonderful husband at the end of 2019 so can relate to the effect that the first lockdown had on you just no chance to grieve with your family at all.
I have sciatica down my right leg which kept me awake at night and was prescribed Amitriptyline it worked for me but left me very tired during the day so I dropped the dose from 2 each night to 1 and seem to tolerate it much better,its just a matter of finding the right dosage.

My husband is on Sertraline for anxiety - don’t think he’s had many side affects and it does help him.

I had Propranolol and Prothiaden, about 30 years ago. Both made me doped-up like a Zombie. Then 15 years ago, I had Citalopram, which worked for so long. I've been on Mirtazapine now for about 3 years. It works very well, but I put on about 2st with it.

I was prescribed Prozac after the death of my husband. It was four or five weeks before I noticed any difference, and what a difference. It was like the sun coming out after winter.
I took it for a couple of years then very, very gradually reduced the dose. I am so grateful that this help turned my life around and would happily take it again if needed.

I was given Prozac for depression, after my husband left me. Quite frankly, it was of no help. So I decided to stop it. Prozac doesn’t take away the pain caused by an unfaithful husband.
In your case, your depression seems to be ‘internal’ or ‘systemic’ and so, the antidepressants will help, I’m sure. I don’t have any medical knowledge. Someone will come along, with the appropriate advice.

Hello Twany12

I understand precisely how you are feeling and I am so very sorry you are going through this. I too lost my mum (5 years ago ) and I had horrendous anxiety, the Dr put me on Amitriptyline. It is marvellous, I can't praise it enough it also helps me sleep. I have reduced the dose myself during lockdown and then my friend died and I had to go back to go back up to the original dose (10mg x 2 daily )

At first it may take a while to get into your system, some of my friends have given up 2,3 days of starting them, all i can say is IF you are prescription Amitriptyline, persevere, they really do help.

All the very best to you.

I have been considering requesting Pregabalin actually , I keep reading about them being difficult to come off of though ? Maybe now I’ve joined Gransnet I can ask and not read horror stories on Dr Google .
Huge Thank You

Thank you so much everyone . What a lovely group ?
I will find out how to reply individually eventually.
I am already on Propranolol which I am ok on , I have leeway to up them as well !
I lost Mum in 2014 then cared for Dad until end of 2019 - then along came Covid ! I truly think that is why the anxiety and depression has dragged on but also got worse - isolation , loneliness , health anxiety etc .
I have been refusing AD’s for over 2 years but am seriously considering them now as I forget who I was .
Thank you again for taking the time to reply I will let you know how I get on .

Bigberthal - pregablin can be prescribed for anxiety. That is why I take it twice daily. It is also an effective painkiller. I also take amitryptline at night for nerve pain relief. I have been on and off anti-depressants since I was 20. Do they help? Yes if the right one is selected. My daughter takes Sertraline for anxiety and finds it effective. Propanalol, incidentally is a beta blocker not an anti-depressant. I hope you find a solution to how you are feeling.

In had the most stable years and f my life gr8 on Prozac. I am now on Pregabalin for severe sciatica which disturbs my sleep but this new drug seems to be helping with the pain and sleep.

BeEmerald

Please don’t think I am judging anyone who is taking medication, I’m not.

A doctor I worked for used to say that grief was a process that you had to work through so only prescribed anti depressants is he thought they were necessary so I know what you mean.

Please don’t think I am judging anyone who is taking medication, I’m not.

I used to take citalopram which is in the same family as Sertraline I think. It helped to raise my mood so that I was able to step back from the many problems that I was sinking under, and learn some coping strategies, through counselling. I resisted taking antidepressants before that, but finally realised I needed them and stayed on them for 2 years in all. I am so grateful that I did. The only side effects that I noticed were easy bruising/ blood blisters under my skin, and I put on weight. It was worth it for me.
Hope you feel a little better soon.

My condolences for the loss of your parents, it must have been very stressful after caring for them at great personal cost.
I think sometimes GP’s can be too quick to dole out anti-depressants when people are in the early stages of grief. Losing your parents at any age is a major life change, and it is perfectly normal to feel devastated and anxious after it. It’s the price we pay for loving someone, they hold our hearts to ransom.

No experience of those. I did take Zispin when I went through a painful divorce and was crying a lot and not sleeping very well. I was loathe to take an antidepressant until a friend said to me that it wouldn’t turn me into a zombie but would bring me up to a level where I could function better. I wasn’t on it for long and weaned off them very gradually. What the doctor didn’t tell me about was how tired they would make me initially ( I think I slept for 24 hours and there was no way I would have been able to get to work). So when you do start taking lustral or amitriptline I’d say start them when you’re not having to do anything for a few days. From memory amitriptyline is taken for other things as well ( but I’d need to look that up).

Hi, sorry to hear about your situation. I was prescribed amitriptyline and propranolol for anxiety and depression. I stopped the propranolol after a few months as it was causing me to hallucinate while sleeping, I was hearing voices also. This all seemed worth tolerating as it really helped with the anxiety however I then developed tinnitus so stopped taking this one. The amitriptyline I take just a small dose of. It helps my osteoarthritis and sleeping somewhat. The downside is it makes my eyes really dry so I can no longer wear contact lenses. Anxiety returned since I stopped the propranolol so will need to see what else is available. Hope whatever you choose to do helps.