Education Antidepressants

I don't know, I thought it was all very logical but to the point where it was almost patronising. Ours may have differed greatly by the sounds of it, and like I said before, my brother-in-law found it useful (although again, mine may have differed from his).

 

It may well be an age thing, people of my age tend not to seek counseling or the need to talk, analyse, examine every misfortune that comes our way yet seems to be offered in every situation these days. But I have no doubt it will help others but I do get annoyed with the attitude that one size fits all and if it works for one person it must work for everyone.

 

I've been on Citalopram 10mg for the last few months due to general anxiety and they have really helped. That being said as many others have already stated it's really important to make positive changes in your life. The pills do a fantastic job of halting the symptoms but they don't fix the underlying problems.

I had very few side affects personally the most notable being a hit in the bedroom department. I felt sick for a few days after I started taking them but it was tolerable and passed quickly enough.

Having been anxiety free for the last few months has helped me find a new job, start a new relationship and regain some of the lost interest I had in my old hobbies.

I'm got an appointment with my GP in the next couple of weeks to discuss coming off of my meds.

Go in with an open mind, don't expect miracles, use the time constructively and they can really help.

 

It all depends on the delivery. The problem is that many mental health workers are taught to apply a programme or protocol without being taught the fundamentals of therapy. They become technicians, not therapists. Establishing a therapeutic rapport --basically a good working relationship based on empathy, trust and mutual respect is essential to any therapy and is a delicate process that requires genuineness. It is more important than models or techniques. Without rapport CBT becomes lecturing smartassery (yes, that's a word now).

 

I am heading down the same career path that you are in now Nexxo and so far there seem to be two main types of people, those that want to show off all that they know whether it is relevant or not and never shut up and listen and those who go through the motions as if it some kind of mechanical process.

Coming from a teaching background the best thing I was ever told was that the best professionals never need to talk to much (that and to always remember you are a teacher because you knew first not because you will always know better).

 

You don't happen to know my diabetes nurse do you?

(well ex-diabetes nurse, i refuse to see her now)

 

Coupled with an arrogant attitude that I am the professional and should not be questioned. I have met a few like that. Fortunately my questioning saved me from an unnecessary operation.

On the other hand the last psychologist I saw Was extremely tasty in the politically incorrect meaning of the word.

 

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for the posts. I'm not using this for a substitute for speaking to my GP, so no worries there. I feel like I've got a much better understanding of this now.

Nexxo, do you still work within the NHS? If you do, do you mind me asking you a question over PM?

Thanks,

 

Been on Citalopram for around 6 years.
Works in a very subtle way.
Takes a few weeks to kick in as others have said.
Sometimes feel as if douses the natural fire in my belly a little too much in that I tend to not feel real excitement any more.
Tried coming off a couple of years back...horrendous.
Brain Zaps, increased anxiety...nightmare.

 

My partner takes them, 40mg Citalopram,
To keep it simple, its really helped after a few weeks, and she no longer trys to kill her self or talks about killing her self anymore. Overall a more stable person.

Shes also on olanzapine but is kinda unrelated to depression. But her depression and psychosis are kinda linked. Hard to explain, most of her illness and problems are half from inherited and half trauma in-doused.

So yeah, wait a few weeks before making a judgment on your meds, and dont go cold turkey off them if you decide you still dont like them. I taken 5-6 months for my partner to find the right meds at the right amount.

I wouldn't be to sure, GP's are clueless about mental health. But most of them know that and refer you quickly to a specifically. If they dont, you can do it your self.

My partner now sees a therapist. We was asked if a trainee uni student would be ok... We said yes and she is really really good... what she lacks in experience she makes up for in fresh new training and eagerness to help.

 

200 mg sertraline, 300mg Seroquel XR, and 100 mg trazodone. They help calm my peaks and valleys, and help me to see the bright side of things. I also have a psychiatrist and an end of life counselor. The drugs wouldn't have their full effect without the professionals.

I also credit exercise and sun exposure.

 

Yup, not able to retire yet. PM away.

Well, if she is a clinical psychology trainee, they are already really skilled. They've already got a first degree, occasionally a PhD on top of that, and/or several years' experience as an assistant psychologist. Then they went through an incredibly tough selection process to get on the second degree course. Then they are hammered with teaching, workshops, clinical supervision and reflective practice groups. Yours may already be two years into training, one year away from qualifying. Trust me, you're getting l33t skills.

 

How long after qualifying does it take some consultants to become cynics, arrogant, believe they are gods and shouldn't be questioned I wonder. My best experiences these last few difficult years have been with young female Dr's and consultants my worst have been with middle aged consultants of both genders.

 

What about Paroxetine? Does it often lead to upset stomachs for many months?

 

I've just been placed on Citalopram. My depression (due to having other health issues and a past) seems to have got worse since starting to take them, I've gone from thinking about things in general to planning out details, according to people I've spoken to that's to be expected for the first few weeks. Just seems strange to me that an ANTI-Depressant can make you more depressed. though other than that I just feel numb about everything so its having some effect I guess.

Sorry wasn't thread hi-jacking just figured this was the thread to speak in.

 

Citalopram does that. It's because the first effect it has is to increase your motivation and the like, leading to several weeks of increased risk to self. After about 4-6 weeks the actual antidepressant effect fully kicks in.

 

My Mrs is on Sertraline 200mg I think, she had a few others before these, and they slowly upped the dosage over the course of a year help 'level out' here mood swings/paranoia. Worked a treat, but as others have said, coming off them is a totally different matter.

Seek medical advice from a professional if you think you want to come off them, don't do it yourself.

 

As always, talk to your prescribing consultant or GP if the medication seems to make you feel worse rather than better, or if it throws up unexpected side effects.

 

I've been on a lot of various anti-depressants and finding the right one and dose for you is a process of trial and error. Frequently the best results come from not one, but a combination of drugs.

In my experience, the classic SSRIs (Zoloft and Prozac) are the easiest to take, and work fairly well. The biggest side effect I had was in the bedroom, which while frustrating, were tolerable (and conversely great for my partner!). I got pretty good results on Zoloft and Wellbutrin together, but then my prescriber moved me to Viibryd which has been the best so far. The problem is that is it's practically unheard of in the US (I'm told it's more common in Europe) and getting insurance to pay for it was a long and difficult process. The Viibryd has a very short half life, something like 18 hours in my experience, so the withdrawal symptoms come hard and fast, but it also starts working faster than other drugs I've been on. If the first line drugs don't work for you, you might consider asking your doctor about it.

Recently my prescriber put me on lithium which is supposed to reduce suicidality and I think it is helping some.

Part of the problem here in the US is that the mental health field has split into therapists and prescribers and very few do both. The best I can do is see people from the same office who might (or might not) talk to eachother. The prescribers are so busy that I only see mine for about 20 minutes every two months.

I actually have a friend who is on a a MAOI and while the side effects and dietary restrictions are pretty bad, it works for her. When all else fails...

 

I've been taking fluoxetine 20mg (Prozac) for just over two years now, I found starting very scary as you read lots about side effects and withdrawal etc.

Ive found that they work quite well, the first few days I felt quite nauseous and very mentally tired, I guess my body was getting used to this new chemical, but that went away entirely after a couple of weeks. Whether it's a placebo for me or not I don't know but within a few weeks I found myself more pro-active and more willing to get back into my hobbies and do things and see people (or just tidy the house).

I take mine in the evening before dinner, because I had a few bad experiences where I didn't swallow with enough water so it didn't make it all the way down and started to burn my throat. It says on the packet to take with a full glass of water, but they should make that more prevalent! I have it just before dinner so if it does get stuck it gets pushed down by dinner (I don't always have breakfast and/or lunch)

If I forget to take it the first reminder I get is that all my muscles ache the next day.

I found the first few days very scary (also telling friends and family) so if you need any advice please PM me (once I hit 10 posts)