View Single Post
 
Old Nov 18, 2014, 11:48 AM
vital's Avatar
vital vital is offline
Grand Poohbah
 
Member Since: Oct 2014
Location: Boston
Posts: 1,589
Quote:
Originally Posted by clearskys3 View Post
To start off I have always been extremely reluctant to take anti-depressant medication. I just hated the idea I had in my head that I would be mindlessly happy because a pill made me when in reality I wasn't. Which essentially is exactly what this medication has made me feel like. My doctor prescribed this to me about a week or two ago because I told him about the extreme amount of anxiety I am having due to alot of stressful medical issues I am dealing with. He doesn't necessarily know how depressed I am or that I even am depressed but I feel he some what knows but I haven't told anyone how dead I actually feel. I have always had pretty bad anxiety but with these medical issues it has inhanced it so severely it felt I was loosing my mind and that my thoughts were so scrambled and confusing. So I have only been on it for a week or so but I feel I have noticed some changes.
I sort of feel kind of blank inside. Like emotionless most of the time and maybe even a false uprising feeling in my chest its strange to describe. I am sort of mindlessly happy and smiley at times and its almost like I catch myself in these moments and I'm kind of confused at myself. Some times alot of my thoughts come back to me about why I am so unhappy and it makes me extremely sad for a moment but then it just doesn't hit me all the way through if that makes sense. And I kind of hate that because i'm left feeling a nothingness but aware that inside me I'm really upset. When I see something I find beautiful or meaningful it doesn't really hit me how it did before. Like before I really would appreciate it and just be amazed and still sad but in like a good way like atleast something is beautiful and not ********.

I used to long for a relationship alot more and how amazing that would be for someone to genuinely care about me but I think in a way with this it took the beautiful meaningful bits out of my mind a little and left me kind of seeing I can't even envision myself in a relationship... And this thing would usually haunt me so deeply like the thought I was less of a person or just so different but now I am hit with a nothingness.

I mean I guess it's doing what its suppose to and it maybe even sound good for some people but I just don't like it. Like I am probably going to sound like a piece of **** for saying this and ungrateful or whatever but I don't want to be mindlessly happy for no reason or atleast because of a pill. I know i feel completely alone and different and angry and all of the above but I want to be happy because I have someone or people in my life that care about me for me. I want to be happy because I am no longer alone. I don't want to be happy just because I'm taking a pill that makes me feel sort of dumb and blank.

I also get it could still be a good thing in certains ways but I also haven't noticed that huge of an impact on my anxiety only my depression. And I suppose if I were to just not think thoroughly about the lack of emotion I feel I would be fine but I over think everthing and don't like the way that sounds anways to just ignore all deep and genuine thoughts. I just feel for some reason it takes a little bit of meaning out of relationships in some way. I can't describe it accurately and maybe I have some made up ideal in my head.

Basically I would just like to know if any of this makes sense to you or if I just sound selfish and don't want to be happy. Should I stop taking this? and does anyone who has or is taking this feel similar or gets were I'm coming from?
Hi clearskys,

It makes sense to me. It sounds like you feel "happy" at times but you can sense that there is something artificial or limited about it. You can sense that there is still something really wrong.

Even though you've only been taking it a week, but still, if you want to get off of Paxil, you should do it with your MD. These drugs can be difficult to come off of.

I'm wondering if you've tried non-drug ways to get out of a depression? It sounds like you would prefer that if it is possible. There are quite a few things to try if you look around, including the "depression success stories" on this site.

I also feel obliged to point you towards this talk



13:44 in he talks about the many specific medical issues that can cause depression. If you have any of these, antidepressant's aren't going to fix the underlying problem.

- vital