[Adonees]

Hello, I am 24 male student, I had depression episodes in the past and got better, and stopped medication.

Two years after, which means 7 months ago, I also got new episode, since I am in the Middle East in a country where it is really not easy to find good professionals around, I decided to take one of the drugs I used to take in the past, which is Zoloft 50 mg, it worked really well, until two months ago when I stated to feel depressed again (lack or interest, over sleep, and worst, EXTREME fatigue and tiredness all day long).

Is the drug stopped working? Or did the drug developed reverse action? Or what's is wrong? What to do?

[jlmass]

It could be that you need to increase your dose so you should try and find a Dr that can help. Do you have a primary Dr that you can talk to. ?

[Leed]

Hi == I agree with Jlmass ~ probably the dosage needs increasing. Can you find a doctor who will help you with this?? I'm sure that's all that is needed. 50mg is a low dose for severe depression, so you just need an increase. I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time. I also have severe depression, and have had since I was a small child. I take Cymbalta twice a day, 60mg. and it works great so far. Lately tho I have had some low episodes so I might need an increase myself.

Please talk to a doctor and see what he can do for you. I wish you well. I know that as a student, you need to feel as good as you can so you can concentrate on your studies. Please keep us posted, ok? Best of luck and take care of yourself. Hugs, Lee

[Bark]

It's probably best to check with a doctor. If you can't find a psychiatrist, a general practitioner should know enough to help.

Salamtak.

[Adonees]

Originally Posted by Leed

Hi == I agree with Jlmass ~ probably the dosage needs increasing. Can you find a doctor who will help you with this?? I'm sure that's all that is needed. 50mg is a low dose for severe depression, so you just need an increase. I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time. I also have severe depression, and have had since I was a small child. I take Cymbalta twice a day, 60mg. and it works great so far. Lately tho I have had some low episodes so I might need an increase myself.

Please talk to a doctor and see what he can do for you. I wish you well. I know that as a student, you need to feel as good as you can so you can concentrate on your studies. Please keep us posted, ok? Best of luck and take care of yourself. Hugs, Lee

Thank you, for the reply, I also posted my issue in another website, depressionforums.org, what do you think about it?

[Adonees]

Originally Posted by Bark

It's probably best to check with a doctor. If you can't find a psychiatrist, a general practitioner should know enough to help.

Salamtak.

Where in the ME do you live?

[Bark]

Originally Posted by Adonees

Where in the ME do you live?

In the middle somewhere.

[Adonees]

Originally Posted by Leed

Hi == I agree with Jlmass ~ probably the dosage needs increasing. Can you find a doctor who will help you with this?? I'm sure that's all that is needed. 50mg is a low dose for severe depression, so you just need an increase. I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time. I also have severe depression, and have had since I was a small child. I take Cymbalta twice a day, 60mg. and it works great so far. Lately tho I have had some low episodes so I might need an increase myself.

Please talk to a doctor and see what he can do for you. I wish you well. I know that as a student, you need to feel as good as you can so you can concentrate on your studies. Please keep us posted, ok? Best of luck and take care of yourself. Hugs, Lee

Hey, So I just visited a psychiatrist, and he came up with surprising thing, that I have Bipolar Depression, and not Major Depression as I was diagnosed. Because according to him, I experience few months depressed and then few moths feel great, as so on. So he asked me to stop Zoloft gradually and prescribed Effexor 75 mg XR, also mood stabilizer which is Depakion (not sure of the spelling) 500 mg.

But honestly, I didn't feel comfortable to this guy, he was quick barely 15 minutes, and seems not precise... Although he is really a reputable doctor here in Jordan.

What do you think?

[Bark]

Originally Posted by Adonees

Hey, So I just visited a psychiatrist, and he came up with surprising thing, that I have Bipolar Depression, and not Major Depression as I was diagnosed. Because according to him, I experience few months depressed and then few moths feel great, as so on. So he asked me to stop Zoloft gradually and prescribed Effexor 75 mg XR, also mood stabilizer which is Depakion (not sure of the spelling) 500 mg.

But honestly, I didn't feel comfortable to this guy, he was quick barely 15 minutes, and seems not precise... Although he is really a reputable doctor here in Jordan.

What do you think?

What do you mean by "feel great"? Is it just a good mood in contrast to how you were feeling while depressed? If so, I don't see how that counts as bipolar. People tend to go through episodes of depression, from what I understand. Have you looked at symptoms of mania? Do you feel that any apply to you? If not, I wonder why he did.

And 15 minutes to change your diagnosis and prescribe new medication? That does seem too short. Also, if you were bipolar, the odds are the Zoloft would have triggered mania by now.

If you don't feel comfortable, stay on the Zoloft and look for a second opinion. Who prescribed you the Zoloft to begin with? Could you see that same person again? And have you tried a university hospital's psychiatry division? Those sorts of hospitals tend to be good. Then again, I haven't found any reference to psychiatry by the hospitals I've looked up.

[Adonees]

Originally Posted by Bark

What do you mean by "feel great"? Is it just a good mood in contrast to how you were feeling while depressed? If so, I don't see how that counts as bipolar. People tend to go through episodes of depression, from what I understand. Have you looked at symptoms of mania? Do you feel that any apply to you? If not, I wonder why he did.

And 15 minutes to change your diagnosis and prescribe new medication? That does seem too short. Also, if you were bipolar, the odds are the Zoloft would have triggered mania by now.

If you don't feel comfortable, stay on the Zoloft and look for a second opinion. Who prescribed you the Zoloft to begin with? Could you see that same person again? And have you tried a university hospital's psychiatry division? Those sorts of hospitals tend to be good. Then again, I haven't found any reference to psychiatry by the hospitals I've looked up.

I mean by I feel great, I just feel great and satisfied about my self, I turn active as usual, play sports, study hard, and be optimistic and social. Ya, but I don't see any of the manic symptoms really apply to me. And that is why I am skeptic about he short diagnosis.

So, yes again I visited another psychiatric just yesterday, and we talked for a bit more than an hour, and he told me he totally disagrees with the other doc, and he doesn't see any Bipolar in me.

He told me Zoloft is a good choice, but the dose I was on is ineffective and usually 150 mg is the dosage for good results.

Yes, anyway he told me that since I have obsessional personality (which is true), then it is better to take another medicine from the same family SSRI, but with effects that help to suppress the obsessional features in me, and the anxiety and worry that I do also have.

So the other medicine was Prozac, I hope it helps me out.

But I mean look how things are, what about all those people who go to the previous psychiatric (if we suppose he was wrong), that gives us an insight to how many misdiagnosed people are there. And I have to add that he is a reputable one as well.

[Bark]

Originally Posted by Adonees

I mean by I feel great, I just feel great and satisfied about my self, I turn active as usual, play sports, study hard, and be optimistic and social. Ya, but I don't see any of the manic symptoms really apply to me. And that is why I am skeptic about he short diagnosis.

So, yes again I visited another psychiatric just yesterday, and we talked for a bit more than an hour, and he told me he totally disagrees with the other doc, and he doesn't see any Bipolar in me.

He told me Zoloft is a good choice, but the dose I was on is ineffective and usually 150 mg is the dosage for good results.

Yes, anyway he told me that since I have obsessional personality (which is true), then it is better to take another medicine from the same family SSRI, but with effects that help to suppress the obsessional features in me, and the anxiety and worry that I do also have.

So the other medicine was Prozac, I hope it helps me out.

But I mean look how things are, what about all those people who go to the previous psychiatric (if we suppose he was wrong), that gives us an insight to how many misdiagnosed people are there. And I have to add that he is a reputable one as well.

I'm glad you found a proper psychiatrist who took the time to sit down and talk to you. It sounds like he knows what he's doing.

Sometimes it's the doctors that everyone thinks are amazing that end up being frauds and charlatans. Actually, that happens in any field. Perhaps they're charismatic, perhaps they convince people they're better when they're not.

If he is frequently misdiagnosing people, I would hope that he would be reported and have his licence taken away. But that seems unlikely.