[bos314489]

I have been on just about every antidepressant out there. Typically research says it takes 2 or 3 tries before a person finds the right medication. I have been on about 12 or 15 different meds and I feel like I am treatment resistant. The only thing I have not tried is a MAOI which I think is the next step. I have just come off a trail of abilify and then pristiq which did nothing except make me worse. How many meds did you guys take in order to find the right one?

[gracez]

Hi bos...

Gosh, I wish I knew, and this is not encouraging to hear. I'm on my 3rd now, the first 2, for 2 mos. each having done nothing, and still waiting for this one to take effect. I don't have any hope that it will really. How do you keep the hope & keep trying? I am really hoping something in the MAOI class works for you, and soon

Gracez

[Leed]

I've been really lucky. I've been on antidepressants for about 40 years and i can't remember ONE that didn't work. It's possible there was one, but with my memory who knows? I don't even have a clue how many I've been on.

All I know is that without them, I'm in the pits of despair! I thank God for the A/D's and i never miss one!! I take them faithfully every morning.

I wish you the very best! Take care and God bless. Hugs, Lee

[bos314489]

Originally Posted by gracez

Hi bos...

Gosh, I wish I knew, and this is not encouraging to hear. I'm on my 3rd now, the first 2, for 2 mos. each having done nothing, and still waiting for this one to take effect. I don't have any hope that it will really. How do you keep the hope & keep trying? I am really hoping something in the MAOI class works for you, and soon

Gracez

It is hard to keep trying and keep the hope that is for sure especially since half of the meds I have tried have made me worse. I am hoping the MAOI will be the magic one, if not I may have to get ECT as there are really no other drugs I haven't tried. I also hold out hope that in the future maybe there will be a "cure" or some miracle breakthrough and we will all be better. I am sad for all the years (20) I have lost to depression and feel like it robbed me of having a life, a family of my own, husband, etc. good career, but the only thing I can tell myself is maybe I will get cured and the next 20 or so years will be the best of my life. Thanks for writing!

[bos314489]

Originally Posted by Leed

I've been really lucky. I've been on antidepressants for about 40 years and i can't remember ONE that didn't work. It's possible there was one, but with my memory who knows? I don't even have a clue how many I've been on.

All I know is that without them, I'm in the pits of despair! I thank God for the A/D's and i never miss one!! I take them faithfully every morning.

I wish you the very best! Take care and God bless. Hugs, Lee

Wow you are lucky. So you have been able to control your depression for 40 years on the same drug? Do you have the memory loss because of your depression or any of the drugs you tried? Thank you for responding!

[newlifeyeah]

Originally Posted by bos314489

I have been on just about every antidepressant out there. Typically research says it takes 2 or 3 tries before a person finds the right medication. I have been on about 12 or 15 different meds and I feel like I am treatment resistant. The only thing I have not tried is a MAOI which I think is the next step. I have just come off a trail of abilify and then pristiq which did nothing except make me worse. How many meds did you guys take in order to find the right one?

hey!
I'm really rooting for you!
Are you in psychotherapy? I'm going to both therapy and taking meds too. I would say in my opinion therapy is about 70% and meds about 30% important. at least for me that's the way it is. It might be possible that you're expecting too much from the medicine. You shouldn't expect meds to cure your depression. They just ease the symptoms. A good treatment includes many factors, for example exercise, being open, taking the meds, and going regularly to a GOOD therapist. And of course being committed and open to the change, and cure.
I don't want to sound reprimanding, or anything, it's just what I learned from all the desperate days of me "waiting for the meds to kick in". It's not gonna happen. Only if you work together with it.

Have you tried VegEPA? it's basically a high concentration of omega 3 fatty acids. and what about 5HTP? it's a newer type of anti-depressant, they say it has good effects, and less side-effects.
I personally wouldn't want to get into MAOI's due to its heavy side effects, and the special diet it needs. It's kind of old and heavy stuff...

But my knowledge of depression and anti-depressants is of course limited to my experience which is limited to just one anti-depressant, paroxetine.
Good luck, I hope you will find the right cure for you!

[Tamster]

wow leed i've been on ADs for 30 years and hardly remember one that worked well. Although the one I'm one now works better than any other, Viibryd. I hope everyone finds a good match for them. I found MAOIs back in the 80s werent too bad for the era they were in either.

[LostNgone4ever]

hey, I've been on:
prozac, that just made me more anxious
abilify: made me pace, binge eat, and I didn't sleep or even sit down for a week
trazadone: made me sleep and made depression worse
limitcal (for bipolar depression): currently on, calms me down but still severely depressed
celexa now-does help me concentrate but I'm extremely depressed

I do like that I'm calmer and can concentrate but non of the drugs seem to touch the depression. I see a therapist and am going to look into alternative therapies like reiki, guided mediation ect.

I hope you find what works for you, its a hard battle, but I'm routing for. It's hard going through so many meds, it sounds like you've been through way more than me, and having to deal with the side effects and than they don't even work and you've got to start again with another one.

You are so strong for hanging in there. I really hope you start feeling better.

Very few mention the drug (which is actually a food med) called Deplin. Research shows that 70% of depressed people are lacking in enzymes in the stomach that convert folic acid into folate which can pass the blood-brain barrier. For me (along with 10 mg. Prozac) that was the miracle drug that finally calmed my system. I take 15 mg of Deplin once daily and it really helps big time for me.

I've read on the forum that some psychiatrists don't think too much of that medication,
but each of us is different, and for me, it was a life-saver. I wouldn't be without it.

What Deplin does in the brain is to increase the serotonin available. That's the one that gives the "good felings and calm ones" for the system.

Because it's a food med, there aren't many side effects that are not good, in my view.

I think I was med resistant as some have expressed they are. I know that the acid
residue of drugs was much too much for my system to manage. Deplin, not so for that one. I like it very much.

If you're one who can't convert folic acid into folate, you might try it just to see if it
can help.

One day this will all be treated with gene replacement therapy, I feel.

[1Buster]

Originally Posted by bos314489

I have been on just about every antidepressant out there. Typically research says it takes 2 or 3 tries before a person finds the right medication. I have been on about 12 or 15 different meds and I feel like I am treatment resistant. The only thing I have not tried is a MAOI which I think is the next step. I have just come off a trail of abilify and then pristiq which did nothing except make me worse. How many meds did you guys take in order to find the right one?

Are you taking meds for anything else now as well? If so, the combo might make it tougher to find the right mix.

What about other mood/anxiety problems you could have that aren't being considered?

I've tried Wellbutrin and Celexa since Dec. and stopped both from bad (B-A-D-!) side effects - in combo with Vyvanse then Adderall for the ADHD (plus a s***load of other meds for physical stuff). Now I've been taking BuSpar for about 1 month for the G.A.D. I hadn't even known I was diagnosed with. (Please everyone get your paperwork from the docs!) That seems to be doing a good job of getting me off the edge and once I'm calmed enough I suspect we'll try another AD.

[bos314489]

Originally Posted by genetic

Very few mention the drug (which is actually a food med) called Deplin. Research shows that 70% of depressed people are lacking in enzymes in the stomach that convert folic acid into folate which can pass the blood-brain barrier. For me (along with 10 mg. Prozac) that was the miracle drug that finally calmed my system. I take 15 mg of Deplin once daily and it really helps big time for me.

I've read on the forum that some psychiatrists don't think too much of that medication,
but each of us is different, and for me, it was a life-saver. I wouldn't be without it.

What Deplin does in the brain is to increase the serotonin available. That's the one that gives the "good felings and calm ones" for the system.

Because it's a food med, there aren't many side effects that are not good, in my view.

I think I was med resistant as some have expressed they are. I know that the acid
residue of drugs was much too much for my system to manage. Deplin, not so for that one. I like it very much.

If you're one who can't convert folic acid into folate, you might try it just to see if it
can help.

One day this will all be treated with gene replacement therapy, I feel.

Yes I mentioned this to my psychiatrist and he shrugged it off. he says he is not impressed by it. He has now started me on adderall with cymbalta and lamictal.. fingers crossed

[bos314489]

Originally Posted by zyekitty

hey, I've been on:
prozac, that just made me more anxious
abilify: made me pace, binge eat, and I didn't sleep or even sit down for a week
trazadone: made me sleep and made depression worse
limitcal (for bipolar depression): currently on, calms me down but still severely depressed
celexa now-does help me concentrate but I'm extremely depressed

I do like that I'm calmer and can concentrate but non of the drugs seem to touch the depression. I see a therapist and am going to look into alternative therapies like reiki, guided mediation ect.

I hope you find what works for you, its a hard battle, but I'm routing for. It's hard going through so many meds, it sounds like you've been through way more than me, and having to deal with the side effects and than they don't even work and you've got to start again with another one.

You are so strong for hanging in there. I really hope you start feeling better.

Thank you. My doctor decided to put me on Adderall twice a day to give a boost to my cymbalta in combination with lamictal. I have no idea how this will work out. I just drove to 3 different pharmacies trying to get the script filled because it is such a controlled substance they only give the pharmacies a limited amount of it. My doctor said if it is going to work it should work pretty quickly so I guess I will know in a few days. I know this medication is basically speed and I will probably be buzzing around like crazy but I just need it to take the depression away. I have also thought about reiki. I have tried accupunture which helped for anxiety but not depression. I am having such a hard time kicking this stubborn depression. Thanks for your support!

[bharani1008]

Originally Posted by Leed

I've been really lucky. I've been on antidepressants for about 40 years and i can't remember ONE that didn't work. It's possible there was one, but with my memory who knows? I don't even have a clue how many I've been on.

All I know is that without them, I'm in the pits of despair! I thank God for the A/D's and i never miss one!! I take them faithfully every morning.

I wish you the very best! Take care and God bless. Hugs, Lee

Long live medication. Who cares how long we have to be on them. And it took two years to get his particular cocktail and it's working so don't give up hope.
I hope you feel better soon.

[venusss]

How is your life situation? Is there anything that is causing you trouble? Unresolved issues from past? Traumas? This is something to look into.

ANd how is your eating and lifestyle in general? another aspect.

And not to get too intimate... how is your spiritual life? Do you have things in this aspect settled, or still seeking desperatelly? What do you cling to in your hardest times? Is there something that keeps you going? I am not selling one particular faith... "being at peace" is not a religion... it's a crucial thing for life.