[Jeffhd041]

Hi,

I'm curious if anyone has turned out to be successful professionally after being on antidepressants for over a decade (since early teen years). I was diagnosed with tourettic ocd (ocd coupled with tics) in middle school, and was put on 500mg of depakote, and 50mg of celexa + 50 mg of clomipramine. I obediently took them until age 29 two years ago, and feel like the recent professional struggles I've had are due to mild mental impairment caused by the drugs.

I wasn't a total mess while on the medicine -I went to college..have had a lot of good friendships, went to grad school, was a collegiate athlete, have had a number of great relationships, though I've made some impulsive decisions that have cost me a lot in recent jobs.

I've read that being on psychiatric drugs during adolescence can affect development of the frontal cortex region, which obviously leads to impulsivity and recklessness - just wondering if there are any success stories of people taking multiple drugs early on, continuing for over a decade and still being ok in demanding jobs.

I know this is a lot, but I'm kind of lost and the doubts are drowning me right now..

Jeff

[*Laurie*]

Hmm. Well, I wish I could answer your question more specifically. All I can tell you is that my daughter, who is 31, has been on anti-depressant and an anti-anxiety meds since she was 11 and is quite successful professionally.

I think it's a very good sign that you graduated college and went to grad school.

[Jeffhd041]

Originally Posted by *Laurie*

Hmm. Well, I wish I could answer your question more specifically. All I can tell you is that my daughter, who is 31, has been on anti-depressant and an anti-anxiety meds since she was 11 and is quite successful professionally.

I think it's a very good sign that you graduated college and went to grad school.

Thank you for the input! The docs have said most of the medications are fairly safe, but I'm reading different views online. I guess I should stop searching for negativity online!

[CobolCapsule]

Your always going to find negative views online for just about anything. I've been on meds since my teens, and i am doing just fine with my life.

My research tells me psych meds are safe, and don't have any impact on the brain like you stated. Don't worry so much.

Good luck