[lostinfantasies]

I've always had this belief against antidepressants in that I think they provide some sort of 'false happiness'. I would ideally prefer to overcome any problem I might have by myself, in my own state of mind (not altered chemically, etc.)

Now I'm just wondering whether that's the case. You can become overly-reliant on them, can't you? How do they work?

[jennie]

I don't think they create any type (false or real) happiness in a person. I'm not an expert but from what I understand what drugs do to a person's body is this:

(1) Excite or (2) Sedate
the Autonomic Nervous System

In my opinion of prescribing anti-depressants . . . the psychiatrist thinks for a depressed person who is numb and feels nothing, maybe symptoms of (1) accelerated heartbeat, (2) faster breathing, and (3) aggitation/restlessness will help the person "feel better" . . . they will be feeling something other than "blah blah blah" . . . maybe the patient will interpret this as happiness, so the psychiatrist prescribes antidepressants.

I'd rather drink a cup of tea.

[dottie]

Hi! Before I came to where I am now with antidepressants..I was first put on Zoloft. I felt like I could swing on chandelliers. LOL! Next came Effexor. That was fine. Then I seemed to become immune to it and the Doc switched me to Cybalta and Wellbutrin...along with Abilify. My teeth should be chattering..but my body seems to be tolerating this combo!

[DaveyJones]

Antidpressants have been shown over and over to be more effective than a placebo in controlled studies.

That said, not all antidpressants work the same on all people, which can make finding the right one somewhat of a guessing game. You need to try each one for a period of time before deciding whether to stay with it or move along to the next one. Usually this period is about six weeks.

Something that works as well as antidpressants is talking therapy (counseling). This too, has been shown over and over in clinical trials. So, if you really don't want to take pills, you can try a qualified therapist.

HOWEVER, studies also show that what really works best is using antidepressants AND therapy together. This combination has been shown to be far more effective than either medication or therapy by themselves.

IMHO, if you have been moderately depressed for a relatively short time (a month or two), talk to your regular doctor and find a good clinical psychologist. You doc may know she's worked with, or get a referral. If you have been really depressed for longer than that, you should probably seek treatment by a psychiatrist, just from my own experience.

PLEASE BE AWARE that clinical depression is a mental ailment with a physical cause. It's not a matter of willpower or character. It is a disease like any other, and must be treated medically.

Hope this helps!
DJ

[DaveyJones]

To continue....

No one has proven scientifically "how" antidepressants work. What they DO is to increase the availability of certain chemical known as "neurotransmitters" to the cells in the brain.

After years of using them, I believe that ADs DO NOT provide "false happiness", but rather help alleviate the "false sadness" that accompanies certain brain disorders, among them clinical depression and bipolar disorder.

Do a Google search on antipressants, you'll find way more than you'll ever want to know!

DJ

[Beautiful_Pain]

Lost, I tried for YEARS to 'overcome' as well as ignore my what started as mild/occasoinal depression. I was unsuccessful and now have severe clinical depression as part of my dx. I think Davey made some excellent points in his posts. =) I'm on anti-depressants, and don't feel 'happy' truely or falsely from my meds, I feel closer to normal...my brain is working the way I remember it used to before depression. That's how it helps me.

I hope views given here have helped, good luck deciding =)

take care

--BP

[Lexicon78]

Well, I think that it all depends on the individual. Some people handle them pretty well while others don't. I'm currently on Cymbalta and it seems to work pretty well for my severe depression.

What antidepressants do is try to regulate the chemicals in your brain. A lot of times there is a chemical inbalance in the brain causing the depression or making it worse. So when you are prescribed the antidepressants the whole idea is to correct this imbalance.

[Maven]

Davey's posts are good information. I can tell you anti-depressants aren't really "happy pills"--they don't make you feel happy. I sure as hell wasn't. In fact, for those of us who get the side effect of low or no sex drive, it seems to defeat the purpose. But, anyway, they don't change your emotions, really...I mean, they might in some people, I don't know...but they just seem to ease your nerves and such a bit. Everyone's affected differently. They don't change your beliefs...if you're anti-this or pro-that, they don't change that. However, I've found that they reduce passion. I'm not talking about sex, but I mean passion for everything. It's almost something you'd miss, but I realized that was a problem I was having, a lack of passion anymore. Reducing the dosages (with the help of my shrink), I am finding my passion returning. I like the benefits of the drugs, but hate the side effects. This is just my experience.

[Larry_Hoover]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
lostinfantasies said:
I've always had this belief against antidepressants in that I think they provide some sort of 'false happiness'.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

Nothing at all like that. Very early on, when Prozac hit the market, there was a lot of press hype that suggested the "happy pill" idea. It's just not like that. Not at all like that.

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
I would ideally prefer to overcome any problem I might have by myself, in my own state of mind (not altered chemically, etc.)

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

The idea behind taking the antidepressant is to give you a better chance to do just that. To permit you to alter your state of mind, when the burden of doing so seems otherwise overwhelming.

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
Now I'm just wondering whether that's the case. You can become overly-reliant on them, can't you? How do they work?

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

You can become physiologically adapted to them. Your body adjusts, and you will notice their absence if you stop. Over-reliant? That's not a word I would use.

I've learned, in my own case, that I can get caught up in an overwhelming sense that I am unworthy of anyone caring about me. That any sense of hope about the future is extinguished. That existing has become somewhat pointless. And with that, I start ruminating about putting an end to it all. In my state of mind, it seems a logical conclusion.

And I've learned that an antidepressant helps me move away from that place, where I can begin to recognize that my prior thinking was not valid. Where once my conclusion that I was unworthy of existence seemed inescapable, if not self-evident, I no longer seem caught up in what are really distorted perceptions.

I use therapy with medication, because it's a rather efficient way for me to get to a more reasonable state of mind. Antidepressant medication has saved my life, more than once. No false happiness. But no false bleakness, either.

Lar