Difficulty finding med that works well

Over the years, I have tried several anti-depressants, but none have really helped very much. I have success with anti-anxiety med., but not anti-depressants. Side effects are miserable or I'm still depressed. Suggestions?

Hi, Kim. I know exactly how it feels - for me it seems to be a continuous chemistry experiment with my meds. I've taken so many AD's and have either had terrible side effects or no success with depression, or both. Then, I found a med that worked pretty well with tolerable side effects (Prozac), but it stopped working after a couple of years. I'm now on Cymbalta, which does wonders for my depression. It definitely has its side effects, but I made a decision, and I feel I need to stick to it - that is, that I need to accept and live with side effects to a certain extent if a med does its job for me mentally. There is a trade off, and I've learned to live with that. You may have heard this already, but I suggest you just keep trying to find a med that works, and remember, it can take weeks for you to get the real benefit of a med. I honestly think at some point you just will have to deal with some side effects in order to feel well mentally.

May I ask which ones you have tried and how you reacted to them?

I second what Cyclops said - it took us a fully year, trying over 8 different meds, to find one that helped and had side effects that were tolerable, where the benefit of the meds out weighed the side effects. Now, nearly a year later, we still have had to make adjustments, but on the whole, I feel so much better on a consistent basis. Doesn't mean I don't have depressed days, but I am better able to rebound from them.

Biggest help, though, has been therapy in addition to the meds.

Don't give up! It may take a while but in my mind, it's worth it!

Are you working with a psychiatrist or a gp? If you're working with a gp, I'd ask for a referal to a psychiatrist, as you may need a combo of meds. I second what everyone is saying about it taking time to find the right med(s) for you, and finding something you can live with in terms of the tradeoff between side effects and efficacy. Personally I need a combination of meds to treat my depression. I'm on 2 anti-depressants an an anti-psychotic and that combo works really well for me. I still get depressive episodes occassionally, but they're rare.

splitimage

I understand how that can feel Kim45 I've been depressed for 5 years straight now and been on 11 meds on their own and 5 combinations over the years. It totally sucks when nothing works! My only advice is to keep working with your pdoc. Sometimes I need to take a break from the med merry-go-round and I'll go a few months without meds because I just get fed up of it all. But eventually I will go back onto another med as I need to still have hope that something will help. I'm not ready to give up and accept my lot just yet.

All the best,

*Willow*

I've been taking medication for 6 years, and have been through almost 40 meds, mostly due to side effects, occasionally because they stopped working, or never started working.

It's really tough to keep going through this, but I guess its probably better than the alternative.

I have been taking meds on and off for a couple of years and currently the GP has me on Prozac, Wellbutrin and Xanax as needed (but I never take it because I don't want to sleep my life away.)

I have 2 questions:

1. How long do you typically give a new drug or combo to work before deciding to change or discontinue?

2. Is it common for AD to work initially and then just suddenly "crap out?" This seems to be my present problem and I am miserable.

I am a newbie here so I appreciate any advice yall have!
~Bella

Welcome to PC!

This varies between patients and pdocs, I would imagine. One pdoc made me wait 6 months before deciding the drug didn't work which really, really annoyed me. For me, I wait about 3 months after reaching the highest dose before I say that I want to try something else, which seems to me to be an adequate trial without wasting your life away on something that doesn't work.

Yes this is reasonably common, sorry!

*Willow*