[InfiniteSadness]

Ive been on it for 2 years.. It has some antianxiety effects and a minimal mood effect for my depression. I've tried paxil in the past and i got more agitated/angry i believe ?, so that was discontinued.. Ive tired effexor and the side effects were bad.. i've also tried a couple of others. I feel helpless.

[thunderbear]

Mabye adding something to it? Like Abilify? I have 3 friends that added it to their antideoressant an it helped. But dont feel helpless....there is always hope <3

[sewerrats]

2 years is 2 long on a med that don't work, there are still a few ssris to straight taper over to, what you got to loose

[InfiniteSadness]

Originally Posted by sewerrats

2 years is 2 long on a med that don't work, there are still a few ssris to straight taper over to, what you got to loose

I know, but the crazy thing is that i get even worse when i try to switch to another antidepressant. So i dont know what thats about.. Perhaps a very bad withdrawal..

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by InfiniteSadness

I know, but the crazy thing is that i get even worse when i try to switch to another antidepressant. So i dont know what thats about.. Perhaps a very bad withdrawal..

you don't have to withdraw , just take you old med say sat, and then a new med sun, its that easy ssris straight taper , my last ssri switch was sertraline over to Lexapro in 1 day took the Lexapro next morning threw the sertraline and within 2 hours my mind started to be more clear, its that easy.

[InfiniteSadness]

Originally Posted by sewerrats

you don't have to withdraw , just take you old med say sat, and then a new med sun, its that easy ssris straight taper , my last ssri switch was sertraline over to Lexapro in 1 day took the Lexapro next morning threw the sertraline and within 2 hours my mind started to be more clear, its that easy.

My doctor actually told me to do it that way- to just "switch over" but i still managed to kind of get worse and not feel myself at all... i don't know. Probably because my body was starting a new med.. or my mind was "out of wack" i ended up switching back after 2 weeks...

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by sewerrats

you don't have to withdraw , just take you old med say sat, and then a new med sun, its that easy ssris straight taper , my last ssri switch was sertraline over to Lexapro in 1 day took the Lexapro next morning threw the sertraline and within 2 hours my mind started to be more clear, its that easy.

There is you answer you switched back to soon, to a med that had already stopped working, 2 weeks is not a trail. What did your doc change you med 2

[sunrise]

I agree wjth sewerrats that 2 years is too long to be taking a med that doesn't work. Not everyone can do a straight switch. Some do better with a "cross-taper", in which you gradually decrease the med you are one while gradually increasing the new med. Can you huddle with your pdoc on this and come up with some options? Like a different AD, adding something like Abilify, etc. Have you tried therapy also?

[InfiniteSadness]

Originally Posted by sewerrats

There is you answer you switched back to soon, to a med that had already stopped working, 2 weeks is not a trail. What did your doc change you med 2

I switched back to celexa because i really didn't want to end up in the hospital.. although perhaps i could of waited a little longer. (but my depression was worse)

[Little Lulu]

SSRIs didn't wow me either ... they left me feeling flat. Not sad, not happy, just numb. That seemed worse to me than feeling anxious and depressed.

I finally decided to take the therapy route, got a counselor, and I joined a support group. I got a sponsor in the group and with her help plus the counselor I began working on myself ... recognizing negative thinking and low self-esteem issues and began working on changing these issues. I also went back to work which was a good thing since that occupied a lot of "thinking hours".

I think the real shift for me was when I was fed up with sick and decided I would be in charge of my own mental health. I even have hobbies I enjoy now, for heaven's sake.

After a major breakdown 13 years ago and a hospitalization, I am glad to say I am much better now. Not perfect, but whose life is?

Just one person's story ... hope you find the right path for you.

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by Little Lulu

SSRIs didn't wow me either ... they left me feeling flat. Not sad, not happy, just numb. That seemed worse to me than feeling anxious and depressed.

I finally decided to take the therapy route, got a counselor, and I joined a support group. I got a sponsor in the group and with her help plus the counselor I began working on myself ... recognizing negative thinking and low self-esteem issues and began working on changing these issues. I also went back to work which was a good thing since that occupied a lot of "thinking hours".

I think the real shift for me was when I was fed up with sick and decided I would be in charge of my own mental health. I even have hobbies I enjoy now, for heaven's sake.

After a major breakdown 13 years ago and a hospitalization, I am glad to say I am much better now. Not perfect, but whose life is?

Just one person's story ... hope you find the right path for you.

I would pick NUMB over anxiety and depression , any day of the week

[Little Lulu]

Originally Posted by sewerrats

I would pick NUMB over anxiety and depression , any day of the week

The good thing is that today I am neither of these. I hope you find what works for you.

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by Little Lulu

The good thing is that today I am neither of these. I hope you find what works for you.

I have but it still makes me a little numb, but it keeps me out of hospital.So did you come out of hospital after a breakdown with no meds, because I needed more when I came out of hospital not less , tell me how you worked that and what you were taking in your breakdown and after .

[Little Lulu]

Out of the hospital I took Paxil for about three months as best I recall (it was in 2000), then I tried Zoloft for about the same amount of time. I also took Klonopin three times a day. Now the only thing I take is Klonopin 0.5 at bedtime most nights and have not had any antidepressants since 2000.

I had a psychiatrist I didn't like or respect and somehow putting myself in his hands seemed uncomfortable to me so I think that was a motivator for me to take another route.

For a while I had fears about being hospitalized again but now my thinking is ... if I need to be hospitalized then perhaps is where I am meant to be. I have not even come close to thinking it was necessary since 2000, though.

Mornings are my only rough time and even that isn't daily but around 10AM I get into gear and I generally feel good the rest of the day. I still go to a support group and have a sponsor in the group. I get counseling off and on but have not been for a couple of years.

Somehow when my thinking switched from thinking the answer was outside me to something like "I own this d*** thing, whether or not I like it, and I am going to find a way out" things got better.

Just my story, though. Take what you like and leave the rest.

[onionknight]

Somehow when my thinking switched from thinking the answer was outside me to something like "I own this d*** thing, whether or not I like it, and I am going to find a way out" things got better.

Whenever I start coming out of I depressive episode, I really feel this. It is getting to a point where those words make sense and cause action that is hard, though.