What does an antidepressant do?

Question

if you suffer from depression, anxiety, social phobia (according to the doctor that perscribed them for you, and you can check out my past Q and A ) and you are now on medication for it, what good will it do?

Answer 1

They change your mood and make you worries less.

Answer 2

Citalopram is an SSRI, meaning that it interferes with your nerve cells' ability to process Seratonin, which is a chemical that affects mood. The theory is that this makes you feel better; however, research shows that antidepressants do not actually work any better than placebos. Read this article on WebMD to learn more http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/...

Therapy works well for depression and you can learn about phone counseling on my website at http://www.coherencecounseling.com

Answer 3

well that depends on the patient.

what antidepressants do is release a certain chemical into ur bloodstream which ur body generates itself anyway. i think its endorphines or somethin, i'm probably wrong about the chemical but anyway. so ye the tablet or whatever it is releases this chemical into ur blood stream and it relaxes u.......i think

Answer 4

Antidepressants mostly changed you mood.

Answer 5

Antidepressants mess up the chemistry of your body.  They are supposed to make your body produce more of the chemicals that help balance your mood or even "make you happy" like endorphins.  The main thing all of them do whether they actually do what they are made to do or not, is cause all kinds of bad side-effects like sensitivity to the sun, constipation, stomach aches etc.  Don't take them.

Just from your avatar name, I can see one thing you need to do right away without taking any drugs.  That is change your attitude.  Stop calling yourself "ugly" and "lonely".  I'm not as big into saying "affirmation sayings" as some people are, but I do believe in the power of negative self-talk.  It has the power to really bring you down.  Stop it.  Instead of calling yourself ugly, accept your looks as they are. Every person is unique in their appearance and no one is "prettier" than anyone else.  Beauty is truly more than skin deep.  If you are kind to others, make time to do nice things for them, listen to them when they want to talk to you, laugh at their jokes, engage them in conversation etc. you'll find that you are a very popular person.  A girl's attitude is far far more important than her looks.  I know women who are beautiful on the outside but who are so self centered and bratty than no one wants to be their friend really.  Meanwhile, I know women who have fairly severe bith defects that have made their appearance such that they would never get on the cover of Vanity Faire for example, yet they have lots of friends and are very well liked where they work and hang out.  Why?  Because they are genuinely friendly people who listen to others, do things with others that are helpful or fun and have a positive attitude.  

No drug will do that for you.  It's a consious choice that you have to make and stick with: I'm going to be positive.  I'm not going to say negative things all the time.  I'm going to pay attention to people.  That's what people really want (especially men) when it comes right down to it, personal attention.  I'm going to smile and laugh and enjoy myself.  Even if you have to fake it totally, you'll find that eventually, you will actually feel like smiling.

Answer 6

There are several types of prescription antidepressant medications that are divided into different classes. Each antidepressant class affects the levels of chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters, which are thought to be involved in regulating mood.

The most commonly prescribed prescription antidepressant classes are SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors). SSRIs are believed to treat depression by affecting the levels of a neurotransmitter called serotonin. SNRIs are believed to treat depression by affecting the levels of two neurotransmitters called serotonin and norepinephrine.

It's important to know that it could take as many as 6 to 8 weeks for the full therapeutic effect to occur. It is important to give the medication a chance to work and to take it exactly as directed by your health care professional.

Answer 7

Hi.  I am diagnosed with Social Anxiety, Dysthymia (a type of depression) and Borderline Personality Disorder.  I take Lexapro, DepaKote, and Seroquel.  And I must say, these medications were a life saver!!!!

First, I want to say, that medications help you out while you are undergoing some sort of therapy.  The medicine is for the long term and the therapy is for the short term.

Before I started taking my medication, I had the A LOT of problems and issues.  I was afraid to talk on the phone, I had panic attacks if I had to even dial a phone number.  I couldn't go inside buildings sometimes.  If someone knocked on the door, I would hide and turn out all the lights.  My emotions changed dramatically about 20-30 times every hour-- I am referring to extreme emotions here.  I was paranoid and thought there were cameras watching me everywhere.  I was suicidal, homicidal, and self injuring.  I had many more issues, these are just some.

When I began taking medication, some of these issues were diminished, and others disappeared completely.  I could actually FUNCTION normally again!!!  I could make phone calls!!!  Answer doors!!! Alot of things changed.  And with therapy other things got better.

Many people have misconceptions about medications and what they do.  They do not take over your life.  They do not manke you emotionless.  You don't get dependant on them to feel better.  You use them while you work on your issues in therapy, because therapy takes a LONG time before you see improvement.  And medication helps you until you don't need it anymore.

Answer 8

I am dxed with dysthmyia disorder, panic disorder, BPD and APD...I also have schizophrenia.

I am currently taking pristiq, zyprexa, and geodon.  The only med that seems to help any is the pristiq (AD).  The zyprexa and geodon do nothing to help me.

I feel that medication is a big waste of time.  I feel so depressed some days that I can't even get myself out of bed and I find it very hard to sleep.  I was on a benzo for my panic attacks but I tried to kill myself and my pdoc took them away.  Not like I can't do it with the other meds I'm on.

I hope I answered your question though.

Answer 9

Anti-depressants are supposed to help you feel less depressed, anxious and phobic. Because you feel these things less, or if you're lucky, not at all, you'll feel more confident and energetic. I'm curious as to which one your on. I'm on Wellbutrin, 450 mgs. 1x daily. I feel much better than I did a year ago, but I'm in therapy with a social worker, twice a week. Are you getting therapy? Even with these things, you need to push yourself, pick yourself up and dust yourself off! You need to exercise to feel those endorphins that help you feel good. Get fresh air, eat healthy foods,read self help books, attend to your faith and stay close to people and things that are healthy for you and help you feel safe and protected.

And please, by all means, cut out all negative thoughts about yourself, starting with your yahoo name. You are resilient, beautiful and never lonely. I believe that something Good is always with us. Call it what you will, you just need to reach out to it and ask it to come into your life, and then embrace it with your heart, mind and soul.

Just wondering how long you've been taking "Celexa" and if you feel comfortable on it?