What to expect on Antidepressants

Question

I am clinically depressed, brain fog, dizziness, emotions are a wreck. I have a hard time leaving my house I get phobic, I was fine a few months ago now I'm a total mental mess like my brain is fried. I'm shaking and and confused, my head is heavy, I dont feel right. I have just been through a lot of death and depression. What would they put me on for major anxiety, prolonged sadness, constant claustrophobia and compulsive thiinking? Will they make me gain weight? Will the adjustment period be hard?

Answer 1

for me it didn't make much of a difference for three or four weeks. i didn't have any side effects except for some sexual ones ><. and in general i just felt like my mental issues had been turned down. they didn't go away but i was able to be happy sometimes instead of never and my head felt a lot clearer. i also didn't get that heavy heart feeling anymore. they are a little numbing sometimes, but it can be what you need to feel better.

Answer 2

Your doctor will try a lot of different medications.  He should only put you on one at a time and deal with each symptom Major anxiety they'll probably give you a benzo...  klonopin, ativan and xanax are pretty common.  Prolonged sadness you'll probably get an antidepressant - there's so many on the market right now I can't even list them.  For your constant claustrophobia and compulsive thinking they'll probably give you an anti-psychotic like abilify.  

I'm on effexor (an antidepressant), lamictal (a mood stabilizer) and abilify (anti-psychotic).

I'm doing better than I ever have before.  

You'll get through it just take it one day at a time.  These feelings are temporary and they're also preventable.  You just need the "tools" to help yourself.  

You need to see a counselor as well as a psychiatrist.  

Answer 3

Firstly, I think you will be surprised how much your depression is out of your hands.  I was depressed for a long time, and, honestly, I was guilty, ashamed, that I'd gotten that bad.  But it's a vicious chemical cycle in the brain that really can't be stopped without upping the endorphins.  People like Tom Cruise will tell you that you can get the same results with diet and exercise, but, really, how many depressed people are going to have the endurance to exercise that much, that long, that often?

For me, I needed comfort foods, I had no energy, I just sat around.

Agh, but I'm sort of getting off the point.  What I meant was, you COULD help yourself out and avoid going the antidepressant route, but it would be harder.  And it's best to incorporate increased activity, healthier diet (more fruits, more water, more veggies -- you'll be surprised the good it does!) ... to incorporate it into a new approach that is facilitated by the antidepressants.

I was having panic attacks almost every day.  I was sleeping 12 and 13 hours, and even then I had no energy. I would cry even when I had been happy a little while before.  I was having nightmares, and didn't want to go out in public anymore.  I started sleeping in a bunk-bed in my little sister's room because I couldn't stand to be alone at night.  It was really, really bad.

After a month on fluoxetine (Prozac), things got a LOT better.  Two months later, I was happier than I had been in years.

Lupus runs in my family, and eventually I experienced a severe reaction to the drug and had to find an alternative that didn't work as well, so I think that certain drugs work better for certain people.  I think, if you find a medication that is right for you, you can expect to feel much better within a few weeks.

I wouldn't worry about weight gain.  They talk about it on commercials and stuff, but it was never an issue for me.  Sadness actually drives me to eat, so that as soon as I was feeling better, I didn't have to depend on it anymore.  I hadn't been on a diet for two years, but it got way easier to eat healthy once I was feeling balanced, calm, focused on other things besides my momentary happiness.  And I wanted to do more physical activity, like dancing and soccer, whereas, before, I just did not have the energy to do that stuff.

Please, get in to see a psychiatrist or just a family doctor as soon as possible.  They will ask you to fill out some forms, and, once they find out you're not bipolar, they will get you on mood stabilizers right away.  (Doctors won't give medication to people they suspect are bipolar, as there is an increased risk of suicide; I was referred to a psychiatrist before I could get help, and psychiatrists sometimes have long waiting lists.)

When I went cold-turkey off the Prozac (when it was making me sick) the doctor gave me a temporary prescription (for the increased anxiety) to take when needed.  It was, like, the most amazing little blue pill.  Like, instantaneous results.  If your anxiety is bad, I'm sure your psychiatrist would prescribe you a supplementary pill to take in conjunction with the slower-working antidepressant.

I know there's this stigma attached to being "medicated," but it's really not a big deal at all.  I am so grateful that I did it.  I was hesitant, too -- I considered it for weeks before I took action.  And those are weeks of misery that I just didn't have to put myself through, you know?  Weeks of productivity I will never get back.

Good luck!  I wish you the best!

Answer 4

i have been too, four four years and severe anxiety. i cannot even answer the phone most the time, or go anywhere. shades always closed. i have been on all kinds of medicine for this. for major anxiety, ATIVAN, get on it. it works wonders. topamax, effexor xr, valium, lamictal, so many more. get a hold of me if you want to talk about it. thanks.