
Ask HN: Do you take antidepressants? - zaro
Just wondering how many people here use them. I am considering it and I am a bit unsure ?
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Steer
I have and they helped me, but they are not a cure-all. If you are depressed
you need to talk a good psychologist/psychotherapist as well as taking the
medication. It was a bit of hassle to get off them, I might add.

To me the important thing is treating depression the same way as any other
health-issue; go to a doctor, be open and honest and try what they prescribe
you.

My email-address is in my profile if you have specific questions.

...and take care of yourself. You are precious although you may not feel it
right now.

edit: also, it should not be relevant for you if 9%, 90% or 99% of HN are on
medication for depression, either you need it or you don't, but other peoples'
needs do not factor in.

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smt88
Some of the advice here is awful and some is dangerous. Talk to a respectable
doctor you trust, not armchair psychiatrists.

In addition to a psychiatrist and therapist, you might also want to try group
therapy and Talkspace[1]. I've heard great things about both of those, and
they're inexpensive.

1\. [https://www.talkspace.com/](https://www.talkspace.com/)

~~~
Fonzarelli
Well, we know next to nothing about the brain, so psychiatrist/psychologists
are speculating just like everyone else. They are able to take educated
guesses through, since they went to school.

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adamevers
I was on antidepressants for over 3 years (why: long story for another time).
The best way to describe what it did for me is that they took the really high
highs and really low lows and averaged them. The best way I can describe it is
if my life was a wave and someone just took a a compressor and made everything
more "inline".

For me - I didn't like not feeling the really high highs and low lows. That's
what life is about in my opinion. Embracing the good and bad. BUT it did help
me through one of the hardest seasons of my life. Go to a qualified
psychologist/psychotherapist and lay it all out. That's what I did. We talked
through options - the good and the bad and in the end I decided to give them a
try for a season but it's vital / crucial that you're brutally honest about
where you're at with the psychologist/psychotherapist.

My contact info is in my bio - feel free to reach out. I know it's hard and
life sucks sometimes but there is help and there are options. Don't give up
hope.

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PaulHoule
Antidepressants are antineurotics, thus, helpful for the mild narcissistic
disturbance which is widespread.

There is a common situation where somebody has an interaction that "pushes
their button" and overreacts because the person's self image is unstable.
Somebody said something, you feel bad about yourself, then you say something
stupid and now you have a real reason to feel bad about yourself, etc.
Serotonin levels are high in "alpha dogs", and low in low status animals so it
would seem that antidepressants could protect against the effects of setbacks
in life, social status, etc.

For some people antidepressants can turn all that bullshit off and also turn
off anxiety like a dimmer light that takes days to weeks to kick in as
compared to the immediate relief of benzodiazepianes. Benzodiazepines impair
cognition and memory so they impair the natural process of maturation where
you can learn to do get better at things over time. Antidepressants do not
impair that process so they go well with any kind of therapy, exercise, light
treatments, whatever. Exercise is Rx #1, AD is Rx #2.

Chronic pain is a major symptom of depression and often if you have tendonitis
or back pain that inteferes with your ability to work that is a symptom of
depression. Chronic pain also can respond to antidepressants particularly
Effexor XR and the older tricyclics.

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hungryducks
I have been on two different types, Prozac, which didn't work that great and
now am on Lexapro. Works wonders. Only way I can describe it, it's like
feeling normal again. Once it works, it makes you feel like normal, not like a
high or anything just normal. With the capability of doing everything again.
Didn't realize how bad it was until I took lexapro and came out of my fog.

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haney
I took them for a few years and there were pros and cons. I've transitioned
off of meds and onto pure talk therapy + exercise.

Talk to a medical professional. I can't speak to what's going on in your life,
but there is help and there is hope.

Pros (for me, your mileage may vary):

\- They helped me to not feel as intensely depressed \- They allowed me to see
my problems / life in a more logical way which was helpful during therapy.

Cons \- I had a few issues with "brain zaps"
([http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/11/29/brain-zaps-causes-
tr...](http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/11/29/brain-zaps-causes-treatments-
for-electrical-shock-sensations/)) mostly from missing a dose. Those sucked.
\- It took me a few months to ween off of them, which I didn't expect.

If you do decide to go down the meds route I'd also HIGHLY recommend talk
therapy and adding exercise to your routine, both of which did wonders for me
as I was transitioning off of the meds.

Good luck

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whiten0ise
I take 20mg Citalopram daily - adjustment period is kinda shit, and some days
it makes me feel worse. Modafinil to lift the tiredness and then Melatonin to
ease myself to sleep (Zopiclone as a more intense fallback).

~~~
wprapido
citalopram + alprazolam here!

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Fonzarelli
I do for anxiety. It's not a cure, but it helps take the edge off. Don't
expect too much, but it's one tool in the toolbelt for better mental health.

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Protostome
I take anti-depressant to treat OCD. For me, it was a life saver. There were
literally weeks I sat in the office and couldn't work. I couldn't sleep,
workout etc. either.

Today I'm taking 150mg effexor and got my life back. (never had an OCD
outbreak since started taking the medicine) Having said all that, the most
irritating aspect of it for me is weight gain. I used to be pretty lean and
after almost a year on effexor I gained 13 pounds..

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superfamicom
I did for years- trying several varieties only to discover they were making my
problems worse. The doctors weren't helpful. These days I've turned to
marijuana and light exercise (yoga, running, hiking) and have never been
happier- mentally and visibly.

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Sketch22
I probably should have but I was determined to find another way. As it turned
out a BIG part of my problem was sugar. Granted, this is just me and I'm not
suggesting thats its a definite substitute, but it may be something you should
try first.

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arisAlexis
have you tried exercise, good nutrition, going on a huge trip to indonesia for
a month, sex etc etc? Some people do need them but some are just not doing
what they want in life and can change that. Also be on the lookout for new
drugs that will be based on ketamine in the near future (but don't self-
medicate with it its dangerous).

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nibs
Ketamine metabolite* Ketamine is basically not good for you. The metabolite is
what is beneficial. [https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/ketamine-
lifts...](https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/ketamine-lifts-
depression-byproduct-its-metabolism)

~~~
arisAlexis
Not much different from my reference to new drugs

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aurora72
No and never took such pills. What about some tequila? Guaranteed to take any
depression away in a healthy manner.

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mrsteveman1
Yes, Tianeptine. Night and day difference.

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vermooten
Used to but they had a side effect that ... umm ... didn't help things. Now I
use therapy and cycling.

