Calling all Med-fags and Depressed-fags!

Calling all Med-fags and Depressed-fags!

>Be me
>used to be confident, happy, and driven
>4 years of going job to job
>Isolate, withdraw from society.
>Develop social anxiety and depression

2 shrinks and 1 doctor have examined me (the shrinks tested me) and they all think I should start taking zoloft. Any body got experience with Zoloft or other depression meds? Can taking anti depressants be short term or am I pretty much doomed to a life of taking pills with terrible side effects. (The internet tells me Zoloft and other meds like it ruin your sexual functioning, but i'm already not getting boners due to depression anyway.)

Shameless depressed bump.

That's sertraline right? Was on it for awhile, didnt like it. Changed to Venlafaxine when I was diagnosed with BPD. That was about a year ago and I really like them.

According to webmd, Sertraline and SSRI's have the lowest and mildest side effects, which could be why you needed something different. How severe is your BPD, user?

You still here OP?

Took Zoloft for about a year on and off. Didn't feel much different but people around me said I was slightly less moody when I was on it. Stopped taking it because I hated the thought that I had to take a pill everyday to stay out of my depression. So now I'm back in my hole, general unhappiness and feelings of being worthless. Shit's terrible to live with, on and off Zoloft.

It was left unchecked for years while I became a drug addict and alcoholic. Went on sert for depression but always hid how bad I really was. Only got properly seen to when I had to go to hospital when from self-harming (I have awful scars on my arms still). I'm in thearpy and things are better and I've changed a lot of things but I still feel very removed from normal life and am a bit of a shut in.

Going on and off will make things worse. You'll have the shitty first month of your body getting used to it then the shitty month when you come off and your body has to readjust.

Actually correction; I'm a total shut in. I only see my friends every six months or so because I cant handle the emotions that come with other people.

I'm here user.

Depressed med-fag here. I'm using st. John's wort combined with 5-htp, other meds just didn't do it for me because of dissociation and other side effects. Having no side effects from the wort, it's pretty cheap too, so I hope it works for you too.

Needless to say it is very, very important to keep working on small and easy goals every day. Whatever it is, as long as it is in the direction you want to go.

OP here, this is all really good stuff to here. Don't be afraid to let the feels out, guys.

I feel you. I used to be an extrovert. Not anymore.

bump

Gonna hijack momentarily OP. Saves making a new thread.

> chest feels a little heavy
> have to put effort into breathing or it feels shallow
> tired, feel absolutely thrashed
> only morning

Should I go to hospital or something?

Man I used to go out every weekend. I was never the coolest guy around or anything but I had a reputation as being a hard partyer. The drugs really fucked me up though. 6 months sober though which I'm really happy about!

Do you drink/get high at nights? How are you sleeping?

If you're a heavy smoker of weed or especially cigarettes, that combined with stress and/or alcohol can ruin you in your sleep. Might have a case of sleep apnea?

Neither. Haven't smoked cigs in 8 months.

Restless. Starting to wonder if I'm only half-asleep all night.

OP here. That's excellent. I gave up weed 4 months ago and i'm feeling pretty good. I still booze fairly regularly. not to excess though. Tonight might be different though with the stress about my impending decision to start taking anti-depressants. I'm afraid of the meds making me emotionally disconnected.

I guess it's different for me, I WANT to be emotional disconnected. Although deep down I know that's not the right way forward. Do you have close friends irl who can help you out the difficult first few weeks and be honest about how they think you're doing?

How long has it been going on for? Are you stressed/depressed?

I have one friend who lives halfway across the country and we talk on the phone. Outside of that I have zero friends.

>start lifting weights
>start counting calories, get a goal
>buy car/computer/something you don't really need... only after saving up a lot of money to get it.
>get more disciplined, it's amazing what you take for granted daily.

That sucks. In similar position really. I have my group of friends who I cant bring myself to see anymore, a friend 500 miles away, and a friend I made this yearwho has stopped answering my texts.

Really been noticing it last couple of days. It feels worse than yesterday for sure.

I do have depression, but I've been quite upbeat lately, not particularly stressed about anything bar this.

>>start lifting weights
This. I started last year when I got on the ven and it has really helped sleeping/eating giving me focus. Been making some nice gains too.

lifting weights cures all my man.

Push those feels away.

Listen up OP. I have a lot of experience with friends who take depression meds. To make a long story short: don't. Just fucking don't.

Every single one of my friends who has taken "anti-depressants" has turned into a mindless zombie, because that is indeed the intended effect. That is the best case scenario, really... your brain turns off so you can focus on your job and live a "normal" life. Pharmaceutical companies want you to be addicted to their Good Goyim pills so that you devote a big chunk of your monthly pay-check to them. They are not trying to help you, they're offering you an "easy out".

I'm not that wise, I don't know the true key to happiness, but I know as sure as shit that it's not found in a pill-bottle. Happiness is finding passion in life, building life skills or hobbies, doing something you're proud of, making friends, spending time with loved ones, enjoying nature, a good night's rest and decent diet. It may sound overly simple, but I guarantee you that if you're depressed for "no reason", you have an unbalanced life.

Just go for a walk on a nice day and really think about what you want to do in the next 5 years of your life.

Don't fall for the pill meme.

Depression can be cured without medication if it is primarily situational in nature. If you have biological factors (which it seems like you don't) you would need lifetime meds. But you used to be ok, then shit happened, so therapy is the better course of treatment. Best of luck. Common effective treatments for depression and anxiety and CBT and DBT. Look for therapists that specialize in those areas. Might want to consider medication as a supplement while in therapy. Whole course of treatment will likely be a year.

Dont be a total cunt. Plenty of people's lives are massively improved by anti-depressants, myself included.

*are CBT and DBT (typing on phone). Best of luck user

I'm a man, I don't have feels. Haven't had feels since I was 5, then let them resurface when I was like 16-19... I learned my lessons, the Nazi S.S. couldn't have made me any more rational/numb.

I have plenty of experience with zoloft. I have been on and off it for over 10 years.

It doesnt work for everyone and it takes a long time to start working, 3 - 6 months. be prepared to give it time and if it works you will feel normal again.

I never had any sexual related side effects. Although I did (and still do) feel a little bit more tired than usual. That effects my energy levels and performance at the gym so unfortunately put on a little bit of fat around my gut (I am /fit/ so thats a big deal t me).

Most important thing is it stopped me from wanting to kill myself.

6 months ago I was on the edge, today I am still high risk of being an hero but the desire is slowly leaving me.

Give it a try. You might be one of the lucky ones for who it works great.

If you are smoking pot, stop. If you aren't... start.

Yeah OP have you tried walking, thinking, and having friends? Because like, we're all in the matrix man. The spooky lizard Jews just wanna plug your brain into the machine dude.

Do you have a doc appoint coming up? Any med-fags here?

I can't think of anything more depressing than being a slave to pharmaceuticals.

Tell me, did all of the following qualify BEFORE you tried the meme pills?
1. regular sleep at around the same time each night, without waking up partially during the night, and feeling refreshed and not groggy
2. regularly drinking water throughout the entire day
3. a few hours of direct sunlight every single day
4. regular exercise, especially cardiovascular
5. a well balanced diet (especially no fast food or junk food, lots of fruits and veggies)
6. an active social life where you were meeting new people on a regular basis
...The list goes on.

I don't know you, but I know a little bit about how the human body works. Depression is a sign of your body telling you something is wrong, there's a problem, and imbalance. You don't just fucking ignore your body and slam pills down your throat to make it go away. I'm pretty confident that anyone who tried anti-depressants had an incredibly unbalanced life at the time, and didn't want to put forth the effort to better themselves. Like I said... it's an "Easy out".

Not right now. It's Saturday though, so I can't make one until Monday at the earliest. Hospital is the only other option.

I was using the same, except I found that some wort brands were making me sick and constipated. L-Theanine + 5HTP + Tryptophan are my trifecta.

Although I did make an appointment for therapy, maybe I'll get stims out of it.

I dont have depression, I have a personality disorder. Do they fall under your 'evil pharma' conspiracy? And yes, I tried to live a normal, happy life for years before I finally had a massive mental breakdown. I gritted my teeth through a 4 year relationship because I kept telling myself 'this is what your supposed to do. Why the fuck arent you happy?' I had a decent job and life, and I hated every minute of it. But yeah please continue to spam a thread about depression with your total bullshit.

Stop giving medical advice when you don't know shit about depression

I should clarify; I do get depressed but my diagnosis is not Clinical Depression.

Honestly he saying the kind of shit I'd expect out of a 15 yr old stoner who just binged watched Family Guy for the first time.

wtf are you talking about nigga, all that advice is legit.

t. norwegian shrink (believe me or not, idgaf)

Those things are all great life style changes, but acting like they solve everything and pills are evil is stupid.

Yea... I don't know why I don't believe you

>Don't fall for the pill meme.
Totally agree. They're over prescribed.

But in some [I think few] cases they will help.

I'm the guy who wrote the "10 years on and off zoloft" post.
You have a very valid point user.
But you're missing one detail. Once our body tells this, sometimes it is too late. Depression wont let you go out and socialise or do any of the other things. Meds can help get you out of bed to start thinking about things.
Also, some people have other reasons for depression. Mine started as a reaction to interferon/ribavirin combination therapy to get rid of hep C which I got when I used IV drugs. I had no choice but to take meds as depression was an extremely common side effect.
You have some good points worth thinking about but they come across a bit insensitive and not so well thought out.
For a young person who is depressed because they have everything and are just nerds, yeah your formula will work.
For others, they might need the meds to kickstart them.

He might have underestimated meds a little bit, but its literally true that if you havent given all of his advice a decent try first, you shouldn try meds.

Also, meds should always be blind tested on and off for periods to see if they really have an effect, but psychiatrists never do that, even thoughn its the general guide line in many counties.

>Also, meds should always be blind tested on and off for periods to see if they really have an effect,
That sound extremely unethical.

OP here, Really great thread guys. I tried all the things on the list. Social anxiety was a killer. When i lost my will to socialize, a lot of the other things fell off the list. 1,2,3, and 5 are all things I currently do. Starting to get back on 4.Exercise again, but it hasn't worked in the past for my depression. It's hard for me to keep a routine without friends to motivate me when I feel stuck in bed/ in the dumps. I'm hoping that since I used to be okay, I can do SSRI's for 6 months to a year to help "kick start" things along with treatment and as I learn more skills and get situated into routines like your 1-6 I can ween off without too much trouble? Any experience with weening off, guys?

OP here. This is exactly what i'm struggling with. I woke up one day and realized "Fuck, these last 4 years have beaten me down to nothing", and now I feel stuck. I know what there are steps i can take (like get more friends, DUH), but it's hard to even take a first step out the door

Hey BPD-bro here. Sorry dont really have an experience in that regard (except for switching meds) but plenty of people do it. Sert isnt too harsh a med and your doc will stagger down the dosage and hopefully help you through it. With the right treatment you should be set up well for when you come off. Like I said before exercise was a key for me getting struct and feeling better!

Bpd bro. Hang in there. I read your post and I too have that. It's a bitch and I know what's it like to isolate because it's easier. Don't go that way. Trust me. I'm 30 and it's been easier yes, but life has been so much less enjoyable than I wish it could have been. I would have rather had the pain in retrospect.

I've weened off a couple of times. Took it sloooooooow. Like, reduced 25mg per month over a few months, then stayed on 50mg for a couple of extra months before going to 0. I still remember getting head spins and stuff from reducing. It wasn't too bad but for me as life took turns my depression came back so I recognised the signs and went back on. Also, dont take it for just 6 months to a year. Give it at least 6 months to fully work, then stay on it for 2 years or so, thats usually enough time to make changes in your life.

I dont know if my advice is good or bad, its what I did and I'm still here user. I wish I dint have to take the meds but they help so fuck it I'm taking them.

Thanks for the words user. Yeah my therapist and family have been encouraging me to be more sociable. I have a tentative event coming up soon that will be 'safe' for me to re-introduce myself and hopefully I can take it from there. Hope things are well with you user.

Not to be that guy, but this is the best thing that helped my depression, so much so I moved to a state that has it medically and I have a medical card.

OP here, glad to hear it worked for you, gives me hope. Question: Are you an artist of any kind? Writer, painter, musician? I make music and I'm also concerned of it neutering my creativity. I took adderal in middle school for ADD but stopped taking it when I realized it was sapping my sense of humor. Right now i'm not making music because i'm too low energy and depressed to feel good enough to want to.

OP here, used to smoke. Killed my wallet and stressed me out (not like weed paranoia, more like stress from drug tests, what will happen if my dealer doesn't pick up etc. ) I hope to use it for fun every once in a great while though

nice trips man
yeah i play drums but dont really do anything creative. I still play when the urge comes, about a couple of times a week.
I also study, it hasnt really diminished my learning abilities or anything.

it is expensive but you don't have to worry about the dealer middle man with dispensaries and some places honor the medical card you obviously can't smoke at work, but I do IT and they don't even drug test me so I guess it depends on what line of work you do

Trips Don't Lie. What dosage are you currently on bro?

100mg per day