Anti depressants day 10

Holly J · Post by **Holly J** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:26 am

I feel like the first week i had felt much improvement but for some reason i feel blah again. I dont know if its because my cycle is in 5 days or what but now i am afraid the meds have stopped working or something!! I know its only been 10 days but i felt good the first days of it. . am i over reacting? I am on 50mg of pristiq. It says that 50mg is the theraputic dose for this drug and happens to be the starting dose too. its weird. . so i guess most people do better on 50 than 100mg. . . well this scares me too because what if the 50mg doesn't work for me and i need more yet 100mg doesn't work as well as the 50mg apparently. . They say some drs prescribe 100mg but its rare. . So i am hoping that these have not stopped working for me and i hope that they wont stop because i read in some of the posts how a med has stopped working for some of you and that freaks me out. I just got over my fear of anti-depressants and now I'm like give me more because I'm afraid they have stopped working. . . Guess i hate how i was starting to feel like my old self again and than BAM i feel bad. I did start taling b9rth control too and it is 5 days before my period and I do have PMDD but im just worried its not about my period and its the meds stopping working. Is this normal the first couple weeks? I just want to feel better again like how i was a few days ago!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 4:32 pm

Yup this is TOTALLY normal in the first few weeks/months. It is promising that you have had some good days already. In the beginning you have some good days, many bad, and then the good days start creeping back slowly but surely and they start to hang around more and more. This all takes time. It also does not help that you have PMS and just started BC pills.

Give it time, talk with your doc, if he thinks you need a higher dose than try it, everone requires different doses, you do what works best for you. You are doing great, stick with it.

Diann Siracusa · Post by **Diann Siracusa** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 5:56 pm

Those wonderful feelings you had in the first week may have come from you. You took a big step towards your future. It can be empowering and hopefilled when we do that.
Be patient. Give your body time to adjust. Talk to your doctor about what you are feeling.
I can totally understand your reaction. After years of dealing with depression, I still have bad days. They used to scare me. I was afraid I was going back to where I was before. I've learned to realize they are just bad days. No big deal. Flow with it.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:32 am

Hi Holly, you may have read my post about meds not working since I just posted it a couple of days ago. Just in case you did I feel bad if it made you more worried. I just wanted to clarify though, that yes I have had troubles with meds working but I have a special physical condition that I believe contributes to this. I had gastric bypass and after the surgery is when I started having trouble with meds because my body doesn't absorb things normally. Please don't worry about this, you'll be fine everyone's situation is different! It's so early on I agree with the poster that said your early good feelings were probably because you were just feeling good because you had hope and felt empowered not because the meds were already working, which if that's the case, it just goes to show you, you do have control over your feelings!

Missy G · Post by **Missy G** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:53 am

I just wanted to say I'm so proud of you for taking the medication. Overcoming that fear is HUGE. I am not familiar with that medication, but most take a few weeks to totally kick in.

Hang in there!

jessanxious · Post by **jessanxious** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:13 am

T H A N K Y O U all so much for your replies. I feel better now. Guess I was just freaking out that I am going back to square one again or something. I'm sure this has to do a lot with my pmdd. I was also freaking out with my meds too because the starting dose is the recommended therapeutic dose. The recommended dose is 50 mg (which is what i take) They say "There is no need to gradually increase the dose to reach the recommended therapeutic dose.However, some health care professionals may prescribe a different dose of PRISTIQ." So I don't know I heard on other boards that apparently 50mg works better than 100mg. so i guess i am just thinking what if the 50mg is not enough?! anyway, thanks again everyone for replying. Just a bit anxious about this.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:35 am

When they say that 50mg is the theraputic dose they mean that is the lowest dose in which that drug should be taken to get the theraputic results from it. I take 10mg of Lexapro, that is also the recommended theraputic dose, but that doesnt mean you cant take a higher dose if you need it, many do take a higher dose. It just means that they recommend that you take at least the theraputic dose to see results. Dont read too into it. Just go by how you feel and if your doc thinks you may need a higher dose you try it.

You doing great though, give it time and then reassess.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 12:47 pm

Hi Holly, I just saw your post now. It was a huge step and you can expect to feel the med anywhere from a couple of weeks to 6 weeks. This comes from a Pharmacist and it seems they are the ones who know more than the doctors about meds. Hang in and if you don't start to feel a difference steadily in a month then ask if your dose can be increased. Each med has it's own minimum and maximum dose allowed. I was on 40 mgs of Paxil and could go as high as 60mgs a day.
Something I just learned also was that caffein, cigarettes, and other stimulants can affect the AD drugs. I never knew this while taking my AD's. I was a cola drinker at that time. No wonder I had little help from my meds. Live and Learn.

Good Luck, Keep Positive, You will do GREAT!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 3:33 pm

that is interesting. . ... i wonder if sugar would make the Ad not work as well either?. . thanks for the reply. I guess i am just freaking out its only been 11 days.. I am just soooo glad i didnt experience any major side effects from this drug!!! YAY!!! Now i just want it to work lol.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 3:58 pm

Give it time, it needs to build up in your system. In the meantime stay away from sugar and caffiene. Exercise and rest help too.