I have been in a real tough situation for the last 17 months.
I have tried so many antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds. Only to further decline.
A couple of questions: Does anyone think that anti-dpressants can cause a problem with focusing and concentration because of their often stimulating effects? Making it much more difficult to stay on task.
Also does anyone thing that Antidepressants can blunt emotions and have they experienced that?
I am interested to know what other have experienced or think on this matter.
John
questions on Antidpressants
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Guest
When I took lexapro and when it worked for me i felt like i was eating more (which is good for me because while anxious i lost a lot of weight) and i think i concentrated ok. . BUT with celexa it was hard for me to and in fact i felt always in a fog. It was terrible. and YES it can make you feel emotionally numb for sure. . in my case anyway. could not cry on anti-depressants.
using these meds can feel like a rollercoaster ride. . . . especially if you're sensitive to substances and/or you have tried a lot of different ones in an attempt to find a good fit. . . .
i am not a professional by any means, but I know that there are different categories of antidepressants and they have different effects.
over the years i have tried a few--and i did find that -while seeming to help overall- the antidepressants would also make me feel jittery(which was distracting). so i ended up taking anti-anxiety med w/the antidepressant --
my best advice would be try to be informed -- but don't overthink it -- you're gut helps a lot with these decisions.
for me, even pretty bad experiences with a med, helped me achieve important understanding ultimately.
all the best!
oh and if you don't have the program--it's worth a thousand pills, and more. even if you need meds--it will help you with those important medical decisions, etc.
i am not a professional by any means, but I know that there are different categories of antidepressants and they have different effects.
over the years i have tried a few--and i did find that -while seeming to help overall- the antidepressants would also make me feel jittery(which was distracting). so i ended up taking anti-anxiety med w/the antidepressant --
my best advice would be try to be informed -- but don't overthink it -- you're gut helps a lot with these decisions.
for me, even pretty bad experiences with a med, helped me achieve important understanding ultimately.
all the best!
oh and if you don't have the program--it's worth a thousand pills, and more. even if you need meds--it will help you with those important medical decisions, etc.
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Guest
I take 10mg of Lex and I feel fine on it, dont feel jittery, dont feel like I am in a fog at all. Have no problem concentrating.
How long were you on the AD, you should stick with it for at least 8 weeks as SE are usually gone by then and you feel the real effects of the meds, if you went off of them before them you were probably experiencing the start up effects and didnt allow enough time for the meds to truly start working.
How long were you on the AD, you should stick with it for at least 8 weeks as SE are usually gone by then and you feel the real effects of the meds, if you went off of them before them you were probably experiencing the start up effects and didnt allow enough time for the meds to truly start working.
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Guest
Meds are so tricky because we are all molecularly unique and react and respond differently. I am super sensitive to meds. I have felt racey with meds as well as very fatigued and I too took celexa and felt "numb". I have not found anything yet that I can tolerate. I am thinking about trying lexapro. It is not an easy venture that is for sure. Lots of trial and error. Some have had great results with meds as a bridge. So I think if there is something out there that can lessen the suffering a bit with tolerable to no side effects then that would be good so that I can benefit even more from all the CDs and cog behav. therapy that takes time to work.
Hang in there!
Hang in there!
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Guest
I too have had sensitivites to drugs, which is what stopped me form taking AD's in the forst place, but I gave in and gave Lexapro a shot and it has worked well for me, I no longer have any SE (gone after the 1st week) and feel like myself.
You must go into this with a mindset that things take time, these are not miracle drugs, and DO NOT focus on the side effects.
You must go into this with a mindset that things take time, these are not miracle drugs, and DO NOT focus on the side effects.
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Guest
Thanks for the feedback. This situation has been very tricky because I have tried everything I know, with no improvement at all. Just has been getting worse. Have been giving it time.
I did not even know about the side effects initially. When I went to see the Dr just told me about like dry mouth. None of the potential side effects on the mind were mentioned.
I have been on 11 or 12 medications in this time frame, unaware of the side effects because I thought the Dr would explain them. I then noticed the way I was feeling after each one and read some books by a Dr. Peter Breggin and other Drs about the frequent side effects these meds have on people and noticed that I have been experiencing them. I only read those books because I sense something was not right. I think I went into the Drs too naively, but in good faith thinking he would be up front about the side effects and withdrawl. I think they should have some type of responsibility to inform the patients of the side effects. Does anyone have Drs that make them aware of the side effects that can occur?
I did get give them enough time to work. I followed them as instructed. I was on as many as 5 medications at one time. I have tried: Effexor, Xanax (which I was on for about 10 months and that made the depression and anxiety worse because I got a rebound anxiety, and in hindsight I noticed it depressed the CNS furthering the depression, associated that was caused by the condition that I have now), Zoloft, Trazedone, Klonopin, Cymbalta, Risterol, Abilify (which made me like a Zombie), and a few others. I followed instructions on how to take them as prescribed but noticed the condition to continually get worse. Could not sleep right no matter what medication I was on. Have been in therapy at the same time. My sleeping has been way off this entire time.
For me personally I wish I just did therapy with no meds because I believe they clouded my thinking. Like I said I was not even aware of the side effects prior to taking them, so I didn't focus on them until now after I found out what the potential side effects are I realized I experienced many of them.
I really don't know what to do at this point because this has effected every area of my life. I am trying all means of help and doing what I can. Has anyone heard of anything like this with the meds and the effects that I experienced. I don't want to sound negative but like I said I did not even know about the side effects prior to taking them, now I am aware of them and could not help but to notice that I had an an increase in anxiety, depression, panic,(I actually had rebound anxiety from the Xanax and wound up in the ER with BP through the roof and I never had high BP before, prior to this I lead a healthy lifestyle. I started seeing a different therapist and he wondered why I was on Xanax for so long because he said they are addicting and if administered should only be taken for a certain amount of time.
Has anyone ever heard of reactions to meds like this? What makes one person get adverse reactions and another not?
John
I did not even know about the side effects initially. When I went to see the Dr just told me about like dry mouth. None of the potential side effects on the mind were mentioned.
I have been on 11 or 12 medications in this time frame, unaware of the side effects because I thought the Dr would explain them. I then noticed the way I was feeling after each one and read some books by a Dr. Peter Breggin and other Drs about the frequent side effects these meds have on people and noticed that I have been experiencing them. I only read those books because I sense something was not right. I think I went into the Drs too naively, but in good faith thinking he would be up front about the side effects and withdrawl. I think they should have some type of responsibility to inform the patients of the side effects. Does anyone have Drs that make them aware of the side effects that can occur?
I did get give them enough time to work. I followed them as instructed. I was on as many as 5 medications at one time. I have tried: Effexor, Xanax (which I was on for about 10 months and that made the depression and anxiety worse because I got a rebound anxiety, and in hindsight I noticed it depressed the CNS furthering the depression, associated that was caused by the condition that I have now), Zoloft, Trazedone, Klonopin, Cymbalta, Risterol, Abilify (which made me like a Zombie), and a few others. I followed instructions on how to take them as prescribed but noticed the condition to continually get worse. Could not sleep right no matter what medication I was on. Have been in therapy at the same time. My sleeping has been way off this entire time.
For me personally I wish I just did therapy with no meds because I believe they clouded my thinking. Like I said I was not even aware of the side effects prior to taking them, so I didn't focus on them until now after I found out what the potential side effects are I realized I experienced many of them.
I really don't know what to do at this point because this has effected every area of my life. I am trying all means of help and doing what I can. Has anyone heard of anything like this with the meds and the effects that I experienced. I don't want to sound negative but like I said I did not even know about the side effects prior to taking them, now I am aware of them and could not help but to notice that I had an an increase in anxiety, depression, panic,(I actually had rebound anxiety from the Xanax and wound up in the ER with BP through the roof and I never had high BP before, prior to this I lead a healthy lifestyle. I started seeing a different therapist and he wondered why I was on Xanax for so long because he said they are addicting and if administered should only be taken for a certain amount of time.
Has anyone ever heard of reactions to meds like this? What makes one person get adverse reactions and another not?
John
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Guest
Hi John,
I am new to this program, in hopes to deal with and overcome the limitations that hold me back and give me trouble. I'm sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time-I think most of us accessing this forum have been there. My anxiety/ocd condition started from a bad depression about 8 years ago. My family had urged me me to seek help as I was having suicidal thoughts. It got me over the hurdle and has been a constant work in progress to get back to some sense of normalcy, as I have not always had this degree of severity throughout my earlier years. As to the med's situation. I am glad to see that you found a new therapist, sometimes you have to see several before you find the one that clicks with you, as I did. I was kind of surprised to read you were on 5 different meds at once yikes, it would seem they would all counteract the other? I am currently taking Fluvoxamine, more for anxiety symptoms. It has limited side effects for me. I have some trouble sleeping because of a busy mind which I take sleep aids for. I have tried Lexapro and Zoloft which I didn't feel much improvement with or still felt depressed.The only major side affect I have is if I accidently miss my dosage,I feel very sick until I get back on track. Needless to say I don't miss my dosages anymore. The Pysch. Dr's. seem to be able to only help so much unless you have a really, really good one, so I started a self-help approach to try many different techniques to combat my ocd issues and am now here at stress center. I have come a long way up to this point. I have a hard time motivating myself, so it has been a long struggle. I am not as depressed as 8 years ago, and I am able to leave the house now. I use my animals as sense of comfort and security. They have a non-conditional love to give that helps me. I am also a therapeutic riding instructor for special needs, using horses. This type of approach may help you some? Hang in there!!!!
I am new to this program, in hopes to deal with and overcome the limitations that hold me back and give me trouble. I'm sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time-I think most of us accessing this forum have been there. My anxiety/ocd condition started from a bad depression about 8 years ago. My family had urged me me to seek help as I was having suicidal thoughts. It got me over the hurdle and has been a constant work in progress to get back to some sense of normalcy, as I have not always had this degree of severity throughout my earlier years. As to the med's situation. I am glad to see that you found a new therapist, sometimes you have to see several before you find the one that clicks with you, as I did. I was kind of surprised to read you were on 5 different meds at once yikes, it would seem they would all counteract the other? I am currently taking Fluvoxamine, more for anxiety symptoms. It has limited side effects for me. I have some trouble sleeping because of a busy mind which I take sleep aids for. I have tried Lexapro and Zoloft which I didn't feel much improvement with or still felt depressed.The only major side affect I have is if I accidently miss my dosage,I feel very sick until I get back on track. Needless to say I don't miss my dosages anymore. The Pysch. Dr's. seem to be able to only help so much unless you have a really, really good one, so I started a self-help approach to try many different techniques to combat my ocd issues and am now here at stress center. I have come a long way up to this point. I have a hard time motivating myself, so it has been a long struggle. I am not as depressed as 8 years ago, and I am able to leave the house now. I use my animals as sense of comfort and security. They have a non-conditional love to give that helps me. I am also a therapeutic riding instructor for special needs, using horses. This type of approach may help you some? Hang in there!!!!
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Guest
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Guest
John S.
It may not be medication that causes you to not be able to focus clearly. Both my daughter and I have found the anxiety itself can confuse your mind so much that it is impossible to read a book because you can't remember the page you just read! We have had concentration problems even when we were not taking medication. During these periods, it was difficult to even watch movies. Half hour shows on TV were OK.
I really can't add very much to the others comments on reactions to meds other than to say it is a hit and miss situation. Most doctors including psychiatrists, try one med and if that doesn't work will try another, and another, until something works. I lucked out. My doctor is known to be excellent at chosing the right meds for patients. The only other thing I can add is that some meds lose their potency over time, and then you are in a situation where you have to increase the dosage or change the medication.
Good Luck, and Blessings,
Jackie
It may not be medication that causes you to not be able to focus clearly. Both my daughter and I have found the anxiety itself can confuse your mind so much that it is impossible to read a book because you can't remember the page you just read! We have had concentration problems even when we were not taking medication. During these periods, it was difficult to even watch movies. Half hour shows on TV were OK.
I really can't add very much to the others comments on reactions to meds other than to say it is a hit and miss situation. Most doctors including psychiatrists, try one med and if that doesn't work will try another, and another, until something works. I lucked out. My doctor is known to be excellent at chosing the right meds for patients. The only other thing I can add is that some meds lose their potency over time, and then you are in a situation where you have to increase the dosage or change the medication.
Good Luck, and Blessings,
Jackie