Antidepressants?

[JanaBog]

So it’s been almost four months after my traumatic event, and since I haven’t succeed to stabilise during this time, my psychologist suggested it might be time to try antidepressants. I don’t have anything against giving it a chance, in fact I feel even hopeful about it, but I’m a little worried about getting started on them. I’ve seen some friends go through it, and for them the first 3-4 weeks seemed to me were very difficult. I’ve read some stories online and I see that it’s different for everyone, but I’d like to get more personal experiences, so I have a better idea of what to expect. Do you have a story about this to share?

[AnxM]

I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with your trauma. Please bear in mind that individuals react very differently to different drugs, from the effectiveness of the meds to the side effects. Having said that, I am happy to share my experience with Lexapro.

I was prescribed 5 mg but I cut the pills in half. I felt an immediate sense of relief from my agitation from the first dose, but it gave me terrible insomnia as well as indigestion. After 2 weeks, I stopped because I was exhausted.

Good luck!

[Lindyloo53 Volunteer]

I am on antidepressants and have been for some time as I have treatment resistant depression. I found it took ten days for them to kick in. Initially they made me feel tired but it was a manageable tiredness.Four months is really early days from the traumatic event that caused you ptsd.

[designguy]

Hello Jana, you don't say whether you are also working with a trauma therapist besides your psychologist. Generally psychologists treat by prescribing medication and aren't versed in treating trauma utilizing various therapeutic modalities. If you are not, I would recommend finding a therapist who specifically treats trauma so you can make some progress.

Like a lot of people I have found medication to be beneficial and also frustrating. One of the reasons I pursued medication as well as therapy is that in my family there is a history of depression on my fathers side so I figured I was predisposed. I tried using natural supplements at first but found they didn't help. I then started on medication and was originally prescribed prozac but then was switched to zoloft. It seemed to help some but I still had anxiety. Over the years I also tried cymbalta, buspar and klonopin. There are also side-effects with most meds but I personally didn't have many except for some slight sexual dysfunction.

So the biggest frustration most people have with meds is finding the one that actually helps and makes a difference because there are so many different meds and we are all somewhat different. They also generally take a week or two to take affect. They also rarely "cure" people by themselves and most people require both therapy and medication to improve.

If you do decide to try medication and wind up getting frustrated trying to find one that works, I recommend ding a DNA psychopharmacological test to determine which meds are best for you personally. I did one a few years ago, mine was from Genesight but there are also other brand available. It turned out from my test that none of the meds I had been prescribed previously except for the klonopin were good for me. I started on one that was recommended (Prisiq) and it has really helped. It and working with my trauma therapist who utilizes EMDR therapy allowed me to recover.

[Freesoul66]

Hi, just wondering how you are doing...I have been on Zoloft for a few months now.. you have to be patient at least 6-8 weeks for full effect. I’m lucky. No side effects.

Let us know how you are doing

Xoxo