Antidepressants effectiveness?

[Lavender999]

Hey folks, I would appreciate someone skilled to answer the question that why antidepressants can give you suicidal thoughts??? Upon my experience theese drugs are supposed to help you..But come on, this is something beyond my understanding...🤔 Or your condition may worsen at the beginning of starting the drug (medication) I decided then to never touch theese bc thanks God I could handle anxiety on my own, but eventually this drug gave me more harm than benefits??? Just doesnt make sense to me. Are theese drugs even safe to use in the long run? THANX for your thoughts on this topic🤗

[hypercat54]

This is a peer led group only and there are no medical professionals here so we can't answer your question I'm afraid. Your doctor should know, or perhaps your pharmacist?

[Lavender999 in reply to hypercat54]

Thank you for your reply. I am afraid doctors do not know the answer either. Thanks for xour effort.. 🙏 I will just follow my intuition.

[hypercat54 in reply to Lavender999]

I know many ad's can make you feel worse until they kick fully in which can take around 6 weeks. After that you should start feeling better.

[Lavender999 in reply to hypercat54]

Yes, this is ok, I am far away from it now, only my concern was upon my experience with medicine that there is other side of the coin that it can cause these thoughts, which was my case which is really scary. Once I lowered the dose dramatically, it stopped. Am just scared that it happens to other people and what if they really act on these thoughts......I am concerned about this medicine effectiveness and even safety.

God Thanks for those who did not have to experience these hellish side effects. I read on other forums that some people had these side effects from medicine (drugs) which really terrifies me a lot....

[hypercat54 in reply to Lavender999]

I didn't get awful side effects from any of the ad's I tried. Any ones I did get went away after a few weeks. Don't forget every med, even over the counter ones such as aspirin, can have side effects.

[liveaswell in reply to Lavender999]

When I started again to use Escitalopram, I was not having suicidal thoughts among other side effects, but they started after taking the medication on the third month, so I decided to stop, because it make me feel scared. I feel I bit better but nervous. Now I just on my 11 day of detox, and it has been a roler coaster. The side effects after stopping the med have not being fun, and the thoughts of hurting my self are at times aggravated but I have managed so far to put them a side and focus on other things. Thanks many of you that have supported me through this detox period.

I am still not know what would be best, I don't want to be dependent on a pill to manage my moods, I want to be able to control myself without any pills. My brain want to have back the Ceratonine that helps to be produced by the Escitalopram. However, by doing so, the natural receptors of ceratonine in my brain are reduced due to the free ceratonine available so my brain does not require that much receptors when there is plenty of ceratonine. In my opinion, that is the worst! Because then you brain follows the path less effort your natural receptors are minimized so you are now fully dependent on the pill to help you have the ceratonine, and when you don't have it then you go balistic and feel pretty bad.

[Lavender999 in reply to liveaswell]

I have managed to order on my own cost genetic testing which should also make analysis of medicine that is most suitable for you. I want to use it as my guide instead of doctors guessing which medicine should work for you. Because now it is still trial-error path on people. I am surprised that doctors do not offer this to their patients instead they just throw in the air and try...I dont think it is ethical now when we have a new options from genetic testing.....I hope you will fee better soon. x

[MissJaynie]

In my opinion( im not a pro in this). I think its crazy that these have this affect on people. Although I only no of one person that this has happened to out of all the people I no that take them.. i gave in after 10 years of suffering with anxiety.. I refused to take them off the doctor for the very reason you are on about i was scared it might happen. But then something terrible happened in my life and I developed severe anxiety i was in a bad way for months. I had to keep going for the children but it was so hard. I gave in a d started them. They didn't work very well until my situation improved and that took 8 months to solve. Now I'm doing a bit better but still have relapses often. Whilst taking them. Also I am starting to feel depressed on top. So I ask myself do any of these meds help? My answer is no. Not on there own . I go to counselling for what its worth but I do try and help myself. Im mot there yet. Don't no if I will ever be..

Good for you staying clear of them and managing your anxiety.

Do you have any advice you could give on what helped you cope?

[Lavender999 in reply to MissJaynie]

Sure. I have tried 3rd time to be on the same ads during lifetime and each time their effect was worse finishing with these awful thoughts.. I used my logic to differentiate to understand that these thoughts are not mine. I was not in line with them. Than I said to myself that it is that pill and felt disgusted by it... I said to myself that this cannot go this way and other pills i ve tried were ok, but i coudnt get any sleep. So i said to myself what is the point of this medicine? To help you but also giving you side effects (all medicines do... but AD with theese SE?? 😬) So under these unfortunate experience i was fortunate at the end from this that ADs are not solution for solving depression in long run. Being depressed means somebody mentioned this on forum condition when your needs are not met. That certainly dont make you satisfied with your life. So there is that effort to make changes to adopt new habits, outlooks on life, your friends, routines, diets... etc. I got my gene test done for depression - waiting for the results which I have gut feeling how it will be.... And I saw my doctor face when I mentioned the test like she is loosing her patient..... (make your own opinion but I can guess that you will understand) when the depression is on rise theese days, does it mean that more people have it in their genes??? Just doesnt make any sense to me. I believe that we are able to adopt with help of therapist how to cope better with life as we used to be... And the outcome of this is to be therapist to yourself. (I do not want to disrespect different experience of people with drugs and dont want to discourage them either to not take the pills) everybody finds their own what best works for them🙏