Kinda scary when they advirtise it on TV, then they say a whole bunch of side effects that "may" go along side with it. Not that I'd use them, but it always made me wonder... do they really work? A lot of the major producers were sued sooner or later. Thoughts or feelings?
Well, I'll admit it - at one point a few years ago, I did use prescription anti-depressents, and they did indeed work, with no side effects. However I would not take them again. Although they worked, I personally prefer finding natural remedies to depression. So, if you're considering them, I'd strongly suggest exercise, and of course, seeing what's leading you into depression in the first place.
Exercise is a natural remedy (I strongly suggest mountain/rock climbing), not everything that can cure depression is meds or med like. I would say find religion perhaps? it works well for me.
I was perscribed Paroxetine Hydrochloride when I was 15 and took it for about 2 years, but I took it in conjunction with 2 hours of counselling each week so I'm not sure what made the difference, or even if neither of them helped and I just gradually came to terms with things anyway. Anyway, I put on 8lbs when I was taking them, even though my appetite was lower and I was eating less. Paroxetine is actually linked to higher rates of 'suicidal tendancies' but NOT actually suicides. The bit I find the best though is that there have now been studies that show that it is NOT effective on teenagers (which I was at the time) and is actually believed to make teenagers 4 or 5 times more likely to become suicidal (I can't remember the exact figure; just that it was quite significant). I also had to be sort of weaned off it as it can give you some crazy side effects if you just withdraw from it completely, which would indicate that this is not a good thing to be taking anyway. As for the suggestion that exercise and religion should be considered when treating depression, I would say, quite simply, you don't know what you're talking about. I can completely understand your line of thinking with the exercise bit and yes, it can help those who don't have a sever disorder, but if you are dealing with something along the lines of manic depression, post traumatic stress disorder or anxiety issues, the last thing you want to do is start prancing around doing your exercises. And as for suggesting religion, I'm not going to comment on that because, to be perfectly honest, I find it insulting. But if it works for you, fine. In fact, that's great, but for people experiencing more intense problems, suggesting that they don't take medication can be dangerous quite frankly. It's just one example of how mental health is just not taken all that seriously. It's like people think it's imagine or something. Would you suggest 'natural remedies' for cancer?
My wife took anti-depressants before I met her, and not long after we were married she quit taking them after being on a trip and she forgot them... She acted totally different, and couldn't remember some of the things she had said in the past, and couldn't understand why she would have said them. She said they made her not "feel" depressed, but the reason for the depression was still there and in the back of her mind, so they didn't really solve the problem. Aside from the craziness and memory loss, there were no other major side effects.
Craziness? :lol: Were the side effects when she was taking them though or when she forgot to take them? I don't think antidepressants are meant to be a cure. It's more like they hold off the symptoms while you try to sort the underlying problem out. It's easier to think rationally and logically if you can wipe away some of the feelings for a while.
Well, I suppose you could try herbs . But by "natural" I meant "pretty much anything other than popping pills" xD. Sorry for the confusion.
What is this fixation people have with thinking that there are 'natural' alternatives to everything and that they're better than medication? Just out of interest, why is it you think this is a better route to take?
Well, I think most people that were using "natural" would be using it in the sense that it is anything other than meds your doctor/pharmacist gives you. ie. to me playing music would be a natural way to combat depression, not necessarily taking anything at all. 'New age' stuff like crushing foxglove and ginseng in a pedestal to heal people is crazier than crack to me.. Though if you have any experience with eastern medicine it does actually work (and some stuff looks pretty wacky and tastes horrible) and it has less side effects than western medicine, not sure what type of anti-depressants eastern medicine uses though. Also you know how if you start using painkillers you need more and more of them to be effective, I don't think that exists for eastern medicine. Practically all eastern medicine is slow though so if you need a solution urgently you should go western for sure.
I find it weird that most medicines that are supposed to help you have the worst side effects. It makes you think youd rather deal with what you had originally than deal with the much worse side effects. Thats true, some anti depressants to make you more depressed. Ironic
I feel that anti-depressants don't make you less depressed. They only HIDE your depression. Which ultimately makes things worse. It's like an ostrich sticking its head into the sand. Doesn't exactly solve the problem D:
Dont use it, but my sister did and she had the some problem she told me about :| Hope Ill never need them
Hmm, I wasn't very clear was I LOL, the side affects were when she WAS taking them. Since she has stopped, she does not forget a thing... and I mean literally, NOT A THING! Her opinions about things don't waver from 1 minute to the next, and she doesn't say off the wall crazy things. Like "I hate Christmas, it is my least favorite time of the year, because of all the crap you have to put up with..." I know this can be seen as a "mood" thing, but it wasn't... When you combine hormones (PMS) with the anti-depressants... ... ... It was really bad/strange.... Since then, she still does have mood swings with PMS (understandable, hormone changes are never fun I'm sure) but there is a lack of "craziness"
I'm going to agree with you on that. One of my friends tried to commit suicide last February (long, long, long story), and when she was cleared from death, chronic liver damage, etc., she got sent to rehab and put on anti-depressant meds, for a while she seemed a lot better (when she started getting upset she'd start repeating to herself stuff that her therapists/counselors had told her), and she stopped getting so suicidal... ...as far as I know she's only on meds now, no therapy (the therapy helping seemed to fade a few weeks after she stopped, anyways), and she seems to be OK. I don't know how things'll end up for her when she stops, though, since so many studies not only say they're not for teenagers, but will have this and that side effect later...
Antidepressants are NOT a fix-all. They help clear your head. So let's say you are depressed for a specific reason, antidepressants help you see it from a more healthy perspective, and make talk therapy more effective. Also they are not 'happy' pills, they just reduce feelings of being overwhelmed by problems. They would better be called 'chill pills'
i agree where your comin from alouth for me i find natural remedies olny have a short term effect, and i for me the source of the deppresion can not be changed unfortunatly i guess i have to leran to adapt and live with whats going on around me