Anti-depressant Questions

This thread was inspired by Missfontella's anti-horny thread.

For the people (men & women) that have been on anti-depressants I want to ask you a question, or two. This of course is for the people who do not mind sharing. I know this is personal information.

Are you on a Anti-depressant?

What kind?

Dose level?

Do you feel better or worse?

Does it interfere with your sex drive or ability to orgasm?

Do you do anything to overcome this dilema or just accept it?

 

I was on both paxil (anti-depressant) and navane (anti-psychotic) when I was married to my ex. I never wanted to have sex with him...at first i blamed it on the drugs, but then I realized it was just because I hated his guts.

After I left him, I also realized I didn't need the medication.

They put me on navane because I told my psych what kind of awful things my mother had done (and my husband) and they didn't believe me. After she tried toburn down my house I told the doc about it, and I guess he thought I was making it up. LOL, I'm not that crazy.

I should probably still be on some kind of anti-depressant, but right now I can't afford it. I just have to push through the rough times on my own.

 

Ive had numerous doctors/friends/family members try to convince me to get onto anti depressents. I just wont do it. Its a false happiness. Everyone I know almost takes anti depressents. People just need to stop feeling bad for themselves and they wouldnt be depressed. Some people do have depression, most people are just spoiled brats that take it though.

 

And how do you do that Moonshyne? If you don't mind me asking. I know it's not always easy. Some days it's damn near impossible for me when I am trying to do it on my own.

I hate the feeling like I am fighting with myself or ready to crawl out of my skin. Pms time is the worst.

I am currently on the lowest dose possible of Lexapro. I cut the half in half. My libido works wonderful when I am not on medicine but even the smallest of doses can alter my abilities. I can get in the mood and enjoy what I am doing up until that moment.....It's like a wave that never lands. I shouldn't say never. It just take a lil' more time than normal. Sometimes it's so damn frustrating.

Why would a Doctor think you were making that up? That isn't something one just comes out with because they feel like telling stories.

 

Where have you been Mushy? It's been a long time since I have seen you post.

I hope all is well.

 

I was taking Effexor (33mg dose twice a day) when going through breakup hell. It made all the difference in the world. I felt better (normal) the next day, like I was my old self again. As far as sex, it didn't reduce any desire, but I could go hours and hours on the stuff (Viagra paled in comparrison when I tested it out) ; it definitely made it hard to orgasm, but not impossible, with a little concentration.

After a few psyche sessions, a new job, and the time necessary to get over the ex; I've now stopped taking it. The only detrimental side effects I ever had was super nausia a couple of hours on the day I first took it, but after that first day, everything was great.

 

hi peanuts,

i was on 20mg of cipralex a day - its a fairly new drug, don't know if anyone on here knows of it, if you do share! i was on 14mg of sleeping pills a night, depending on my mood, and towards the end tranquilisers. obviously short term i felt really sick on them - side effects and such like, some of the ose subsided others didn't, like the low sex drive. i felt terrible on them, if anyone looked at me let only touched me i would have damaged them. for other reasons, this being part of it, i took myself off all my medication. in terms of my sex drive i am pretty much back to normal, and i feel less like a zombie.
i hope everything is okay with you???

peace
morna

 

I think it's more like it's just something I HAVE to do, rather than wanting to do it sometimes. Life goes on, I have children to take care of, a house to clean and so on....I can't let them suffer just because I feel like shit. If I had no children, I would probably be a lots worse off right now. I guess it's my love for my kids that's kept me going this long.

I don't know WHY my doctor would think I was making it up. I guess because it just sounds insane....I mean, what mother would really do something like that? Plus, she puts on a good front, so unless you know my mom really wel, she seems like a halfway decent human being. I only started having to see that doc was because I moved out of my mother's house with my 8 month old daughter because the woman attacked me while I was holding my baby, she got mad and called DFACS and told them I was "mentally uncapable of raising a child." They forced me to see that doctor once a week, and I'm guessing that it was just easier for him to believe I was crazy, rather than believe all the horror stories I had. They eventually had to drop my case, because they had no reason to believe I was uncapable and they also got a chance to witness my mother's shittiness firsthand.

I have no doubt that I have some kind of chemical imbalance, because it runs in my family. But as far as I'm concerned I'm the most sane person in my family, I'm only depressed not crazy.

 

Are you on a Anti-depressant? Yes, for about a year and a half now.

What kind? Effexor

Dose level? 37.5, we're slowly weaning me off.

Do you feel better or worse? I have good days and bad days, you know? But I think everyone has those, medication or not. I was put on them mainly to stop the major anxiety attacks (because Effexor is both an anti-depressant and an anti-anxietant) and to help control some vicious nightmares.

Does it interfere with your sex drive or ability to orgasm? It did when I was at a higher level. Sometimes now, still. So when my bf is coming to see me (we live in different cities) I skip a day to kind of help things along.

Do you do anything to overcome this dilema or just accept it? You mean why I was put on them in the first place? Sure. I have a social worker I see, not as often as before which I also take as a good sign. I've learned to meditate, I've learned techniques for handling anxiety attacks on the spot, stuff like that. The nightmares, that's kind of out my hands, you know? I just take them as they come.

Peanuts I hope everything is ok with you : ((((big hugs)))) if you want to talk, feel free to pm me!!

 

I was on something, but I don't remember what it was and I had to take it three times a day, but i didn't like it so I stopped taking it

 

Are you on a Anti-depressant? I was, but not for almost 4 years.


What kind? Paxil

Dose level? I think I was up to 40mg a day

Do you feel better or worse? It felt better at first, but then I realised that I didn't feel good or bad. Very Neutral. I didn't like feeling nothing.

Does it interfere with your sex drive or ability to orgasm? I didn't want to have sex at all, I forced myself to do it at least once a month, but after I would think "Now I won't have to do it again for awhile, Whew!" I didn't have any orgasms, I didn't want any. Just "get it up, get it in, get it out, leave me alone". I worried that maybe it wasn't me, and that I just didn't want him anymore. I almost cheated just to see if I could feel anything with someone else. What kept me from it was the sake of our son.


Do you do anyting to overcome this dilemma or just accept it? I got off it, and haven't taken anything since. I've gotten steadily better on my own, after the birth of our second child, something "clicked" and now I feel pretty close to perfect. My hubby is lucky if I let him sleep....

 

Thank you for your replies and concerns.

I am doing okay. Most days I am anyway. Lately I have had a lot going on that has been challenging for me. I'm tired of feeling like the "issue" or the one with all the "issues". I recently went to my Doctor and she put me on 10 mg of Lexapro. I cut it in half (with her permission) and sometimes the half in half. I need the 5 mg 2 weeks before my "time" of the month. I can't handle the change in hormones. I become angry, confused, frustrated, a real joy. Stress just knocks everything I have out of me and I am trying to learn how to cope and function at the same time. I was never good at multi-tasking the big things.

I have been in therapy but I am not now. My husband is very supportive and he talks with me whenever I need to talk. He doesn't want me on the medicine. He has stressed that a few times but supports me if I need to be on it. He realizes our chemistry is different.

 

You're very lucky! Just that, in and of itself, must help with the stress quite a bit. All I can advise about antidepressants is, if you don't like what you're taking; tell whoever's prescribing them what you don't like, and let them prescribe a different one. It can be extremely frustrating adjusting to new medicine, but in the long run, once you've found one you're comfortable with, it's worth it.

I tried paxil, zoloft, lexapro, and prozac before stumbling on effexor. The others made me either really sick (I'd throw up to the point of dehydration on paxil, for example) or wired or turn me into a zombie. Effexor, though, just flat out amazed me with the difference it made. I really have to credit it with helping turn things around... and now I don't have to take anything

Good luck to you!

 

they tried to put me on the Zoloft recently, this seperation/divorce living situation is tough......
i hated it.
ihave taken st johns wort for the last month and a half and i love love love it. you still have the ups and downs, but that coupled with good perceptions help to make grey days a little less cloudy. you still get down and depressed cause you are human and life is chaotically perfect, but you get to see its perfections again.
its hard being down isnt it?

 

It's especially hard to be down when everyone around you is up and just telling you to be happy... that can be so hard to take.

 

One of the worst things you can say to a depressed person is "Smile!" I HATE that!

 

Even if I am not depressed I will still wish death on anyone who tells me to smile

 

It's like saying your natural expression is ugly.

 

I don't think its good advice to tell someone to smile when their heart isn't in it....how do these people know whats going on behind the scenes anyway?

 

Are you on a Anti-depressant? not now but I was for a short time for anxiety though not depression

What kind? Paxil

Dose level?10mg-they reccomend 20 but I guess I was only partially anxious?

Do you feel better or worse? great on it but hard to quit I had horrible side effects coming off of it.

Does it interfere with your sex drive or ability to orgasm? yes I had noooo sex drive at all

Do you do anything to overcome this dilema or just accept it? I got off of the pills and went to a few therapy sessions therapy is much better than pills. I will never take them again. Pills just mask the problem that you need to work through