Anti-depressants working the opposite way?

[clickman]

I've been on Paxil for about a month now... And in the past week or so, it went from mild depression before now to just, blah. Stuff that I read and think, "That should be funny," isn't. Little humors me, I feel very... apathetic. Anyone else had this happen?

[rincaro]

I think many anti-depressants have a numbing effect. You don't laugh, you don't cry, you don't hurt. It's um, odd.

[Music Girl]

Paxil did the same thing to me.
Absolutely AWFUL period of my life....no emotions, none.
I couldn't even cry when the love of my life moved out and left me, and that made me far more heartsick than bawling my eyes out would've. I felt dead.
Couldn't laugh - just zombied along for six months or so.

I'd beg my doctor to prescribe me another medication, if he/she is willing. I've been on others that worked fine and still allowed me to be me. Paxil SUCKS!

[*AHIMSA*]

Yes. I have seen this happen! It's like the pills (especially the SSRI's like Paxil, Prozac, Celexa and Zoloft) have a lobotomy-like effect!

How much antidepressant are you taking?

The way I look at it is, everyones' system is dofferent. When a Doctor prescribes a pill, he doesn't measure the amounts of neurotransmitters in the brain, so there is no real way to measure exactly how much of which neurotransmitter is off in you and what medicine in which amount would remedy that! It's like a "shot in the dark" when these Doctors prescribe these medicines!

[Thalia]

Yep, that's what SSRI's do. They just take away your passion so you are less anxious, ie don't care anymore. Catch 22 is, it's harder to express a strong concern over this with your doctor when you feel less passion. Are you seeing a psychiatrist or GP? If it is a GP, find a psychiatrist instead. No offense, but GP's just don't have the expertise to monitor psychiatric meds effectively.

[Kiz]

That's not true of everyone, Thalia. Very severe depression can be extremely numbing, it's in the depths of depression that you don't give a rat's arse about anything. SSRIs can take that away. Contrary to popular belief, Prozac and other anti-depressants are not happy pills, they are not designed to up your mood. They are specifically designed to combat a certain mental illness, and that they can do very well - in the right circumstances.

The problem is when the depression is not caused by a serotonin imbalance. In those cases SSRIs can have a negative effect. Your right about most GPs not being able to correctly monitor pychiatric meds - SSRIs are way overprescribed IMHO.

[nikki227]

i saw a story on the news that said there may be a possibility that taking antidepressants may lead to suicide. I actually dont doubt it that much because my sister was on antidepressants (Zoloft) & attempted suiced numerous times & now that she's off of them she's alot happier & hasn't tried anything like that anymore. I think they're alright for short periods of time but if you need to take them longer than half a year you're probably better off without them or atleast a lower dosage.

[clickman]

I'm seeing my regular doctor, but, she wants me to go to a psychiatrist to adjust the doses. It's very low right now; 10mg. But, it's enough to have am effect obviously. I'm really considering just stopping it all together; with such a low dose, there's not much tapering that can really be done anyways.

[clickman]

i saw a story on the news that said there may be a possibility that taking antidepressants may lead to suicide. I actually dont doubt it that much because my sister was on antidepressants (Zoloft) & attempted suiced numerous times & now that she's off of them she's alot happier & hasn't tried anything like that anymore. I think they're alright for short periods of time but if you need to take them longer than half a year you're probably better off without them or atleast a lower dosage.

I can easily see that... Who wants to live like this, with no significantly strong emotion?

[LesDom]

I'm on Paxil CR 25 mg for depression and panic disorder. I admit that it does change you a bit, but anything is better than the way I felt. I'm not as emotional as I used to be, but I am emotional when it counts. It has helped me a lot. Give it a little longer and see if your condition improves. If not, switch meds. A lot of people have had success with switching to Lexapro or Effexor XR.

[silverundertone]

i was on zoloft for about 6 months a couple years ago..
i went from being apathetically depressed..to extremely suicidal...ended up in the hospital..and they doubled my dose....i just got worse after that..and stopped taking them altogether...
..after the crazy withdrawl..i was actually better off the meds than on them..

[Thalia]

That's not true of everyone, Thalia. Very severe depression can be extremely numbing, it's in the depths of depression that you don't give a rat's arse about anything. SSRIs can take that away.
Yes, good point. I would recommend that people try things and just make sure to be very forceful with their physicians about their concerns over side effects. I would think that people who were very deeply depressed before taking zoloft should be careful about going off it too soon due to side effects if it does actually help them.

And yes, you can never state too many times that anti-depressants aren't happy pills.

[ephemeral]

I've been on anti-depressants for four years now. I started with Paxil, which worked great until it stopped working. Now I'm on Zoloft, which also works well for me. I'm also on Zyprexa, Topomax and Anafranil, but not for the depression. When I'm on my medication, my depression (which, without medication, is severe) is lifted and manageable. When I'm off my medication, I usually end up in a locked psych unit. I'm going to be on this medication for the rest of my life and I'm fine with that- because I'd rather live and take pills than not take pills and kill myself.

[clickman]

I guess I'll post a followup --- I quit cold turkey on Friday, and I've been doing ok so far, I've had some rough nights, but I don't think it's related to going off the Paxil, but because of bigger issues...

[AngelOfDance]

well... they put me on prozac when I was in seventh grade. I was sent to a psychiatrist because I got in an argument with a friend and she told the school counselor that I was suicidal. Eighth grade, my grades dropped. From all A+s to about B- average. They stayed there for a while. I struggled to keep them up, but it was almost impossible. I just couldn't focus or care. My parents went insane. They tried bribes to make me keep my grades up (even now, if I can get an A in Statistics and in English, I get my very own bike for Christmas.)

Finally, they took me away from the (terrible quack who was in it for the money. Prescribed me prozac within two minutes of meeting me, and talked about only himself at every follow-up appointment) first psychiatrist.

They put me with a second, and got me on a waiting list to be tested. (nobody could figure out just what to label me. At one point, I was told I had OCD, ADD, BPD, BDD, depression, bipolar, and was paranoid, schizoid, and avoidant. I also had some anxiety/panic disorder and probably others) I was with a guy who was tolerable, but not really good.

Then, it came time to be tested. I went, they tested, etc. It took about an hour and a half. Then, my mom came in for the results. And the doctor sayeth: I was just a normal kid who sometimes had trouble adjusting. The medicine was making everything worse. I was weaned of of it...

and almost immediately, everything was better! I quit cutting almost instantly, without even trying. My grades went through the roof, I suddenly had more friends, I was better at dance, and I've totally become more positive. My mom had told me before I got off the prozac that if I graduated, I could go to London (obviously I was going to graduate, even with a B- average. but I think it was meant more as an insult than an incentive.) As the year progressed, she began to tell me that I could go only if I got above a B in everything. Then it was that I could go if I was never late for school and had no demerits. then it became that I could go if I took out the trash and washed the dishes every single day. Then she gave up on that because she knew it wasn't a worry nymore, and started saying stuff like, "if you don't get me an ice cream cone, you can't go to London" and "if you don't send me a postcard from London, you can't go to London." obviously I ended up going.

so, yeah, in my experience, antidepressants do the opposite of what they're supposed to.

[rainbowmoon]

I personally am not an advocate or a big believer in the use of psychiatric medication. Although there may very well be a percentage of the population that needs it I think that effective therapy and life management can do enough. If you are currently seeing a GP, I would not just move right to see a psychiatrist who can prescribe you more meds- your depression, no doubt, is caused by those bigger issues you mentioned. Go see a therapist, preferably a psychologist who can help you deal with what you're going through.
In addition, I don't want to scare you, but I think you should look up some material on the dangers and problems with psychiatric medication. Its important to have well rounded, all sided information regarding these kinds of decisions, so don't just get your info from the pro drug people! A good source of info is Peter Breggin, a psychologist who is famously against the use of psychiatric medication - www.breggin.com
I wish you the best and I hope you are feeilng better soon.
love,
Linz

[Kiz]

Not all depression is caused by life problems. Sometimes it can be a problem with brain chemistry, in the same way schizophrenia or bipolar disorder is.

[Thalia]

I agree with Rainbowmoon- get information from a variety of sources. But that would include information about the credibility and motivations* of those sources, including Dr. Breggin, whom I view as an extremist with an overly simplistic view of psychiatry.

*like I rarely go to the drug manufacturer's site to learn about their drug unless I want the insert info.

[Cissy]

I'm currently on Zoloft, and I just got the amount I take cut in half. I haven't had the "numbing" effect some people described, it's helped me to not have as many anxiety attacks. I'd like to eventually get off of it totally, but if I can't, hey, whatever.

[rabid_child]

prozac made me want to die all the time. i was on it when i was 14/15. i would never go back on an antidepressant ever. it also made me quite ill, and made me feel inhumane.

[Descentia]

I have been prescribed various antidepressants. I have not been on Paxil but was on Effexor for a little while, it stopped the severe depression but just made me manic and panicky (not a good drug for manic depression!) I was on Lithium for awhile and that made me feel so flat and numb that I hated it and stopped taking it. I was also prescribed Avanza which made me put on enough weight for me to become depressed about that - it also gave me heart palpitations! Finally I was prescribed a drug that worked really well without any side effects - until it was taken off the market because it had a tendency to cause liver disease.

I stopped taking anything 8 months ago and I deal with my depression as it happens, although coping strategies and cognitive therapy are a good help - I couldn't afford the time to go to therapy sessions so I just accessed whatever information about CBT I could find online and it is an interesting and effective tool - even when you are not depressed.

[vggiegirl]

I am currently taking 10mg Lexapro. I was on Effexor XR for about a year and it stopped working. So far I am kind of wishy washy about the Lexapro. My boyfriend says he notices a definite difference when I am on / off the meds (sometimes I won't take it for days...bad cycle to get into)
Personally I am just kind of blah all the time but my temper seems to mellow when I am on it.

[toesonthenose]

when i started taking celexa this time i got that numb feeling at first but it cleared up after awhile. i took it before a few years ago but i don't think i was numb then, but it was early summer so i was kind of manic anyway so maybe that counteracted it, i dunno.

[LesDom]

I see you mentioned that you quit Paxil cold-turkey. I wouldn't recommend that. The best way to get off it is to go slowly lowering your dose. You should talk to your doctor about what is appropriate. I know many people who have had extreme problems when quitting cold-turkey. But I have also heard of some people being fine from going off that way. I hope all is well. :)

[ebola]

>>The problem is when the depression is not caused by a serotonin imbalance. In those cases SSRIs can have a negative effect. Your right about most GPs not being able to correctly monitor pychiatric meds - SSRIs are way overprescribed IMHO.>>

I, for one, am pretty skeptical of the serotonin hypothesis in general.
It is based primarily off of the efficacy of SSRIs rather than the measurement of some sort of serotonin imbalance in those who are depressed. Even more disconcerting is the two-week delay in the efficacy of SSRIs while their effect on the level of serotonin in the synaptic cleft manifests within 2 hours.

to make an analogy, just because coffee wakes me up in the morning does not mean that I, at that point, have some sort of adenosine imbalance (caffeine acts on adenosine); the action of drugs that treat symptoms do not always betray the cause of the disease.

ebola