POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Mental Health & HIV => Topic started by: heartforyou on May 31, 2006, 04:31:54 pm
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I have wondered how widespread the use of anti-depressants is amongst HIV pos people.
I myself have been on Prozac for about 1 year.
Hug
Herman
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Lexapro.... it takes away the anger and lets me feel happy, but intensifies my feeling of being exhausted all the time.
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I was prescribed Zoloft in January, but I haven't taken them. I prefer talk therapy -- will be hooking up with a new therapist here in KC very soon. So, to answer the question Herman -- NO, I'm not taking any, but I know there are many who are.
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Hello,
I take Zoloft, but I was diagnosed with depression when I was 19 (I am now 39), and have been on and off meds as needed since then, along with seeing a therapist. I was diagnosed + when I was 26, so I have been on anti-depressants prior to be +. But since being on HAART, I have had difficulty finding an anti-depressant that works well for me, and does not react to the hiv meds, especially Norivir.
Christine
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I've been on prozac for 10+ years and think they should spike the tap water with the stuff.
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I was on Prozac about 15 years ago when I first partner died from lymphoma but Prozac caused me awful insomnia so I wasn't on anything again until a year ago when I was diagnosed with PML. So I've been on Zoloft now for just a little over a year and I tolerated it just fine.
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Taking Lexapro for about a month now.
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I've taken antidepressants for many years. Sometimes, I wonder why I bother, I feel like they don't do much good.
Right now, I'm on Wellbutrin XL 300 mg, have been on that for several years. Today, the psych. added Prozac, so we'll see if I feel better in a couple of weeks.
Hugs,
Alan
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I take 25 mg of Elavil to help with my quality of sleep, but that's about it. Otherwise I've very even tempered and in good spirits.
Woohoo, first post !
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What exactly counts as an anti-depressant? I know about the SSRIs, but I'm thinking somewhere in my education I learned that the "pams" (Valium, Xanax, Ativan, etc.) were also anti-depressants. Or is that just my twisted mind thinking that they can be called that because they can make you just forget everything you're feeling?
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I've been on Paxil for about a month. It's beginning to help, I think. At least Thom thinks so.
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Back in the late 90's I took anti-depressants for a couple of years. Doxepin and then Imipramine - but I ended up being unable to whiz and had to go to hospital and be catherterised so I was changed to Zoloft and then Effexor. They worked well and I stopped taking them.
Since then I've never been depressed. Not even when I was diagnosed. But I take a lot of valproate for epilepsy and my doctors tell me that can have an anti-depressant effect.
MtD
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Lexapro and Wellbutrin here
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God/esses Simple Green
It helps me walk, and keeps my pain at a bearable level. It also seems to free up my neurons to think a little better.
That's all Folks!
In Love.
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The dr put me on Lexapro to help with stress....Hubby isnt on anything for depression.
Teresa
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I'm the same as Trish. I was prescribed Zoloft (Sertraline) but I have not taken them. I try and rely in talking to a counsellor when I feel like I'm in a dark place. Sometimes it helps, when it doesn't help, I come here and find that does. This place is my anti-depressant.
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Hello Herman,
I have never taken any anti-depressants. Thats not to say that someday they may have to be prescribed for me, but for the present, they are noe neccessary.
Ray
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Lexapro is so nice, I might start taking two a day. hMMMM.
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Wellbutrin SR 150mg BID for the last six years. Paxil for a couple of years before that. Better living through chemistry.
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I take ativan 1mg in the PM. and I take 80mg of Prozac in the AM.
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I have been taking anti depressants on and off for almost 20 years. Right now I have been taking celexa for awhile
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I have been on anti-depressants for about 25 years. (I'm 46) I tested positive last month. I feel that if I wasn't on Remeron (mapratoline) this may have pushed me over the edge.
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I've never taken an anti-depressant. There may be a time when I need to but so far I have not had a problem with depression.
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I'm chronically depressed but getting better at it.
I take remeron and amytriptiline (tofranil), if I forget to take them with me on a trip I quickly realise the difference. And I've been in some kind of therapy on and off since I was 12. Now at my 13th therapist, I'm inclined to say finally the good one, but I think therapy is effective in layers and cycles, also as a form of self protection, so I think this point is really where I should be at now.
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I tried therapy, it helped at first, but when I realized the therapist needed therapy I knew it was time to quit.
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Cool ! I win !
I have hit the trifecta. 200 mg elavil, 300 mg trazadone at HS, and 10mg of Lexapro in AM.
They don't work very well, but I'm in no position to change any of it. The only antidepressant on the N.C. ADAP formulary is Elavil PERIOD!
My family doc is supplying me with Lexapro from the reps. And I pay 25dollars/mo for the Traz.
If I ever get in a different position, I'd love to try weaning from these, and try a slightly more powerful SSRI.
Your druggie sister,
Lisa
(who also resorts to the green god/dess from mother earth sometimes)
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Hi Hermie,
I use to get Prozac all the time. It was the drug of choice in L.A. for many years. I was seeing a Psychiatrist (professionally, not socially) for a while in part of my HIV treatment. My ID doc asked what anti-depressants I was taking. When I told him whjat my drug was, he told me who my shrink was... I had to ask, how do you know that? He said drug of choice.
Then one fine Winters day, I found myself happier than I had been in years and without anti-depressants so I stopped taking them and fired the shrink. The rest is history in the making... Have the best day
Michael
www.Commissionon-AIDS.org (http://www.Commissionon-AIDS.org)
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Last year I got extremely depressed and my doctor tried to put me on those antidepressants. No way, I replied. I'm going to get out of this depression all by myself. And that's exactly what I did. It's over now, I feel free and in full control of myself.
Jacques
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Not I said the fly. And thank God. Jacques, I am happy for you and I applaud you. Your physiology thanked you the day you decided to handle your issues solo. For me personally, I figure, you know what, I already take 3 meds every single day, the last thing I wanna do is take more pills of any kind, even nutritional pills. I don't have clinical depression so I cant speak on that, but when I get the blues I use aromatherapy because it's external (i.e., I'm not swallowing anything on top of my HAART pills)
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No real anti-depressants here. I do take Adderall for my ADD. It is sometimes used for depression. I think it should be used more often, as it makes me feel wonderful. After all, generic Adderall is prescription speed (amphetamines). It helps a lot with the ADD, keeps my energy up, and keeps my hubby happy ('cause I get bitchy without it! ;) ). Exercise and keeping busy are my main anti-depressants.
David
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I've been taking them for almost 20 years and I'd be lost without them. Just started on Lexipro and it's working better than any drug has for a very long time. Hope it lasts.
In total, I take Wellbutrin, Lexipro and Trazadone.
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Well, the night i got my positive results, the doc prescribed me Bromalex (bromazepam) I took it for half a dozen days, to help me sleep. And then it was over. Now i don't take anything. Stocrin and Truvada are enough. Eheheh
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Bartro, I have tried to take Remeron twice and on both occasions, it literally knocked me out. I could not function, it was as if I had taken a phenabarbitol.
Joe, the Lexapro/Wellbutrin combination worked GREAT for me for awhile; then it started 'losing' it, and I tried to increase the Lexapro, but it gave me such tremendous headaches, I couldn't tolerate the higher dose.
I'm going to try Wellbutrin and Prozac together now. Sometimes I feel like I'm playing eeny-meeny-miney-mo.....
Alan ::)
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I take Wellbutrin XL 150mg and it's made a world of difference in how I feel.
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Exercise and keeping busy are my main anti-depressants.
David, I fully agree with you. Keeping busy keeps the depression away.
And as Allopathicholistic said , taking haart is already enough chemical stuff.
Jacques
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I think that's complete bull. >:( (Why not say that to keep busy and fit will cure aids as well.
Chronical clinical depression is a disease and can be correctly diagnosed. It is not the same as feeling blue, or "feeling depressed". I think it's demeaning to suggest to keep busy will cure depression. I work more than full time and I'm very fit. The HAART therapy on the contrary has very little side effects for me, chemical stuff in itself is not a bad thing. My cd4's are 1205.
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You make a good point Joe.
I'm curious though as to how many people who take anti-depressants have actually had their depression clinically diagnosed.
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Thank you Joe, and Stevie. I was a little off put by the keeping busy comment too.
I was first diagnosed with clinical depression in my mid twenties, and have been on various meds down through time.
I had a maternal history of clinical depression, and a strong opinion that my father was clinically depressed in the last three years of his life, as well.
Funny, I don't remember any of those 70hr. weeks keeping my depression at bay.
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As Little Steve and Lisa note, Joe makes a good point.
Clinical depression is a serious and all too common psychiatric condition that requires medical intervention. For many people, medication alone is not enough. Some form of additional therapy (such as cognitive behavioural therapy or supportive psychotherapy) is needed to treat it.
Clinical depression can be treated, and very effectively too. I know from personal experience. I took anti-depressants way back because I developed, endogenous clinical depression. That means there was no external cause for my condition, just a chemical imbalance in my brain. This imbalance was easily fixed by the use of anti-depressant medication. Counselling and other kinds of non pharmaceutical treatment are really pretty useless in cases like mine and I responded well to medication. Once the right medicine was found, my symptoms went away and after a couple of years, I ceased treatment and have since been fine.
For other people who experience exogenous depression (ie depression caused by external factors), medication can help relieve the symptoms, thus alleviating the immediate misery but other kinds of therapy are needed to determine the root cause of the condition. Then you can begin to resolve things and get on with life.
It's terribly important that people who exhibit the symptoms of clinical depression (and Joe is quite right again here -- depression is more than feeling sad) get appropriate medical attention. Untreated depression is very serious, it impairs life to a terrible extent and is a significant factor in suicide.
MtD
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I'm on 30mg of Prozac/day. I started at the same time I started HAART. Actually I started out at 10 and now up to 30. I was seeing a psychiatrist for awhile so does that mean I am "clinically" depressed. The psychiatrist didn't seem to care one way or the other if I was depressed or not so I quit seeing her. It was my ID Dr. who started the Prozac and who keeps upping the dose.
Now as for keeping busy, I take my pills in the morning and then immediately go into my rowing routine. I feel better "doing" something but then that feeling of general malaise or ennui is always lurking in the back of my mind. If I had to go to "work" (as in the office) I think that would just kill me. I couldn't handle it.
robert
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Well Joe, I'm not going to argue with you here. But I can clarify on this.
First:
I was diagnosed last year with a "severe depression" needing to be immediately monitored by both antidepressants and therapist follow up. As I told before, I said : "NO way. I will get out of this by myself". My doctor said it wast the worst thing to do , that without help I would go as far as suicide! So okay, I am certainly bull but perhaps not in the way you meant. Or may be I am a special case ? I don't know. The only thing I know is that it worked.
Second:
Exercising doesn't necessarily mean going to the gym 5 times a week. It means having your body moving (walking, bicycle, doing some sport etc) all this according to your physical capacities.
Keeping busy means doing things you like to do (including going back to work if you feel physically able and if the job is not a stressing one). In short, forcing yourself to do something instead of leaving the infernal spiral of depression invade you.
Third:
Haart drugs are hard drugs. Some are lucky and have few side effects. but a lot have great difficulties taking them. This forum is not here for noting.
Jacques :)
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Gosh, I'm so slow in writing that 3 new posts were added before I finished mine. ;D
I see so many people here using antidepressants and I am afraid that my case is not helping. :-[ I don't feel part of the gang.
So if those pills are keeping all of you happy, then be happy.
I guess I have nothing to do here after all.
Cheers
Jacques :)
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When depression is clinical it is not a matter of not "leaving (letting?) the infernal spiral of depression invade you", it's like telling not "letting the infernal spiral of the flue invade you" or not "letting the infernal spiral of aids invade you". You don't know what you are talking about.
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...I'm thinking somewhere in my education I learned that the "pams" (Valium, Xanax, Ativan, etc.) were also anti-depressants.
These are also known as benzodiazapines ("benzos") and they are classified as "anti-anxiety agents."
Anti-depressants are a total different catagory. I think the SSRI's rock. I started off on Zoloft but it did nothing except kill junior (if you catch my drift.)
Then I went to Wellbutrin and shook like a leaf constantly from the first dose.
Then I switched to Prozac; and felt the tension-lessening effect of it in a few days and have been on it since. My coworkers can tell when I go off of it and have offered to buy it for me when I decided to stop it for a while last winter.
Every now and then I get really bizarre, vivid dreams and I'll stop it for a day and go back on it the following day. Sometimes I think my blood level gets a bit too high so I have to lay off a few days. But I've never had a problem sleeping with it except waking up a lot when i think I have too much in my system.
Prozac bothers Junior (May I say "Junior"?) in a different way. It makes it very difficult to cum which can be nice some times. :)
But it beats being a royal assh*le.
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Sorry for "leaving" instead of "letting" ( bad translation :().
You win Joe. As I just mentioned I am quitting this thread.
Take care
Jacques
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Sorry for "leaving" instead of "letting" ( bad translation :().
You win Joe. As I just mentioned I am quitting this thread.
Take care
Jacques
Jacques,
You know I think there is much sense in what you say, and I think it's cool that you were able to beat the black dog without pills. Exercise and being active are important in combatting depression, but the point some of us were making is that depression can be REALLY demotivating. In those cases, medicine is needed to sorta get one up and going. Then we can do the others things that help combat the condition.
Fondly,
MtD
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Zoloft here, I think everyone should be on a mood pill. Seems to make everyone nicer and more tolerant.
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Every day I learn something new!
I read this thread when it was first posted and felt I should stay away from this subject. I then pulled out my medical records (Filed under “Blood draws”) for the past 20 years. Which shows, dates and times that I went on or off of certain drugs. Most of the drugs I had no knowledge what I was taking. The doctor at the time would say take this, So I did.
I grew up during Rock& Roll era and the Beatles and then the sixties revolution into Disco. I was around during the LOVE generation. Somehow I never knew a dam thing about pot or getting high. [Must have been my Irish catholic up bringing.] I was 35 y/o when I first smoked pot. (Most of you were in diapers then) pot did nothing for me other than put me to sleep, lost my hard -on and caused my date to leave with some of my money and a ring. I also have never understood what the big deal was about pot. BORING! At least for me, I found it boring.
And I’m a person that believes all drugs should be made legal. The reasoning for that is, if recreational drugs were made legal tomorrow, I doubt that I would or anyone else would be rushing out to buy drugs. As it is, the poor people of this world are paying the price and the politicians are looking the other way and getting richer. “Just saying:”
Back to what I was trying to get at. Two years ago I realized that the doctors at Kaiser, without my knowledge of what I was taking, had me on three anti-depressants. I was a F**king zombie and I did not like how foggy my day’s were. (Again, I just don’t get what the big deal is about drugs)
Every drug mentioned above, at one time or other my doctors have prescribed for me.
I just had major surgery done a few weeks ago and I was prescribed a painkiller. I stopped taking it the day after getting home.
I’m not being judgmental. Nor am I trying to sound better than anyone else. I envy those people that are able to express/share their emotions here with words like, “I love you” “I’m sorry” or people that are able to open up here in this forum and share their most private emotions. I just wasn't raised that way.
So when I didn't like the side effects of the anti-depressants. I just stopped taking them. Well talk about becoming a psychopath.
Blah, Blah, Blah.
MtD is a person that I have yet to meet. And I do hope to meet him some day. Awhile back when he was going threw a difficult time, he shared his difficulties openly here in this forum to a point that I could actually understand and feel his pain. This may sound dumb, but I felt like an addict myself and understood where he was coming from.
{Jacques} Hang around here for awhile before checking out. Trust me. Things do get better.
Terry
PS. When my time comes and I leave this world, I’m doing a solo trip.
Terry
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I take Lexapro 20mg per day.
I am also on xanex light dose 2 times daily.
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I'm supposed to be on Paxil, but am trying to fight it without the medication...life will be full of pills, I don't want that pink one involved too.
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There's more to depression than the "blues". I remember when I was first diagnosed with depression. I wasn't "blue". I was angry. There was really no good reason for the anger. I remember walking around all day with my fists clenched. People were afraid to talk to me. I was never physically violent, just really nasty. I had trouble sleeping and stupid things would really bother me. I remember when I started taking something called ludiomil back in the seventies then the black cloud lifted. I was a different person. I developed empathy, which was new to me. I realized that my employer was using my nastiness to make money. I quit my job and went into another field. Anti-depressants really changed my life for the better. Some people say they take too many pills already. I say, well, it's just one more.
I've tried to quit the anti-depressants a number of times over the years, sometimes in conjunction with therapy. The "black cloud" would always return. It might take a month or so, but it would return. I'd have to start on the meds again and it would take almost ten weeks to feel better again. After that I just began to look at the med as a vitamin for the brain. I don't think I'll ever try going off of them again.
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I was offered to go on anti-depressants, but having my partner and one particular family member who is not too keen on drug therapy in regards of depression, I enrolled on alternative treatment with a basic concept of nerve healing therapies/practices. Its a slow process (which could be a downfall in a fast living life!) but has worked miracles on me, and I take no drugs ( I was clinically depressed)
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I think that's complete bull. >:( (Why not say that to keep busy and fit will cure aids as well.
Chronical clinical depression is a disease and can be correctly diagnosed. It is not the same as feeling blue, or "feeling depressed". I think it's demeaning to suggest to keep busy will cure depression. I work more than full time and I'm very fit. The HAART therapy on the contrary has very little side effects for me, chemical stuff in itself is not a bad thing. My cd4's are 1205.
Joe, read the title of the thread... "How many of you take anti-depressants?". I don't think the title was "How many of you are clinically depressed". Focus...
I do know that if I let my activity level drop, my motivation to even get out of the house is very low. Keeping busy, on a regular schedule (work, exercise, etc) DO help ME. I didn't say that they help everybody. I think it's unfortunate that you discount the experiences of others. HAART therapy has few side effects for you but horrible side effects for others. How can you say depression affects everybody the same? Just my thoughts.
David
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In my case, I recently stopped taking anti-depressant medication.
After starting HIV drug therapy 2 1/2 years ago, I really had trouble
with depression, mostly like due to the Sustiva. So I tried a series
of anti-depressant medications (Serzone, Effexor, Wellbutrin, and
Cymbalta). None of them helped me, and some of the side-effects
were really terrible (especially the sexual side-effects, but plenty of
others too, like insominia).
So two months ago I decided to stop anti-depressants altogether.
I still feel depressed -- but no worse or better than before. At least
I'm not taking medications that, for me, had no effect. I wish I could
find one that was effective for me, but none so far.
Regards,
Henry
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I have been on anti-depressants for several years now. Presently on Effexor-XR. I have been on others as well. Talking about depression sometimes is almost like talking about politics or religion, many different views and opinions. It can't been seen under a microscope so for some people, and even some doctors, it does not exist. I think we all find what works best for us and that is what makes it the right thing to do.
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I take 300 MG of Wellbutrin XL and 10 MG of Celexa per day. Are they magic? No. But they have made a huge difference in my life. Before I felt like was at the bottom of a dark well. The anti-depressant meds gave me the opportunity to see some light up there and climb out on my own.
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I take 10mg of Lexapro...it helps to take the edge off. I am going to ask my doc if he could give me something to help more with the anxiety.
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;D ;D ;D
I have been on Prozac, Pazil and now Celexa.
I really don't know if they work, but I take it with my vitamins in the morning.
I guess I am perpetually down...the pills do no seem to help. I hold hope in my heart that I will one day be "normal" whatever that is!
;D ;D ;D
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Seems like 70% of us is on something to fight depression.
I am glad I am not the only one.
hermie
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I believe that what confuses many people is they do not understand how depression really "works" and how treatment is targeted, depending upon the source of your depression. For someone like Jacques, it appears that by changing some things and including exercise, that he was able to overcome his depression. For others of us, we are not so lucky and that is when we must explore other treatments, often including both medication and therapy.
But that's where the rub comes in. If you have a chemical imbalance in your brain, until you fix that imbalance, therapy is rather useless, because without the stability provided by the meds, you can't focus on your issues to incorporate any of the therapy that you have been given. The best way I can describe it is that without the meds, I don't know that I am depressed, because all hope is generally lost.
With the meds, at least I know I am alive and not going insane by the torments in my head and by working with a good therapist, hopefully I can persevere and move on. I view depression as just another side effect of HIV and with any illness, you just treat it, in whatever fashion works for you.
We also need to be careful about jumping on people who have success with different treatments, because we are all different and we are here to share what works for us, not to disparage others for sharing what worked for them.
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There's a difference between feeling depressed, being depressed and having depression, being self-diagnosed or by a doctor, being prescribed medecine or coming up with a cure of your own. My bad.
I have a disease (depression) and therefore I take medicine (antidepressants).
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There's more to depression than the "blues". I remember when I was first diagnosed with depression. I wasn't "blue". I was angry. There was really no good reason for the anger. I remember walking around all day with my fists clenched. People were afraid to talk to me. I was never physically violent, just really nasty. I had trouble sleeping and stupid things would really bother me. I remember when I started taking something called ludiomil back in the seventies then the black cloud lifted. I was a different person. I developed empathy, which was new to me.
I apologize if my posts made it seem like I was downplaying the gravity of clinical depression.
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Anyone on Celexa?
Celexa gives me dry mouth, migraines and Diahhrea.
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Since you bumped this back up Ihave, I'll play along. Even though I know depression is no laughing matter. Not saying you were but by my previous statement. That being said, I take Elavil which is an anti depressant but is not for that but for the pain I get in my arms and legs from time to time. I really try to take the pain til I can't stand it because it makes me wake up the next day feeling groggy. I couldn't see getting up that way on a daily basis, so I take it as needed which is what my doctor suggested.
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I responded on May 31st,06 to this question. My reply was number 16. I am still not taking any kind of anti depressants, as of Feb.25th,07 There is no need currently.
Ray
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I recently quit taking paxil, wellbutrin, and weed..lol. Coming down was pretty much like a train wreck, which I attribute mainly to the paxil.
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I never thought about antidepressants. Maybe this could help me, at work I can be a real ass sometimes and I just don't know why.... I guess like most fags just because I can.... LOL.
But seriously, I also have a job which requires high concentration over long periods of time. Are antidepressants known to change One's level of concentration??
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I never thought about antidepressants. Maybe this could help me, at work I can be a real ass sometimes and I just don't know why.... I guess like most fags just because I can.... LOL.
But seriously, I also have a job which requires high concentration over long periods of time. Are antidepressants known to change One's level of concentration??
Wouldn't it be nice if you took an anti-depressant and it actually improved your concentration? That would be sweet. ;D Something to ask your doctor. But at the same time, no one wants to be too giddy in the workplace. Interesting points you raise with your question.
(Not to hijack but Ryeguy there's aromatherapy specifically for mental concentration. But it's expensive and might not work for everyone)
A real ass? Fag bitchiness?! None of us here know what you're talking about, sorry :D
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I took Remeron for a while, which made me put on weight.... not a good thing at the time for a body obsessed homo. So I quit. I probably should not have because I lived through a dark night of the soul which lasted about five years. It wasn't until I discovered that my spirit reacts very well to physical activity and my addictions are able to be focused on my own endorphins. For me, exercize is the most effective anti depressant.
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Hi,
I have thaken many antidepressants over the years...right now I have been taking Celexa for about three years.
I find that when on the drugs, I do not care about the little things that used to bug.
Jeff
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I've been taking Lexapro since starting up on Atripla 3 weeks ago now. I seem to be relatively past the Atripla side effects, except still waiting for the Lexapro to start kicking in....
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Well,
I am on Zoloft (depression), lamictal (bi polar 2), trazadone (sleep), and adderal (ADHD). I think some unfortunate events from my past have triggered the depression and I have finally accepted my doctor's diagnosis of bipolar 2 (I'm finally in touch with myself enough that I noticed the cycles for depression and hypermania ).
After my mother passed, my grandmother was severly depressed and never received treatment. I have mental illness on both sides of my family. I also have a cousin who is bipolar.
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20mg Lexapro
150mg Trazodone
Numb, grey, little contrast between happy and sad... Difficult to laugh, Impossible to cry.
Not sure if that's from the meds or from the depression itself. But after four months most of the suicidal ideology subsided. been on them for over a year now.
It's difficult for me to say what the physical side effects are.
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But seriously, I also have a job which requires high concentration over long periods of time. Are antidepressants known to change One's level of concentration??
If you have Attention Deficit Disorder you'd be more likely to be given something like Adderoll XR
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The reason I brought this up was because when I started Celexa in October, before my diagnosis, it was the worse feeling EVER. I woke up really dizzy, sleepy and didn't know where and why I was doing things. I would walk in the streets and feel very high and would have severe diahhrea. I took it for a week and then called my Psych doc and told her the side effects were very bad and she told me they were normal and to wait for 3 weeks for the side effects to slowly diminish. I went to week two and just couldn't handle the side-effects of Celexa and quit. I felt better the next day I quit. I am severely depressed now and go to therapy, support group and all but I feel I need more. I wonder what pills would work best with little side effects.
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I took Remeron for a while, which made me put on weight.... not a good thing at the time for a body obsessed homo. So I quit.
It's great though for someone who just suffered a weight loss and has insomnia. I took it for about 3 years but stopped last year when I started to go over my "baseline" desired weight. I remember the first weekend I took it I went for a weekend visit at some friends out in the country and at half an apple pie after dinner. I also liked the sedative effect, though unlike others here I never felt groggy when I woke up.
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I wonder what pills would work best with little side effects.
There's no easy answer. Sometimes you have to go on and off several things before you find the right one.
In my case I think I've now given up, after being on probably six different things in the past 5 years. All the SSRI's make feel like I'm on speed and I can't handle them.
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I love my happy pills. Depression runs in the family. Happy pills make everything ALLLL better. Prozac, its whats for breakfast.
(http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/1056304/2/istockphoto_1056304_happy_pills.jpg)
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lol. ACinKC... thanks for the happy pill story. You always seem so cheery maybe I should try prozac.
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I'm gonna ask my Doc about prozac, today I was such a bitch at work. I just cant help myself when co-workers become sooooo stupid. Maybe an anti agresive non-bitch pill would be best fo rme:_)))
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I'm gonna ask my Doc about prozac, today I was such a bitch at work. I just cant help myself when co-workers become sooooo stupid. Maybe an anti agresive non-bitch pill would be best fo rme:_)))
LOL, a chill pill. That's what I need too :-\ And a pill to make me a nicer person would be nice too.
All joking aside, can anyone here talk about any "good" side effects of taking anti-depressants? ??? Now that I can no longer afford the high price of being "nature boy" (i.e., aromatherapy), I think I should look into some sort of mood control via chemicals :-\
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Hey Heart,
I have been on anti-depressant's for years, even before HIV entered my life, I tried to go off of them about a year ago and I pretty much crashed, I could barley even work. I thought I could go without them and boy was I wrong. My doctor told me not to do that, and to stay on them. I just didn't think I would need them forever. Oh lucky me... :-\
Garret.
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Shit all my life ive needed one drug or another. Pills are in my life to stay and pretty much have been since i was 8! I was ADHD way before it was cool.
I normally do have a glass is half full type outlook on life and constantly remind myself how lucky I am to be alive and in a decent country (current douchebag leadership aside). I won the genetic lottery and this helps with my outlook for the most part.
I try to remember that I'll never get out of this thing alive and that just when I start to think about how bad things are going, I think of a pediatric cancer center, or a burn unit.... and I never seem to have a problem reminding myself it is really never that bad afterall.
I do love my pills tho.
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Hermie,
I don't know how I missed this thread since "depression" is my middle name. My clinical diagnosis was made in 1994 but in retrospect my psych and I realize the first bout occurred when I was in 4th grade. The diagnosis is dysthymia, or chronic "low-grade" depression, coupled with regular bouts of severe depression. I would be dead if I hadn't started taking anti-depressants.
Currently I take paxil, elavil, seroquel, klonopin, and adderall. Paxil and elavil help with depression and anxiety, seroquel and klonopin help me sleep, and adderall gives me enough energy to get the basics taken care of, like walking the dogs, feeding everyone, cleaning litter boxes, etc. I've had a problem with fatigue since 1994 and after contracting chronic hep B in 2001 I have never recovered the stamina and energy I used to have.
Some folks look at what I'm taking and say "you need the adderall to wake you up from the klonopin and seroquel" but they're wrong. I've been taking klonopin for so long I'd have to take 20mg to be hung over the next day (I take 4 - 6mg). I started taking adderall in 2003 because fatigue and lack of energy caused by the hep made me sleep all day.
In reading through this thread I noted a few people don't believe anti-depressants are useful, or believe they can handle depression through exercise, meditation, kewpie dolls, etc., or who don't even believe depression is a true illness. I'm happy you apparently have never dealt with severe depression but you might as well tell a diabetic not to use insulin. Depression is as physical an illness as AIDS and it can be just as deadly.
I am a born skeptic and after trying a few anti-depressants, some with awful side effects, I almost threw in the towel. The day I started taking paxil my entire life changed. The incessant anxiety disappeared. The desire to be dead vanished. I went to see a movie by myself that day, something I'd never been able to do due to absurd self-consciousness bordering on paranoia.
We are each a grab-bag of biochemicals and some of us have imbalances that cause any number of mental health problems like depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behavior, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. Those of us who are lucky will find a med that ameliorates the imbalance and allows us to live a more "normal" life.
Boo
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A word search for "kewpie dolls" shows that you just made a false statement.
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A word search for "kewpie dolls" shows that you just made a false statement.
You should have searched for "meditation" too, dillweed, since it isn't mentioned either. Two negatives make a positive so my statement is true. FOAD!!
Boo
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I took Paxil when i was like 13 (before they knew that it can cause teenagers to think suicidal thoughts hehe at least i know why i thought i was going crazy back then).....said i haid social anxiety disorder hehehe
I also took seroquel for a while but that made me feel like i was hit by a bus everyday for about 2 months so i said fuck that :-O (dont know how people take that stuff)...
take a xanax every now and then but not often
Who wouldve thought at 18 I became a stripper and took my clothes off for money (im over that shit now though hahaha...not really something someone with social anxiety would do :-O)....Ive been on Wellbutrin 300mg for about 3 years now and i notice everytime i stop taking it i lose focus and feel like crap...so ill keep taking it ffor now hehe...
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Wellbutrin to stop smoking...but planning to stay on it for a while, or possibly something stronger if my doc will give it to me ;)
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There's more to depression than the "blues". I remember when I was first diagnosed with depression. I wasn't "blue". I was angry. There was really no good reason for the anger. I remember walking around all day with my fists clenched. People were afraid to talk to me. I was never physically violent, just really nasty. I had trouble sleeping and stupid things would really bother me. I remember when I started taking something called ludiomil back in the seventies then the black cloud lifted. I was a different person. I developed empathy, which was new to me. I realized that my employer was using my nastiness to make money. I quit my job and went into another field. Anti-depressants really changed my life for the better. Some people say they take too many pills already. I say, well, it's just one more.
I've tried to quit the anti-depressants a number of times over the years, sometimes in conjunction with therapy. The "black cloud" would always return. It might take a month or so, but it would return. I'd have to start on the meds again and it would take almost ten weeks to feel better again. After that I just began to look at the med as a vitamin for the brain. I don't think I'll ever try going off of them again.
Hey everyone. Wondering if other members here could speak on the anger thing. Did anti-depressants help you with rage issues? Now that I can no longer afford expensive aromatherapy (Medicaid doesn't cover it, it never did :D) I think I totally need to look into anti-rage options.
Thanks
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Hello,
My doctor put me on Effexor when I voiced concerns about depression. Now I realize that the Atripla (Sustiva I assume) was making me paranoid (I would wake up in the middle of the night paranoid about something someone said during the day), depressed and my self-esteem was suffering as well. I also notice I feel intelligent (clarity and focus) again and less angry at the world when things don't go my way, I look for solutions.
Drew
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Antidepressants work for some and not for others. I fall into the second category. I've tried several of them over the years and all were completely useless. I find the cognitive behaviour therapy I’m involved in much more effective.
"Clients who are comfortable with introspection, who readily adopt the scientific method for exploring their own psychology, and who place credence in the basic theoretical approach of cognitive therapy, may find this approach a good match. Clients who are less comfortable with any of these, or whose distress is of a more general interpersonal nature -- such that it cannot easily be framed in terms of an interplay between thoughts, emotions and behaviours within a given environment -- may be less well served by cognitive therapy. Cognitive and cognitive-behavioural therapies have often proved especially helpful to clients suffering from depression, anxiety, panic and obsessive-compulsive disorder."
from: http://counsellingresource.com/types/cognitive-therapy/#CBT_fit
Daniel
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Hello,
I am not currently on antidepressants, but I was before I was diagnosed HIV positive. I use to take Remeron and I also took Wellbutrin. Since becoming positive I have realized that I am not the same jovial person that I once was. I am thinking about making an appointment to see a Psychiatrist becasue I was once diagnosed as having major depression.
I have wondered how widespread the use of anti-depressants is amongst HIV pos people.
I myself have been on Prozac for about 1 year.
Hug
Herman
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I have been on Cymbalta for about 6 months now.
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Jeffrey, I am also now on Cymbalta (60mg). I am supposed to take one a day, but due to the high cost of the drug ($60 copay for me) I am only taking it every other day. It seems to be working pretty well for me.
Alan
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hola
I take 40mg/day of Citalopram (celexa) which works pretty well for me and I certainly wouldnt ever want to be without. I upped the dose after diagnosis but was on the pills for many years before. Previously I had tried a number of other SSRIs with immediate and hideous side-effects, so I would suggest to anyone who has tried one drug and had problems that they try another because they are all so different, and what disagrees with one person may work wonders for another.
good luck!
oh, and I find that co-enzyme Q-10 has helped a little as well...
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I have suffered from depression my whole life and been diagnosed with bipolar disorder for a long time,but I notice since being on hiv meds my depression is worse.
I'm on cymbalt and seroquel
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Antidepressents, sure I think I have been on everything. At this time I am on a cocktail that seems to work well for me. Prozac, Busprine, an occasional Xanax and for those manic days Ruspridol. I have taken Effexor with this whole cocktail at times, or wellbutrin.
I am of the firm belief that someone on antideprresents needs to couple that up with therapy so I do see a therapist. I have been known to even see two at once. A cognitive therapist that I can use as a sounding board, although I have been known to play with their minds a bit, so I have to have a sharp one. I also like to do some experiential therapy, and movement therapy. (I dance it off)
Peter
I have been on litium, serequal, lamictal and what have you at different times. Gee I sound like a psycotropic fanatic!!!!!!
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I take Cymbalta too. 60mg 1X day. I works for me.
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the doctor gave me 50mg trazodone to help with sleep and the bad dreams. (i cut them in half)
The doctor,nurse and the wife all talk about antidepressants for me to deal with the depression
I tried aidsmeds forums instead. making a few friends here to have someone to talk with about it
(thanks for talking with me this week rapid rod)
And a little education from the lessions section here.
I will do the doctors on my own this week with out letting the wife deal with it and me being in denial.
I'm done feeling sorry for my self and I'm done saying I'm sorry. I'm going to enjoy life and thank god I'm better off than some of the folks that post here. seems my problems are small at the moment. health is not bad.
i think its getting better.
only the wife knows for sure.
Lucas
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I took them for the first two years of my diagnosis. Since then I've stopped taking 'em. If my life is going to rely heavily on pills I refuse to rely on something to make me happy, so I go on long walks and it seems to work wonders.
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Was on antidepressants for years - got tired of the sexual dampening effects and tried to justify why I needed to take them. Unlike others who suffer some serious mental challenges, I decided I was solid enough to go without. I stopped them over a month ago - took two weeks to stop buy halving the dose each week. Some interesting side effects - increased aggressive feelings - I stayed aware and let it out when practicable. Occasional reboots of the brain - a hard one to describe really except to say I would feel that for a split second the world had just zipped left or right. Those effects passed. And of course anxiety and worry, which I control with a deep breath, braking the thought and some rational thinking. You know I've done a lot over time - Xanax, Lexapro, Effexor. Paxil, Ambien and Valium. None of it made me healthier and none of it on balance made my world seem any better than it truly is. I'm done with those drugs. Period.
PS - Anybody who is truly in need - I have 2 1/2 months leftover supply of 10mg Lexapro.
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Lexapro here. I stopped for about a year but decided I really needed more than I thought I did. Sexual side effects don't really bother me as I have not had sex in nearly a year. But for those personal moments I can work with the side effects :o
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When I was in the most painful part of my therapy my therapist offered me to go on anti-depressants and his suggestion hurt me. I felt like he was somehow rejecting me and what I needed to express - as if what I was going through was too much for him to handle.
The most wonderful thing happened the next session - he brought it up and said he believed that he had hurt me (I hadn't said anything directly about it at the time) and he apologized.
I wanted to deny that he had hurt me and just started to shrug it off, but I stopped myself and admitted what I felt...and this huge weight lifted.
For me I have tried to avoid antidepressants as I have seen a few of my friends on them for too long - and it scares me. I know intellectually it is not true, but some irrational yet strong part of my beliefs is that I need to feel the pain of what I am working through as the the absolute darkness will not get cleared from my head until I explore it with eyes wide open and without any deaden senses.
Please understand that I know the antidepressants won't make me deaded - but just the fear of it is enough to make me want to work through my issues without them.
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Zoloft works for me. i've used 150 mg but do ok on 100mg.
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Amazing story Iggy. Very powerful.
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I started Wellbutrin to stop smoking and have stayed on it even after I quit. Sometimes, though, I feel like it's not strong enough....I find myself occasionally having little breakdowns...I don't know if that's normal or not. I would like to maybe trade up to a higher mg or another antidepressant all together. I'm going to ask my PCP about it on my next visit.
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I lost count, but was on them since my 30's (I'm 47 now) before I was diagnosed HIV in 2001. I tried Paxil, Wellbutrin, and others which names I can't recall right now, but am currently on Lexapro after trying a few antidepressants the last few years and Lexapro seems to do the trick. I take Provigil to fight fatigue (I notice another member mentioned fatigue) and also Klonipin for anxiety. After I was diagnosed I had bad panic attacks...I was always prone to them, but the diagnosis put me over the edge. I'm happy to say after six years (as of July 6th!) combined with weekly therapy, I am in a better place.
Paul
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i almost tried them all, whats left lithium !
green is the way to go, pot wakes up my MIND, then the rest follows !
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sorry I couldn't read all of the many postings. I take Xanax whenever I can, and Welbutrin about once a month as needed. I don't like the funny feeling from the welbutrin so I don't take it all the time. Xanax is the bomb.
Sam
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Hi there,
I have been taking Cymbalta 60 mg once a day for about a year. Helps with peripheral neuropathy as well as depression! I took Effexor XR 75 mg three times a day for 5 years. I also take Zyprexa 2.5 mg at bedtime. I take this is for anxiety. I have battled severe depression and anxiety for 20 years since I discovered I was poz in 1987. Best advice I can give is to find a good shrink that is knowledgeable about psych meds and how they interact with antiretrovirals.
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Hi Iggy,
As you found out therapists are very definitely human, and like a lot of people sometimes they too get uncomfortable when powerful feelings are expressed and may not want to know about them. Even though you were just putting it all into words, it can stir a lot of anxiety and sometimes people don't want to tolerate having those feelings. For many the a separation between feeling, thought and going into action is hard to differentiate and therefore very scary. Which ends up with many looking for various ways to supress those feelings.
It's great that you expressed yourself and were then able to sort out something about what was going on with your therapist's response. And not sell yourself out by denying you felt hurt and misunderstood.
To his credit, he was able to acknowledge that truth as well. That's speaks well for a good working relationship.
Cheers,
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I have been on anti-depressants since I was 20, Im now 27. I was just diagnosed May 18th. I take Zoloft and it seems to work well for me. My family history has depression all through it. Its no big deal anymore, I know I need it to function.
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I take Seroquell, Klonopin and Wellbutrin (which I love too much, being a recovering anorexic...the buzz keeps me food free for days. Have logged more than 22 years as a patient in psych wards. I feel age (or having survived into middle age) has been the best therapy. I long , one day, to float off the Benzos...too much memory loss and Pink Floyd-esque abandon of reality.
Am lucky to have a doctor who believes the mere anxiety of an "042" diagnosis warrants my continued access to the good stuff. As I no longer drink (recent move to sobriety) the anxiety medicines make it possible for me to breathe and not be terrified of the world around me.
Cheers,
Tony
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I take 200 mg of Ellavil nightly before bed. Have done that for over 5 years, but I am not in that like most people category, I also take 2 /2mg time released zanax a day, and I am still a bit anxious and hyper. Go figure?????
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Effexor and Wellbutrin. About 6 years now. I keep thinking that maybe I should stop the meds for a while and see if my depression has gone away yet. heh.
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I've tried about nine different antidepressants, I think. Now I'm stabilized on:
Trazodone: 450 mg/day
Xanax XR: 0.5 mg/day
Celexa: 20 mg/day
Oh, and since I live in San Francisco, there's also medical cannabis. Trust me, it does wonders for anxiety. It's the only thing that can really make me forget about HIV.
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started Lexapro shortly after being diagnosed + and it really helped - snapped me out of a huge hole I was falling into, but made it so damn difficult to cum I couldn't wait to get off the stuff. Tried adding Welbutrin to counteract the sexual side effects, but it just made me more anxious and didn't help at all. Finally went off about 2 mo ago and doing fine. Hub started taking it and helped him w/no side effects
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I started Celexa (citaloram) at 10mg. and it seems to be helping better than Wellbutrin. I take it in the morning because it tends to create sleep issues which I already have (Lunesta for sleep). My partner switched from Wellbutrin to Celexa too. It seems to be helping him quite a bit too. Better living thru pharmacuticals and retail therapy.
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I've been on paxil 10mg for almost 2 months, they even it all out.
I take trazadone (25-200mgs, depends on my day) to sleep at night, lately been skipping them.
I take ativan 1-2 mg for situations or dramas (long car trips, extra stressfull times)
i also go to therapy, worry about just taking drugs withought counseling
i'm not happy about taking the drugs and therapy, feel i should be able to 'fix myself'...but a series of events: middle age, bad numbers, bad relationship kinda all hit me at once...i also have been holding a lot of stuff in for years and years that are starting to surface - no fun
i don't want to be one of the people who go to therapy for decades and go thru the whole alphabet of drugs, i'll try to stay hopeful that this current combo will help.
my hiv med is atripla, i know it has some side effects on sleep/dreams, other than some trippy days, i've been ok - hard to tell what is really doing what to my fragile little mind
don't feel bad if you are taking drugs to get your life on track, the options seem to be drinking or street drugs and i've yet to see those self treatments end well
good luck