I have tried just about all the meds out there for depression and none have worked. My shrink told me that anti-depressants are ineffective for over 30% of people who take them! That's a huge number to me. So my question is: have meds helped you? My shrink told me that the best thing I could do was move to North Carolina where they have a research hospital and become a guninea pig!
Couldn't vote... as I'm not sure. 5HTP first helped me when I was in crisis (but the crises' escalated and repeated for too many years). I was taking Zoloft for a number of years, but I was also drinking heavily (actually an understatement), so it was no help. I am still taking it, but have quit drinking, and have 'slowly' learned to feel 'good' again - but I'm truly not sure if it's the med... Sorry (truly) that you've not had any effect/success. I've heard the same stats (but only last year, from my wonderful - and honest - shrink) - which are relatively unknown (um, kept secret??) :dry:
I read actually that it's not 30% of people but that any specific anti depressant has a 30% chance of working, unfortunately it's kinda hit and miss, just a question of finding the right medicine. Apparently they have a lso found a way to tell if a med is working by doing some kind of test, i'll see if I can find the article and post it.....It was very interesting.
I agree with Loco that I had to try many, many drugs before eventually finding one that has worked for the last 4 years. For the 6 years before that I was on one after another, some seemed to work for a short time, others not at all. I would say don't give up, eventually you will get one that works for you.
Here's the article I was talking about: http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/ShowArticle.aspx?IsP=news/613/news613437.xml&dp=2008/03/12&q1=&cen=&xid=nl_EverydayHealthEmotionalHealth_20080313
never believed in popping pills to solve real life problems IT DOESNT. But it helps treat the symptoms which left untreated can accelerate my suicide. It took away the horrific feelings that I was going crazy, the suicidal urges , the hollowness and emptiness in me. However it only worked to a certain extent as I'm still very very depressed. have suicidal thoughts (not urges anymore) still dread living, feel that life is meaningless and have no interests in anything and wish I'm dead.
this is the metaphor i like: anti-depressants are like a lifebelt when you are drowning they won't explain why you can't swim, and they won't teach you to swim they won't explain why you went in to the water in the first place but... they can help keep you afloat.... catherine
had meds that worked great (one was an anti-d the other an anticonvulsant/mood stabilizer) until I had an allergic reaction to either one or both of them. Now Im fucked again...............
I'm taking Lamictal for my depression, it seems to help out a bit. I'm not quite so suicidal since taking them.
