Antidepressants?? Anyone??
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Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:25 pm

I want to talk with my doctor about trying some antidepressants for my horrible foul mood I've been in for the past few months. Ntrouble is we live in a small town where my doctor is not just your doctor. You know you see him in the grocery store. And things like that. Nim really embarrassed and don't know how to even start the conversation. Any help?? What should I even say??

Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:26 pm

Also has anyone on theses things had horrible weight gain?? I'm afraid of gaining a ton of weight!

free skin care · Tue Sep 18, 2012 8:53 pm

Moser1978 wrote:

Also has anyone on theses things had horrible weight gain?? I'm afraid of gaining a ton of weight!

.

You might want to revisit your priorities. You can be thin and someone no one wants to spend time with because you are foul tempered or slightly heavier and happier. What is more important?

free skin care · Wed Sep 19, 2012 3:11 am

Bethany's right weight gain is always something you can fix later when you feel better. Your priority I would guess would be trying to improve your mood state.

Anyway not all antidepressants cause weight gain and also not every one who is on the ones that do that, put that weight on, its very dependant on individual body reactions and your own lifestyle.
If you eat carefully and dont eat rubbish you should be ok.

Meeting the Dr, (your medical situation is confidential info), treat him as you would any other acquaintance , talk about the weather,or just acknowledge him with a smile and leave it at that!

JMHO
HTH

Wed Sep 19, 2012 10:38 am

I would only resort to antidepressants in extremely, dire situations. I had severe anxiety/ panic attacks in 2009. I was/had light headed/ derealization constantly ( basically feels like you smoked a few joints in one sitting for the entire day), all day everyday for 10 months. It was the most frightening period in my life. I thought I was dying.General practioner doctors wanted to put me on SSRI's but i rejected. I am not into the idea of becoming dependent on pills which alter neurotransmitter activity. My psychiatrist also agreed and supported non use of SSRI's. I was able to overcome these terrible manifestations by rational and logical thinking. Try to take an Objective/ scientific approach and then put things into perspective. I still get panic attacks rarely, but i can defeat them by being rational and calm.

free skin care · Wed Sep 19, 2012 11:03 am

I specialised in psychiatry and would just like to clarify a few things here.

Antidepressants are NOT addictive and you do not become physically dependant upon them, perhaps they may be an element of a psychological dependancy upon them but that would be all.

Depression is quite another illness from Anxiety and Panic attacks, yes SSRIs are used to treat anxiety/OCD etc in some people and are very effective when used properly.

Depression can be a very serious illness and in serious cases , however only medication (with the supportive therapies used in conjunction) is successful.

Sometimes the neurotransmitter activity goes wrong and it needs to be chemically altered to work in the way it was supposed to.

free skin care · Wed Sep 19, 2012 2:59 pm

Just be careful, don't walk into the doctor's office saying 'I want antidepressants' but discuss the problem as fully as you can. Antidepressants can have side effects, it's always good to discuss alternative approaches with your doctor to be able to make an informed choice.
Also - pills are not a solution if the problem is your present circumstances, relationship, money problems etc.

free skin care · Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:04 pm

There is no harm if you need them in using them. The real harm is when you don't need them and use them. There are several varieties, some will work for some, yet not others, so if one is wrong, you can change. A good friend of mine OVER takes these, and uses this as a crutch, but when used right, and are needed, they are a God send. If used to "check out" and not "check in", then ones on the wrong road. Just asses your issues and make sure you need help checking in and not "out".

I do not think "all" that need help can "think" themselves right. Having an ex who needed help, I can attest to the need for meds rather than "rational" thinking. While I am tickled that worked for another poster, it does not nec work for most. So best of luck and do not worry about your Doctor, he should keep all in confidence and you can even ask him too if you would feel better.

I wouldn't worry about weight gain, it might never happen. And as all have said, take these if you need them and only you and your doc can determine that.

free skin care · Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:42 pm

I would actually recommend that you talk to your doctor about the foul mood you've been in, and see if you can figure out what is causing it.
Maybe therapy would help you figure it out, as well.

Anti depressants have their merit, but they are not the be all and end all for mood enhancement.

I feel bad that you would be embarrassed to discuss them with your doctor. I was hoping that the stigma of depression was a thing of the past, since it is a sign of strength, not weakness, to admit when one needs help.

If you and your doctor do decide to try an antidepressant, there are some brands that do not cause weight gain and the ones that do cause weight gain do not cause you to gain a lot of weight. five to ten pounds at the very most.

Hth. Wishing you good luck.

free skin care · Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:54 am

As a minister and therapist, I can tell you medication is not where to START.
The others have made good observations and you need to sit down and address many other points in your life before going to medication.
Feedback is another alternative to medication, along with accupuncture, but there are many and that is just a start.
But first a complete medical examination/check-up should be made, along with blood work. You can have simple hormone or thyroid imbalance that can contribute to feelings of depression. So can lack of sleep and stress. The list is quite long as you can imagine.
Medication should be your last resort as it does alter your brain wave/patterns and can, for some people, make a situation worse. Such as, if you worry about your weight and/or suffer from self-esteem any weight gain might be detrimental to you in this state of mind. But medication can work. It has to be the right one for the right diagnosis and it is a bit of a balance to get the right dosage for the right situation.
Doctors are bound by an oath to keep your situation private so I would not worry about confidentiality. But if you are concerned about just seeing the physician in a social setting,you could maybe go to a nearby town and talk to someone if it would truly make you more comfortable to open up. If you have concerns you would like to address without fear of censor or judgement, a cloak of anonymity can help.
Unfortunately, we cannot even begin to address every thing here in a few posts that needs to be discussed, nor would I attempt to diagnose your particular medical issue in an online forum.
But rest assured, there is always a solution and one of the first steps is to acknowledge when it is more than you can handle by yourself.
Depression is a dark and gripping terror and I understand it from a personal view, having lost a dear friend and two BIL's to-be from depression leading to suicide. The path of hell and destruction it leaves behind is unimaginable and I would never wish it on any family, especially when help/treatment is readily available. It takes courage to face it and strength/faith to know you can beat it.
Good luck, hang in there and please let us know how you are doing.

free skin care · Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:10 pm

Everyone makes some great points, and I just re-read your intro, if your just in a "foul mood" that is NOT depression or at least not that description, so if you have diff symptoms then please discuss them with your doctor, sometimes simple food changes and sleep pattern changes can make a world of diff in our moods.

Annie mentions thyroid, shes got a great point, it will affect your moods and make them awful. There are things called thyriod storms that make a sunny day go black fast!

So again just check with your doctor, he must keep it confidental.

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