Here is my conclusion of the year I took antidepressants

you should use antidepressants to push yourself to a new state of wellbeing, not on your daily life. They should be temporary.

they will do nothing if you aren't willing to study what it is causing your unhappiness.

What I experienced when I took them was that the veil of sadness I always carried with me suddenly dissapeared and it was somewhat easier for me to deal with my problems. In particullar, I became willing to meet new people.

However, they dind't make me completely happy. I would say my mood improve from a 3/10 to a 5/10. The antidepressants blocked my sadness and my numbness. My threshold for coping raised and even if I wanted I couldn't feel terribly sad about nothing.

During the year I took antidepressants I made a new group of friends which now I abandoned and I started to appreciate myself a little more. It helped me to become more sociable and I discovered a few things about myself. Now I would say I am a constant 4/10.

I stopped taking them when their effect started to disappear and I would need them to keep up.

So... that is my experience with them if it is useful for you. They work, but take care.

>>17284606
i've been on them (zoloft, specifically) for a month and a half now. it's been pretty good for anxiety, hasn't done much for depression - so it's harder to get the motivation to do things, but when i actually do it i'm not as scared. i was really worried about starting them at first but the worst that can happen is you decide you dont like taking them and stop (gradually, don't quit suddenly).
if you have any specific questions i'll track this thread

>>17284644
Thank you for telling me about your experience.
The way you've described it to me has given me much more insight on exactly how you feel on them.

How did you find getting off of them later on?

>>17284657
Thank you for telling me about ur experience too.

I'm actually going through the same situation in terms of feeling scared as well as depressed.

My questions to u are did you also do some form of therapy with them at all?

How did u feel when you first started because all I see on the Internet are the worst horror stories.

>>17284707
i started therapy first, quit it because it wasn't for me/couldn't handle it at the time, and then went on antidepressants a few months later. so they were seperate things. i feel like for most people though, a combination of therapy and meds would be helpful in treating the root of your problems as well as the symptoms that come along with having anxiety and depression.

i think your age will have a lot to do with how you feel when you first start taking them. i was 16 the first time and i think because i was still going through puberty and hormonal changes the side affects were much worse - i had trouble sleeping, eating, felt like i was in a constant fog, was angry all the time... but that tapers out after the first few weeks. i'm a few years older now and started taking them again and had nearly no side affects, apart from some trouble sleeping. just know that however you do feel will pass, and your mood will eventually settle. if you do decide to take them it's helpful to have someone who can check in with you - a parent or friend who can make sure you're safe as one of the side affects can, unfortunately, be feeling suicidal

>>17284644
Ranfom anon.. Could I ask what did you take specifically and what dosage?

I'm not depressed, but I did take them for anxiety for awhile. Didn't do anything for me so I switched to other meds.

>>17284606
Been on citalopram for like 6 months now for anxiety and depression. The TL;DR version would be that it has been a positive experience for me.

I had tried therapy for 6 months before starting meds but it just wasn't working for me. All of the coping strategies and exercises from therapy were not working. The depression was keeping me in a haze where whenever I tried dealing with the anxiety I couldn't register any positive feedback.

It took me a long time to decide if I wanted to try taking meds or not. I would definitely not suggest taking them without going to therapy. The meds helped lift the fog of depression but it is the skills I learned in therapy that are helping me deal with the root causes.

As far as side effects go I got off pretty easily. for the first month or so I was having really vivid dreams and not sleeping well. Any time I change my dosage I tend to get nauseous with splitting headaches and end up vomiting but this usually last a few days max. The only side effect I have now is that It takes me longer to cum when I am trying to get off.