>diagnosed with depression several years ago
>since then, it's only gotten worse
>meet with a therapist and two psychiatrists
>try just about every class of antidepressant
>in some cases, more than one drug from a given class
>even went through a course of ECT treatments earlier this year
>none of it has done shit
>the feelings of dread and hopelessness are more intense than ever
>think about suicide on a daily basis
Has anyone here actually gotten any relief from pills or therapy? Either way, I'd like to hear your stories. I'm happy to answer questions if there are any, but I doubt this thread will get much traffic.
Fluoxetine does wonders on me desu
>>24470885
you will hear people say yes and no
basically- if you just take pills and keep being a do nothing cunt, you will not ever feel better
pills are not a fix or replacement for healthy loving relationships and a sense of purpose in life
enjoy
>>24470885
tried zoloft?
>>24470885
tried amphetamines?
Yes, antidepressants and therapy were extremely helpful for me when I was critically depressed. It was the only way I could function for a very long time.
Maybe your depression is the result of something else wrong with you? As in maybe it's a symptom of something worse.
I have been on Luvox for almost 2 years, I had two failed suicide attempts before I decided to try anti-depressants. I was scared of the possible side effects.
Anyway they saved my life, when they started to work I felt like a new man and stopped taking them thinking I was cured but it was a real bad idea. Got back on them and I'll probably use them for life, I don't have any negative side effects and it's great for my social anxiety.
They work!
>>24470885
No, just self exploration.
Since the problem comes from within that is where you need to look.
A therapist can help ground you while you do this. Don't be afraid to lean on them.
>>24470885
No. I learned to function with depression by using obligation and duty as motivators, and turning suicidal thoughts into a coping mechanism. I'm not happy, but I keep going forward.
I never gave cognitive behavioral therapy a fair chance, I knew what it was and how it worked beforehand and I fought against it with every fiber of my being. It is supposed to change your thought processes, I think what I really need is a new environment. I basically wrote it off as bullshit but it has been proven to work if you can stick to it.
As for antidepressants, I take prozac. To be completely honest I can't tell the difference. There is no discernible effect.. supposedly it dulls your emotions in both directions, so you can't feel really happy nor really sad and suicidal. Sometimes they give depressed individuals the energy to go through with suicide.. I don't know. Their efficacy is debatable. If you're down in the dumps every day I would probably take it, it might take the edge off the despair. It's a bandaid though. You need to actually fix your life for your depression to cease, and even then it might persist. Depression is one hell of a drug senpai
>>24470920
Zoloft is a fucking shit. OP, if you wanna get out of SSRIs, id suggest Seroquel.
>>24470908
Tried it.
>>24470920
Yep.
>>24470934
Nope.
>>24470947
>As in maybe it's a symptom of something worse.
What could be worse than this?
>>24470973
I may have tried that, too. Honestly, I've taken too many to remember them all.
>>24470991
Have you asked your doctor if it could be schizoaffective disorder? It can fuck you up in a lot of the same ways that depression can and is treated with different sets of pills.
>>24470973
im on both of those. good shit senpai desu
>>24470885
Pills by themselves don't do shit without therapy. And therapy only works if you can get at least one "win" from it. And by "win" I mean one moment when you use the techniques and they help.
I'm taking Escitalopram
I makes me sleepy
>>24471018
Seconding this. Does the depression go away for short bursts of time, like a day or a few, then come back by any chance?
have never bothered with pills. They aren't proven to be effective at all, and come with a load of side effects, which ironically can include worsening of depression. Worse still, there is an obvious conflict of interest as those who prescribe them are usually paid by pharma reps to do so. They are widely over prescribed to people dealing with psychological issues and should only be used to treat biological cases of depression that aren't due to another treatable, underlying pathology (ie a disease like Lyme can cause depression, so give abx, not antidepressants).
So I am not surprised pills have not improved your situation. I really recommend just sticking with therapy and making life changes. This is what has helped me go from NEETism to having a pretty bf and being at university. It does work, but the only way to 'beat' depression is to understand it's your mind's way of saying: your life is sucking right now and you need to make some changes. Making changes is hard, but there is no substitute for it.
If, on the other hand, your depressing has always been there and is not related to adverse life events/situation, I recommend ruling out other possible causes before continue with the anti depressants. It is a side effect of many diseases and disorders, from vitamin deficiency to sleep apnea.
I've been on Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Clomipramine and a MAOI.
None of them did anything for my depression or social anxiety. Pills can't cure robotism.
>>24471018
Haven't heard of this before. I'll have to check it out.
>>24471031
This is my problem. It doesn't matter how good my therapist's advice is if I don't act on it, which has always been the case. She disagrees with me, but I think the real problem is that I'm a lazy sack of shit. It just seems like a losing fight, so why bother?
>>24471029
seroquel helps, but it really fucks with making my depression episodes a lot longer and worse, and making mania pretty much obsolete. tip: psychiatrists are idiots who only up your meds despite what you tell them desu
>>24470960
Prozac is funny, when it started to kick in I feel so dulled I stopped bothering to take them
>>24471061
not op but this is somewhat spot on, pills can help but other methods are more effective
but there is no cure for robotism unfortunately
>>24471078
Things can change man. And she is right in that even talking shit through helps. Depression helps convince you that you're a lazy shitheap but you gotta chance the small victories at first. And I mean SMALL. Like showering when you should, eating actual food at the right times, interacting with people. Shit like that.
>>24471077
Paxil is more of a mood stabilizer than anything. Its more of an antipsychotic to me tbhfam
>>24471132
it's an SSRI, not an antipsychotic.
>>24470885
get some xanax or other benzos. They'll give you some relief but you'll prolly get addicted
>>24471050
It only seems to go away when I'm distracted by some external stimulus, but isn't that normal for depressed people? Isn't that why we all have these escapist hobbies?
>>24471061
>those who prescribe them are usually paid by pharma reps to do so
I don't trust the pills for this reason. I might just be paranoid. My therapist certainly thinks so.
>should only be used to treat biological cases of depression that aren't due to another treatable, underlying pathology
How can you know for sure whether it's biological or not?
>having a pretty bf
You had better be gay.
>>24471117
>even talking shit through helps
It feels like I'm just going around in circles with her. I've told her before about the daily suicidal thoughts, but I don't think she understands just how hopeless I've become.
>Like showering when you should, eating actual food at the right times, interacting with people. Shit like that.
All of these things are an enormous struggle. I assure myself all the time that trivial shit like that can't possibly be that hard for everyone, or nobody would bother.
>>24470885
>take SSRI for 3 months
>get erectile dysfunction and genital anesthesia
>3 years later and still can barely maintain a hard-on
Also they didn't help depression/anxiety at all.
the only thing that helps my anxiety is tons of benzo's, but at that point I wouldn't be able to drive/function in a normal way so its useless and I'd probably get extremely addicted
>>24471103
yeah. i have schizophrenia and before i was on so many meds and such high doses that i had a seizure. after that i wasnt allowed to drive for 6 months and had to have brain scans and see a bunch of specialist. too many meds poisons you.
One group says YES! they work.
Another group says NO! They don't.
You gotta just try it, for some people they are life savers and for others they aren't.
>>24470885
Went on paxil for like 2 or 3 years, can't remember. Basically made me not care about anything. I hardly showered, shaved, changed clothes, wouldn't go to school, didn't care about tfw no gf, had no aspirations, didn't care about being an ugly motherfucker in public, attracted way more attention to myself in public due to madman antics, think it affected my memory a bit, but I wasn't depressed or anxious anymore. After doing a successful "experiment" to make friends and get a gf earlier this year I stopped taking the pills. Since then it's been mostly positive. I got a job (though it was handed to me through a school program), I take slightly better care of myself, I actually go to school and do my work, I left my gf and other friends and still don't care about tfw no gf, my depression fades in and out but it's nothing life threatening and anxiety is at an all time low. I've even managed to do things like play music live and perform a scene from a play in front of a full theater audience. I'm can't say the pills helped all that much when I was using them but I can't say for sure where I'd be now without them.
What's the difference between being depressed and having a lifetime of bad habits and appropriately feeling like a failure?
Yeah lorazepam worked for my social anxiety but I developed a tolerance ridiculously fast.
like, within 2 weeks of starting it I could take 10mg (a huge dose) and feel nothing. my body sucks.
>>24471155
That is what I'm saying man, right now they are a fucking challenge you need to plan out. But are you giving yourself credit when you do them? Or are you saying "well shit other people do this without thinking"? because yeah, you can't compare yourself to someone isn't depressed any more than I can compare myself to an athlete when I get puffed going up a flight of stairs.Your brain is pulling shit on you. And you might feel like it doesn't help and I can't say if it is or isn't, but it is possible shit would be worse with out seeing her.
But at the end of the day you can either focus on surviving (i.e. basic needs + not killing yourself) or you can try to to start picking small targets for the week and work on them.
>>24471157
>3 years later and still can barely maintain a hard-on
what - 3 years after stopping taking them or are you still one it?
>>24471157
Also adding on to this
I think of suicide all the time. Really the only thing stopping me is that my family is well off and my parents don't care that I live in the basement. My mom practically convinced me to drop out of high school and 4 years later nothing has changed. Most days I don't even talk to them, and I think the only reason they don't get mad at me for being a loser living at home is because they think I'm suicidal/might kill someone else. People have told me before they were worried I might go on a school/work shooting, but really I wouldn't because I only blame myself for my shortcomings, not anyone else
>>24471208
i was wrong, its been 4 years since I stopped taking them. Can't even get pleasure from masturbating anymore
>>24471161
jesus fucking hell man, thats messed. sometimes, you gotta know when to intervene. for example, i was on trazodone and it made it to where i would wake up and not be able to breathe at night, and despite calling an actual doctor and they told me that i cant take it because im allergic, the fucking psychologist told me to keep taking it.
>>24471155
Oh, i thought that it might have been something else. Hope your situation gets better family
>>24471202
>But are you giving yourself credit when you do them?
I do get a moment of satisfaction when I shower more than once a week or eat a healthy meal, but I just start telling myself that I should be doing this stuff all the time. The fact that it's as hard as it is must mean I'm lazy.
>it is possible shit would be worse with out seeing her
At this point, I'm not really hoping for it to fix anything. I just go and see her once a week to appease my parents.
ZAP
zzzzz
zzzz
zz
ZAP
Enjoy the brainzaps, they had a good reason not to warn you.
ZAP
zzzzz
zzzz
zz
ZAP
>>24471222
so they kill your dick even after going off them? fuck. i thought when you stop taking them everything goes back to normal.
>>24470947
How did you attempt suicide, if you don't mind sharing
>>24471300
I stopped SSRI's cold turkey and never had brain zaps, are they really that common?
>>24471300
OP here, these used to hit me hard. I had them really bad after the ECT.
>>24471281
I get that man. I say that as someone who has lost close to 15 years of his life to depression and shit like that. But if you can get something to aim for it helps. And it might not feel like you're getting anywhere, and that it is hopeless, but there is a chance. Fuck that, it WILL feel like everything you do is shit, and that your brain will shit on you for doing the "bare minimum of being human/alive" but fuck that sack of crap. Small steps, and written goals man. At this stage what can it hurt? Even a lazy shit can do stuff sometimes. Hell I bet you don't walk around naked in front of your parents so you can put clothes on, that's a start. Work up (or at least sideways) from there.
>>24471319
Very common but that's okay.
>>24471325
That's okay! Just take more! It'll work out.
>>24470951
>>24471319
Meant to ask this person how they attempted suicide, if they mind sharing
>>24471307
It might be different for other people, but morning nausea stopped when I quit taking them. The ED seems to be permanent, I've even tried ED medication with no avail. I need to search around the internet and see if other people who got ED from SSRI's have found any ED meds that worked
>>24471307
Some people can be permanently effected but most do recover from the side effects in 3-6months
>>24471230
>the fucking psychologist told me to keep taking it.
yeah. you wonder if they have lists of victims theyve killed off with meds. have had some torturous experiences with side effects while trying to find the right anti-psychotic. the psychiatrists ive seen have been pretty nice people but at the same time never hesitate to jack me up on multiple meds "just incase". i think they get one patient that kills themself off meds and they get paranoid of under dosing.
>>24471347
>Hell I bet you don't walk around naked in front of your parents so you can put clothes on
Fuck that, I dress comfy as fuck. Comfy is one of the only things left in my life that feels good.
Citalopram here.
It helps, but not a quarter as much as I'd hoped. If I forget to take it one day, I don't have any noticable negative side effects. I think if i had better social support networks, I'd be in a much better place.
>>24471300
>brainzaps
what the fuck are brainzaps? ive never heard of them.
>>24471386
Oh I suppose I should mention they make me tired as fuck too.
>>24471391
A serious side-effect your doctor/medication will never mention.
>>24471362
>>24471363
i take zoloft and for almost 6 months my dick was asleep but then it just started working again all of a sudden and now is fine even though i fap a lot less than i used to.
>>24471300
I didn't know that was common. I only had it a few weeks after stopping meds though.
>>24471368
wanna know the worst thing though? you pay $90 to sit in a room for ten minutes even though they say you booked an hour, up your meds, give fake compliments, and escort you out. please let me out of this eternal hell
>>24471420
what are they like headaches? i ve been repeatedly asking the doctor to come off the ssris but they always seem worried when i ask to come off and talk me into staying on them.
>>24471468
psychiatrists are a fucking joke. "Try this, come back and see me in 6 weeks" "Oh, it didn't work and you were suffering the whole time? Try this, come back in 6 weeks" repeat. At least psychologists are trying to help you
>>24471468
Yeah this shit for sure. I know my parents could afford it no problem, but I live in a small town and the "best" psychologist just seemed like a dude who asked how my day was and complimented me over the smallest things
>>24471468
>pay $90
im in australia i get the fake compliments and eternal hell for free. one positive i guess.
>>24471482
>just got off my shit $3000 deductible insurance
I cant even afford psychologists, much less therepists. Where i live, its around $120 for a psychologist, and the most ive payed was $190 for a fucking hour with some old lady who said she was gonna retire the day after our appointment. i sure do love merikua i tell you hwat
>>24470885
Nope, they just numb your feelings which is kinda funny because sedation is always present in anti-depressants so they should really be called what they are: depressants.
>>24470885
>>the feelings of dread and hopelessness are more intense than ever
>>think about suicide on a daily basis
looks like I have depression
I'm always
>unmotivated
>lonely
>sad
>tired
>paranoid
It got so much worse since I started with college.
Listening to taylor swift kinda helps somehow for a moment.
I almost only hear taylor's music anymore
>>24470885
They sure work. Without it I feel like fucking shit.
>>24470885
MAOIs worked for me but I couldn't handle the fatigue
I was on parnate's which is supposed to be the least fatigue inducing
>>24471077
Get on stims brah and it'll all be okay
