What do I do once I start getting depressed again after getting on anti-depressants?
I've been on prozac 40mg for 2 months now and I'm starting to feel depressed again. I feel like nothing is mattering anymore and everything is pointless...I'm in college and I really don't want to drop out or fail, what can I do? I have a huge project due in 2 days and I have no desire to finish. I kind of just want to abandon everything and drive out to the middle of nowhere and live in the mountains as cheesy as that sounds.
I hate to break it to you but anti-depressants mostly don't work. At least 1/3 of people on them are just getting the placebo effect if they improve not that it's a problem if it helped them but just know that is the case. Also despite saying the drugs take time to activate the effects actually immediately occur yet it takes months to kick in. And yeah the psychiatrists strategy usually is give them one anti-depressant and when it doesn't work try a different one until hopefully it works the reason is they have no fucking clue what they are doing. They never actually scan your brain or measure your serotonin levels like they would if something was up in your blood (e.g. insulin) it is mostly pseudo-science.
Cameron Anderson
Ask to your doc for esketamine, this is a new antidepressant which was recently approved by the FDA.
OP, seek out a therapist and someone who is qualified to prescribe psychiatric medication, such as a psychiatric nurse practitioner or psychiatrist. Never take psychiatric medication given to you buy a PCP.
Mental health treatment is a two-sided coin. One side is medication, the other is talk therapy. Do both and you'll improve, OP.
You know nothing about how psychiatric medications work.
>You know nothing about how psychiatric medications work. Sorry but that one line doesn't address any of my arguments.
Nicholas Martin
This
Juan Nelson
>buy a PCP.
by a PCP, rather.
Brody Butler
Rather than taking drugs try to make sure you get all your vitamins. Deficiencies can make your depression worse. Being healthy helps to fight the down towns.
Btw who's the guy?
Landon Richardson
Sure, I'll play along but I'm not doing any work for you tonight. A lot of your post is a list of misunderstandings that can be easily clarified by an intelligent Google search, and your post is naive misinformation at worst.
>it is mostly pseudo-science.
Countless academic journals and decades of research from multiple fields outside of psychiatry would heavily disagree with you on your opinion.
Lincoln Price
Is that you OP? I can't give you any advice because I'm feeling like shit too, but damn you're hot
Austin Bennett
You still only addressed the one part that was mostly just an insult you didn't address the real arguments. What about the fact they try to tell you it is just like taking insulin for diabetes yet they never measure your neurochemicals like they would before prescribing you insulin with your blood sugar.
Justin Lopez
If I wanted to insult you, I'd call you a drooling retard. I'm not doing work for you tonight, but I will highly encourage you to do some serious research before you speak.
As in this -
>yet they never measure your neurochemicals like they would before prescribing you insulin with your blood sugar.
It's impossible to do so, but more importantly, it's unneeded. Insulin and antidepressants are a very poor comparison.
Ryder Gray
Well the doctors compare insulin to anti-depressants with me. Also if it is impossible to do then why the fuck should I trust the studies? Serotonin effects so many parts of the body and altering your brain chemistry damages your brain and no they don't actually know how it will effect your brain because the brain is ridiculously complicated obviously. They can't know if the serotonin is rewiring your brain for the better or just damaging it.
Jackson Young
>Well the doctors compare insulin to anti-depressants with me.
Then I would highly question their credentials since they're nothing alike, other than that they treat chronic disorders. Apples and oranges.
>Also if it is impossible to do then why the fuck should I trust the studies?
That's because the very, very vast majority of studies don't focus on the specific count of neurochemicals in the brain, even it were possible to measure them. The research is rather vast, and I'm not sure if Google Scholar still holds up for casual reading, but I'd go there if you get bored later tonight.
>altering your brain chemistry damages your brain
While there are side effects to your body (as in lithium, for example), it doesn't cause damage to your brain.
>They can't know
I may be misunderstanding your post on this part, so bear with me. Evidence more than suggests that altering brain chemistry through medication is beneficial to those who genuinely need it. Atypical antipsychotics can yank someone down from mania or curb psychosis by altering brain chemistry and that can't be up for debate - it's beneficial.
Anti-psychotics are even worse dude. Speaking of diabetes some anti-psychotics can give you diabetes. This isn't even conspiracy this is just established facts you can google search yourself as well. And you also never addressed the fact it immediately increases your brain chemistry but takes months to kick in. Why is that? It's because it alters your brain and is it actually good? They don't really tell you how it works just that it maybe helps. The real problem is that our modern society is incredibly depressing it is making many people depressed especially if you had a shitty family. Instead of addressing those issues though we just give people medication which maybe half works in the best case scenario in the worst it just lobotomizes you (that is what anti-psychotics do they chemically lobotomize you).
Jose Lopez
I'm not debating the side effects of psychiatric medication, man. Nor am I debating how long it takes for the treatment to work. What I am debating, at this point, is what I've already addressed.
>because it alters your brain and is it actually good?
Would you rather deal with delusions and hallucinations on your own when it can be effectively treated? Psychiatric medication doesn't cure disorders, but it suppresses the symptoms so those with, let's say schizophrenia, can lead healthy, happy lives. That by itself cannot be debated. If altering your brain chemistry keeps you from hallucinating, then yeah, it's worth it.
>inb4 drugs make you happy
Also,
>The real problem is that our modern society is incredibly depressing
I do agree with this, but I think you're misunderstanding the difference between situational depression and clinical depression. They're two very different things and should be treated differently. If you're suffering from severe depression resulting from a mental illness, then explore psychiatric options. If you're depressed because you're mourning, that's something a counselor needs to help with.
>it just lobotomizes you
Come on, now. I think you know what a lobotomy really is and you're just trying to make a point. Atypicals are nothing like having your prefrontal cortex destroyed.
Leo Martin
>mfw I just want to know who the guy in the photo is but people are arguing over drugs
Nolan Murphy
Person in photo is me....
>mfw I don’t even know what to think anymore
John Robinson
I don't know if antidepressants work, I've been on two of them for 6 months now and every day I think about killing myself.
Jack Carter
Yeah I’m not sure what it is..
Jordan Green
>difference between situational depression and clinical depression They don't actually distinguish between the two in clinical practice. Also I don't think there really is a difference. People who are depressed for "no reason" most likely feel they can't address the real reason (e.g. bad marriage, bad career choice, any life situation that is really hard to get out of) Also there is a potential drug free treatment for schizophrenia called open dialogue. It may actually work better than meds. Some people made a full recovery from schizophrenia without medication. I'm not trying to discourage treatment but the system is heavily flawed.
