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chavos · 07-10-2003, 08:49 AM

I get so frustrated when people talk about "chemical levels" and "imbalances." It is all a hypothesis on why these pills make you happy. They cannot check how much seratonin you have...they would have to drill in to your brain to do so. No doctor i know would perform a biopsy to diagnose depression.

Take what works. Be patient, and be willing to try more than one medication. It is not a science in many ways...and becareful of anyone who is too sure of what they're saying. That said...NEVER take any SSRI on an irregular basis. That fucking you up is nearly the only guarantee in this whole mess.

I started paxil when i was under 18, which was since discovered to be very dangerous. I had had severe depression at that point in my life...and i know that they were just trying to help, but i do have some anger for the doc who gave it to me even those it wasn't FDA approved.

Perhaps as a side effect, i got drastically worse...i had panic attacks for the first time, and had no let up with my depression. Hospitalized for the first time, i was switched over to Celexa.

That didn't work either, and i began to cut myself pretty regularly. Switched to effexor, and had no improvement. Tapered off that, and went a year with out meds. I wasn't any better on or off, and so i figured off was cheaper.

Wellbutrin got a try after a nearly going back to cutting....but didn't really help much. A few months later, i quit that too. Nearly flunked college because of the depression and anxiety...but managed to turn it around with a little understanding from my profs.

These days i've got xanax for the panic attacks, but i can't use it much so i don't get addicted. Which is fine by me...i've had a spontaneous remission of the worst of my symptoms. I still get down sometimes, and i get panicky now and again. I don't know why...but for now, life is good.

The things i would reccomend to anybody facing these issues is to find someone who will listen when you need it-friends, family, etc... Becareful of overburdening them, but sometimes it just takes someone calming you down in the worst of it. That, and try to get regular exercise. Most of the drugs cause weight gain, and it's a big reason to quit them...i packed on 50 because i had to switch around so much...but not only will working out keep the pounds away, but helps take some edge off the blues.

07-10-2003, 08:49 AM	#43 (permalink)
chavos Banned Location: St. Paul, MN	I get so frustrated when people talk about "chemical levels" and "imbalances." It is all a hypothesis on why these pills make you happy. They cannot check how much seratonin you have...they would have to drill in to your brain to do so. No doctor i know would perform a biopsy to diagnose depression. Take what works. Be patient, and be willing to try more than one medication. It is not a science in many ways...and becareful of anyone who is too sure of what they're saying. That said...NEVER take any SSRI on an irregular basis. That fucking you up is nearly the only guarantee in this whole mess. I started paxil when i was under 18, which was since discovered to be very dangerous. I had had severe depression at that point in my life...and i know that they were just trying to help, but i do have some anger for the doc who gave it to me even those it wasn't FDA approved. Perhaps as a side effect, i got drastically worse...i had panic attacks for the first time, and had no let up with my depression. Hospitalized for the first time, i was switched over to Celexa. That didn't work either, and i began to cut myself pretty regularly. Switched to effexor, and had no improvement. Tapered off that, and went a year with out meds. I wasn't any better on or off, and so i figured off was cheaper. Wellbutrin got a try after a nearly going back to cutting....but didn't really help much. A few months later, i quit that too. Nearly flunked college because of the depression and anxiety...but managed to turn it around with a little understanding from my profs. These days i've got xanax for the panic attacks, but i can't use it much so i don't get addicted. Which is fine by me...i've had a spontaneous remission of the worst of my symptoms. I still get down sometimes, and i get panicky now and again. I don't know why...but for now, life is good. The things i would reccomend to anybody facing these issues is to find someone who will listen when you need it-friends, family, etc... Becareful of overburdening them, but sometimes it just takes someone calming you down in the worst of it. That, and try to get regular exercise. Most of the drugs cause weight gain, and it's a big reason to quit them...i packed on 50 because i had to switch around so much...but not only will working out keep the pounds away, but helps take some edge off the blues.