Anyone here take anti-depressants? (Zoloft, Paxil, Lithium, etc)

[Keribeth]

I took paxil a couple years ago. I experienced really bad withdrawal whenever my prescription ran out. Took 2 or 3 months to get off it completely. Hated it.

Im supossed to be taking wellbutrin now. Which actually worked pretty good. It's more of a mood stabilizer than an anti depressant, I found. It also curbs your appetite as well. I still hate taking meds because of my experience with the paxil so I stopped. Havnt felt that I needed it either.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Tried Wellbutrin for smoking cessation, bumped my blood pressure into dangerous levels & made my scalp feel like about 2,000 ants were crawling all over it, quit the Wellbutrin, and still smoke

 

[StormRider]

I would try St. John's Wort first before trying any of those drugs. It seems safer with less side effects and a bunch cheaper too. I don't know if it helped me or not but I didn't encounter any side effects. I tend to hate drugs of any kind and am wary of them -- that's why I tried St. John's Wort.

The only side effect I heard is that you shouldn't stay out in bright sun-light because St. Johns Wort increases your chance of getting carteracts(sp)

 

[WordSmith2000]

You have to be very careful about drug interactions when you take anti-depressants.

I was on zoloft for about 6 months. Sexual side effect? Yeah, it delayed orgasm...suddenly, I could last for a couple of hours without a problem! The gf loved it!

 

[Isla]

When I was a teen (in the days before Prozac, Paxil, etc) they tried me on Phenobarbitol but that didn't last long... it made me psychotic and did nothing to help me, it just made me feel worse.

I've had bouts of anxiety and depression all my life and the only thing that has ever really helped me is regular exercise... 30 to 40 minutes a day. If I go 2-3 days without it, I get twitchy. I honestly think I need the release of endorphins from the workouts or I start to get very unbalanced. I have to work out every day or I freak out.

I've found that the better care I take of my body (lots of water, easy on the alcohol, no drugs/meds, healthy diet, regular exercise) the better mental health I am in. I know I am not the only one, so if anyone is struggling with these issues, please consider this in conjunction with your doctor's advice. It can't hurt to start with a healthy body and take it from there.

 

[Tauren]

I was on Effexor XR when I got divorced. It helped with the depression divorce can cause. When I got my sh*t together(which took about a year) they weaned me off of it and I am doing just fine.

Effexor is a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor.

 

[HansHurt]

I agree Isla(first hand experience)...I would go into more detail, but it's bedtime for me.