I'm on my fourth antidepressant in 5 months. Let's see here....Lexapro, Effexor, Prozac, and now I get to experience the joy that is zoloft. YAY!!! It's great because I either become almost catatonic or I don't personally experience a difference. I would much rather just not take anything but then again I'm so sick of being sad and angry. I've been on some sort of antidepressant since I was 12/13, (which is kinda pathetic). The prozac made me (even more) suicidal but happy on the outside, the effexor made me sick but everyone saw a difference in my behavior, and the Lexapro didn't work at all.
I do know that I need to be on something but I'm just so sick of trying to find the "right one" that I'm about ready to give up. Last semester was horrible and I hope to never relive that again. I gave up the sport that I love, (rugby), stopped caring about my junior year (need to be great for college), and semi-purposely crashed my car into a barrier. I don't know, I'm probably just whining now and i know that that's annoying so I'll shut my mouth, (or...stop typing). I'm only 16 though, I want to enjoy my last year.5 of high school instead of battling this black hole of depression.
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I can tell you from my experience with anti-depressants, that they've never worked for me! It was something I just had to get over myself. My doctor was a jerk about it because I had forgotten to take them for a couple of days. but when you're depressed you dont' really care and your mind is not on the pills. For me, I hardly ever went out with my friends or family. I just hid in my room like a hermit. I was so depressed my entire life (had a lot of things happen!) that even back when I was only five years old, almost six, I was talking about suicide. I didn't even know what that was at the time, but I knew that i didn't want to live life the way I was forced to. Obviously I never did and I grew up.
I finally told myself that this is enough. I have to stop doing this and live my life. I completely stopped taking the anti-depressants, and made myself go out. It started with the movies....then I branched out to colorguard-which really helped me to break free! I made new friends and for the first time, I had actually made a best friend.
I still have my downs, but they definitely aren't as severe as they used to be!!!
You just have to tell yourself that there are people who care, and just push yourself to get out there and enjoy what you have! It was really tough, I'm not going to lie. But it's definitely possible!
Did that help at all?
It is dangerous to tell people it is something they can just get over if they try hard. That is sort of blaming the victim. I am glad it worked for you, but you are a VERY rare case. Most people suffering with major depression require medication and therapy.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Hun,
It takes time to find the right medicine for you, and everyone your age goes through those sad depressing times. I get depressed at about the same age you did. I could never find the right anti-depressant for me and then they switched me to an anit-anxiety instead of an anti-depressant, and it worked wonders. They can be highly addictive though, I have seen a lot of my friends ruin their lives because of pills. So just remember to be careful and be patient!!
I personally think doctors are too eager to be giving out meds--especially to teens. There should be other ways to combat depression. Certain therapies have been proven to work, so why can't the doc find something like that for you?
I see a therapist to try and combat it but it takes time and I can't wait for a medicine to kick in and make me feel again. Also I agree that doctors are giving out antidepressants to freely and for many its just an attention grabbing thing but I used to cut and this was used for it
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i am who i am, no excuses, but i would like people to know that there is a lot more to me than just that girl they pass in the hallway without a fleeting glance
If you are doing things like crashing into a barrier on purpose, you need to keep trying. Depression gets worse if left unchecked.
The part that left me with a big question mark is that they have changed your meds four times in five months? That isn't enough time to find out if they were working! It sometimes takes a number of months for the medication to reach its full affect, and sometimes, adjusting the dose, not changing the med completely, will do the trick. I'm no doctor, but I question that decision.
None of those meds worked for me either. My mom has had success only on Lexapro. She would be dead without it. The one that worked for me was Remeron. It's not often prescribed, but it was the only thing that worked for me. Few side effects (again, for me; everyone's different), except drowsiness, which was great, because I had horrible insomnia too!
The Remeron got me stable enough to be productive in therapy. There, I learned my depression triggers, and I learned coping skills. I haven't been on meds for six years, and I have had no relapses. I credit the therapy for giving me the coping skills, but I credit the meds with getting me to the point where I could learn them. I couldn't have recovered without both. Are you in therapy, along with the meds? You should be, if you aren't. I think everyone should do some therapy, even if they don't have a mental illness! It's the best thing you can do for yourself!
Good luck. I feel for you. I've been there.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman