Memes aside, are antidepressants a scam or do they actually work, or maybe both? I've honestly tried everything to feel better, but the crippling anxiety/depression lingers on. I went to see a psychiatrist and got prescribed some Venlafaxine, I've actually taken Escitalopram and Fluoxetine couple of years ago but to no avail really, didn't feel any different. Thoughts?
I took Fluoxetine and it did absolutely nothing to help. I’m convinced they are a placebo scam.
Fluoxetine also did noting for me, that's why I'm skeptical towards Venlafaxine/Effexor.
Give it a month to see if it helps. It takes 4-6 weeks to actually see an effect. I’m on the same medication, been taking it 2 weeks now and helps a little with anxiety, panic and depression.
Worked for me. Some of them are bad for your dick but if you are thinking about suicide for most of your day that's a small concern. You aren't supposed to stay on them forever
I did fluoxetine for about two months back in 2020 or so. They did a good job of levelling me out and helping with my motivation.
Eventually moved off of them after I got myself into a healthy routine and have been decently balanced out since then.
Brain stuff is pretty complicated and this stuff isn't really a guaranteed fix, but you're better off giving them a go and seeing where you're at rather than assuming some internet strangers are correct that they don't work. Like really, if they work, awesome. If they don't work, stop taking them and carry on.
Been on them for almost a year. I feel like a normal person, or what I've observed normalcy seems to be. Fixed my life and undid decades of damage. YMMV. Only thing is I'm afraid to go off them now.
I know someone they worked for.
I know someone they didn't work for.
Hope that helps. :^)
>thoughts
Google
They worked for me. I would be dead if it wasn’t for antidepressants.
Bumo
I've been taking them for a really , really long time now .
They've definitely worked for me , but the thing is that's not always necessarily a good thing. Allow me to explain.
If you take them at a certain dose, then them working could mean making you numb and disconnected from emotions , unmotivated , and almost high . Like you might feel good but you're still disconnected from emotions because you're cut off from your pain to the point of numbness . You're bandaging over the symptoms and not a really treating the problems in your life.
Thats nots what they're supposed to do , they're supposed to buffer your mood .
I take a low dose these days and thats what it accomplishes for me . I still feel my depression , anxiety and pain but it's regulated into bouts / transitory moods.
I definitely see my depression as a reaction to my life circumstances and my lifestyle. So I actually want to stay adjusted to it , I see it as something to live with . It keeps my mind on my issues , that need attention and fixing . It's my sensitivity to and awareness of actual problems . It is your body's way of signalling to you that something is wrong and needs changing . But it has to be manageable and liveable . You want to be going through ups and downs like everybody else , not permanently down of permanently a numbed out zombie .
*Not permanently down or permanently a numbed out zombie
Very ambivalent feedback
I've lived what is considered major depression since my early teens and never taken anti-depressants or wanted to. However . That is not to say you should not take them . I was almost diagnosed with ASPD when I told a psychologist how long I'd been living with what is considered major depression because of the fact I'd never sought treatment and never wanted to ; either anti-depressants or therapy , and because of my attitude towards the condition . But he could not make the diagnosis because I didn't actually have any anri-social traits
How do you know he almost diagnosed you with it?
He openly discussed it with me , basically.
Because I said that I veiwed my life and my depression (virtually inseperable) as a game which was maybe a poor choice of words , what I meant was specifically like a sports game or a competition where life and people were constantly trying to psyche me out and throw me off my game and it was a feat of mental survival and strength. Supposedly that resembles the "mental toughness" trait of ASPD or their level of mental toughness .
Since I don't actually lack empathy or have actual anti social traits or behaviours he couldn't make the diagnosis .
Seriously ?
Yes . Im almost hesitant to mention it since I dont want to scare anons away from getting help.
I grew up upper-middle class and I've had no life since early - mid teens while watching everyone around me live the life youd expect upper middle class normgroids to have , seemingly just automatically and breezing through it .
Most psychologists come from upper middle class backgrounds and seem totally out of touch with how severe and cruel life can be. My reasoning was that I still had a much more fortunate life then the vast majority of people on earth today as well as throughout history, and that I'd been bullied , rejected or otherwise offered no positive reinforcement by anyone outside my immediate family , at least which did not later end in betrayal , so it was rational and objective to regard people as a feature of my life constantly trying to psyche me out and bring me down essentially .
ASPD diagnosis is based on a just world fallacy .
Most people are a scum and yet you are the bad guy if you lose faith in them because they abused you and you have to resort to manipulating them for survival , whether psychological / emotional and or material .
What does that even mean ? How could you be considered ASPD because of your attitude towards your depression?
I'm on effexor and wellbutrin and at least for me are like having the normal problems I have plus a host of other problems! They cause all kinds of weird side effects physically and mentally. I just feel slightly calmer and a little bit more focussed.
So you wouldn't really recommend it?