3 ms·

Would grateful to hear anyone's experience taking SSRI's (Zoloft, etc.). Was it effective, how long were you taking it, what were the side effects it any, how w

Would grateful to hear anyone's experience taking SSRI's (Zoloft, etc.). Was it effective, how long were you taking it, what were the side effects it any, how was the experience of stopping (withdrawal, etc.)?

Blackthorn 9y ago
Been taking Lexapro for over two years now. Started at five, moved up to 7.5 and ultimately been settled at ten for the last year and a half. Have not seen side effects (I was deathly afraid of something like ED but if anything my sex drive is enhanced thanks to no longer being depressed). It has been one hundred percent effective. If I miss a day, I know (and so does everyone else). We (psychiatrist and I) tried to see if I had gotten past the point of needing it by tapering off. Didn't work, so I'm back at ten, probably for life. That's fine, there's way worse medications to be dependent on!
- Franciscouzo 9y ago
  Are you sure the symptoms you got by tapering off were because you not longer have the drug you need in your system, or because of discontinuation syndrome?
  - Blackthorn 9y ago
    My psychiatrist determined it was the former.
- DanBC 9y ago
  > tried to see if I had gotten past the point of needing it by tapering off A small point, but the "discontinuation effects" for these meds can be severe, and they can make people think they still need to take the meds. This keeps people taking meds for very long amounts of time. Some people are okay with the side effects, and they've made an informed choice about the risks of taking these meds long term. The Guardian newspaper has been running a couple of stories about long term use. I think they're a little bit alarmist, but the personal experiences are useful. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/long-term-user-antidepressants-tell-experiences https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/long-term-us... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/03/is-britain-a-nation-hooked-on-antidepressants https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/03/is-brit... https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/dont-know-who-am-antidepressant-long-term-use https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/dont-know-wh...
ThrowawayP 9y ago
> Would grateful to hear anyone's experience taking SSRI's (Zoloft, etc.) The experience of others doesn't mean a darned thing. Each person's biochemistry is highly individual which is why the success rate of treating various mental disorders using medication is so low. I, for example, get rapid tolerance to just about everything, so even the few SSRIs that worked didn't help for long.
zzzeek 9y ago
I'm on Lexapro (very low, 2.5 at the moment but normally 5mg. 7-10 mg causes tension headaches for me) and have also taken zofoft, celexa, lithium, and also the usual Ativan/Xanax thing as well as a bunch of other meds years ago. The SSRIs have side effects for me so I battle with them constantly, going off for many years, getting back on, etc. However, they are side effects I know very well and are all fairly benign compared to the kinds of side effects associated with other antidepressant classes. And they work, they make it more likely that any given thought or sensation is just going to be... What was I thinking about? Like that. My depression / anxiety are very ruminative. When outward stressors are lower, I like to lower my dose which leads me to be a bit more creative and also reduces other side effects, but I become more emotionally reactive - a thing i practice a lot in trying to recognize in a flash and control. It's a lifelong struggle.

Blackthorn 9y ago

Been taking Lexapro for over two years now. Started at five, moved up to 7.5 and ultimately been settled at ten for the last year and a half. Have not seen side effects (I was deathly afraid of something like ED but if anything my sex drive is enhanced thanks to no longer being depressed). It has been one hundred percent effective. If I miss a day, I know (and so does everyone else). We (psychiatrist and I) tried to see if I had gotten past the point of needing it by tapering off. Didn't work, so I'm back at ten, probably for life. That's fine, there's way worse medications to be dependent on!

Franciscouzo 9y ago
Are you sure the symptoms you got by tapering off were because you not longer have the drug you need in your system, or because of discontinuation syndrome?
- Blackthorn 9y ago
  My psychiatrist determined it was the former.
DanBC 9y ago
> tried to see if I had gotten past the point of needing it by tapering off A small point, but the "discontinuation effects" for these meds can be severe, and they can make people think they still need to take the meds. This keeps people taking meds for very long amounts of time. Some people are okay with the side effects, and they've made an informed choice about the risks of taking these meds long term. The Guardian newspaper has been running a couple of stories about long term use. I think they're a little bit alarmist, but the personal experiences are useful. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/long-term-user-antidepressants-tell-experiences https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/long-term-us... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/03/is-britain-a-nation-hooked-on-antidepressants https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/03/is-brit... https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/dont-know-who-am-antidepressant-long-term-use https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/06/dont-know-wh...

ThrowawayP 9y ago

> Would grateful to hear anyone's experience taking SSRI's (Zoloft, etc.) The experience of others doesn't mean a darned thing. Each person's biochemistry is highly individual which is why the success rate of treating various mental disorders using medication is so low. I, for example, get rapid tolerance to just about everything, so even the few SSRIs that worked didn't help for long.

zzzeek 9y ago

I'm on Lexapro (very low, 2.5 at the moment but normally 5mg. 7-10 mg causes tension headaches for me) and have also taken zofoft, celexa, lithium, and also the usual Ativan/Xanax thing as well as a bunch of other meds years ago. The SSRIs have side effects for me so I battle with them constantly, going off for many years, getting back on, etc. However, they are side effects I know very well and are all fairly benign compared to the kinds of side effects associated with other antidepressant classes. And they work, they make it more likely that any given thought or sensation is just going to be... What was I thinking about? Like that. My depression / anxiety are very ruminative. When outward stressors are lower, I like to lower my dose which leads me to be a bit more creative and also reduces other side effects, but I become more emotionally reactive - a thing i practice a lot in trying to recognize in a flash and control. It's a lifelong struggle.