For how long do you need to stay on your medication?

My depression is organic and chronic. The couple of times I've tried to stop medication, I've sunk right back into major depression. I've come to terms with the fact that I need to be on antidepressants indefinitely if I want to live a decent life. Thanks to medication, I am now in remission. Considering all the debilitating diseases in the world, I feel very lucky to have such a simple treatment. Pop a couple of pills each morning, and I'm done.

This post has been edited by suburgatory: Apr 19 2008, 07:43 PM

I just spoke to the pnurse about this.
She said for at least a year!
I don't think that's gonna happen.

See, I know exactly *why* I went into a depression.
I always have some seasonal depression, and we had an early, harsh winter.
Plus, due to a medical condition, I was not allowed to exercise -- at all. Exercise always helps me.
Plus, I was dealing with a very abusive work situation for three years, and was then involutarily transfered.
And I was dealing with my mom's prolonged illness, my son's addiction recovery and my own illness.
When the transfer came, I also had to get grades done and couldn't get everything done on time. The principal, (who was the one to have me transfered), threatened to have me fired!
So, yea; I became depressed as a result of long term stress.

So, when I addressed all this with her, I asked if I would get past it easier and faster. She said I needed to stay on the antidepressants for at least a year, else I had a better chance of going into a depression again.

I'm *supposed* to be on 200 mg of buproprion, (generic wellbutrin). I only take 100 mg though. I don't like the feel when I"m on the two hundred. I get forgetful and ditsy. And, I get very very effected by meds. I haven't told her yet; nor have I told my counselor. But, I'll tell them the next time I see them. That will be a month since I've been on 1/2 dose, so, enough time will have gone by to show that I'm doing well on it. Cuz, I am!

Anyway, since I do not like how I feel on it, I hardly think I'm going to stay on it for a year. And I can tell when it's time to take it, cuz, I get a headache. So, that shows withdrawal symptoms. I don't like dependency either. And now that I can exercise again, I'm out, in the gardens, in the yard, and in the sun again, and feeling SOOOOOO much better. I feel like a new person!

What I'd rather do is be proactive about the seasonal depression. Cuz, I feel blue every winter. Is there anything *just* for seasonal affective disorder?

Peace!

I'm Bipolar I. It's a lifetime illness which requires meds for life.
Sheepwoman

6 yrs
Doug

i'm a lifer... bipolar 1... better than being unmedicated i must say

I am for battling through depression without the use of medication. My Dr. gave me everything under the sun and they had no effect on me other than the usual side effects. The ADs are useless, highly overrated and over prescribed, in my opinion.

Depends on if the meds poop-out. If so I'll just have to work hard on finding a new one. I will probably be off work for a good two months if that's the case.

I voted for more than three years. I don't know how long I will be on AD this time. Considering when I stopped I went right back where I was before, I will stay on them until they don't work anymore. Hopefully never!

Hi historyteach
May I just mention why it is recommended to stay on ADs for a year, even after the depressive episode has ended? Each depressive episode, regardless of the reason why it began, sets your brain chemistry into a "depressive" mode of functioning. The AD supposedly "corrects" this, but it takes a while to groove the brain back into remembering what "normal" is.

This is so. Each depressive episode you have, adds to the likelihood that you'll have another one. Since you say you have seasonal depression too, you ARE more likely to be a candidate for relapse, and continuing the AD a little longer aims to get your brain well trained for normal functioning. After a first depressive episode, the recommendation is to stay on for 6 months after remission, after the second for a year or so, and so on. So although you are well aware of why you got depressed (which is great, the insight will help you immensely) certain chemical pathways or tracks got some practice during the depressive episode, and you want to make sure they're reprogrammed. This is why you would have been given this advice.

Of course, I ignored this advice when they gave it to me - I was young and (I thought I was) smart - I've had several episodes since then and am now on lifetime meds. Not saying it is going to happen to you, this is just what statistics and experiences have taught psychiatry, so psychiatric staff would rather be conservative.

As far as lowering the dose because you don't like how you feel on 200mg, you should really do this in consultation with your doc, but - going to whisper now - I've done that before too, many times and after a time just gone back to the doc and said "see, I'm fine".

And lastly, the thing about the withdrawal and "dependency" - most drugs do have some kind of "discontinuation syndrome" but that doesn't necessarily imply that you're dependent or addicted - it's just that you brain has got used to a certain chemical state and if you change it too suddenly, the brain doesn't like it and produces symptoms. When you are due to stop it, you taper off slowly and your brain adjusts.

I'm sure I sound as if I'm trying to discourage you from what you want to do, but I'm not, just wanting to give you the rationale behind what you've been told and how the meds are used.

Your proactiveness will stand you in very good stead and you obviously have a good grip on what to do, to improve your mood and handle the depression. This predicts you'll do well at managing seasonal affective disorder (SAD) There are many approaches and many start in autumn, which keeps it under control in winter and then you can stop it again in spring. Some consider a short course of anti-depressants, light therapy seems to have quite a lot of success, of course exercise will help and I'm sure you can google SAD and find many approaches, to find the ones you like best. I live in a very sunny country all year round and my episodes don't coincide with seasons so I don't know that much about SAD, but I'm sure you'll find strategies!

Wish you all the best!

Looks like life.

BP II & ADHD. (and some other stuff that's more likely to respond to CBT) I'm a lifer with meds.

Life for me as well. =/

I've had my depression and anxiety all of my life. Mental illness runs in my family. I have no doubt that to some extent mine is a biological disorder that will require some kind of medication for the rest of my life. Due to my past history with and without medications, the pdoc said the same.



Hey, Enron. Just wanted to mention that ADs apparently really help a lot of people. Like you, I'm NOT one of them. I've tried about 6 different antidepressants - gave them all plenty of time to work - but didn't notice any difference. Still, that doesn't mean you have to just live with your depression. I also had a lot of anxiety and Klonopin helps immensely. For the depression, my pdoc decided to try a "mood stabilizer", Lamictal. It's done a lot more for me than any AD ever did. My pdoc mentioned that she's found it to work really well for many experiencing chronic depression.

I am thinking for life.....................I dont think I have been stable without medication