Well, I was doing good on Remeron and Ativan and now I have been off both for 2 weeks and I am sinking back to where I was before I started. I was only on Remeron for 6 weeks and Ativan for 2 months.

I started to develop gynecomastia (pain in the breast area) so stopped the meds.

I am thinking now that dealing with the breast pain may be worth being out of depression and free from severe anxiety that has me house bound.

Back to my question, has anyone here taken meds for X months and also done therapy and other ways of coping and made it off the meds successfully and carried on as they were on the meds?

Are meds a life time committment in most cases? I sure hope not...

I think it totally depends on the person... Depending upon life experiences and our genetic make-up and treatment depends on how this will affect the rest of our lives.

Throughout high school I was in a really bad depression and took medication that actually caused more harm than good. Since I felt like I couldn't trust my doctors (they really weren't listening to me and my concerns because I was young), I decided that I didn't want to deal with it anymore and gradually took myself off the meds. Thinking that it was just a phase, I was ok for a few months, but shortly after I started college a few months later my depression hit really hard again. I've been in and out of treatment for year and trying to get my life back in order but just this past year got put on St. John's Wort (he was a holistic doctor who felt that everything could be solved from holistic medication). Long story short, I've been dealing with severe ups and downs since I've been on the meds and just recently took myself off of them again. I am currently not on any medication, but know that once I get back on insurance I should probably reconsider going back on them because my depression has been coming back... Every doctor that I have seen says that I suffer from a neurological imbalance that is hereditary. Unfortunately in this case, I don't think that I will be able to completely rid myself of depression without medication for the rest of my life.

So, no... While I have been on and off medication for a long time I have always gone back to it... I'm sorry that my experience wasn't more promising... Good luck to you and wish you the best!!!

Overanalyzer, I believe mine is a success story.

I've gone off of meds for 9 months now (and counting, crossing fingers). I've been relatively depression and anxiety free.I was diagnosed with Major Depression 20+ years and had been on medications for that long. The last few years I had been medication-resistant, the side effects had been driving me crazy. I was constantly exhausted, depleted, sleeping 12 hours a day, and I have a family to take care of so it was very difficult. I was at the end of my rope.

Some one mentioned a life consultant/life coach who specifically works with people with depression and anxiety. They kept mentioning it and I kept brushing it off, thinking 'Oh, another counselor'.

I was really at the point that I would try anything because everything else didn't work very well. So I went to the counselor and started with her almost two years ago. She has a very different approach. It really turned some things are their head. She has had many people get off of medications the 15 years she had been doing it. She said some had been on medications their whole life, and also many at a time. She encouraged me to get off of medications and I must have looked at her like she was crazy because she said, "A lady who was on 6 different antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds. got off of them who is in her 50's got off of them and has recovered. If she can, you can." I was scared, but I weaned off of them over a period of two weeks.

The first couple of months off of medications it was difficult. There were times I wondered what the heck I was thinking getting off of them. I would feel things intensely from sadness, to tears of joy, to anxiety, and a lot of memories came up. But I stayed with it and if I had a hard time, I would give her a call. And believe me, I needed to because I went through some episodes.

But from that point on, I felt better and better. And I feel better and healthier than I ever did when I was on the medications. It still is a lot of work, believe me, I've had to make lifestyle changes, for example.

So it certainly is possible for people to get off antidepressants and antianxiey meds., but very carefully with a lot of support.

If you want to know more, please pm me and I will chat with you about it.

Take lots of care YOU.

Whitelilly

Congrats, Whitelilly! I'm so glad that for some they can actually overcome these illnesses. :) I didn't mean to be so pessimistic in my last post, but for me, I have never heard of anyone that has dealt with these types of problems and has been able to deal with them without therapy or medication...

Congrats, Whitelilly! I'm so glad that for some they can actually overcome these illnesses. :) I didn't mean to be so pessimistic in my last post, but for me, I have never heard of anyone that has dealt with these types of problems and has been able to deal with them without therapy or medication...
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Thanks, Heayan. I don't think you are being pessimistic. Most people haven't heard of some one with Major Depression and Anxiety get off of meds. The general consensus is medications for life. I'm glad I was able to post my experience and remark on the experiences of the life consultant so that people will know. And I am not completely 'cured'. It may be a lifelong process and a lot of work.

The difference so far is that off of meds. I've healed faster and have improved well-beingness all over- mentally, emotionally, physically, and even spiritually. And on meds. I maintained, or functioned at a survival level and improved somewhat.

I am not anti-meds., though, by the way. I think they keep people from suffering enormously. I think they are a gift for people with MH challenges. And I can't say some people would be able to get off meds. But I do think many can successfully.

Thanks for the info and comments :) I am sorry to hear that one did not really work out while the other did.

My main problem is that when off medications for anxiety I get horrible pain in my face that is accompnaied by flushing. The pain is unbearable but connected to anxiety because whenever I am on medication for anxiety it lessens substantially.

If I go out anywhere my face clenches up, flushes and gets a tight and painful feeling, it is horrible and clearly all anxiety related.

I am sure it is possible to somehow work through it whether it be meds in the meantime, meditation and counselling etc.

That is my situation and just thinking about it which I do 24/7 makes things that much worse but your story gives me some hope.

This post has been edited by OverAnalyzer: Jul 29 2008, 01:54 PM

I was off ADs for many years after my first depressive episode. Probably around 6-7 years. Then I got post-natal depression with the birth of my second baby and unfortunately I've been on meds ever since, with several more episodes between. I've now had so many episodes, that my depression has become treatment resistant and I now seem to need combo's of meds, where before I managed on just one. Wish I could tell you otherwise!

The more episodes you have, the more likely it becomes that you'll have another, and the deeper they've been, the more likely they'll happen again. But I think there is a LOT once can do with lifestyle changes, therapy, meditation, nutrition, so it's not a given that you have to be on life-long meds.

When meds are successful and you have to come off them, it leaves you in a very strange place. The only reason I came off my meds was because it was actually making me more anxious. Now I wish I could go back on them, as my current meds aren't proving very successful and I am deeply unhappy with 50% of my day. This has been for over a week now.

I was on max doses of Wellbutrin and Lexapro for 4 years, and they worked great at first, but over time I really began to lack motivation, desire, any sort of enjoyment of life. I wasn't depressed, but my life was stuck in neutral. So I quit and took some Sam-e to help me get over the withdrawal problems. I quit in Feb 2008 and began to have some suicidal thoughts and serious depressive issues. I started taking some Sam-e and began reading up on SJW, rhodelia Rosea, 5-htp etc.

Lucky for me it seems to be working. I don't have the nasty side effects like I did from the meds, I can do a lot of things I couldn't while I was on the meds. I'm exercising again, working more, much calmer and I'm able to deal with a lot of the issues which contributed to my depression. Meds really did a number on me in terms of holding back my recovery. There was no way I could do the work to get over depression. The price is also nice: $50 a month compared to $500 definitely removes some anxiety.

I personally haven't been able to yet, but I do know a friend who was on Lexapro for like alomost three years, and she was able to stop taking them.

I was off of medication and without therapy for about 5 yrs. I was able to hold down a job, function, and just live my everyday life. Because of certain events that happened I started to fall back into my depression and so I'm back on meds now. I agree with heayan though, it just depends on your life circumstances, genetic makeup, etc.