What's up with meds

[lackluster]

Hey so I've been thinking about some sort of therapy in the near future but I know that some therapies simultaneously use medication at the same time, I guess to increase the effectiveness of the sessions. 

My question is for those who have tried meds/ are on them now, what's you opinion on them. Did they make feel better, worse, the same, or does just make you numb? I've never tried medication ( besides my own self medication if you know what i mean lol) but since I don't have health insurance I know they will cost more, especially adding therapy costs. I guess I should try therapy first without them? 

Any insights are much appreciated 

[virvellian]

Hi lackluster, I've been on 10mg of Lexapro for two years.

If your doctor and you agree that you should take meds, don't hesitate to take them, but only as a last resort. In my opinion they should be used only after someone has already tried the usual stuff like therapy, exercise, eating healthy, journaling, meditation, etc. I'm not saying that any of these are cures for depression but before you take meds you should at least try to exhaust other options. Antidepressants are not some perfect pills that instantly cure you and make you happy, if they were we would all constantly take them. They come with a lot of unpleasant side-effects that can add to the depression instead of soothing it. Also, many psychiatrists are way too eager to prescribe antidepressants, so you should be wary of that. All that being said, if you and your doctor decide that you would benefit from taking meds, don't be afraid to take them, as they've helped many people.

[Epictetus]

Hi Lackluster,

    I hope you will get a lot of responses to your post so you can get a variety of opinions.

    As for myself, my life was saved by antidepressant medications.  I would not be here without them.  Numerous therapists from various schools of psychotherapy were not able to help me although cognitive therapy proved very useful once medication stabilized my condition.  I like to think of it like this:  Antidepressant therapy is analogous to living in a house which is 95% fireproof.  Cognitive therapy is like having fire extinguishers in every room and an overhead sprinkler system.  Both are extremely useful.  

     My own personal experience with antidepressant medications is that they helped me to feel better.  I have not felt numbed by the medications.  - epictetus

    

Edited April 9, 2018 by Epictetus

[Twitchy1]

I agree with the previous posters that medication can be a very important part of getting out of a depressive episode. The hard part is being patient while you try to find the right medication for you. They work differently for different people, and that goes for side effects too. I tried four antidepressants before I found the one that works best for me (which is Viibryd, by the way). I'm also on a couple different meds because I am bipolar in addition to having major depressive disorder. For the record, I don't really experience any side effects from my meds other than possibly gaining some weight. When I am stable, I wouldn't describe myself as numb - I can definitely laugh and have a good time. It is difficult, however, for me to cry. It's a decent trade off.

Therapy is also a hugely important part of my treatment. I see my therapist weekly and it is so important to me. 

Be sure to work closely with your healthcare providers and be honest with them if you decide to try medications. Give the medications a chance to work (which can take many weeks). I hope you find what you need!

[lackluster]

Thanks everyone I love all you.

im just so overwhelmed with anxiety and just depression right now it's hard to figure what option is right for me. I definitely don't want to go down the route of meds cause I kinda I have a negative feeling toward taking pills cause I've tried to od off of pills before. I literally don't even take pills for headaches anymore cause of the guilt ya know.

i guess at this point I need therapy before I can start taking pills again 

[virvellian]

Therapy is definitely the best starting point! After that you can decide which steps to take. I can also vouch for stuff like yoga, meditation, mindfulness, journaling, taking a walk every day and listening to podcasts because all of that helped me overcome my major depressive episode that lasted two years. Take care! :)

[tracyistrying]

I set up a therapy appointment and if they think you need meds after talking with you then they recommend you to the psychiatrist.  There's a sort of "intake" type process.  You meet with the psychologist first.  I'm excited to finally be dealing with this stuff - denial is real.

[LouisRiel]

Apparently generics that have been around for awhile can be very affordable. I know a user who paid $5 a script for his I believe. In Canada without insurance we pay 4.8-12$ just for a dispensing fee for meds. My experience with meds has been a journey, but that was mostly because I went far too long without them and started from scratch with medical history. I have never felt "numb" and in my case the only thing close to numb was that concept of stability I had never known. After spending over half my life so unstable I had to learn to do things without those swings and that was difficult and in my screwed up mind in the beginning boring.