My husband is going to start anti-depressants, what should I expect?

[redfathom]

Hi Everyone,

 

My husband is going in today to see a doctor to get prescribed anti-depressants. I was just wondering, what should I expect? I know that they can take a month to take effect and I have heard that for some people it can make the depression worse. He has been having thoughts of suicide so I want to make sure he does not get worse.

 

I am just wondering what signs I should be on the look out for and also what I can do to make the transition easier for him.

 

Any advice would be very helpful.

 

Thanks!

[redfathom]

This is a bump

[alterego1234]

They can take anywhere from 2 days to 2 or 3 months to take full effect, depending on the person and the medication.

 

Every antidepressant has side effects; some are common and some are rare. When I was on them I would typically get a few of the more common side effects. In one case I got a rare side effect; I switched off that medication very quickly.

 

What I would suggest you do is find out the drug name that your husband will be on and go research the side effects on the web. That way you can help him recognize if he starts having them.

 

One side effect common to most SSRI-style antidepressants -- the most popular kind these days -- is loss of libido. Be aware of this and don't take it personally if/when that happens. Also talk with his doctor about switching to wellbutrin if that is the case; it is the one SSRI that is much better in that regard.

[redfathom]

Hi Alterego,

 

We are already having that problem (libido) and I will assume it will not get better on the AD's so I will definitly be patient and understanding.

 

He has an appt. today to see the dr. So I will hopefully know soon what the brand is then I will go online immediatly to find out the side effects.

 

When you were on them did you notice a huge improvment in your mood?

[Lizzie60]

The side effects are different for each individual... I've heard about the loss of libido... it didn't affect me AT ALL... in fact I think it did the opposite...

 

 

Those anti depressants saved my life I'm sure... I am still taking them.. not because I am depressed...but because I feel good on them... I like the 'energy' they give me...

 

Just go with the flow... and see what happens... it should help him... sometimes it takes a few AD to see which one is the best.. I remember some I couldn't take... they were way too strong. Once I found the right one.. it was amazing.

[redfathom]

Hi Lizzie,

 

Thanks for the info. So it will be trial and error, I just need to be patient, which I will be, I am nothing but 100% supportive of this and proud of him for getting he help he needs.

 

I can't wait for him to be happier and more full of life. I know he is scared, he did not really want to be put on medication, his mom was on prozac for years and she was still clinically insane (not because of depression) she has maaaannnnyyy issues. That of course has made him skeptical.

 

I hope this helps him have the quality of life he desereves.

[redfathom]

He just called and they are putting him on Paxil. I looked up side effects but just general information was listed. I guess when he comes home with the prescription it will include the info.

[alterego1234]

Hi Alterego,

 

When you were on them did you notice a huge improvment in your mood?

 

Well, I was on probably five or six different ones over the course of about five or six years. They were all SSRI's.

 

When I started on them, I think my first one was Effexor XR. I noticed a huge improvement in my mood right away -- after a few days. I'm not sure if that was part placebo effect...probably so. After a while, I sort of developed "immunity" to the first one I was on, so every few months they upped my dose. It would be better for a while, then it would slowly become less effective. This pattern did not surprise the doc, and the doc basically said they just keep upping the dose until you max out, then they switch you to a different one.

 

After a while I switched to a different one for that reason, I think it was Lexapro. Same thing happened there, so maybe a year later I switched again. At one point I tried Wellbutrin because I didn't like the loss of libido. With me Wellbutrin was excellent except it gave me paranoid thoughts, which freaked me out enough to switch. Towards the end, I was on generic Prozac simply because it was cheap and I was a poor grad student.

 

I'm off them completely now but with winter coming on I do have the "blahs" and have trouble motivating myself. I know going back on the meds would help with that aspect, but I am still "high functioning" so will probably just grin and bear it.

 

Again, everyone reacts differently, so don't take the above as a prediction of how your husband will be. If you have a good doctor, they should be willing to let you try out different ones. With me they all worked a little differently -- all of them were effective against my depression, but it's maybe like comparing apples to pears -- both are sweet fruits, but the flavor and texture is a little different.

 

As far as side effects, I just googled "paxil side effects" and there were several listings there.

 

Good luck...

[redfathom]

Thanks Alterego,

 

My H starts them this morning, which is his normal bedtime. Do you have to take them at the same time all the time? We leave on a cruise in 17 days so his sleeping schedule will not be the same while we are gone. Normally he works graves so the dr said to take them before bed because they may cause drowsiness.

[alterego1234]

He should follow his doctor's dosing instructions.

 

SSRI's have a period of time that they last in the bloodstream. Some last less than a day, some last a few days, and some, most notably Prozac, can last up to 6 weeks. With the shorter lasting ones, I think it's more important to take them at the same time every day, because it is possible for some people to begin having withdrawal symptoms as the drug exits the bloodstream. Over time, as I paid attention to myself and got to where the depression was not so debilitating, I could observe this effect.

 

Paxil, by the way, is one of the shorter lasting ones; it's half life is less than a day. So it would be particularly important to take it at the same time every day.

 

If he does have to change his dosing schedule for the trip, and he is supposed to take one every 24 hours, I would personally, if I were in his shoes, make the adjustment by shortening the gap between pills one time instead of stretching it out. So for example, if he's switching from taking it at 10 pm to taking it at 10 am starting on a Saturday, I would take it Thurs 10 pm, Fri 10 pm, Saturday 10am, Sunday 10 am, instead of Thursday 10pm, Friday 10pm, Sunday 10am.

 

Also, if he does find that his mood is lagging the last few hours before his next dose, he might want to talk to the doctor about an extended release version or a longer lasting one.

 

Again, work with your doctor. I am not a doctor, I'm just a patient who is sharing my own personal experience with SSRI's and depression.

 

Oh, one other thing. It's not well known, but many people have withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants. The tricky thing about withdrawal symptoms is that they can mimic depression. So as your husband gets to where he's weaning off the meds some time in the future, he may experience these withdrawal symptoms and you may think that the original depression is returning. This can be very confusing. At one point when I was switching from Lexapro to Prozac, I was simultaneously experiencing the withdrawal symptoms from the Lexapro, the side effects of the Lexapro were disappearing, and the side effects of Prozac were appearing. So I had to become a sleuth with my own body and pay careful attention to what things were caused by what.

 

The trick is to wean off as slowly as necessary for the body to readjust to not having the medication in the bloodstream. For a full treatment of this, read "The Antidepressant Solution", by Dr. Joseph Glenmullen: http://www.prozacbacklash.com/antidepressantSolution.html

[redfathom]

Hi Alterego,

 

Thanks for the article, I will check it out. I will just watch him to see how he does. They have him taking 1 pill for two weeks, 2 pills for two weeks and 3 pills for two weeks and then the dosage will be his normal prescription so our cruise in in about two weeks so he will up the dossage, I am not sure if he needs to take all pills as the same time. I will try to find that out.

[alterego1234]

Just to clarify, "The Antidepressant Solution" is a book. The link I provided just gives some information about the book. I highly recommend the book to anyone trying to wean themselves off antidepressants.

[marsbars]

AD's are a tricky bunch from what I have read. I just recently went back on the welbutrin after a couple of years off of it. Of course I originally took it to quit smoking. It worked for a while but when I went off it I started again. This time I am back on it for depression. And my wife, whom I am separated from just went on Prozac. Welbutrin is a weird one. It can make you pretty amped. On a note I read in an article about SSII's and loss of libido that buporion, which is welbutrin is sometimes used in conjunction to help boost libido. that is one reason I went back on it. No loss of libido. It probably went up. But I also tolerated it well. Just don't expect a total turn around for a while. Sometimes a dr has to change dosage or drug several times to get the effect desired.

[redfathom]

Hey marsbars, thanks for the reply. Yeah, they have to switch his meds, he just picked up a prescription for Prozac yesterday, the Paxil was making him very tired and he was at 1/4 the dosage. So he starts Prozac today. Does anyone have info on that med? Thanks.

[blind_otter]

All I can say about Prozac is that it damn near saved my life. I have experienced a mild loss of libido, and I've experienced weight gain (damnit!) -- but I'd rather be chubby and less motivated to have sex than deeply, disturbingly suicidal and self-injuring.

[redfathom]

Hi Blind Otter,

 

Thanks for the post, you know I am so excited about my H starting AD's. I keep telling him everyday that I am proud of him and I can't wait until he feels truly happy because he deserves it. He is suicidal right now, and I can't wait for him to have a new lease on life. I can already tell a difference (but now he is switching). He is talking a bunch more and is not so withdrawn. His waist is 28 inch, so some weight gain will not be a big deal.

 

I am very excited for what life has for us now that he is getting help.