Starting Anti-Depressants

[ana0pera]

i got my prescription today, and will start using them tomorrow. I am curious to see what effect they will have and I hope that they help. I'm starting prozac at a low dose (5mg). The psychiatrist thinks I have situational depression and might not need to be on them that long. I am apprehensive about this and do worry that this is a life-long thing, but I don't know if that's good or bad. anyone here been on anti-depressants for a significant amount of time? did you go off and have to go back on?

 

it says i can't drink alcohol, and i had just bought a bottle of red wine to improve my Mediterranean diet! should've read the label before I went shopping I guess

Edited March 6, 2013 by ana0pera

[DannyMason]

i got my prescription today, and will start using them tomorrow. I am curious to see what effect they will have and I hope that they help. I'm starting prozac at a low dose (5mg). The psychiatrist thinks I have situational depression and might not need to be on them that long. I am apprehensive about this and do worry that this is a life-long thing, but I don't know if that's good or bad. anyone here been on anti-depressants for a significant amount of time? did you go off and have to go back on?

 

I can't vouch for Prozac, but I can vouch for antidepressants generally. From the age of about 13 to 21 I was pretty much continuously suicidal. When I was 18 or so I realized my depression was so bad that if I didn't get help soon I would kill myself. That fall I was prescribed Citalopram/Celexa. My depression vanished instantly for about a week and then began gradually returning. Sometime later I tried Wellbutrin XL, which started helping more gradually, but in the end I can outright credit it for ending a nightmare that spanned more than a third of my life. You almost certainly have nothing to worry about regarding having to take them for life given how severe and long lasting my depression was compared to only taking them for two years. Since recovering from depression I've had the occasional down spell, but feeling better since the antidepressants gave me time to "catch my breath" and build some emotional resilience, so I've never felt a need to go back to the pills.

 

Also what does this thread have to do with exercise?

[dirtysweet]

I'm confused by the exercise thing as well, but I do exercise. It was my new years resolution.

 

This is what I look like now after only two months of exercising and eating right.

http://i.imgur.com/iT9sz0c.jpg

 

I take Celexa and Seroquel myself, and Seroquel has been great for me. It's like the wonder drug after trying everything else. I haven't had any active suicidal thoughts, and I don't think about hurting myself at all. I have suffered from depression since the age of six, btw.

[orionboxing]

Well to answer the question..

 

...I keep fit by running anywhere from 50 to 75 miles per week. I'm a competitive track and road racer....so I train basically every day, sometimes twice per day.

 

But anyways, I was always sort of fast. One day I saw some home video of myself and I did not like how thick I was looking. So I decided to get back into shape, start running again, and the pounds started dropping. I was also motivated by a trip to the Bahamas to look good in trunks.

 

I reached my goal weight, and once people kept commenting on my physique, it served as more motivation to stay in constant shape. Positive reinforcement is the greatest!

 

I'm very thin (6-2, 155) but it's a product of some really intense training on the track and 17 mile long runs on the weekends.

[aMguilts]

you shouldn`t drink alcohol on anti depressants the main reason being is that alcohol IS a depressant so it kind of defeats the objective.

then again 1 glass of red wine a night is fine., just don`t drink the whole bottle

 

aM

[ana0pera]

the title for this thread was accidental (i had started another thread with the same title in another part of this forum (the physical fitness one), and i accidentally title this one the same thing too), i tried to edit it but couldn't change the title. i can see if the admins can change it i guess.

 

i've been on the prozac for about a week now, i am not feeling much better. not suicidal or anything, but i can't focus and i feel extremely tired. just as negative as i was before. i might start taking it at night, since i have a hard time sleeping maybe it will help.

 

i started playing basketball near my house and it's been a lot of fun and a stress reducer--problem is i have limited hours to play (when the court is open) and those hours conflict with my work. so i either need to work around basketball time or get a new sport. i like working out at night before bed and it's finally getting warmer so maybe i will try running again.

[Forever Learning]

the title for this thread was accidental (i had started another thread with the same title in another part of this forum (the physical fitness one), and i accidentally title this one the same thing too), i tried to edit it but couldn't change the title. i can see if the admins can change it i guess.

 

i've been on the prozac for about a week now, i am not feeling much better. not suicidal or anything, but i can't focus and i feel extremely tired. just as negative as i was before. i might start taking it at night, since i have a hard time sleeping maybe it will help.

 

i started playing basketball near my house and it's been a lot of fun and a stress reducer--problem is i have limited hours to play (when the court is open) and those hours conflict with my work. so i either need to work around basketball time or get a new sport. i like working out at night before bed and it's finally getting warmer so maybe i will try running again.

 

I've had mild to moderate depression off and on all my life, starting in teen years. I recently tried a low dose of Celexa, 5mg, took it about 6 months. It worked great but may have contributed to some mid-day fatigue I was having. So I switched to Prozac, 5mg - 7 mg, and it works great, and less or no fatigue.

 

There are other secrets that may help you with depression. Exercise every day, at least 30 minutes, walking on my treadmill or exercise bike is all I need to get my endorphins going. Exercise also helps energize you along with fight depression, but you have to do it almost every day (mild to moderate exercise is enough).

 

L-Theanine. Google it. Helps fight depression and anxiety. An amino acid, found in almonds, almond milk, almond butter (like peanut butter) and other foods. I drink almond milk, it's helps alot.

 

Vitamin D. Take at least 5,000 units a day, you may need more. My depression responds well to this.

 

Take a good multi-vitamin.

 

Magnesium and calcium - helpful for depression, I take a supplement.

 

Omega 3/6/9 blend - a must to help fight depression.

 

Get enough sleep every night. Use a sleep machine, whatever. Get sleep.

 

Make friends/ have a social network - don't be a hermit, make social connections, same gender, in which to discuss life issues. It's free therapy is what it is.

 

Read self help books, stay active, get out of the house - all great tips for fighting depression.

 

If you have seasonal depression, a light box can help alot. Good luck!

 

 

p.s. thought of some more. Eat organic, raw fruits and vegetables. Nutrition plays a huge role in depression, as do pesticides and environmental toxins, along with many things (cognitive thinking patterns - check out the book "Would, Coulda, Shoulda" from the library - you are what you think, and you are what you eat). Cheers!

[FitChick]

I've had mild to moderate depression off and on all my life, starting in teen years. I recently tried a low dose of Celexa, 5mg, took it about 6 months. It worked great but may have contributed to some mid-day fatigue I was having. So I switched to Prozac, 5mg - 7 mg, and it works great, and less or no fatigue.

 

There are other secrets that may help you with depression. Exercise every day, at least 30 minutes, walking on my treadmill or exercise bike is all I need to get my endorphins going. Exercise also helps energize you along with fight depression, but you have to do it almost every day (mild to moderate exercise is enough).

 

L-Theanine. Google it. Helps fight depression and anxiety. An amino acid, found in almonds, almond milk, almond butter (like peanut butter) and other foods. I drink almond milk, it's helps alot.

 

Vitamin D. Take at least 5,000 units a day, you may need more. My depression responds well to this.

 

Take a good multi-vitamin.

 

Magnesium and calcium - helpful for depression, I take a supplement.

 

Omega 3/6/9 blend - a must to help fight depression.

 

Get enough sleep every night. Use a sleep machine, whatever. Get sleep.

 

Make friends/ have a social network - don't be a hermit, make social connections, same gender, in which to discuss life issues. It's free therapy is what it is.

 

Read self help books, stay active, get out of the house - all great tips for fighting depression.

 

If you have seasonal depression, a light box can help alot. Good luck!

 

 

p.s. thought of some more. Eat organic, raw fruits and vegetables. Nutrition plays a huge role in depression, as do pesticides and environmental toxins, along with many things (cognitive thinking patterns - check out the book "Would, Coulda, Shoulda" from the library - you are what you think, and you are what you eat). Cheers!

 

If you are doing all of the above, you probably can kick the Prozac.

[ana0pera]

Wow, thanks for that wonderful list, Forever Learning! I am doing some of those things already (I love almond milk, and I eat a predominately raw foods pescetarian diet) but I need to implement others with more regularity--I've been taking B vitamins and just bought Vitamin D, do need to take my multivitamins with more regularity though. Will research the Omega 3/6/9 blend, and am really pushing myself to be more social.

 

I've been on 10 mg of prozac for about two days and I feel miserable. I am not like suicidal or anything which is great (although I never really was like that to begin with) but all I want to do is sleep. I am tired constantly and cannot concentrate. I feel nauseous too. I was in the grocery store tonight and I couldn't concentrate and find items that I wanted to buy. I am going to call my Dr. and ask about this tomorrow, because I don't like feeling comatose and with the busy life I have, I can't be like that. I am also worried because next week I am supposed to drive around a group of visiting scholars and (1) I haven't operated a motor vehicle in a long time and (2) with the way i currently feel, it probably isn't safe for me to drive a motor vehicle.