off anti depressants and now I am feeling down again

[smile95]

I gradually stopped taking my anti depressants over the last two months. I completlt stopped when the ex called me and we became friends. The reason I took them was him and the affect he had on me and my depressed state.

 

Well, of course since we are not talking now, I am feeling really down about EVERYTHING. I know that it could be a fluke, but do you think that I need to take them again until I am over him and feeling good about my life/self?

 

Maybe it is just a coincidence that I feel down today? How do you know when to go off of them? My dr. was no help. She just said to stay on them forever basically! Should I go back on them? Should I wait it out? I was on them to begin with because I could not stop crying and did nothing but sleep. Any advice? Anyone know when to go off?

[moimeme]

You should be listening to your physicians who know your case rather than asking strangers on a forum.

[smile95]

in my opinion, she just wants me on them forerver! I do not see the point. I want to be able to live with them. My mom tells me that I may just need them due to a chemical imbalance, but I was fine before I met him??

 

I know I should trust the dr, but I was just wondering if anyone had taken them, gone off, and are ok?

[Thinkalot]

Sometimes you do need to stay on them for some time to really pull yourself up and get back to a more balanced state, even if some particular incident triggered the depression.

 

Once you feel better, go off them.

 

Of course, if you really dont want to be on them, then that's your choice. You can look into natural alternatives and exercise etc and see how you go.

 

I have taken them for OCD, and went off them. The OCD got harder to manage again. But I am still off them and am doing pretty well overall, through more natural remedies. I am happier this way. The meds killed my libido, and I didnt like taking them much. But they did help, and I needed them to start with.

 

moi is right, you should try and follow your docs advice...maybe stay with them a while longer, and then go off them and see how you go.

 

None of us know you or your situation, so all this advice is speculation really, and only based on my own experiences, which are different to yours.

 

I agree, it's not good to have them as a longterm crutch, but they certainly can help people get over depression and back into a better way of being.

That said, I am always for natural remedies if they can work.

[Zaira]

Originally posted by moimeme

You should be listening to your physicians who know your case rather than asking strangers on a forum.

 

I agree.

 

Go back on them, and when you feel like you're ready to try and come off them again - do it. It could be a long process, but remember it's all about getting you feeling better.

[moimeme]

and when you feel like you're ready to try and come off them again - do it

- but with the agreement of your doc. Sometimes you can't see that you're not doing well. Your doc should have a better idea of how you should be when you're ready to quit taking them.

[brashgal]

My doctor has told me that it is hard to know whether antidepressant use will be temporary or something I'll need for the rest of my life. He said typically he prescribes antidepressants for a course of a year to a year and a half - for some people, being on the meds for that amount of time can bring their chemicals back in balance and they can stop. For others, it doesn't work that way - they need drug therapy to continue to feel normal. Also, the individual medication can become ineffective after a couple, three years and patients are forced to switch to a different medication.

 

Everyone is different, it's very important to work with your doctor. Please don't feel any less of yourself - if you were a diabetic would you withhold insulin because your body should be manufacturing it on it's own? It may not necessarily be "all in your head". Chemical imbalances can be set off by many different factors, both mental and physical - don't be so quick to think it's just mental.

[d'Arthez]

Anti-depressants can have a big impact on you (that is what is necessary, to combat the depression). But when you are stopping over a relatively short period of time, it can give rise to all kinds of withdrawal effects. Sometimes these are even worse than the depression itself.

 

As moimeme pointed out, it is best to listen to your physician. Right now you are not in the position in life it seems, to consider stopping with the anti-depressants. It does not mean that you will be using them for the rest of your life. Hopefully just a little while longer.