Question About Depression

[dingogirl]

I have major depression. The doctor said i'd have to take the meds for 2 years before i can go off it. He said, 'some people stop taking their medication too soon and their depression returns.' I said 'but that could be a withdrawal symptom from cutting back too soon.' He didn't say anything. I'm wondering if I can go off it once i start feeling better. Why the need to keep taking it once it's done its job?

[LilithParker]

Antidepressants aren't a cure, they're part of the treatment. They can't permanently alter your brain chemistry. The purpose of the medication is to help stabilize your mood while you learn how to manage your life in such a way that depression won't take over again.

Because I love analogies... let's say you break your leg. Your doctor puts a cast on it to keep it properly aligned while it heals. While you're wearing the cast, your doctor will tell you about physical therapy, and all the exercises you'll be doing to make the leg strong again without re-breaking it. Once the cast has been on long enough, you can take it off and do the exercises, going back to see the doctor regularly to make sure you're doing well.

While I don't believe there's a set time length for being on medication (it depends on the problem, the medication, the patient, and the rest of the treatment), it does take a long time to learn and practice the coping skills you'll need for when you stop taking the meds. It can take a few months just to find the right medication and dose.

I don't like being on medication... I rejected the idea for a long time. But it really does help even things out while you figure out how to deal with your issues.

[dingogirl]

hello. thanks for your input. here's the thing; major depression isn't like regular depression. i wasn't happy or sad, just flat. i couldn't talk much. i just stared into space a lot, my surroundings looked different, i obsessed about things and it was difficult to do simple tasks, like cooking or shopping -i'd get overwhelmed . i was feeling fine before this started. what happened was that i had a psychosis and it brought out a major depression. i don't know how this is possible, but it happened. i've been to a counselor. she thinks i'm a well adjusted person. i've had lots of counselling in the past. there are no more issues to cover. i have a good marriage, happy, healthy children, friends and hobbies. i'm 90 percent better. something, though doesn't feel quite right yet. i can't put my finger on it. the psych. said he wasn't going to up my dose anymore. said time would heal the rest. i'm just wondering, since the seratonin levels are now raised,why i need to keep taking the medication.

[NightOwl]

You have the depression because your brain isn't keeping your seratonin at the right level. The meds you are taking are artificially keeping the levels more balanced. If you go off the medicine then they will just go back to the state they were in before the medicine. The medicine does not "fix" the problem. There is no cure. You can take meds to help balance your brain chemistry and you can learn coping skills, but you cannot "cure" depression in the clinical sense.

You, of course, have the right to go without meds if you choose. But you need to be sure that you've learned coping skills to deal with the depression. And even then there may be times when your coping skills are not enough. I do understand not wanting to take meds though. They can make you feel so weird and not like yourself. I was off of meds for a long time and did ok, not wonderful, but ok. But then I became pregnant and I felt like I wasn't able to devote enough energy to having a healthy pregnancy because of the depression. So, my midwife suggested St John's Wort. I'd never tried it and I guess figured it wouldn't work because it's "just an herb." But...lo and behold...it has helped me more than any prescription meds ever did. It doesn't make me feel 100% normal, but no medicines ever did. But it helps me in my fight against the depression and I still feel like myself. You should look into it.

[dingogirl]

thanks. i don't have depression (sadness) though. i think what i had is more related to psychosis (like the staring into space, being unable to talk and function) my psychiatric nurse said i'd probably be able to go off the meds in a year or so and be fine. i was thinking of remaining on the meds and trying homeopathy until i feel 100 percent. then perhaps i will try slowly going off the meds.

[MsMoMpls]

Actually to clarify a misconception- taking SSRIs (the newer antidepressants like Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft and the rest) for a year after your symptoms are "better" actually decreases the chance of a relapse so there is some "curing" going on here. Somehow we are repairing or teaching the brain something that does stick around after the meds are gone. That is why most doctors are no strongly recommending taking it for over a year.

[dingogirl]

thanks msmompls! so, you're from mpls? i used to live there. i miss it. beautiful city. and d'amico and sons-excellent food.

[NightOwl]

Originally Posted by dingogirl

thanks. i don't have depression (sadness) though. i think what i had is more related to psychosis (like the staring into space, being unable to talk and function) my psychiatric nurse said i'd probably be able to go off the meds in a year or so and be fine. i was thinking of remaining on the meds and trying homeopathy until i feel 100 percent. then perhaps i will try slowly going off the meds.

Well, there's another misconception...depression does not always mean you feel "sad." It really should have a different name because "depression" makes people think it means you are sad. That's not quite right. There are a lot more symptoms that go along with it and you may not feel "sad". Maybe you should do more research into the illness itself.

[Greaseball]

A little OT, maybe, but if you want to stop your meds be sure you know how to do it safely. A lot of people just stop taking them and then have psychotic reactions, or have their original symptoms come back even more intensely.

A good rule is to cut down the dosage 10% every week, and to only stop one drug at a time.

[dingogirl]

Well, there's another misconception...depression does not always mean you feel "sad."

i'm sorry, i'm not doing a very good job explaining myself. i know you don't necessarily have to feel sad to have depression. the reason i said that i don't have depression [ sadness] is because someone said i need to learn coping skills to deal with the depression. but the only symptoms i had were staring into space [which my nurse told me could be psychosis rather than depression] etc. no issues to deal with, other than i obsessed [which i got under control] this is not to say i didn't have clinical depression. just not the sadness part.

i'm just trying to say that it's not like a 'typical' depression where you need to get counseling for certain issues. why is it so hard to explain this stuff on the computer...lol. i've had regular depression and it was nothing like this. the main problem with this depression is that i felt strange. makes sense, though, since my psychosis and depression are intertwined. [psychosis can bring out depression and depression can bring out psychosis]

greaseball, i had a thread on that. i didn't think anyone read it...lol.