For those on the forum that take or took anti depressants, do or did they work for you ?
How should you feel whilst taking them ?

I’ve tried a few types over the years, don’t feel any better at all.
I mentioned it to my doctor yesterday about perhaps changing them (I’m taking Zoloft) he said the problem is feeling worse until the new ones take effect and didn’t seem overly bothered.
He said without them you may feel worse, which really isn’t much consolation as I all ready feel pretty bad as it is.

I’m seriously thinking of going down the route of rTMS treatment, its covered by Medicare, its just involved and requires a 6 week treatment, 5 days a week.
I’m really running out of mental reserves to keep feeling or not feeling the way I do.
I can’t ever remember a time I’ve felt good except for a few fleeting moments here and there.

Is you doctor a general GP or are they trained to treat depression? I don’t know a lot about the treatment, but I do know that finding the meds that work for an individual is the best path to success… and this might mean changes in medications over time as well.

I find the reported attitude of your doctor a bit concerning… so I would personally seek another opinion.

And good luck in your search to finding your way… it is a sign of strength to know when we need help.

I have had depression my entire life and have taken too many medications to remember but did generally respond well to most of them when i transitioned to a new one. With medication I found my life to be generally acceptable with the normal everyday happy experiences of friends and family making life worth living as long as I recognised my limitations and avoided triggers.

Have you considered therapy? A few months back you confessed to feeling as though you were an ‘observer’ in life without any emotional connection to the things that usually bring happiness and contentment to the mentally well people you observe in everyday life.

From what I have gleaned from your discussion of your private life I would suggest that ‘passenger’ might be another term you could use with your depression making you feel as though you have little agency to change your life for the better without making some difficult choices.

Generally if you’re still interested in some parts of your life like watching quality TV shows or listening to new music you are less likely to be seriously depressed since major depression usually means everything falls in a heap or at least finding yourself completely overwhelmed with maintaining a facade that more often than not leads to crashing and burning.

Therapy would allow you to get help examining your life with a new perspective from an unbiased viewpoint and you might come to find ways to alleviate the depression by taking control of your life in new ways.

Anyway good luck with it all.

Cymek said:

For those on the forum that take or took anti depressants, do or did they work for you ?
How should you feel whilst taking them ?

I’ve tried a few types over the years, don’t feel any better at all.
I mentioned it to my doctor yesterday about perhaps changing them (I’m taking Zoloft) he said the problem is feeling worse until the new ones take effect and didn’t seem overly bothered.
He said without them you may feel worse, which really isn’t much consolation as I all ready feel pretty bad as it is.

I’m seriously thinking of going down the route of rTMS treatment, its covered by Medicare, its just involved and requires a 6 week treatment, 5 days a week.
I’m really running out of mental reserves to keep feeling or not feeling the way I do.
I can’t ever remember a time I’ve felt good except for a few fleeting moments here and there.

What time line are you going through. Week, month, years?

PermeateFree said:

Cymek said:

For those on the forum that take or took anti depressants, do or did they work for you ?
How should you feel whilst taking them ?

I’ve tried a few types over the years, don’t feel any better at all.
I mentioned it to my doctor yesterday about perhaps changing them (I’m taking Zoloft) he said the problem is feeling worse until the new ones take effect and didn’t seem overly bothered.
He said without them you may feel worse, which really isn’t much consolation as I all ready feel pretty bad as it is.

I’m seriously thinking of going down the route of rTMS treatment, its covered by Medicare, its just involved and requires a 6 week treatment, 5 days a week.
I’m really running out of mental reserves to keep feeling or not feeling the way I do.
I can’t ever remember a time I’ve felt good except for a few fleeting moments here and there.

What time line are you going through. Week, month, years?

Years
I just feel sad or numb most of the time, what should be happy events aren’t sad but they don’t have happiness either.
I’m used to it but its starting to wear me down.
I supposed its wondering what’s “normal” is, can’t experience another persons mind so you assume your experience is some form of normality but it could be quite atypical.
I was just wondering what anti depressants should do, they aren’t a miracle cure but surely you should feel something from them.
The it could be worse not taking them isn’t comforting.
I’ve tried a few different types over the years but don’t remember feeling different at all.
Do wonder if its just my personality at times
I’ve not had anything bad happen in my life so its not trauma

Cymek said:

PermeateFree said:

Cymek said:

For those on the forum that take or took anti depressants, do or did they work for you ?
How should you feel whilst taking them ?

I’ve tried a few types over the years, don’t feel any better at all.
I mentioned it to my doctor yesterday about perhaps changing them (I’m taking Zoloft) he said the problem is feeling worse until the new ones take effect and didn’t seem overly bothered.
He said without them you may feel worse, which really isn’t much consolation as I all ready feel pretty bad as it is.

I’m seriously thinking of going down the route of rTMS treatment, its covered by Medicare, its just involved and requires a 6 week treatment, 5 days a week.
I’m really running out of mental reserves to keep feeling or not feeling the way I do.
I can’t ever remember a time I’ve felt good except for a few fleeting moments here and there.

What time line are you going through. Week, month, years?

Years
I just feel sad or numb most of the time, what should be happy events aren’t sad but they don’t have happiness either.
I’m used to it but its starting to wear me down.
I supposed its wondering what’s “normal” is, can’t experience another persons mind so you assume your experience is some form of normality but it could be quite atypical.
I was just wondering what anti depressants should do, they aren’t a miracle cure but surely you should feel something from them.
The it could be worse not taking them isn’t comforting.
I’ve tried a few different types over the years but don’t remember feeling different at all.
Do wonder if its just my personality at times
I’ve not had anything bad happen in my life so its not trauma

Recent studies have showed that in milder depression ADs are sometimes no more effective than a placebo but become increasingly useful the more serious the depression is.

Cymek said:

PermeateFree said:

Cymek said:

For those on the forum that take or took anti depressants, do or did they work for you ?
How should you feel whilst taking them ?

I’ve tried a few types over the years, don’t feel any better at all.
I mentioned it to my doctor yesterday about perhaps changing them (I’m taking Zoloft) he said the problem is feeling worse until the new ones take effect and didn’t seem overly bothered.
He said without them you may feel worse, which really isn’t much consolation as I all ready feel pretty bad as it is.

I’m seriously thinking of going down the route of rTMS treatment, its covered by Medicare, its just involved and requires a 6 week treatment, 5 days a week.
I’m really running out of mental reserves to keep feeling or not feeling the way I do.
I can’t ever remember a time I’ve felt good except for a few fleeting moments here and there.

What time line are you going through. Week, month, years?

Years
I just feel sad or numb most of the time, what should be happy events aren’t sad but they don’t have happiness either.
I’m used to it but its starting to wear me down.
I supposed its wondering what’s “normal” is, can’t experience another persons mind so you assume your experience is some form of normality but it could be quite atypical.
I was just wondering what anti depressants should do, they aren’t a miracle cure but surely you should feel something from them.
The it could be worse not taking them isn’t comforting.
I’ve tried a few different types over the years but don’t remember feeling different at all.
Do wonder if its just my personality at times
I’ve not had anything bad happen in my life so its not trauma

Would a different diet work?

Have you tried talking to your doctor about a different diet?

Just something to try.

Cymek said:

PermeateFree said:

Cymek said:

For those on the forum that take or took anti depressants, do or did they work for you ?
How should you feel whilst taking them ?

I’ve tried a few types over the years, don’t feel any better at all.
I mentioned it to my doctor yesterday about perhaps changing them (I’m taking Zoloft) he said the problem is feeling worse until the new ones take effect and didn’t seem overly bothered.
He said without them you may feel worse, which really isn’t much consolation as I all ready feel pretty bad as it is.

I’m seriously thinking of going down the route of rTMS treatment, its covered by Medicare, its just involved and requires a 6 week treatment, 5 days a week.
I’m really running out of mental reserves to keep feeling or not feeling the way I do.
I can’t ever remember a time I’ve felt good except for a few fleeting moments here and there.

What time line are you going through. Week, month, years?

Years
I just feel sad or numb most of the time, what should be happy events aren’t sad but they don’t have happiness either.
I’m used to it but its starting to wear me down.
I supposed its wondering what’s “normal” is, can’t experience another persons mind so you assume your experience is some form of normality but it could be quite atypical.
I was just wondering what anti depressants should do, they aren’t a miracle cure but surely you should feel something from them.
The it could be worse not taking them isn’t comforting.
I’ve tried a few different types over the years but don’t remember feeling different at all.
Do wonder if its just my personality at times
I’ve not had anything bad happen in my life so its not trauma

What dosage are you on at present?

PermeateFree said:

Cymek said:

PermeateFree said:

What time line are you going through. Week, month, years?

Years
I just feel sad or numb most of the time, what should be happy events aren’t sad but they don’t have happiness either.
I’m used to it but its starting to wear me down.
I supposed its wondering what’s “normal” is, can’t experience another persons mind so you assume your experience is some form of normality but it could be quite atypical.
I was just wondering what anti depressants should do, they aren’t a miracle cure but surely you should feel something from them.
The it could be worse not taking them isn’t comforting.
I’ve tried a few different types over the years but don’t remember feeling different at all.
Do wonder if its just my personality at times
I’ve not had anything bad happen in my life so its not trauma

What dosage are you on at present?

100mg of Sertraline

I think that Arts is spot on – is your doctor a general practitioner or a doctor that specialises in depression or a psychiatrist? And I completely agree with Arts that yes that is a concerning attitude towards your depression. I am a little alarmed to hear that a health professional would be so dismissive when you are seeking advice on increasing or changing medication like that. Medication adjustments need to be monitored closely! I would be keen for you to get a second opinion but with someone who has more than just general information about depression. That’s a poor experience to receive when you are seeking help.

It’s great that you have started a thread about your depression.

If you can get TRMS and its the direction you want to go in Cymek. I say go for it. (A second opinion could be good but if you don’t have the energy for that, then do what you can get access to) I don’t know anything about it. I only know a couple of people who did it but they didn’t finish their treatment because of other health issues. So you would want like a back up plan so if it didn’t work then you have another plan in place. As you know depression can be a very thorny to treat. But if one thing does work then there are always other options.

jennajones would always say GPs give GP doses of antidepressants and psychiatrists give psychiatrist doses of antidepressants.

The maximum doses of two lots of medication is what actually moved the needle for me. Any GP that sees how much antidepressants I am on freaks out and wants blood tests and liver scans. I don’t tell them about the extra medications the psychiatrist prescribes me because it is too overwhelming for them. They think that I must sleep all the time on those amounts of antidepressants, whereas the constant nightmares can mean I only get 6-8 hours per night. I know another woman who has half a 25mg and that moved the needle for her. I am on one end of the spectrum and she is on the other end of the spectrum. We are both weird people so it seems fitting.

Cymek everyone’s body is different, and reacts to medication differently. It is really hard to to sit with the uncomfortability of being with how horrible it is to go on and up on a new antidepressant. I would be keen that you had someone else around which is not possible when someone lives on their own. I was told once that in some Scandanavian countries they have homes where folks going through medications can go so they are not alone. So I would suggest, and this is just my way of thinking, that you would want to have some supports in place. Like a phone line you are comfortable ringing. An online group that you go to or a in person group to meet up with. Even keep checking into this thread and telling us how you are feeling would be good just so we can give a little bit of support.

Depression is the oldest con in the book. Depression convinces you of a lot of negative things about yourself. And the fact you can only remember a couple of good times is most concerning indeed.

I am the resources person Cymek. I know a lot of resources. So if you wanted some resources you can say so here or I can email them to you.

I am so sorry that your doctor didn’t assist or help you. That is possibly quite a crushing experience, frustrating and a bit disappointing, perhaps you feel angry that the doctor didn’t assist you. I am feeling a bit angry right now thinking that you have had this experience.

The Irish say the sadness or the depression is on you. It is sooooooooooooooo hard when the depression is on you. Really tough indeed.

I would be keen to keep on hearing from you whilst you are feeling like this. I hope that you keep posting in this thread regularly until you have a bit more in life support and back up.

I agree that Therapy is great if it is accessible and you click with the mental health professional. There can be a wait list though.

If you are feeling like you can’t keep yourself safe then The Suicide Call Back Line is good for immediate linking folks up with mental health professionals. https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/ 1300659467

Are you city, remote or rural because telehealth can be great resource if it is accessible to you?

Cymek said:

PermeateFree said:

Cymek said:

Years
I just feel sad or numb most of the time, what should be happy events aren’t sad but they don’t have happiness either.
I’m used to it but its starting to wear me down.
I supposed its wondering what’s “normal” is, can’t experience another persons mind so you assume your experience is some form of normality but it could be quite atypical.
I was just wondering what anti depressants should do, they aren’t a miracle cure but surely you should feel something from them.
The it could be worse not taking them isn’t comforting.
I’ve tried a few different types over the years but don’t remember feeling different at all.
Do wonder if its just my personality at times
I’ve not had anything bad happen in my life so its not trauma

What dosage are you on at present?

100mg of Sertraline

That a standard dose for your everyday, not too bad depression dosage. I would be taking 2 of those tablets a day and see how you go after 4 weeks. The dose is not harmful and I have used that dose myself. If you get relief, you could stay on it for a while and when you are feeling better slowly drop it back to 100mg. I commonly vary my dosage over time between 50 and 200mg depending on how I am feeling, although 100mg is the most common. Bear in mind the first week or two your mood might change and not for the better but stick with it for at least a month.

I am on Pristiq and Seroquel for my depression.

I found a medicinal amount of cannabis to be helpful, and by this I mean a tiny amount and less than 5 percent THC.

I have been on Pristiq and Seroquel for about 4 years now, and using cannabis without any nasty side effects.

Talk to you doctor about trying it first. There are prescription medications now that have small amounts of cannabis which you take orally.

ms spock said:

I agree that Therapy is great if it is accessible and you click with the mental health professional. There can be a wait list though.

If you are feeling like you can’t keep yourself safe then The Suicide Call Back Line is good for immediate linking folks up with mental health professionals. https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/ 1300659467

Are you city, remote or rural because telehealth can be great resource if it is accessible to you?

Can’t eben get them to call me back.

ms spock said:

I agree that Therapy is great if it is accessible and you click with the mental health professional. There can be a wait list though.

If you are feeling like you can’t keep yourself safe then The Suicide Call Back Line is good for immediate linking folks up with mental health professionals. https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/ 1300659467

Are you city, remote or rural because telehealth can be great resource if it is accessible to you?

Sorry was having lunch
I’m in the city and do have access to help if I need it.

another thought for you.. ask your workplace what they have in place for support. I know mine has a lot of supports available for staff.. I suspect that your government dept. might be similar. specifically in the area we work in… they might have free session with the appropriate people who are more informed on the topic and can tailor treatment specific to you..

ask

Arts said:

another thought for you.. ask your workplace what they have in place for support. I know mine has a lot of supports available for staff.. I suspect that your government dept. might be similar. specifically in the area we work in… they might have free session with the appropriate people who are more informed on the topic and can tailor treatment specific to you..

ask

We do have help through work.

Arts said:

another thought for you.. ask your workplace what they have in place for support. I know mine has a lot of supports available for staff.. I suspect that your government dept. might be similar. specifically in the area we work in… they might have free session with the appropriate people who are more informed on the topic and can tailor treatment specific to you..

ask

Cairns hospital has a dedicated cancer psychologist.
I used her when it began to be too much for me.
I didn’t want to leave the house. Not depression, simply almost overwhelming apathy.
She showed me how to set achievable goals. It’s still difficult but as I said achievable. No drugs involved.

PermeateFree said:

Cymek said:

PermeateFree said:

What dosage are you on at present?

100mg of Sertraline

That a standard dose for your everyday, not too bad depression dosage. I would be taking 2 of those tablets a day and see how you go after 4 weeks. The dose is not harmful and I have used that dose myself. If you get relief, you could stay on it for a while and when you are feeling better slowly drop it back to 100mg. I commonly vary my dosage over time between 50 and 200mg depending on how I am feeling, although 100mg is the most common. Bear in mind the first week or two your mood might change and not for the better but stick with it for at least a month.

SO DANGEROUS!

This is really dangerous advice and you just don’t know what adverse side effects that someone else might have, that you haven’t had.

For instance for some medications an increase in dosage can result in suicidal ideation.

There can also be physical sypmtoms that could occur which indicate the dose is not safe.

This needs to be monitored by a medical professional that actually knows what they are doing.

roughbarked said:

ms spock said:

I agree that Therapy is great if it is accessible and you click with the mental health professional. There can be a wait list though.

If you are feeling like you can’t keep yourself safe then The Suicide Call Back Line is good for immediate linking folks up with mental health professionals. https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/ 1300659467

Are you city, remote or rural because telehealth can be great resource if it is accessible to you?

Can’t eben get them to call me back.

That is why I didn’t suggest therapy roughbarked. I talked to my ear specialist when she was removing a layer of skin over my ear drum and she said she had done a psychiatric residency and dropped out and rang her psychiatrist friends and NO ONE could get her appointment. Best friends 30 years. She said to me if she can’t get an appointment then no one can. I just nodded.

Tamb said:

Arts said:

another thought for you.. ask your workplace what they have in place for support. I know mine has a lot of supports available for staff.. I suspect that your government dept. might be similar. specifically in the area we work in… they might have free session with the appropriate people who are more informed on the topic and can tailor treatment specific to you..

ask

Cairns hospital has a dedicated cancer psychologist.
I used her when it began to be too much for me.
I didn’t want to leave the house. Not depression, simply almost overwhelming apathy.
She showed me how to set achievable goals. It’s still difficult but as I said achievable. No drugs involved.

It’s great that you found what worked for you Tamb! That was brave to go and see the cancer psychologist. You persevering when it is difficult it admirable. I know that these things are not easy. Setting achieveable goals, difficult but you are doing it!

ms spock said:

roughbarked said:

ms spock said:

I agree that Therapy is great if it is accessible and you click with the mental health professional. There can be a wait list though.

If you are feeling like you can’t keep yourself safe then The Suicide Call Back Line is good for immediate linking folks up with mental health professionals. https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/ 1300659467

Are you city, remote or rural because telehealth can be great resource if it is accessible to you?

Can’t eben get them to call me back.

That is why I didn’t suggest therapy roughbarked. I talked to my ear specialist when she was removing a layer of skin over my ear drum and she said she had done a psychiatric residency and dropped out and rang her psychiatrist friends and NO ONE could get her appointment. Best friends 30 years. She said to me if she can’t get an appointment then no one can. I just nodded.

I’m going to have a look at psychiatrists and see if I can get something, they have the ability to prescribe medication which is extremely useful

ms spock said:

Tamb said:

Arts said:

another thought for you.. ask your workplace what they have in place for support. I know mine has a lot of supports available for staff.. I suspect that your government dept. might be similar. specifically in the area we work in… they might have free session with the appropriate people who are more informed on the topic and can tailor treatment specific to you..

ask

Cairns hospital has a dedicated cancer psychologist.
I used her when it began to be too much for me.
I didn’t want to leave the house. Not depression, simply almost overwhelming apathy.
She showed me how to set achievable goals. It’s still difficult but as I said achievable. No drugs involved.

It’s great that you found what worked for you Tamb! That was brave to go and see the cancer psychologist. You persevering when it is difficult it admirable. I know that these things are not easy. Setting achieveable goals, difficult but you are doing it!

Yes. Tomorrow I’m going to the library flooded causeway permitting.

Cymek said:

ms spock said:

roughbarked said:

Can’t eben get them to call me back.

That is why I didn’t suggest therapy roughbarked. I talked to my ear specialist when she was removing a layer of skin over my ear drum and she said she had done a psychiatric residency and dropped out and rang her psychiatrist friends and NO ONE could get her appointment. Best friends 30 years. She said to me if she can’t get an appointment then no one can. I just nodded.

I’m going to have a look at psychiatrists and see if I can get something, they have the ability to prescribe medication which is extremely useful

If you can get into see someone Cymek, you can get the medication levels that you need and maybe even a combination that works for your particular depression. And they have the knowledge as well as the confidence to tinker with the medication to get it just right for you. Everyone’s body is so different from other people’s bodies. So we never know how anyone is going to respond to any type of medication.

Be prepared for a waiting list though, I am so sorry to say my friend! But you never know you could get lucky!

If you need to speak to someone good there’s always the suicide call back line and they often can get people linked up to mental health professionals quite quickly. 1300659467

There’s also different services available dependent on where in Australia you live.

Cymek said:

ms spock said:

roughbarked said:

Can’t eben get them to call me back.

That is why I didn’t suggest therapy roughbarked. I talked to my ear specialist when she was removing a layer of skin over my ear drum and she said she had done a psychiatric residency and dropped out and rang her psychiatrist friends and NO ONE could get her appointment. Best friends 30 years. She said to me if she can’t get an appointment then no one can. I just nodded.

I’m going to have a look at psychiatrists and see if I can get something, they have the ability to prescribe medication which is extremely useful

I’d prefer cologists. They can talk to you & maybe you can improve without drugs.

Tamb said:

ms spock said:

Tamb said:

Cairns hospital has a dedicated cancer psychologist.
I used her when it began to be too much for me.
I didn’t want to leave the house. Not depression, simply almost overwhelming apathy.
She showed me how to set achievable goals. It’s still difficult but as I said achievable. No drugs involved.

It’s great that you found what worked for you Tamb! That was brave to go and see the cancer psychologist. You persevering when it is difficult it admirable. I know that these things are not easy. Setting achieveable goals, difficult but you are doing it!

Yes. Tomorrow I’m going to the library flooded causeway permitting.

Maith thú! Way to go Tamb!

Tamb said:

Cymek said:

ms spock said:

That is why I didn’t suggest therapy roughbarked. I talked to my ear specialist when she was removing a layer of skin over my ear drum and she said she had done a psychiatric residency and dropped out and rang her psychiatrist friends and NO ONE could get her appointment. Best friends 30 years. She said to me if she can’t get an appointment then no one can. I just nodded.

I’m going to have a look at psychiatrists and see if I can get something, they have the ability to prescribe medication which is extremely useful

I’d prefer cologists. They can talk to you & maybe you can improve without drugs.

For a moment there I thought you typed ecologists and I was going this is going really big picture…

I am so please that you have someone to talk to you Tamb, I can’t imagine how hard it is to do chemo so far away from where you live!

Isn’t it wonderful that we live in a country where there are all types for all different folks.

If you can do it without medication that is great, for some people I know without their antidepressants they cheerfully admit that the suidical ideation would have taken over and they would be dead. I think there is no shame in whatever any people need to use to make progress in managing their lives.

Some of the Stolen Gens I know say without the anti anxiety and antiDs they wouldn’t be here today. I am so grateful that they use medication which means I get to enjoy their wicked senses of humour.

And folks with bipolar and schizophrenia they usually don’t have a choice they have to take medication/s, so I am really passionate on not pathologising medication. It saves lives and allows some folks to function that might not be able to.

https://www.friendshipbenchzimbabwe.org/

These friendship benches are a good idea. I hung out on a couple of forums for depression and PTSD and you know everyone would brainstorm with folks about their options. A whole lot of refugees came on at one time and we kept watching the news so we could kind of know what to talk about. Occasionally on some of the forums they keep someone online for the whole weekend if they couldn’t keep themselves safe, until a facility opens where they can take themselves – people in isolated or underserved areas. Folks are so creative and come up with so many amazing ideas how to assist themselves and others.

My thing has always been humour – joking about disco balls, ABBA, and disco dancing. Folks wouldn’t be into any of that at all but when I ran a disco online disco folks would get out bed and type in their disco moves. Some would describe awkwardly being wall flowers, and how it felt to be like that in real life. Anyway it was a bit of fun.

ms spock said:

PermeateFree said:

Cymek said:

100mg of Sertraline

That a standard dose for your everyday, not too bad depression dosage. I would be taking 2 of those tablets a day and see how you go after 4 weeks. The dose is not harmful and I have used that dose myself. If you get relief, you could stay on it for a while and when you are feeling better slowly drop it back to 100mg. I commonly vary my dosage over time between 50 and 200mg depending on how I am feeling, although 100mg is the most common. Bear in mind the first week or two your mood might change and not for the better but stick with it for at least a month.

SO DANGEROUS!

This is really dangerous advice and you just don’t know what adverse side effects that someone else might have, that you haven’t had.

For instance for some medications an increase in dosage can result in suicidal ideation.

There can also be physical sypmtoms that could occur which indicate the dose is not safe.

This needs to be monitored by a medical professional that actually knows what they are doing.

Spock you are the dangerous one and if people followed your advice, they would lock themselves in their toilet for life. Once you have been diagnosed as having depression, the medications are a matter of tweaking as to what works best on you, whether that be medicine type or dosage. When you have been taking medication over a long period of time you get to know when things need some adjustment, and you can safely work within limitations.

200mg is NOT an excessive dosage and at the low end of what a psychiatrist would subscribe, and I would imagine going on your alarmist posts, you would be on an even a higher dosage rate yourself. Your constant alarmist posts for even the most minor events are really trying and probably you are the one who should spend a lot more time with professional help.

PermeateFree said:

ms spock said:

PermeateFree said:

That a standard dose for your everyday, not too bad depression dosage. I would be taking 2 of those tablets a day and see how you go after 4 weeks. The dose is not harmful and I have used that dose myself. If you get relief, you could stay on it for a while and when you are feeling better slowly drop it back to 100mg. I commonly vary my dosage over time between 50 and 200mg depending on how I am feeling, although 100mg is the most common. Bear in mind the first week or two your mood might change and not for the better but stick with it for at least a month.

SO DANGEROUS!

This is really dangerous advice and you just don’t know what adverse side effects that someone else might have, that you haven’t had.

For instance for some medications an increase in dosage can result in suicidal ideation.

There can also be physical sypmtoms that could occur which indicate the dose is not safe.

This needs to be monitored by a medical professional that actually knows what they are doing.

Spock you are the dangerous one and if people followed your advice, they would lock themselves in their toilet for life. Once you have been diagnosed as having depression, the medications are a matter of tweaking as to what works best on you, whether that be medicine type or dosage. When you have been taking medication over a long period of time you get to know when things need some adjustment, and you can safely work within limitations.

200mg is NOT an excessive dosage and at the low end of what a psychiatrist would subscribe, and I would imagine going on your alarmist posts, you would be on an even a higher dosage rate yourself. Your constant alarmist posts for even the most minor events are really trying and probably you are the one who should spend a lot more time with professional help.

About all the doctor mentioned was taking a second tablet if need be in the afternoon.
I could increase the dosage by 50mg in the morning instead as I remember when I’ve forgotten to take it in the morning and did it later in the day it seemed to mess with my sleep

Cymek said:

PermeateFree said:

ms spock said:

SO DANGEROUS!

This is really dangerous advice and you just don’t know what adverse side effects that someone else might have, that you haven’t had.

For instance for some medications an increase in dosage can result in suicidal ideation.

There can also be physical sypmtoms that could occur which indicate the dose is not safe.

This needs to be monitored by a medical professional that actually knows what they are doing.

Spock you are the dangerous one and if people followed your advice, they would lock themselves in their toilet for life. Once you have been diagnosed as having depression, the medications are a matter of tweaking as to what works best on you, whether that be medicine type or dosage. When you have been taking medication over a long period of time you get to know when things need some adjustment, and you can safely work within limitations.

200mg is NOT an excessive dosage and at the low end of what a psychiatrist would subscribe, and I would imagine going on your alarmist posts, you would be on an even a higher dosage rate yourself. Your constant alarmist posts for even the most minor events are really trying and probably you are the one who should spend a lot more time with professional help.

About all the doctor mentioned was taking a second tablet if need be in the afternoon.
I could increase the dosage by 50mg in the morning instead as I remember when I’ve forgotten to take it in the morning and did it later in the day it seemed to mess with my sleep

Medicines like Zooloft take time to act and a few days is not enough, plus you are looking for adverse effects that you might interpret as being far worse that what they are. So am I right in assuming you have been trying 150mg a day?

PermeateFree said:

ms spock said:

PermeateFree said:

That a standard dose for your everyday, not too bad depression dosage. I would be taking 2 of those tablets a day and see how you go after 4 weeks. The dose is not harmful and I have used that dose myself. If you get relief, you could stay on it for a while and when you are feeling better slowly drop it back to 100mg. I commonly vary my dosage over time between 50 and 200mg depending on how I am feeling, although 100mg is the most common. Bear in mind the first week or two your mood might change and not for the better but stick with it for at least a month.

SO DANGEROUS!

This is really dangerous advice and you just don’t know what adverse side effects that someone else might have, that you haven’t had.

For instance for some medications an increase in dosage can result in suicidal ideation.

There can also be physical sypmtoms that could occur which indicate the dose is not safe.

This needs to be monitored by a medical professional that actually knows what they are doing.

Spock you are the dangerous one and if people followed your advice, they would lock themselves in their toilet for life. Once you have been diagnosed as having depression, the medications are a matter of tweaking as to what works best on you, whether that be medicine type or dosage. When you have been taking medication over a long period of time you get to know when things need some adjustment, and you can safely work within limitations.

200mg is NOT an excessive dosage and at the low end of what a psychiatrist would subscribe, and I would imagine going on your alarmist posts, you would be on an even a higher dosage rate yourself. Your constant alarmist posts for even the most minor events are really trying and probably you are the one who should spend a lot more time with professional help.

Well we have to agree to disagree.

I agree that you know how to tweak your medication within your body and your limits and boundaries.

That doesn’t mean you have any idea on how to prescribe, increase or decrease medications or even identify reactions to or escalations of symptoms for someone you probably have never set eyes on.

My position is not alarmist at all. It is eminently sensible to have someone medically qualified to monitor someone’s medications.

Someone may have a co-morbidity that needs to be addressed before the antidepressants will work as they are intended to work. I think seven years of training goes into being able to make those diagnosis and adjust medications accordingly. I think those medical professionals should be the ones that make the suggestions on medications.

PermeateFree said:

Cymek said:

PermeateFree said:

Spock you are the dangerous one and if people followed your advice, they would lock themselves in their toilet for life. Once you have been diagnosed as having depression, the medications are a matter of tweaking as to what works best on you, whether that be medicine type or dosage. When you have been taking medication over a long period of time you get to know when things need some adjustment, and you can safely work within limitations.

200mg is NOT an excessive dosage and at the low end of what a psychiatrist would subscribe, and I would imagine going on your alarmist posts, you would be on an even a higher dosage rate yourself. Your constant alarmist posts for even the most minor events are really trying and probably you are the one who should spend a lot more time with professional help.

About all the doctor mentioned was taking a second tablet if need be in the afternoon.
I could increase the dosage by 50mg in the morning instead as I remember when I’ve forgotten to take it in the morning and did it later in the day it seemed to mess with my sleep

Medicines like Zooloft take time to act and a few days is not enough, plus you are looking for adverse effects that you might interpret as being far worse that what they are. So am I right in assuming you have been trying 150mg a day?

Not yet.
I can start tomorrow morning

ms spock said:

PermeateFree said:

ms spock said:

SO DANGEROUS!

This is really dangerous advice and you just don’t know what adverse side effects that someone else might have, that you haven’t had.

For instance for some medications an increase in dosage can result in suicidal ideation.

There can also be physical sypmtoms that could occur which indicate the dose is not safe.

This needs to be monitored by a medical professional that actually knows what they are doing.

Spock you are the dangerous one and if people followed your advice, they would lock themselves in their toilet for life. Once you have been diagnosed as having depression, the medications are a matter of tweaking as to what works best on you, whether that be medicine type or dosage. When you have been taking medication over a long period of time you get to know when things need some adjustment, and you can safely work within limitations.

200mg is NOT an excessive dosage and at the low end of what a psychiatrist would subscribe, and I would imagine going on your alarmist posts, you would be on an even a higher dosage rate yourself. Your constant alarmist posts for even the most minor events are really trying and probably you are the one who should spend a lot more time with professional help.

Well we have to agree to disagree.

I agree that you know how to tweak your medication within your body and your limits and boundaries.

That doesn’t mean you have any idea on how to prescribe, increase or decrease medications or even identify reactions to or escalations of symptoms for someone you probably have never set eyes on.

My position is not alarmist at all. It is eminently sensible to have someone medically qualified to monitor someone’s medications.

Someone may have a co-morbidity that needs to be addressed before the antidepressants will work as they are intended to work. I think seven years of training goes into being able to make those diagnosis and adjust medications accordingly. I think those medical professionals should be the ones that make the suggestions on medications.

Well personally I like to have the final say in the health of my body and living in the country, professional help is not always readily available. And I am quite happy knowing how others besides myself have used and adjusted their Zooloft medications within limitations as to be quite safe. On observation you have an overly pessimistic view on just about everything and seem to go out of your way to indulge yourself even more, which might work well on sections of facebook and other social media, but I don’t think it is needed here.

Cymek said:

PermeateFree said:

Cymek said:

About all the doctor mentioned was taking a second tablet if need be in the afternoon.
I could increase the dosage by 50mg in the morning instead as I remember when I’ve forgotten to take it in the morning and did it later in the day it seemed to mess with my sleep

Medicines like Zooloft take time to act and a few days is not enough, plus you are looking for adverse effects that you might interpret as being far worse that what they are. So am I right in assuming you have been trying 150mg a day?

Not yet.
I can start tomorrow morning

Well that is fair enough and you can take it all at once per day, as the medication takes time to take effect as it does to stop being useful.

If you haven’t already, get a mental healthcare plan. I believe it will assist with getting access to mental health professionals…

furious said:

If you haven’t already, get a mental healthcare plan. I believe it will assist with getting access to mental health professionals…

Depends a lot on where you are. The mental health professionals may choose to not bother getting back to you.

furious said:

If you haven’t already, get a mental healthcare plan. I believe it will assist with getting access to mental health professionals…

Depression these days is ridiculously common and for the vast majority of cases easy to remedy. More detailed mental ailments and extreme depression require professional assistance and treatment. However, a lot of people know how to treat a bad case of flu without wondering if they are going to die.

PermeateFree said:

furious said:

If you haven’t already, get a mental healthcare plan. I believe it will assist with getting access to mental health professionals…

Depression these days is ridiculously common and for the vast majority of cases easy to remedy. More detailed mental ailments and extreme depression require professional assistance and treatment. However, a lot of people know how to treat a bad case of flu without wondering if they are going to die.

Modern living do you think, have most of our needs and wants met but no real substance to life a lot of the time.
No purpose it seems except to breed more cogs for the machine

Cymek said:

PermeateFree said:

furious said:

If you haven’t already, get a mental healthcare plan. I believe it will assist with getting access to mental health professionals…

Depression these days is ridiculously common and for the vast majority of cases easy to remedy. More detailed mental ailments and extreme depression require professional assistance and treatment. However, a lot of people know how to treat a bad case of flu without wondering if they are going to die.

Modern living do you think, have most of our needs and wants met but no real substance to life a lot of the time.
No purpose it seems except to breed more cogs for the machine

The simple need for hope is more important than most people think.

Cymek said:

Arts said:

another thought for you.. ask your workplace what they have in place for support. I know mine has a lot of supports available for staff.. I suspect that your government dept. might be similar. specifically in the area we work in… they might have free session with the appropriate people who are more informed on the topic and can tailor treatment specific to you..

ask

We do have help through work.

That is very good news!

Cymek said:

ms spock said:

I agree that Therapy is great if it is accessible and you click with the mental health professional. There can be a wait list though.

If you are feeling like you can’t keep yourself safe then The Suicide Call Back Line is good for immediate linking folks up with mental health professionals. https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/ 1300659467

Are you city, remote or rural because telehealth can be great resource if it is accessible to you?

Sorry was having lunch
I’m in the city and do have access to help if I need it.

Having lunch is all good.

It is important to know if folks have access to help is they happen to need. You might never need it but knowing it is there is important to my way of thinking!

PermeateFree said:

ms spock said:

PermeateFree said:

Spock you are the dangerous one and if people followed your advice, they would lock themselves in their toilet for life. Once you have been diagnosed as having depression, the medications are a matter of tweaking as to what works best on you, whether that be medicine type or dosage. When you have been taking medication over a long period of time you get to know when things need some adjustment, and you can safely work within limitations.

200mg is NOT an excessive dosage and at the low end of what a psychiatrist would subscribe, and I would imagine going on your alarmist posts, you would be on an even a higher dosage rate yourself. Your constant alarmist posts for even the most minor events are really trying and probably you are the one who should spend a lot more time with professional help.

Well we have to agree to disagree.

I agree that you know how to tweak your medication within your body and your limits and boundaries.

That doesn’t mean you have any idea on how to prescribe, increase or decrease medications or even identify reactions to or escalations of symptoms for someone you probably have never set eyes on.

My position is not alarmist at all. It is eminently sensible to have someone medically qualified to monitor someone’s medications.

Someone may have a co-morbidity that needs to be addressed before the antidepressants will work as they are intended to work. I think seven years of training goes into being able to make those diagnosis and adjust medications accordingly. I think those medical professionals should be the ones that make the suggestions on medications.

Well personally I like to have the final say in the health of my body and living in the country, professional help is not always readily available. And I am quite happy knowing how others besides myself have used and adjusted their Zooloft medications within limitations as to be quite safe. On observation you have an overly pessimistic view on just about everything and seem to go out of your way to indulge yourself even more, which might work well on sections of facebook and other social media, but I don’t think it is needed here.

I don’t go on Facebook, so I totally don’t understand what you are saying there or what it is you might think I might be doing on Facebook.

I also don’t go on other arenas of social media, so once again I have no understanding of what you are assuming or presuming about my imagined activies there.

The one I belong to on Twitter is to swap research papers so once again I don’t see how that is relevant to this conversation.

If you have had no access to professional assistance living in the country and you have managed your Zoloft for yourself, then that takes some skill and nuance. Good for you!

On the whole is is really dangerous to advise people that you have never seen about increasing and decreasing their medication/s. Is someone taking another medication that is at that dosage because of the level of antidepressant that they are on? Even doctors won’t do that. That’s just basic common sense.

You and others have adjusted their medication. How many others? 2? 3? 5? 10? What is your sample size here? How much research have you done on cormobidities? Which types of first aid are you trained to administer if someone has an adverse reaction? Is there the appropriate medical care available in the area the person is in if they happen to have an adverse reaction to medications?

You are entitled to have your opinion as much as I am entitled to have mine. But mine is not based on your experience and the experience of a couple of friends in a rural setting with little access to professional assistance.

Doctors won’t prescribe until they eye ball you and get a history. It’s so basic as really not needing to be mentioned I would think.

I agree that advising someone you don’t know on an internet forum to change their regimen of any medication without the consultation of their treating doctor is very irresponsible.

ms spock said:

PermeateFree said:

ms spock said:

Well we have to agree to disagree.

I agree that you know how to tweak your medication within your body and your limits and boundaries.

That doesn’t mean you have any idea on how to prescribe, increase or decrease medications or even identify reactions to or escalations of symptoms for someone you probably have never set eyes on.

My position is not alarmist at all. It is eminently sensible to have someone medically qualified to monitor someone’s medications.

Someone may have a co-morbidity that needs to be addressed before the antidepressants will work as they are intended to work. I think seven years of training goes into being able to make those diagnosis and adjust medications accordingly. I think those medical professionals should be the ones that make the suggestions on medications.

Well personally I like to have the final say in the health of my body and living in the country, professional help is not always readily available. And I am quite happy knowing how others besides myself have used and adjusted their Zooloft medications within limitations as to be quite safe. On observation you have an overly pessimistic view on just about everything and seem to go out of your way to indulge yourself even more, which might work well on sections of facebook and other social media, but I don’t think it is needed here.

I don’t go on Facebook, so I totally don’t understand what you are saying there or what it is you might think I might be doing on Facebook.

I also don’t go on other arenas of social media, so once again I have no understanding of what you are assuming or presuming about my imagined activies there.

The one I belong to on Twitter is to swap research papers so once again I don’t see how that is relevant to this conversation.

If you have had no access to professional assistance living in the country and you have managed your Zoloft for yourself, then that takes some skill and nuance. Good for you!

On the whole is is really dangerous to advise people that you have never seen about increasing and decreasing their medication/s. Is someone taking another medication that is at that dosage because of the level of antidepressant that they are on? Even doctors won’t do that. That’s just basic common sense.

You and others have adjusted their medication. How many others? 2? 3? 5? 10? What is your sample size here? How much research have you done on cormobidities? Which types of first aid are you trained to administer if someone has an adverse reaction? Is there the appropriate medical care available in the area the person is in if they happen to have an adverse reaction to medications?

You are entitled to have your opinion as much as I am entitled to have mine. But mine is not based on your experience and the experience of a couple of friends in a rural setting with little access to professional assistance.

Doctors won’t prescribe until they eye ball you and get a history. It’s so basic as really not needing to be mentioned I would think.

Like I said, these days depression is a very common ailment probably due to the very unsettled future available to most people. Although there are severe cases requiring expert medical investigation, the vast majority are not that serious and often go undiagnosed. To be diagnosed you visit your GP who usually prescribed medication like Zoloft and with some exceptions their knowledge of mental conditions is very limited. I even had one who when I asked to try a different medication said and I quote, “Zoloft is the best there is.” I would like to think that my knowledge of the matter was more realistic than his. I repeat for your information, common depression medication often requires tweaking to get a satisfactory outcome. This is well known and commonly practiced by unknowing GPs and users alike and does not need your usual dire pessimistic pronouncement.

Witty Rejoinder said:

I agree that advising someone you don’t know on an internet forum to change their regimen of any medication without the consultation of their treating doctor is very irresponsible.

Depression in the vast majority of cases is not very serious and if it were, you would be on something a lot more potent than100mg of Zoloft a day. Many people also visit their GP when they have the flu and other common ailments that people take all sorts of remedies in order to feel better.

Heya Cymek?

Did you get access to anything useful?

ms spock said:

Heya Cymek?

Did you get access to anything useful?

Not yet, feeling better at the moment

Cymek said:

ms spock said:

Heya Cymek?

Did you get access to anything useful?

Not yet, feeling better at the moment

Glad you are feeling better at the moment Cymek!

The Cause of Depression Is Probably Not What You Think

Depression has often been blamed on low levels of serotonin in the brain. That answer is insufficient, but alternatives are coming into view and changing our understanding of the disease.

https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-cause-of-depression-is-probably-not-what-you-think-20230126/?

I hope you find a solution to your problem.

Its a difficult road to have to navigate.

I found that at my worst nothing seemed to help, even after being put in hospital for months I struggled.

Medication ( whatever it is ) for me wasn’t the lone answer but part of the solution.

Better sleep hygiene, talking to someone ( when needed) and medication ( once dialed in) all played their part a … for me … I’m mostly ok these days … you’re mileage may vary.

Again I hope you find a solution to your problem.

Trevtaowillgetyounowhere said:

I hope you find a solution to your problem.

Its a difficult road to have to navigate.

I found that at my worst nothing seemed to help, even after being put in hospital for months I struggled.

Medication ( whatever it is ) for me wasn’t the lone answer but part of the solution.

Better sleep hygiene, talking to someone ( when needed) and medication ( once dialed in) all played their part a … for me … I’m mostly ok these days … you’re mileage may vary.

Again I hope you find a solution to your problem.

Find somebody to love

roughbarked said:

Trevtaowillgetyounowhere said:

I hope you find a solution to your problem.

Its a difficult road to have to navigate.

I found that at my worst nothing seemed to help, even after being put in hospital for months I struggled.

Medication ( whatever it is ) for me wasn’t the lone answer but part of the solution.

Better sleep hygiene, talking to someone ( when needed) and medication ( once dialed in) all played their part a … for me … I’m mostly ok these days … you’re mileage may vary.

Again I hope you find a solution to your problem.

Find somebody to love

When the truth is found to be lies
and all the joy within you dies
don’t you want somebody to love
don’t you need somebody to love
wouldn’t you love somebody to love
you better find somebody to love

When the garden flowers baby are dead yes
and your mind is full of RED
don’t you want somebody to love
don’t you need somebody to love
wouldn’t you love somebody to love
you better find somebody to love

your eyes, I say your eyes may look like his
but in your head baby I’m afraid you don’t know where it is
don’t you want somebody to love
don’t you need somebody to love
wouldn’t you love somebody to love
you better find somebody to love

tears are running running down your breast
and your friends baby they treat you like a guest.
don’t you want somebody to love
don’t you need somebody to love
wouldn’t you love somebody to love
you better find somebody to love

Somebody, anybody