Fuck shit like this, I was having VERY stupid thoughts about ending my existence until my girlfriend dragged me to the doctors, yes there are side effects but the alternative is that otherwise I wouldn't be here anymore.
That's what I had heard before and also that it takes a while to start working so I was quite surprised when I finally hopped on it myself. It's only been a few days so big caveat here but: I already felt the first pill of 20mg. So much so that I asked my GP to go down to 10mg and I feel that too. And the feeling is reminiscent of an MDMA roll "afterglow" (as it's sometimes called). Just a happy feeling in my stomach for hours and hours, coloring the thoughts that come to my head and making everything seem easier and lighter.
I wonder if it will stay like this or whether this is just a particularly pleasant adjustment period.
Oh I definitely know what you're talking about, I've done xtc multiple times when I was younger and the first day I took escitalopram it was like I had taken a very low dose of xtc. For me that only happened on the first day, tho
Good to hear that they're working for you tho! Keep at it
of course it's a joke, but i still find it inappropriate, because it might prevent some people from getting help. even if it would cost one person from not getting help, is to much.
and it's not like you usually have a bonobos sex drive while being in a heavy depression ;) unfortunately speaking from experience.
Went through a few antidepressants. Finally stuck with one that works okay. Then I got diagnosed with ADHD. Turns out all my body needed was some Adderall!
Yeah I also had to go through multiple burnouts or depressions (I'm not sure where to put these, difficult to draw a line). Kinda sad how this is not screened straight away, given the commoness of that condition.
I have a sigmoidoscopy on the horizon and I saw the doctor's referral and noticed it said something like "no anesthesia needed" - madam who made that decision? 😭
mirtazapine undid like a year of weight loss progress in under two months and then some; put me back up to the most I’ve ever weighed. I’m off it now and in a better place, but now I gotta get back to it. and the anal fissure doesn’t help ‘cause now I can’t bike anymore until that shit goes away, which has been taking forever to get fully treated.
now it’s boring, accessible treadmills for me and calorie counting all over again. 7 pounds down, 30 more to go.
My wife has been on a variety of meds for anxiety and depression over the last 10ish years, none of which should lead to weight gain. Multiple doctors told her "you're just gaining weight because you can enjoy food again, now the depression is under control". Horse shit. We did calorie counting, she was gaining weight even at 1100-1200 calories per day and daily exercise. Switched meds, and she lost 30 pounds in a matter of a few months. Fucking doctors, man.
You probably just need to find the right exercise. Sounds crazy, but playing drums for example also counts as exercise, and at least to me is highly addictive.
The "runners high" can also be kinda addictive (or more generally of your favourite sport)
Apart of that, Psychedelics may also be worth a try, they seem very promising in research currently. But don't mix them with SSRIs...
With the amount of different meds they have available I'm sure there's one.
When I first went to the doc about my anxiety over the course of 1 year they had me try 15 different anti-anxiety meds before I threw in the towel and said "None of these are working for me and I need to stop this for a little while as it's really fucking with me."
About a year later I got diagnosed with ADHD and started meds for that and suddenly my anxiety was in check. In 3 years I've only had 2 panic attacks vs nearly weekly ones before. It also feels like I went from going through life on Legendary difficulty to something like Medium. Or put another way: it's like I went from playing Dark Souls 3 to playing Witcher 3.
There's a testing called genesight that I did through my doctor (so seemingly not sending my DNA to a private company like 23&me) that helped me identify which SSRI would metabolize with the fewest side effects with my specific body chemistry. For those lucky enough to have health insurance, I think insurance will pay for it after 2 attempted SSRIs with bad side effects.
Holy shit I wish I knew about this like 4 years ago. Would have saved me all the drama of trying each of them out until prozac was the only one that didn't make me nauseous af
There is no way that amount of weight gain was caused by an sri. Maybe you were on something else like an atypical/tricyclic antidepressant? Or maybe you were just depressed?
Maybe you were on something else like an atypical/tricyclic antidepressant
Nope
Or maybe you were just depressed?
No shit. But I was depressed before, and I was depressed after. It was over a period of more than a year. Same for the loss. I didn’t just puff up like Violet in a chocolate factory lol.
didn’t just puff up like Violet in a chocolate factory
I'm sure you didn't. I don't doubt that the meds contributed somewhat, but there's just no evidence that these agents can cause a weight gain of that magnitude on their own. Even the individual uncontrolled longitudinal studies that show the highest amounts of weight gain demonstrate at most 5-8kg increase.
Unfortunately it's pretty hard to tease these things apart because depression itself causes weight gain and there are medication adherence issues especially with longer term studies, but the most well-controlled data suggests that sris don't play much of a role in weight gain for most people
I mean what does "cause weight gain" even mean because mine didn't cause weight gain, at least one of mine caused me to feel a black hole in my stomach. I was perpetually hungry, a hunger that I couldn't satisfy. It also increased suicidal ideation and action and also did not help my depression. Hope this helps!
I don’t remember what type of antidepressant it was, but my psychiatrist prescribed me one that fucked my weight a lot.
It was around after the Covid lockdowns lifted, so it passed like half a year before having an in person visit, we were doing by phone as much as possible, when she saw me again she had a shocked pikachu face and said “that’s not normal weight gain, that’s due the meds I knew the weight gain is a side effect, I’m going to change them to XYZ that has the same effect but the weight gain side effect”
And so was “You did knew, and there this ones that do the same without the weight gain. Why didn’t you prescribed this ones at first place?”
For some. If it works for you, you're lucky. Especially if it's the first drug you tried.
For others, depression treatment means bouncing around between different drugs and drug classes until landing on something that works, and doesn't make things worse. For some people that's a holy grail that doesn't actually exist, and they won't be helped by any of the "traditional" first-line treatments. (The SSRI, SNRI, tricyclic, etc. drugs).
Some of these take weeks before you even know if it's working or not. If it doesn't work, and you have to stop taking it, you either go cold turkey, risking bizarre withdrawal symptoms and/or worse mental issues, or its a slow taper of weeks to months. Best case scenario you feel dull and blah for a few weeks during that taper. Or you may experience worse symptoms. Either way, it's a huge waste of time and resources, with a high degree of chance you'll just say "fuck it" and make a choice that will make things even worse.
Now imagine repeating that cycle several times over, until you cross whatever arbitrary threshold your local health system deigns is enough suffering to allow them to give you the "treatment resistant" label and open the gates to newer, "non-traditional" treatments with a higher chance of actually working. This magic number of different drugs you have to try can vary based on local laws and your insurance. In my situation, it's at least 7 different drugs, and you have to try one from each major category. (So 1 SSRI, 1 SNRI, etc..) You also must comply with all your provider's instructions. If they want you to taper off, you can't just say "fuck it", you must take all the scheduled doses until that's complete. You must be a good obedient patient until whatever authority applies to you decides you've had enough.
Patients in my area have to survive the drugs gauntlet I've described above, plus talk therapy, before they're allowed to take advantage of the things which medicine already knows are just as safe and vastly more effective - it's really fucked. Many don't come out better on the other side of that process, which can take YEARS, and some don't survive. The only exceptions to this are of course wealthy people who can just end-run around most of the rules because they have the ability to pay directly for the good stuff out of pocket.
Speaking of money, these treatments which are known to work more often for a greater percentage of people are often a lot more expensive in the short term - if they're even available where you live. It doesn't have to be that way but, thanks to regulatory capture, there is a boatload of overhead. These therapies all require licensing, certifications, a higher level of expertise and skill, etc., way way above and beyond just writing a script for, e.g., wellbutrin.
Because they all work for quite a while after a session, though, you don't need them as often, and they cost far less in the long run. Sounds good, right? But insurance companies hate things like that. They would much rather you take one or more pills every day for your entire life. They especially like the ones that are difficult to get off of. So they force providers to tinker around with your brain chemistry for a while, with drugs that are just barely effective enough that they continue to be manufactured. They would love for you to give up or die during that phase of treatment, because then they don't ever have to subsidize those expensive therapies which are more of an occasional appointment or even "one and done" treatment model.
Some turn to black market sources of ketamine, MDMA or psychs in a desperate attempt to treat themselves, but, naturally, not everyone coloring outside the lines has the knowledge or werewithal to test their drugs or use the correct dose/dosing schedule or provide themselves the proper mindset and environment like a professional would.
Mental health treatment can be a real wilderness for many.
This is congruent with my own experiences, from which I could draw at least one of two conclusions: 1, the science isn't done on these medicines. How often outside of psychiatry do you hear "We have to find the cocktail that works for you"? 2, the industry isn't worthy of caring for patients because money comes before patient care. "This treatment will probably work but so that we can buy a ninth yacht we'll make you buy all these others first."
Sertraline was actual torture for me. I stopped sleeping entirely, had constant chills, pounding headache, mood instability where I would just start sobbing for no reason. Started on week 3 and by the end of the week I was begging my doctor to take me off it.
Sister had similar results. I ended up on different meds.
Took me a few months on sertraline to get back to my horny self and even being able to cum - a frustrating few months indeed - but it helps a ton with the anxiety and eventually I got back to busting nuts so I think it's worth it.
I take it but went down to the lowest possible dose because my emotions absolutely flatlined. Was great for getting through prison though; day to day just getting through it.
Are you daft? It works perfectly fine without side effects for some amount of people. But not nearly everyone.
I've stayed on it because I don't want to go through the hassle of trial and error with others, but I don't have that many side effects after many dose modifications.
It's asinine to think it works for everyone as intended. Please educate yourself before spouting such bs.
I keep trying to be seen for therapy, or to get a diagnosis. All they ever do is prescribe me another brain pill that does nothing but gives me hemroids.
Mental health in the US is completely fucked, efforts aren’t made, unless it’s for a pill they can sell you.
I keep looking for some neurologists to switch anti-seizure medications (valproic-acid is a garbage medication - no, 10+ hours of sleep due to medication side effects is not "healthmaxxing"), but most here in Hungary are only interested in people paying them for chronic numbness and similar stuff.
Put me on depakote. Gained a lot of weight(spare tire) and ended up with body dismorphia which made me even more depressed.
Quit that therapist and went to another who pulled me off of it. Body went back to normal. Just needed someone to talk to. Helped me realize that I cared too much about what others thought.
My anxiety was due to trying too hard to people please when most people don't know themselves what pleases them. And the depression was me failing to help others.
If they don't know, how the fuck am I supposed to help them. Answer: Don't. Help myself and by extension I help everyone. Problem not solved but definitely more managed.
Came up with the phrase "Slow the Decay". Best way to do that is by making suggestions that others may or may not take. If they do, I helped slow the Decay. If not, then it's not my fault. Can't help the entire world, but I can help slow the decay in my small part of it.
The sudden death stuff sounds pretty wild. I wonder under what explanation regulators just accept 1 in 10000 patients will just randomly die from the drug.
It's wild to me that it feels like we've thrown in the towel on creating conditions good for human health mentally. Im not always the most chipper of people, but I thought it was wild that Ive had multiple coworkers casually and openly discuss how hard adjusting to ssri medication has been for them.
Life sucks? Stressed? Hate your life and or job? Take a pill...
Im not discounting that the medication actually helps a lot of individuals. I just hate that it has become the blanket remedy to unhappy mental states. Even eating healthy, positive social relationships, and exercising gets written off quickly.
With venlafaxine (SNRI), you don’t have the weight gain, but it fucks up your heart. Love the positive effects, though, still have to switch and I don’t like that at all. There is no similar SNRI. It is suggested to try sertraline + modafinil.
That can have some really frightening (if rare) side effects! Bupropion is similar in that it has few side effects and isn't an SSRI. Works ok, just don't take too much or you'll seize 🙃
105 Comments
blueamigafan@lemmy.world · 175 pts · 5d
Fuck shit like this, I was having VERY stupid thoughts about ending my existence until my girlfriend dragged me to the doctors, yes there are side effects but the alternative is that otherwise I wouldn't be here anymore.
OriginalTangle@feddit.org · 45 pts · 5d
Meme 's aside, SSRIs can be a blessing. I'm experiencing it right now.
bluesheep@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 5d
They really can be. Even tho escitalopram made me feel numb that was still a better mood than before I was taking it
OriginalTangle@feddit.org · 7 pts · 4d
That's what I had heard before and also that it takes a while to start working so I was quite surprised when I finally hopped on it myself. It's only been a few days so big caveat here but: I already felt the first pill of 20mg. So much so that I asked my GP to go down to 10mg and I feel that too. And the feeling is reminiscent of an MDMA roll "afterglow" (as it's sometimes called). Just a happy feeling in my stomach for hours and hours, coloring the thoughts that come to my head and making everything seem easier and lighter.
I wonder if it will stay like this or whether this is just a particularly pleasant adjustment period.
bluesheep@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 4d
Oh I definitely know what you're talking about, I've done xtc multiple times when I was younger and the first day I took escitalopram it was like I had taken a very low dose of xtc. For me that only happened on the first day, tho
Good to hear that they're working for you tho! Keep at it
victorz@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 5d
I think the "joke" is that those side effects would make you very sad as well. Pretty counterproductive to the whole problem itself. 😅
But hey, I'm very glad you made it out of that state, and your girlfriend sounds like a real keeper. 💖 Keep on trucking! 🙏
justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 43 pts · 5d
of course it's a joke, but i still find it inappropriate, because it might prevent some people from getting help. even if it would cost one person from not getting help, is to much.
and it's not like you usually have a bonobos sex drive while being in a heavy depression ;) unfortunately speaking from experience.
victorz@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 5d
I hear you, that's a very valid perspective.
NOPper@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 5d
A lot of mine takes the form of seeking dumb instant gratification, so that may be subjective. 🤷♂️
FavouriteShapes@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 5d
Yeah there are more important things than cumming and losing weight. A lot of more important things! Hope you're thriving
Kangae_Hishiryo@scribe.disroot.org · 4 pts · 4d
I don't think so. I'm taking myself sertraline and the weight gain affects my physical health.
Maybe the cumming part it's not that important tho, although I think that's a really good form of emotional and distress regulation.
Skankboot@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 5d
It's a joke in a shitpost forum. Calm down.
jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 5d
Was gonna post this but then then I came so hard I lost weight instead
UntitledQuitting@reddthat.com · 3 pts · 5d
doctors hate this simple trick
Skankboot@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 4d
This guy I was replying to can't do either of those things and now you're a problem
manuremy@sopuli.xyz · -2 pts · 4d
Nah, if I can't have feelings sor orgasms and get more fat on top of that, I might as well really end it lol
areakode@riskeratspizza.com · 72 pts · 5d
Went through a few antidepressants. Finally stuck with one that works okay. Then I got diagnosed with ADHD. Turns out all my body needed was some Adderall!
fuck_u_spez_in_particular@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3d
Yeah I also had to go through multiple burnouts or depressions (I'm not sure where to put these, difficult to draw a line). Kinda sad how this is not screened straight away, given the commoness of that condition.
Miller@lemmy.world · 50 pts · 5d
Doc: we are all interested in your bum
Me: my bum?
Doc: your bum, we want to stick six feet of hosepipe up there
Me: I don't want that to happen
Doc: expect not, are you free next Tuesday morning?
FavouriteShapes@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 5d
I have a sigmoidoscopy on the horizon and I saw the doctor's referral and noticed it said something like "no anesthesia needed" - madam who made that decision? 😭
muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 5d
“He’s a pro.”
FavouriteShapes@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 4d
Professional thing up the ass taker
Miller@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 5d
Gas and air it like a hero.
Dadifer@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 5d
🎶 check the poo, check the poo 🎶
🎶 our number one test is your number two 🎶
FriskyDingo@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 5d
Quit your prancing, Dorothy!
Doug@piefed.social · 28 pts · 5d
mirtazapine undid like a year of weight loss progress in under two months and then some; put me back up to the most I’ve ever weighed. I’m off it now and in a better place, but now I gotta get back to it. and the anal fissure doesn’t help ‘cause now I can’t bike anymore until that shit goes away, which has been taking forever to get fully treated.
now it’s boring, accessible treadmills for me and calorie counting all over again. 7 pounds down, 30 more to go.
I wish I didn’t hate exercise so much.
imsufferableninja@sh.itjust.works · 19 pts · 5d
My wife has been on a variety of meds for anxiety and depression over the last 10ish years, none of which should lead to weight gain. Multiple doctors told her "you're just gaining weight because you can enjoy food again, now the depression is under control". Horse shit. We did calorie counting, she was gaining weight even at 1100-1200 calories per day and daily exercise. Switched meds, and she lost 30 pounds in a matter of a few months. Fucking doctors, man.
fuck_u_spez_in_particular@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3d
You probably just need to find the right exercise. Sounds crazy, but playing drums for example also counts as exercise, and at least to me is highly addictive.
The "runners high" can also be kinda addictive (or more generally of your favourite sport)
Apart of that, Psychedelics may also be worth a try, they seem very promising in research currently. But don't mix them with SSRIs...
Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world · -16 pts · 5d
Do they have one to increase the urgency to not be a fat ass?
Gormadt@slrpnk.net · 8 pts · 5d
With the amount of different meds they have available I'm sure there's one.
When I first went to the doc about my anxiety over the course of 1 year they had me try 15 different anti-anxiety meds before I threw in the towel and said "None of these are working for me and I need to stop this for a little while as it's really fucking with me."
About a year later I got diagnosed with ADHD and started meds for that and suddenly my anxiety was in check. In 3 years I've only had 2 panic attacks vs nearly weekly ones before. It also feels like I went from going through life on Legendary difficulty to something like Medium. Or put another way: it's like I went from playing Dark Souls 3 to playing Witcher 3.
teslekova@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 5d
I wish they did, mate.
unazebra@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 4d
There's a testing called genesight that I did through my doctor (so seemingly not sending my DNA to a private company like 23&me) that helped me identify which SSRI would metabolize with the fewest side effects with my specific body chemistry. For those lucky enough to have health insurance, I think insurance will pay for it after 2 attempted SSRIs with bad side effects.
I wish for rest & gentleness for us all. 🪻🪻
Genesight
jade52@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 4d
Holy shit I wish I knew about this like 4 years ago. Would have saved me all the drama of trying each of them out until prozac was the only one that didn't make me nauseous af
Toga77@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3d
Same. I literally almost died because paxil wasn't something I could even take and it was giving me serotonin syndrome.
2 years on now, after the test, found a far better drug with no side effects for me.
SethTaylor@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 5d
me: I'm sad
Local feral cat: Here's my three kittens. I must go now, my planet needs me
Vet: This will be expensive and exhausting for you
Therapist: Pets would be good for you, but you won't be able to keep up with the necessary work and routines. Maybe at a later time.
me: Oh yea? I'll show you! I will attempt to keep up with the necessary work and routines!
Me again: I failed and broke down immediately
Still me: gotta give up the cats
Yet again me: Perfect...
snowdriftissue@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 5d
Tbf the weight gain attributable to sris is tiny, like 0.5 kg over 6 months at most
sit@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 32 pts · 5d
I don’t heve experience but would think that’s different from individual to individual
snowdriftissue@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 5d
It's true that differences between how individuals react to sris is pretty large and that <0.5kg number is a population wide average
ickplant@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 5d
That may be true for SSRIs, but I have bipolar, and I’m on an antipsychotic that also has antidepressant properties. It made me gain hella weight.
SethTaylor@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 5d
"Keep your mind light and your booty heavy. Ask your doctor for our antidepressant today!"
ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 5d
Bye bye bad moody, hello phat booty! Thanks, medicine name!
snowdriftissue@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 5d
Yeah other meds are different. I assumed OOP was referring to sris because of the cum thing
ickplant@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 5d
A totally fair assumption.
ayyy@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 5d
I gained like 70lbs then lost it all after getting off of them. Losing that much weight while depressed was a bitch and a half.
snowdriftissue@lemmy.world · -8 pts · 5d
There is no way that amount of weight gain was caused by an sri. Maybe you were on something else like an atypical/tricyclic antidepressant? Or maybe you were just depressed?
ayyy@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 4d
Nope
No shit. But I was depressed before, and I was depressed after. It was over a period of more than a year. Same for the loss. I didn’t just puff up like Violet in a chocolate factory lol.
snowdriftissue@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 4d
I'm sure you didn't. I don't doubt that the meds contributed somewhat, but there's just no evidence that these agents can cause a weight gain of that magnitude on their own. Even the individual uncontrolled longitudinal studies that show the highest amounts of weight gain demonstrate at most 5-8kg increase.
ayyy@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 3d
Over what time period? The figure you “cited” is worthless without that.
snowdriftissue@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3d
Over 2-4 years, which tends to be the peak of sri related weight gain after which weight tends to plateau
jdr@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 5d
Idk, after I went on antidepressants only a couple of years later I put on loads of weight
snowdriftissue@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 5d
Unfortunately it's pretty hard to tease these things apart because depression itself causes weight gain and there are medication adherence issues especially with longer term studies, but the most well-controlled data suggests that sris don't play much of a role in weight gain for most people
jdr@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 5d
Ya, I was being silly, my weight gain has other sensible explanations
ChexMax@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 5d
I mean what does "cause weight gain" even mean because mine didn't cause weight gain, at least one of mine caused me to feel a black hole in my stomach. I was perpetually hungry, a hunger that I couldn't satisfy. It also increased suicidal ideation and action and also did not help my depression. Hope this helps!
ILikeTraaaains@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3d
I don’t remember what type of antidepressant it was, but my psychiatrist prescribed me one that fucked my weight a lot.
It was around after the Covid lockdowns lifted, so it passed like half a year before having an in person visit, we were doing by phone as much as possible, when she saw me again she had a shocked pikachu face and said “that’s not normal weight gain, that’s due the meds I knew the weight gain is a side effect, I’m going to change them to XYZ that has the same effect but the weight gain side effect”
And so was “You did knew, and there this ones that do the same without the weight gain. Why didn’t you prescribed this ones at first place?”
teslasaur@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 4d
Started working out, which helped immensely.
Turns out that sitting inside and looking at doomers is bad for your well-being.
Asfalttikyntaja@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 3d
You must be kidding, right?
teslasaur@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3d
In what way?
Asfalttikyntaja@sopuli.xyz · 0 pts · 3d
/s
heartSagan5@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 3d
When I was in a hole, I had to get drunk and workout on alternating days.
IamMoonPie@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 4d
I’d rather have weird side effects and be fat than be dead.
FatVegan@leminal.space · 4 pts · 4d
The great depresh was such an eye opening comedy special for me.
DankDingleberry@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 5d
sertralin works perfectly fine w/o that stuff
some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 5d
For some. If it works for you, you're lucky. Especially if it's the first drug you tried.
For others, depression treatment means bouncing around between different drugs and drug classes until landing on something that works, and doesn't make things worse. For some people that's a holy grail that doesn't actually exist, and they won't be helped by any of the "traditional" first-line treatments. (The SSRI, SNRI, tricyclic, etc. drugs).
Some of these take weeks before you even know if it's working or not. If it doesn't work, and you have to stop taking it, you either go cold turkey, risking bizarre withdrawal symptoms and/or worse mental issues, or its a slow taper of weeks to months. Best case scenario you feel dull and blah for a few weeks during that taper. Or you may experience worse symptoms. Either way, it's a huge waste of time and resources, with a high degree of chance you'll just say "fuck it" and make a choice that will make things even worse.
Now imagine repeating that cycle several times over, until you cross whatever arbitrary threshold your local health system deigns is enough suffering to allow them to give you the "treatment resistant" label and open the gates to newer, "non-traditional" treatments with a higher chance of actually working. This magic number of different drugs you have to try can vary based on local laws and your insurance. In my situation, it's at least 7 different drugs, and you have to try one from each major category. (So 1 SSRI, 1 SNRI, etc..) You also must comply with all your provider's instructions. If they want you to taper off, you can't just say "fuck it", you must take all the scheduled doses until that's complete. You must be a good obedient patient until whatever authority applies to you decides you've had enough.
There are a few things out there with much higher success rates, like ketamine therapy, MDMA therapy, psylocybin and electroconvulsive therapy (which sounds really scary, but it's been and continues to be refined and modernized, and currently has a success rate of about 60%, which is considered very good).
Patients in my area have to survive the drugs gauntlet I've described above, plus talk therapy, before they're allowed to take advantage of the things which medicine already knows are just as safe and vastly more effective - it's really fucked. Many don't come out better on the other side of that process, which can take YEARS, and some don't survive. The only exceptions to this are of course wealthy people who can just end-run around most of the rules because they have the ability to pay directly for the good stuff out of pocket.
Speaking of money, these treatments which are known to work more often for a greater percentage of people are often a lot more expensive in the short term - if they're even available where you live. It doesn't have to be that way but, thanks to regulatory capture, there is a boatload of overhead. These therapies all require licensing, certifications, a higher level of expertise and skill, etc., way way above and beyond just writing a script for, e.g., wellbutrin.
Because they all work for quite a while after a session, though, you don't need them as often, and they cost far less in the long run. Sounds good, right? But insurance companies hate things like that. They would much rather you take one or more pills every day for your entire life. They especially like the ones that are difficult to get off of. So they force providers to tinker around with your brain chemistry for a while, with drugs that are just barely effective enough that they continue to be manufactured. They would love for you to give up or die during that phase of treatment, because then they don't ever have to subsidize those expensive therapies which are more of an occasional appointment or even "one and done" treatment model.
Some turn to black market sources of ketamine, MDMA or psychs in a desperate attempt to treat themselves, but, naturally, not everyone coloring outside the lines has the knowledge or werewithal to test their drugs or use the correct dose/dosing schedule or provide themselves the proper mindset and environment like a professional would.
Mental health treatment can be a real wilderness for many.
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works · -1 pts · 4d
This is congruent with my own experiences, from which I could draw at least one of two conclusions: 1, the science isn't done on these medicines. How often outside of psychiatry do you hear "We have to find the cocktail that works for you"? 2, the industry isn't worthy of caring for patients because money comes before patient care. "This treatment will probably work but so that we can buy a ninth yacht we'll make you buy all these others first."
DankDingleberry@lemmy.world · -3 pts · 4d
tldr
slackassassin@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 5d
A possible side effect of setraline, along with other SSRIs, is decreased libido and ejaculation failure.
renamon_silver@lemmy.wtf · 1 pts · 5d
Worth it
TipRing@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 5d
Sertraline was actual torture for me. I stopped sleeping entirely, had constant chills, pounding headache, mood instability where I would just start sobbing for no reason. Started on week 3 and by the end of the week I was begging my doctor to take me off it.
Sister had similar results. I ended up on different meds.
DankDingleberry@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 4d
i am very sorry to hear that
LePoisson@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 5d
Took me a few months on sertraline to get back to my horny self and even being able to cum - a frustrating few months indeed - but it helps a ton with the anxiety and eventually I got back to busting nuts so I think it's worth it.
HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 5d
I take it but went down to the lowest possible dose because my emotions absolutely flatlined. Was great for getting through prison though; day to day just getting through it.
Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 5d
I wish
BreadOven@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 5d
Are you daft? It works perfectly fine without side effects for some amount of people. But not nearly everyone.
I've stayed on it because I don't want to go through the hassle of trial and error with others, but I don't have that many side effects after many dose modifications.
It's asinine to think it works for everyone as intended. Please educate yourself before spouting such bs.
Also, it's Sertraline (generic name).
DankDingleberry@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 4d
seems i struck a nerve.
BreadOven@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2d
It's just that everyone's experience is so drastically different. It doesn't make sense to generalize.
4grams@awful.systems · 10 pts · 4d
I keep trying to be seen for therapy, or to get a diagnosis. All they ever do is prescribe me another brain pill that does nothing but gives me hemroids.
Mental health in the US is completely fucked, efforts aren’t made, unless it’s for a pill they can sell you.
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3d
I keep looking for some neurologists to switch anti-seizure medications (valproic-acid is a garbage medication - no, 10+ hours of sleep due to medication side effects is not "healthmaxxing"), but most here in Hungary are only interested in people paying them for chronic numbness and similar stuff.
theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 9 pts · 5d
Love the ones where you never wake up and are constantly moving through a fog.
ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 5d
Idk not waking up sounds pretty nice ngl
BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 5d
You're kinda still doing stuff, you're just disconnected. It's all the bad, not much of the good.
Stonewyvvern@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 3d
Went to therapy for depression and high anxiety.
Put me on depakote. Gained a lot of weight(spare tire) and ended up with body dismorphia which made me even more depressed.
Quit that therapist and went to another who pulled me off of it. Body went back to normal. Just needed someone to talk to. Helped me realize that I cared too much about what others thought.
My anxiety was due to trying too hard to people please when most people don't know themselves what pleases them. And the depression was me failing to help others.
If they don't know, how the fuck am I supposed to help them. Answer: Don't. Help myself and by extension I help everyone. Problem not solved but definitely more managed.
Came up with the phrase "Slow the Decay". Best way to do that is by making suggestions that others may or may not take. If they do, I helped slow the Decay. If not, then it's not my fault. Can't help the entire world, but I can help slow the decay in my small part of it.
hOrni@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 5d
How many calories do these pills have?
jpreston2005@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 5d
*that can also make your symptoms far worse!
SourDragon@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 5d
You can't lose weight, but that's okay because the lack of appetite balances that out! (A common side effect my antidepressants have)
PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 4d
Lucky
Apytele@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 4d
I keep saying there's exactly two medication side effect profiles.
unwarlikeExtortion@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 4d
The sudden death stuff sounds pretty wild. I wonder under what explanation regulators just accept 1 in 10000 patients will just randomly die from the drug.
Apytele@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 3d
Well the alternative is usually slowly dying / getting debilitated by it over the course of several decades.
Frigidlollipop@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3d
It's wild to me that it feels like we've thrown in the towel on creating conditions good for human health mentally. Im not always the most chipper of people, but I thought it was wild that Ive had multiple coworkers casually and openly discuss how hard adjusting to ssri medication has been for them.
Life sucks? Stressed? Hate your life and or job? Take a pill...
Im not discounting that the medication actually helps a lot of individuals. I just hate that it has become the blanket remedy to unhappy mental states. Even eating healthy, positive social relationships, and exercising gets written off quickly.
sudoer777@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 3d
Lexapro sucks and I don't understand how pills from a psychiatrist who only knew you for an hour can be trusted not to fuck you up even more
Artemis_Mystique@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 4d
on the shitpost meter, you score 55%
Shanmugha@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 4d
Huh. Ever seen side effects of depression?
Noodle07@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 4d
Death
Korne127@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 4d
Lose weight? Didn't know that was supposed to be a thing, I was able to lose 10kg in some months. However, the sexual side effects are real
majster@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 4d
Damn so many people in the comments on this stuff
Blackfeathr@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3d
If only my insurance provider believed mental health care was worth covering more, I might be in a better place. And medicated.
(UHC can choke on my fat hog)
antianarchist@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 5d
With venlafaxine (SNRI), you don’t have the weight gain, but it fucks up your heart. Love the positive effects, though, still have to switch and I don’t like that at all. There is no similar SNRI. It is suggested to try sertraline + modafinil.
UntitledQuitting@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 5d
+1 for venlafaxine, which I also had to switch from because it gave me hypertension. zoloft doesn't hit the same.
dorumon@lemmy.cafe · 2 pts · 3d
dorumon@lemmy.cafe · 1 pts · 3d
necromansor@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 4d
Lol
A_Chilean_Cyborg@feddit.cl · 1 pts · 4d
I'm on fluoxetine without really any issue.
FavouriteShapes@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 5d
Lol!
CultLeader4Hire@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 5d
naught@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 5d
That can have some really frightening (if rare) side effects! Bupropion is similar in that it has few side effects and isn't an SSRI. Works ok, just don't take too much or you'll seize 🙃
snowdriftissue@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 5d
Mirtazapine is an appetite stimulant. They give it to old people a lot so they eat and sleep better. Happy it works for you though
BreadOven@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 5d
Maybe for you. Obviously it's not the same for everyone. I gained like 20 kg on it. I'm back down now after stopping and really trying to lose it.
All of these medications work drastically differently depending on the person.
Why do people not think of this?
myyass@lemmy.world · -3 pts · 5d
Just wait until it turns into pills and you're still fucked and now worse off. Your brain chemistry might change permanently.
Hard pass.