Woudl anyone care to commnet about the effects of antidepressants, on the average BH?
presumably, it will help one "feel less depressed". Would it have any effect on my ability to focus on my job? (cause right now, it sucks to begin with. i'm hoping it will help some?)

yes I know I have typos in the first line. i dont care <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

They worked for me!

And I was one of those "won't ever need 'em, won't ever use 'em" guys.

Ought to help you get back to "normal" - including job focus and any other focus.

I took them......for 6 months....helped alot after about 1.5 weeks.

I'm off them now, it was a little bit of a struggle to get off them (I had to taper slowly) but I'm fine now.

Check http://crazymeds.org/ - seems like a good site.

Depends on what type of AD you're on or going on.

Some will make you sleep more. Some will make you feel like you need less sleep. Most will clear the cobwebs out of your head, make it easier for you to think, make you less prone to panic - generally make it easier for you to 'cope'. Most will dampen your sex drive. Some will affect your appetite and energy levels. Some of the older AD's resulted in hand tremors. It all depends on what you're taking.

Be warned - after they take effect (4-8 weeks) you may feel like you didn't need them, like you feel better because YOU decided to feel better. A lot of people fall into this trap - they take AD's until they feel better, stop taking them, crash and burn, start taking them again, and then they don't work. Point is, don't stop taking them until the doctor says otherwise, or at least a year goes by and your situation stabilizes.

I use wellbutrin Xl 450mgs. I was also using lexapro but I hated the way it made me feel-I was lethargic. Sometimes it takes a few times to get one that works specifically for you.
But, you have to remember that it is help not a cure, you still have to work on yourself.

Hi techie,

For the first few months after D-day, I went without anti-d's and focused a lot on self-care (eating well, exercising, sleeping as much as I could). But when I had to go back to work full-time, I started anti-d's because I knew I wouldn't be able to focus so much on my own health yet I knew I had to keep it together for my kids' sake.

Anti-d's definitely helped get rid of my constant anxiety and helped me feel more like "myself" again. If anxiety over your situation is keeping you from focusing on your job, then anti-d's may certainly help. I did find, though, that I had more of a "who cares?" attitude, so I was perhaps less concerned about my performance than I was before.

(I was on Effexor 75 mg for 9 months.)

Ditto the others re: not going off just because you feel better, and also doing your best to enhance personal health in other ways in the meantime.

G

This is what I'm on...at first I was the same way, so I cut the dose in half, 5mg instead of 10! Dr. said that was fine, and it's been great ever since. I feel great, and have less anxiety or maybe I'm just dealing with it better! LOL

I love them!

Great! I like the wellbutrin. It gives me time to realize what I am doing and reevaluate what I should do. I don't "react" anymore without thinking.

Thorstein- You nailed it!

Have a great day!

Techie- I hope your getting the info that you need! Best wishes!

thanks folks <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Depending on your body and the AD, some AD's can make you feel a little foggy feeling until you get use to them and even then you might feel a little flat in the way you feel. It might take some of the drive out of you, which if you use the drive as means to work, you may feel less motivated. A lot of people use their extra anxiety in their work and when the AD's knock it down they suddenly feel lost. It's like someone just took away a little bit of their adrenalin...but then that is exactly what is happening. It's that extra adrenalin from anxiety that eventually can lead to depression. If you overwork your body constantly it eventually can't hold up to the stress, which leads to the depression. Anxiety and depression complement each other. A person with anxiety may eventually develop depression. A person with depression may eventually develop anxiety. They are like overlapping circles.

I have been on Lexapro for a little over a month. They did make me lethargic so I take them at night now.

They have been a miracle. Helped with eating and sleeping and just made me a little more rational.

I didn't feel great the first few days until my body got used to them but now they are wonderful!!

Blind

PS. ALWAYS!! check with your doctor before discontinuing any AD because there can be real bad side effects if you just stop them. Almost all AD's require that you taper off of them.

Yeah! I forgot to add that. I was on Lex for only a month 10mgs. It was safe to discontinue in my sitch because of the Wellbutrin back up. But that varies from person to person doctor to doctor.

If depression lifts and anxiety kicks in, your Dr. may give you a low dose of a Benzo too for temporary relief.

Could be Xanax, Ativan, etc, If Alcohol is involved in your moods, you may get librium or valium to help stop that problem.