Help/Support ► HELP ME MAKE IMPORTANT LIFE DECISIONS PLZ AND THX

[stephaknee]

Terrible source of advice and I probably know more than most of you about SSRI mechanism of action, but gosh this is so much easier than thinking for myself. Basically I need to decide if I wanna be on meds or not (Zoloft). I was on it for about two months, and have been off for about two months

Pros:
- It worked!
- Psychiatrist and Psychologist both recommend it!
- I don't feel like giving up on life/don't get dissociation/don't feel like I'm sinking into a black hole! (see: it worked!)
- No intense panic attacks/flashbacks where I completely lose touch with reality!

Cons
- My alcohol tolerance is shit.
- My sex drive disappears (orgasms? Don't think so~!)
- I will be dependent on it
- Insomnia
- Having to take meds everyday sux.

I feel okay right now. I am absolutely terrified of returning to the state I was on when I started the Zoloft. I have been having pretty bad panic attacks, but in between them I feel okay. Psychiatrist and psychologist seem biased so I don't really trust their opinion (actually I've been ignoring both of them woops). It was nice being on the meds but I'm scared that by going on them I am giving up the chance of being that happy organically.

SRY VAGUE AND CONFUSING. BUT TELL ME WUT TO DO WITH MY LIFE THX.

 

[Dogenzaka]

I took Zoloft as a young teenager. It's crazy how ready psychiatrists are ready to prescribe you stuff like that. I don't trust the mental health industry very much, especially considering they're trying to add new classifications of mental disorders based on children being shy, children being introverted, etc. which is just bullshit. /rant

I also suffer from panic attacks (anxiety related to testing situations)

Like you've laid out, there are pros and cons and ultimately you'll have drawbacks regardless of whichever you choose. So just pick whatever you think you can tolerate and will keep you happy in the long run.

I'm assuming before you tried Zoloft that you tried other things, like new lifestyle/friend changes, better diet, exercise/sports (awesome stress reliever), maybe something like yoga, therapy/counseling, having constant reasonable goals (this is important, because it gets you to focus all that inward tension on something you can overcome and that betters yourself), regular sleep, and maybe even natural medicine like this? (holy shit Sam-E is so good, or at least it works for me if you take it regularly)

If you've tried all that (and you don't have something I guess "higher" to elevate your spirits like religion/spirituality or something) and you're still miserable and don't feel content with your place in life, then yeah I'd suggest taking a drug like Zoloft because it's not good to have such an uncontrollable feeling of depression.

But ultimately it's your call, your decision, and there's not necessarily a wrong way to go about it, just whatever works best for you.

And regardless, if you don't already, try to build a friendship with one or two people that you feel can hold you accountable to your problems and goals and downfalls and won't judge you, but rather inspire you to better yourself. Try to find a friend that you feel wouldn't mind you driving over at midnight just to talk and get something off your chest. Those kinds of friends will pull you through any recurring bouts of depression that tend to happen.

 

[Cosmic+Amarna]

Yeah, Zoloft and other anti-depressants do no work and cause more harm than good. There are many, many studies proving that this is true. They prove that the patient may be fine while taking it, but once off of it all the symptoms come back. So, what this means is that you will become addicted or dependent upon those drugs, which is a fail really. There are studies that even prove that anti depressants cause neurological damage, which in turn goes on to affect a lot of things. When I was a teen, I was told and forced to take Zoloft to see if it would help me. I took it once, and had the worst experience ever. I literally was hallucinating, not visually but mentally. It was awful and I faked taking it every time after that until I didn't have to anymore.

There are tons of studies proving the negatives of taking anti depressants. Depression can only truly be solved by self. Science has proven that we have the ability to change our brain chemistry simply by our thoughts, which makes a lot of sense actually. Please, check things like this out: The Mindful Way Through Depression, it is a book that is also available on audio. The only true way to cure yourself from depression is to do it mentally yourself. Get help, look into self help books and literature or other forms of media. Meditation is tremendously successful in helping with this. I used to be depressed when I was younger and now no longer am. Sure I get sad sometimes, but never, ever like before no chronic depression. That is because I changed and altered my mind, thru using my mind.

There are tons, and tons of natural, holistic approaches to curing chronic depression that have been proven to work.
Try things like this:
-Meditation
-Expressing yourself and talking to people who care
-Exercise, healthy diet, healthy sleep
-Lessen the amounts of alcohol or drugs taken, since they cause chemical imbalances
-Go out into Nature, that will truly help. Bond with the earth and it's creatures
-Everyday compile a list of things you are grateful for (as bad as you think it is, there are ALWAYS people worse off than you)
-Let go of self pity or low self worth, discover what makes you special(we all truly are)
-Volunteer and help others, this too truly will help your depression

Just to name a few. If you have any questions,etc. or explanations I would love to assist. I've personally gone thru this before and have done my research on it all. I hate to see us get prescribed meds that don't help and actually end up hurting. Trust me don't hesitate to hit me up if you want.

 

[Reflection]

i luv my zoloft, idk what this dood's talkin about^

but yeah omg i didn't know you took it :'3 um idk really, i would stay on it if you think it works; maybe when you are less busy and stuff you can try out going without it...i tried and i simply don't have the willpower to "make" myself happy without the extra boost from the drug so that is why i stayed on them yep.

hope you figure it out <3

 

[Deleted member 36435]

while not a mental health problem with my crohn's i get remicaid every 6 weeks and it essentially takes a shit all over my immune system, so basically i am sick all the time
i'd much prefer that to being a skeleton though

$0.02

 

[Wintertide]

The only problem with medication like that is it never cures the problem, it only covers it. Once you stop taking the medication your problems may get even worse than it was before. It's also easy to get addicted to it to. I say you find another way to treat your problems without having to take medication. You'll be doing your body a favor.

 

[Deleted member 36435]

The only problem with medication like that is it never cures the problem, it only covers it. Once you stop taking the medication your problems may get even worse than it was before. It's also easy to get addicted to it to. I say you find another way to treat your problems without having to take medication. You'll be doing your body a favor.

no, that isn't how medicine works at all

 

[inasuma]

If it helps, take it. It just depends on what you're willing to sacrifice for the medication is all. In an ideal world I would say stay off of medication and work on resolving the issue through exercise and other holistic approaches, but not everyone has time for that stuff. I deal with anxiety just like you do and have tried 4 medications within the last year (was on Buspirone for about 5 months, stopped taking it last month because i was skeptical it was doing nothing to aid me--well, i was right). I'm jealous you were able to find something to aid your anxiety and panic. I'd kill for that. But I suppose my situation is different because of the fact I'm forced to take alternative approaches, whereas you have medication as a possibility.

Anyway, not to ramble, but you just need to debate whether or not you are willing to accept the sacrifices. If it were me, I'd probably take it until I felt better then slowly get off of it 6-8 months later.

The only problem with medication like that is it never cures the problem, it only covers it. Once you stop taking the medication your problems may get even worse than it was before.

Yeah, if you stop taking it cold turkey, maybe. That's why you're told to taper off the medication. :x

 

[Turn]

Have you talked to your doctors about trying something else? If you're that bothered by Zoloft's side effects, you should see about trying other meds under their supervision. Things like low sex drive won't be fixed completely, but it's possible to find something that allows you a little more to work with. Otherwise, I'd just continue talking through your issues with a professional, medication or no.

 

[Dogenzaka]

no, that isn't how medicine works at all

Well it's half right. The medication isn't designed to cure you, otherwise what profit would there be in that? It just alters the chemicals in your brain for as long as you're willing to take it.

 

[Cosmic+Amarna]

It just alters the chemicals in your brain for as long as you're willing to take it.

Word.
Do what you, yourself feel as though you should. Obviously everyone is trying to help you in some way. Become more informed on it and make the decision that you feel is correct.

If it helps, take it. It just depends on what you're willing to sacrifice for the medication is all. In an ideal world I would say stay off of medication and work on resolving the issue through exercise and other holistic approaches, but not everyone has time for that stuff.

This isn't criticism Oberon by the way, and while what you said is true, I'd only like to say that mental health and your well being is very important so not having time for it is a problem in and of it's self. This is a serious issue and if people feel as though they are too busy with life's demands to ever fix their problem naturally, then that problem is probably not going to go away. I'm just saying that if it is something serious like this, then other things should be put on hold, or focus should be shifted. Yes, yes life is hard and demanding but if you can't make time for yourself and something like that, then problems never truly get solved, only suppressed. Sometimes people think Oh I'm too busy/etc. so I'll just take this pill to deal with/alleviate the problem. Ok, then what happens then when you realize you formed a substance dependency? Cold turkey? Well yeah I understand your point, but there is overwhelming scientific data proving that the depression comes back, even if the person is weened off. It is simply because it is only a temporary fix, no different than any other substance illegal or legal.

 

[Ovafaze]

I was thinking of making a similar thread..I used to take Zoloft as well, on and off for four years, it really did help with my anxiety and panic attacks but I started to realize I was fake and without the medicine I was still a nervous wreck of a person, stop taking it in 2009...I think I might give it another go though..I might look into the other advice in this thread first.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[inasuma]

This isn't criticism Oberon by the way, and while what you said is true, I'd only like to say that mental health and your well being is very important so not having time for it is a problem in and of it's self. This is a serious issue and if people feel as though they are too busy with life's demands to ever fix their problem naturally, then that problem is probably not going to go away. I'm just saying that if it is something serious like this, then other things should be put on hold, or focus should be shifted. Yes, yes life is hard and demanding but if you can't make time for yourself and something like that, then problems never truly get solved, only suppressed. Sometimes people think Oh I'm too busy/etc. so I'll just take this pill to deal with/alleviate the problem. Ok, then what happens then when you realize you formed a substance dependency? Cold turkey? Well yeah I understand your point, but there is overwhelming scientific data proving that the depression comes back, even if the person is weened off. It is simply because it is only a temporary fix, no different than any other substance illegal or legal.

derp derp derp. lmao