The Dangers and Blessings of Anti-Depressants - Our Stories

Medicine is a boon, but it can also be a bane, which is to say that how a medicine works in each person varies - some people will benefit, others will be hurt, but most will receive both benefits and injuries from medicine, although it can never be said what the ratio will be.
This video is anecdotal experiences from myself and my kids for nortriptyline (Pamelor), escitalopram (Lexapro), sertraline (Zoloft) and fluoxetine (Prozac).
The image is of sertraline.

[@ruth6983]

I think that the research saying these meds are Actually what's causing the depression to come back over and over again instead of being a one time or life event related thing,is right. I suffered my first episode as a teenager,got put on ssri's and then started The hell they diagnosed as bipolar 2. Once I had to completely come out of the drugs, I stopped having mania. After almost 20 years of medication I do still feel after 2 years that my brain is not back to normal,and I'm also not expecting to get back to my old normal. I'm not saying drugs can never be the answer. I'm saying they should be used only short term and only if they're Actually working. And if I had a choice and knowledge what I now have, I would have wanted to try to heal from my first episode of depression without meds , only with teraphy.

[@GlennMcGrewII]

I respect your thoughts on this matter. I have no idea what research you mean. Some of the info I've seen predates that, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that those who get depressed become more vulnerable to depression in the future. This has to do with how the brain works, neural pathways that support us doing the right/wrong thing, chemical imbalances, etc. I'm not saying that pharmaceuticals don't mess people up - my video shows that they can. I'm saying that blaming anti-depressives for depression doesn't make sense because people get depressed (or think they are because it's the latest TikTok trend) before being medicated, not after. That said, there are non-physical, non-chemical reasons that a pharmaceutical might not do it's job correctly, and that has to do with not being given the right tools to learn how to fight mental health issues. Do such self-therapeutic tools work 100% of the time? Of course not - some things are just engraved into our DNA so deeply that it'll still try to crawl out of the closet when we're not vigilant. However, as I said in my video, I learned how to fight depression and how to keep it at bay unless things got too overwhelming. I only retreat to the meds when it gets to be too much. I don't like it, and I get off once I realize that I'm on an even keel again, which is hard working for Amazon. Am I saying that therapy is dumb? Of course not! It is important to find a good therapist, as opposed to "the rapist", one who plays with your own mind through manipulation instead of carefully worded, non-leading questions, because they want to get something from you - maybe your vote for their party, maybe sex, maybe they just enjoy destroying people who are already vulnerable. It is also important to believe that therapy can help. If someone doesn't believe, it is extremely hard for a good therapist to help someone without some very radical methods that might send one home crying. I've been to therapists, counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists. I've read plenty of self-help books, developed my own type of hypnotism, conquered 4 phobias and so on, partially because of those professionals and authors. Each of us is different - and that is why Zoloft can help me, doesn't help my daughter, and turns my son suicidal. Therefore, there isn't and never will be a single solution that will work for everyone - even therapy. Give a person with ADHD mindfulness and they will not be helped. Give my daughter caffeine, and she'll be calm but not sleep well. Apply neomycin to my skin every day and I'll develop a rash. Pharmaceuticals should, to a large degree, be "custom" (bespoke in the UK) - tailored to the individual, but that is something that only a compounding pharmacist does, and how many doctors have been trained to know the correct custom drug? Very few. Once, I was invited to enjoy a free session of singing bowl meditation. I lay there, full of doubt and a bit of arrogance, and then I realized that my resistance meant that my doubt would become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I let it go, relaxed and fell asleep. The poor guy had to nudge me awake with one hand while the other kept rubbing the bowl because I was snoring! It was a very nice experience and very relaxing. Always look at drugs as a short-term solution unless medicine hasn't figured out a cure (which capitalism doesn't want anyways because it means less money long-term), but don't trust the pill-pushers. Pill companies want your money - not your health. I wish you happiness and stability. I find it hard to maintain mine sometimes, especially when I feel like I'm balanced on the sharp peak of a mountain, with scarcely enough air to breathe. But, still, I carry on. Thank you for your contribution! I hope you were not offended.