newguyhere: need advice please

[newguyhere]

I not been doing good on and off for a few months, there is a lot of big decisions and things going on in my life right now and lately, I am not doing good at all. I take niacinamide 6g daily along w/ b-complex and vitamin c, and fish oil. I seemed to help in the past but not helping right now.... my wife wants me to go see dr and get on medicine but I am scared, dont' want to make things worse, but things are pretty bad right now. I feel my depression/anxiety is due to circumstances so I am scared that medicine won't help but make worse, and get addicted, withdrawals etc.,....advice please?

 

Edited November 7, 2018 by ChessieCat
reduced font size

[newguyhere]

I have been dealing with depression/anxiety on and off for years but it really hasn't been bad until recently, last couple of years. I started taking niacin/niacinamide (up to 6-9 mgs/day lately), fish oil, b complex w/ vit C and it seemed to help until recently. I am dealing with some big issues in my life right now and not doing good at all. My wife really wants me to go see a general practitioner and get on ssri's. a family member who is on Zoloft and recommends it. I am scared to get on anything and don't want to get worse, or addicted/tolernance and have bad withdrawals, guess staying o for life is what some people do? Anyways, I wanted opinions if I should give ssri's a try or not?

[ChessieCat]

Hi newguyhere and welcome to SA,

 

Have you been on any psychiatric drugs previously?  If you have, then you may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms.  Please create a drug signature using the following format:

 

Please make it nice simple by following these instructions (NO diagnoses or symptoms please - thank you):

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses
• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

SA is a site for tapering off psychiatric drugs.  There are many members on this site who would probably tell you that they regret going on a drug.  Some members have had a bad reaction after taking only 1, 2 or 3 tablets.  My own situation is that I had many major life stresses (ie external stress) from the age of 19 and ended up on an antidepressant in my mid-30s.  I'm now 61.  I've been on an antidepressant for about 25 years now.  If I had been taught non drug ways to cope when I was young, I most probably would not have ended up on an AD.

We all want an easy and quick fix.  ADs are not the magic pill that we are led to believe.  Gwen Olsen was a drug rep for 15 years.  Short video:  We are trained to misinform

 

The thing to understand is that ADs numb the emotions, they don't make the problems go away.  Most external stressors, and I understand not all (my husband got sick after we had been married for 2 years so that particular stress was on-going), generally resolve over time or at least lessen.  I learnt CBT 4 years ago and wish that I had been taught this before going an an AD.  I also didn't receive any counselling "back then".

 

My suggestion would be to explore all other avenues of non-drug methods of coping before even considering taking an AD. 

 

I think it would also be helpful if you learned more about the history and issues of psychiatric drugs.  Two good books are Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker (this book also explains the history of drugs) and Your Drug May Be Your Problem by Dr Peter Breggin.  This is a good start:  Video:  Simple Truths About Psychiatry - Series of 10 by Dr Peter Breggin

 

I also suggest that you check out some links on my website of things I have found on the internet (about half way down the page) https://adwithdrawal.weebly.com/information-links.html.  Also check out page 1 of my site too.

 

My hope is that you don't take an AD, but if you do decide to take an AD, please be aware that they need to be tapered, otherwise you can experience withdrawal symptoms.  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

[ChessieCat]

Some links:

 

Non-drug techniques to cope

 

dealing-with-emotional-spirals

 

Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and learned and taught ways of coping.  There are videos available on YouTube.

 

Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System

 

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, depression

 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)
 

CBT Course:  An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes
 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ...
 

Resources:  Centre for Clinical Interventions (PDF modules that you can work through, eg:  Depression, Distress Intolerance, Health Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Social Anxiety, Worrying)
 

Video:  Experiential Avoidance (4 minutes)
 

Video:  Relaxing Calm - Progressive Muscle Relaxation - with music (15 minutes)
 

Video:  Relaxing Rolldown - quick relaxation exercise with music (4 minutes)
 

Video:  EMDR - Relaxation - Positive Thinking
 

Video:  EMDR - Balloon

[newguyhere]

thank you, this is what I was thinking, I will share this with wife. Obviously, medication is better than suicide (I am not there now) but sounds like it should be a LAST resort. Thank you for sharing and I will look into links.

[ChessieCat]

You're very welcome.

 

This site was started in 2011.  We have seen too many cases where the drugs have caused issues, both being on them and getting off them.  We have also seen people being poly-drugged by ignorant medical professionals.  I wish I had been given the information I have given you.  In most cases I think that there are better non-drug options.

 

Please be aware that sometimes psychiatric drugs can actually cause the issues that they are prescribed for.

 

Knowledge is power.  At least now you can make an informed decision.

 

I wish you all the best.

[newguyhere]

thank you again, I looked at the cbt last night and this morning, it has already helped, along w/ other links. This is a process, I understand, but thank you for giving me the tools you did!!!

[ChessieCat]

Oh, that's great news.  I'm am truly pleased about that.

 

One thing I would like to draw your attention to is the term "therapeutic dose".  Therapeutic dose is an arbitrary term which the pharmaceutical companies use which they teach the doctors.

 

Arbitrary:  based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.

 

At SA we prefer "lowest effective dose".

[newguyhere]

My depression/anxiety has gotten worse..... I have resisted taking medicine until now, I don't want to end up dead or divorced and feel like it is my only option at this point. I haven't slept good for awhile. I know this forum is for withdrawals, but I am looking for advice on which SSRI is most effective, I know it is different for most people, my dad is Zoloft and says it helps him and it seems to be one of the more effective ones. 50mg is usually the starting dse right, and going up to??? How long can I take it and stop without having to taper ? Thanks

[Carmie]

Hi newguyhere, 

 

I just wanted to say if you are ever feeling desperate, as you just said, please check out the thread on the first page on the Symptoms And Self Care Page entitled For Those Who Are Desperate Or Suicidal.

 

One of the other mods might be able to link you to it and give you some more advice. 

 

Stay safe💚

[Gridley]

newguyhere,

 

Here's the link Carmie is talking about:

For those who are feeling desperate or suicidal 

[newguyhere]

thanks, I know it takes about a month to work but can you please tell me how long I can try Zoloft and decide tom stop w/out having to taper off?

[newguyhere]

I know it takes about a month to start working,  if I don't like it or it is not working how long can I be on it and still quit cold turkey, or at least say half dose for a week, without ding the 10% taper? Thanks

[Gridley]

This is from a post from Altostrata, administrator of this site:

"According to the medical literature, anyone that's been taking an antidepressant for more than a month is at risk for withdrawal symptoms."

[composter]

@newguyhere I'm sorry to hear that you have been dealing with worsening anxiety and depression. You are also wise to be reading through this site and doing research before taking drugs. May I ask which non-pharmaceutical tools you have tried so far? There are many effective options to try that do not come with the same risk as antidepressants.

 

Many people find any of the following to be helpful: mental health therapy/counseling (CBT or other techniques), acupuncture, daily exercise (at least 30 min), daily sun exposure, meditation/mindfulness, supplementation with Vitamin D or B12 (ask your doctor for a blood test to check deficiencies first), and dietary changes that support your overall well-being (studies show a strong gut-brain connection). You may also find it helpful to read books on the subject of mental health and depression, or join local groups with others who go through the same thing.

 

If you have any questions on any of the above, I can do my best to share my personal experiences pertaining to each tool. I do hope you can find a way to manage and reduce your suffering without having to play a game of chance with antidepressants.

[newguyhere]

3 hours ago, Gridley said:

This is from a post from Altostrata, administrator of this site:

"According to the medical literature, anyone that's been taking an antidepressant for more than a month is at risk for withdrawal symptoms."

 

I have tried CBT by myself (not counseling) , plan on trying TDCS brain stimulation, kinda scary but good results in trials and people online. Would def try accupunture. I think the main thing is I have to fix MYSELF.

[Gridley]

If you try acupuncture, be sure to tell the acupuncturist that you want calming results, not stimulating.

[ChessieCat]

There are many existing topics on this site.  I like to use google and add survivingantidepressants.org to my search term.

 

alpha-stim-fisher-wallace-sota-biotuner-pons-and-similar-devices

 

1 hour ago, newguyhere said:

I have tried CBT by myself (not counseling)

 

 

CBT is only one tool.  Counselling can be teach you coping skills.  Everybody has issues which life throws at us.  Sometimes an issue is short lived, sometimes it lasts for longer and sometimes it is on going.  Sometimes you have several happen at the one time.

 

Before starting an antidepressant, my suggestion would be to get face to face counselling, advising them that you want to learn non drug ways of coping with life issues.

 

3 hours ago, composter said:

There are many effective options to try that do not come with the same risk as antidepressants.

 

Many people find any of the following to be helpful: mental health therapy/counseling (CBT or other techniques), acupuncture, daily exercise (at least 30 min), daily sun exposure, meditation/mindfulness, supplementation with Vitamin D or B12 (ask your doctor for a blood test to check deficiencies first), and dietary changes that support your overall well-being (studies show a strong gut-brain connection). You may also find it helpful to read books on the subject of mental health and depression, or join local groups with others who go through the same thing.

 

Composter gave some excellent advice. 

[newguyhere]

I have posted once before, I have never been on any medicine and really don't want to be,  I have a healthy lifestyle, take vitamins and supplements, have tried CBT, tdcs, BUT.... I have mental issues that have gotten worse over time and really bad lately!!!! My wife is begging me to get on medicine, my dad has been on SSRI for years and says it helps him and he suggests I get on them... I know others that take them and say they help,  how do they help some people if not a chemical imbalance? I know there is a sticky saying "no such thing as chemical imbalance" I am too messed up to read thru it all,.... please let me know if you think SSRI's a bad idea for me to try, I am at my wits end!!!

 

 

[eymen23]

Hi newguy,

 

You mention declining mental health. Do you know what’s triggering all of this? Is there a lot of stress in your life at the moment? Have you tried any supplements like magnesium or fish oil (magnesium drastically helped me several years ago)?

 

 

My family begged me to get onto antidepressants and they have not helped me one bit, in fact I feel worse than I have in a long time. Now I have to deal with tapering off. 

 

You may try them and find they work great, but I just want you to be aware that for a lot of people they don’t help and cause a lot of issues down the line with side effects and withdrawal issues. Even those who find benefit, can eventually find the antidepressants stops being effective. If you look at long term terms users, there really aren’t many who say they were a long term help, most often only in the short term. 

 

 

[newguyhere]

Thanks, what magnesium dose? There is so much going on/wrong in my head/life, I feel some is justified some I can admit is my anxiety and imagining worst case scenario

[eymen23]

I have found magnesium works best for me between 4-500mg. I take magnesium citrate, although some find that gives them diarrhoea at high doses.

 

I would suggest trying magnesium glycinate (easier on the stomach) or magnesium citrate at perhaps 200mg per day and then move upwards to 400mg if it agreed with you. 

 

Have you tried mindfulness? For many people with situational anxiety it can be a real game changer.

 

It’s hard to understand what’s going on with you as you’re being rather vague, but I respect you may not want to discuss personal issues on a public forum. If this is a case of life stressors aggravating a condition which was otherwise under control, I would strongly recommend mindfulness meditation, as well as the other suggestions above.