Need help on depression meds

As some of you know I've been going through a rough time, depression has kicked in and I'd like some info on what medicines you take for depression.....

PM me if you want this to be private.....

I'd like to know what medicine you're on, and if it's working, and what the side effects are.

My counselor advised my Doctor to put me on Prozac, I read up on it on WEB MD and a few others......My main concern is if these medicines will make me gain weight, I DO NOT WANT A BIGGER APPETITE, and I do not want to gain weight...That would bring on more depression......

Sounds like Prozac and a few others actually decrease your appetite. Which would be great......

Any help would be greatly appreciated.......I want to get over this depression, I'm not used to not being in control of my feelings.....This sucks......

Thanks in advance, Kelly

just to let you know..ive been on lexapro and i find that it works for me..u should check it out.

Kelly,

I take a low dose of prozac - 20 mg. a day. This helps to decrease anxiety and keeps my Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) from causing digestive problems. I went off it for about 6 months, but slowly began to have IBS pain and trouble, so I restarted it a month ago. I may be on it forever, who knows...but it works for me. I have no side effects, and never have had any. It does not really effect my appetite. Indirectly, I think I am in better contol when I do not have extreme stress triggers messing with my head. Good luck with this...
Cheryl

Well, I take two.

I'm on 10mg of Lexapro every day for anxiety.  I have been on this since early 2006.  Now, since Lexapro can cause increased appetite (which it did with me) my doctor added 300mg of Welbutrin.  I did find that my appetite increased a little but I didn't pack on a ton of weight or anything.  Maybe 5--10 pounds in 6 months (I had a LOT going on at the time so don't take my experience as typical).  I was also dealing with depression so that was the other reason for me taking it.  Welbutrin can cause lack of appetite which, at first, it did for me.  Now I really don't notice it as much.  I'm still taking both prescriptions but I do know I need to go see my therapist soon because the added hormones are making me REALLY *****y and frustrated lately.

I've only taken the Welbutrin for depression and it has seemed to help because, when I'm on it, I'm not as rage-ful, depressed, or angry as I am when I'm not medicated.

I'm on Effexor and Prozac. I was on the extended release Effexor before surgery and it worked great. But can't do the extended release with the pouch, unfortunately. 

Just remember this, antidepressants are highly individual. I've been on antidepressants that supposedly make you gain weight but I haven't. And I've been on ones that are supposed to help with anxiety and didn't. And sometimes it takes a bit of experimentation to get the right one(s). For most antidepressants, they don't really know why one works for some people and not for others. Antidepressants aren't an exact science...that's why there are so many out there. I guess what I'm saying is be open to what your doctor recommends.

I'm actually back to the psychiatrist on Friday because I seem to need an adjustment.  That's 4 adjustments for me since surgery. I think part of it is that life keeps changing so much with the change in weight.

I hope that helps a bit.

Hugs,
Anna

Kel - I wouldn't be as worried about the hunger side-effect as I would be about the sexual side-effect. Some of the anti-depressant drugs can kill your sexual appetite. So, depending on which med your doc puts you on, just be aware that they can combine two meds to combat the major side-effect of each. I never knew you could do a combo, but once I found out, it changed my world!

You know I'm an avid reader and one book I found helpful in understanding it all is "The Chemistry of Joy". Basically, it helped me to understand what kind of depressed person I was. This made a lot of sense and even if you just read that first chapter, it may really help you to understand where you're at right now.

And I agree with the above, what may work now may not work in 6 months, so don't be afraid to keep it in check and talk to your doc about any changes you notice or possible side-effect symptoms coming into play, etc.

Another thing I found helpful is when I was working with my psych, she helped me to understand what was wrong in my brain that was causing this...I lacked the seratonin. She literally drew it all out for me on paper what was happening and how adding a SSRI drug made the connection in my brain. It was a real learning experience, but I'm so thankful she didn't just send me off with a med. She took the time to make sure I understood what was happening and how the med would help and why the med she was recommending would tie that all together.

Also, I had to learn to be an open book about my depression and now I'm so aware of my "symptoms" and so is my family, which really helps to keep it all in check. So, I hope you'll find the strength and courage to share what you are going through with your family so they can help you and support you because you will need that.

Kelly,

I take the controlled release paxil and I love it, after I have my surgery I am sure I will have to take the regular paxil, we will see.

Thank you all for your reponses..... It's good information...... This whole depression thing for me has been extremely hard.......Everyday is different......I just want to be me again......

I LOVE my WL, but not all the other stuff that comes with it.......

Thanks again for sharing with me, Kelly

I'm with Amy on the sexual side effect thing. I've tried a number of anti depressants in the past including Prozac, Effexor, Cymbalta, Lexapro - For me, all gave me sexual side effects. 1. No desire, 2. No "O."  I'm on a combo now which doesn't effect 1 or 2, Wellbutrin and Buspar.  Getting depression medicine right takes time, so be patient, but don't be afraid to tell your doctor it's not working if it's not, and be aware of the side effects.

You know, I've been on most of those too and they never affected me sexually.  But I usually lost my sex drive completely when I was depressed so any uptick in my drive would have been welcome.  Though, maybe I'm such a horndog that they just bump me down to normal!