Anti-depressants. Love them or hate them?

[aksker]

Hate anti-depressants, or at least taking them for anxiety/ I've been on Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, and its the same. I can take huge doses of these drugs, feel like an asexual zombie who is just going through the motions of having a life. Just give me a reasonable amount of benzos so I can cope with life without losing the ability to enjoy it.

This is completely my own situation. I know many other who are honestly helped by anti-depressents and am happy it works for them.

[cajunbulldog]

I dislike my drug regimen but it is required to keep me sane and working full time so I deal with it. I take four different drugs for depression and anxiety along with narcotics for chronic pain.

[chris100]

Antidepressants suck for me. They do nothing at all for me. Its just the same old thing, they put you on them , then your calling your doctor 2 weeks later telling him they dont work. Thats what i have been doing. Im JUST SICK OF THEM!!!!!

[Harper]

I hate antidepressants, the first time I went on them after years of feeling terribly "sad" I didn't notice too much change until 2 months later when I started considering suicide. I discontinued my use, and immediately began feeling better.
Over a year later I tried another brand (pristiq) as I thought it might have a different effect. I only took about a weeks dosage when I began to notice a constant ringing in my ears.. This was about 2 months ago. And I still have the tinnitus.

Studies suggest that strength training is just as and possibly more effective than antidepressant use. I've been using this, and I do notice an improvement in my mood

[MellowMind]

strength training? Huh, really? I will have to read up on that. I have been working out religiously but I never strength train so I might need to add that to my regimen. Thanks for the tip.

[kcfunguy50]

Hate being on them, but like the effect they've had on my life. Sure, no one wants to have to rely on a pill, but it's better than the alternative!

[Symbiopsychotaxiplasm]

Sorry for the late replies. Here is a link to the application for the Pfizer Connection to Care Program:

http://www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com/...112_Online.pdf

Also, here is a link to the list of medications that are available under the Pfizer Connection to Care Program:

Connection To Care^®


Fortunately for me, I pay nothing out of pocket for my Pristiq, but I am a poor College grad swamped in student loan debt. lol. It is definitely worth checking out, and Pfizer is just one of the many companies that provide PAP's.

[Quaalude]

I have been taking Pristiq 100mgs for the past two months and have had some pretty good results so far. At least compared to the 40mgs Prozac that I was previously taking.

I am not insured, so I had always been somewhat limited to the more affordable generic SSRIs (Citalopram, Fluoxetine, Paroxetine, etc). And I'm not knocking these by any means, as I saw good results from Citalopram for a decent amount of time.

But after having tried all of these over several years and not getting the consistency I wanted, my Doctor suggested Pristiq. Having heard of how expensive Pristiq was, I kind of gave him a confused look. But he recommended I apply for a Patient Assistance Program, which I ended up qualifying for.

So to all those suffering from economic hardship and are uninsured, definitely look into the PAPs online. There are several good ones out there.

@Symbiopsychotaxiplasm

Going to give you this one as a freebee. Pristiq is just the bioiosomer of Effexor (venlafaxine) as Effexor is transformed into this compound by the liver in the body. It's a scam created by Pfizer who lost their patent on their golden child Effexor a couple of years ago. What I'm trying to say is that Pristiq is nothing but what your body turns Effexor (venlafaxine) into. Ask you physician. If Pristiq is what works for you, inquire with you physician why you couldn't continue on Effexor, it's a prodrug. Don't expect folks to know these things but why change something that isn't broken? Your physician won't lie to you and generic Effexor tabs are CHEAP, insured or uninsured. Again, not a physician here but do ask your healthcare provider about switching to Effexor if Pristiq is working for you. Sounds like a drug rep has gotten hold of his ear and pushed this shit on to you. Especially sad if you are uninsured or your physician cannot keep you in samples. Speak up and talk to him about the issue. Become an empowered patient and let them know you're not uninformed. Speak up! You are you're best health advocate as no one else is going to go to bat for you!

Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider before switching medications. Think you'd be surprised at the savings you'll incur.

All The Best!

Q

[Symbiopsychotaxiplasm]

@Symbiopsychotaxiplasm

Going to give you this one as a freebee. Pristiq is just the bioiosomer of Effexor (venlafaxine) as Effexor is transformed into this compound by the liver in the body. It's a scam created by Pfizer who lost their patent on their golden child Effexor a couple of years ago. What I'm trying to say is that Pristiq is nothing but what your body turns Effexor (venlafaxine) into. Ask you physician. If Pristiq is what works for you, inquire with you physician why you couldn't continue on Effexor, it's a prodrug. Don't expect folks to know these things but why change something that isn't broken? Your physician won't lie to you and generic Effexor tabs are CHEAP, insured or uninsured. Again, not a physician here but do ask your healthcare provider about switching to Effexor if Pristiq is working for you. Sounds like a drug rep has gotten hold of his ear and pushed this shit on to you. Especially sad if you are uninsured or your physician cannot keep you in samples. Speak up and talk to him about the issue. Become an empowered patient and let them know you're not uninformed. Speak up! You are you're best health advocate as no one else is going to go to bat for you!

Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider before switching medications. Think you'd be surprised at the savings you'll incur.

All The Best!

Q

@Quaalude

I have definitely read similar articles regarding the Effexor/Pristiq debate. And I actually wouldn't be surprised at all if the current physician I am seeing is a part of the Effexor/Pristiq marketing scheme, which is why I'm actually in the process of switching doctors.

Pristiq has been working pretty well, but there's definitely still some down times. But then again I don't guess there's one miracle drug out there. I just hate the constant trial and error process that is the world of antidepressants. Not only is it a mentally exhausting process, but financially too, as the Doc appointments aren't cheap by any means. Time-consuming as well. I know for me, and I'm sure for many others, all too often I kind of fooled myself into thinking a medication would be working. A lot of times it's better, you're just not where you'd like to be.

[Viewsonical]

I found that during a period of my life, they were just what I needed to get a grip on things--just to put out the fires while I gained strength in other areas. After about 5 years, I tapered off of them the right way over a year (I was on Effexor and Lamictal) and have been great since. It is a very personal thing.