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Antidepressants have stopped working after 10 days

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by lottaotter, Dec 19, 2022.

  1. Nameerf76

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    Adding to all the good replies here already - one thing I found (Ive been on Citalopram/Celepram (spelling?) for quite a few years) is that, at first, there's a bit of euphoria or a feeling of being a bit "high"! which DOES tend to wear off - which is want you WANT - you don't want to feel high and giggly - you want to feel NORMAL! with normal ups and downs.
    I found I got this euphoric feeling when I first started (on a very low dose) which wore off - over the years my dosage was increased twice (I was worried i was going to reach the maximum dosage and THAT would wear off but it settled and has been the same for years) - each time it was increased I felt a bit "high" for a few days/weeks.
    So, as others have said, you might have to expect to adjust dosages or even change medications before you find the right balance...
    I think the important thing to remember is that there's no "magic pill"! Mental health is about long term management and usually a combination of medication, therapy, practices and lots of work and attention!
     
  2. Tightrope

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    This is exactly where I'm at. I saw my mental health PA at the beginning of this year. Sertraline, the generic for Zoloft, has worked for years. My dosage has been stepped up. I told my provider it's not doing what it used to do. I know it worked well and still works because I went off of it on my own a few times and that was not good at all. My provider mentioned Wellbutrin as an added drug. It's bupropion. We won't be doing this right now because he wants me in a steadier frame of mind and place in case there are some problems adjusting to the new combination. Maybe I can even drop back the sertraline dosage if the bupropion is added.

    Has anyone had any experience with Wellbrutin - bupropion? How was it?
     
  3. Colm

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    I've taken it, but not in combination with an SSRI. I found that it fixed the lack of motivation and focus that depression can sometimes cause, but it didn't really take away the sadness aspect. It felt kind of like taking a stimulant or something. The main side effects were insomnia in the first few weeks, occasionally a faster heartbeat, and sometimes an increased feeling of panic. These mightn't occur when taken with an SSRI though. Aside from potentially increasing the antidepressant effect of the SSRI, the main benefit of adding it would probably be that it can reduce the SSRI's side effects, like weight gain, loss of libido, lethargy, emotional numbing, etc. Might be worth a try to see how it goes for you. Unlike SSRIs, if you don't like the effect, it's easy to discontinue.
     
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  4. mnguy

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    How do you know if you need more meds or more good people in life or something lifestyle to get your mood up and want to exist? I want to be so happy and confident from it I have no worry and go do whatever I want w/o a second thought. Maybe that's a bit much, but you know, something to have a chance would be nice someday.
     
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  5. Tightrope

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    I read your very first quote and should have responded to it as well. I hope you are doing whatever it takes to stay afloat and also seek professional support.

    Did I miss why therapy is stopping? If you are feeling the way you described in the first post, professional help should not be stopped. Is it the rapport with the therapist or because their area of expertise is something else?

    I applaud you for all the things you are doing right, including exercising and eating well. I'd like to do that with the regularity you do it with!

    Are your days different - some up, some down? Yesterday, I was fine and today, I was very down in response to a stressful event. I look forward to getting started with a new therapist and some minor medication changes. Don't be afraid to ask for help. When I was in my teens and twenties, people were maybe even ashamed to seek help. Now, people are more willing to do this and I sure am glad that it's more accepted.
     
  6. mnguy

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    How good should we feel when on meds? Even better if we didn't need them and felt great, what's it like? I been taking one for years and still feel pretty sad at times and mostly enjoy the 13 hours I'm sleeping. If I was around kind people more it would probably help a lot, but it doesn't seem possible so it's like I need something to get over the hump. Or if the med made me fine being alone, that would be cool too so it wouldn't matter anymore. We can't really rely on other people bc they leave for lots of reasons and are free to determine their own lives. Will a Dr. prescribe enough meds to make us happy regardless of life situations?
     
    #26 mnguy, Jan 17, 2023
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2023
  7. Chip

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    Meds don't take away the depression or completely solve the problem. What they do is take the edge off to make live more manageable.

    No, in part because that isn't the way antidepressants work. Drugs of abuse do make people feel happy regardless of their life situation, and that is exactly what makes them drugs of abuse. If something takes away all pain, then who wouldn't want to be on that all the time? And of course, then people develop tolerance, require more of the drug to keep feeling good, and things go downhill from there. But that isn't what life is about, and so the purpose of the drugs that help people manage mood disorders is to make life manageable, so they can do the self-work to normalize their lives and make them pleasant.[/QUOTE]
     
    #27 Chip, Jan 18, 2023
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2023
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  8. mnguy

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    @Chip I probably have the wrong hopes. I thought my brain is low on the feel good chemicals so I feel sad and hopeless which I call depression. If my brain gets the right chemical/electrical signals then I'd feel happy and content, like I once did or what I thought was typical for people who like being alive. Maybe my serotonin level is fine but another endorphin is too low.

    Can you expand on, take the edge off to make life more manageable, what should it feel like? I get up and go about my day, eat pretty healthy, shower/groom, get groceries, do laundry, perfect credit score, sleep well, etc so it looks like I'm doing fine. Thanks and hope you're doing well!
     
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  9. Chip

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    It's difficult to give precise examples, because people'e experiences are all over the map. For some, it is a night-and-day difference; the medication does indeed make them feel "normal" and they are able to get out and do their day-to-day things and feel happy and motivated. For others, it raises the bottom so they are able to function, but still feel some level of "down".

    There's a lot of nuance to this, and each person's experience is different based on their particular genetic makeup, the traumas or attachment issues they have experienced, and similar factors.

    And... interestingly, there is some brand new (August 2022) evidence that might indicate that the 30+ years of study on serotonin may all be... based on a false premise. It is possible, based on the new research, that serotonin may not have much, or anything, to do with depression, and this could explain why the difference between *any* SSRI and placebo is only about 15%. So we may be in for the entire field looking for a different cause. This depends on whether the initial research (which I believe is a metastudy/review) holds up.

    Long and short, if you've been taking an antidepressant of any kind fr 6+ weeks, and found that you don't feel like it's helping, then you should definitely be taling to your doctor about changing drugs or changing doses. But keep in mind that the newest evidence suggests that the best outcomes are a combination of antidepressants and therapy,
     
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  10. Tightrope

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    Yes, when both the medication regimen is working and the therapist is a good one. I don't mean a therapist who tells you what you want to hear, but one who really gets into your specific situation and has your back.
     
  11. Mihael

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    Did the study indicate what is the mechanism then? And why SSRIs work at least for some people?
     
  12. mnguy

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    I've seen some of those findings too which makes me question if it's doing any good. Maybe I don't have enough dopamine or something else that's off. Wish there was a reliable test that would say what the brain/body needs more or less of and have a custom dosage to correct it, if any is needed. Maybe in the future.
     
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  13. Chip

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    To my recollection, no to the first, and unknown to the second. The study mostly looked specifically at serotonin action, and found that the evidence that originally suggested serotonin was correlated to mood was either flawed or outright fraudulent.

    It's causing a huge uproar among those who are aware of it (it's a peer-reviewed article in a credible journal), precisely because we *don't* have a good alternative theory.

    As to why it works in some people, either it is inadvertently triggering something other than serotonin, or there is some unknown action of serotonin that stimulates something else that influences depression, or - quite possibly - it is placebo and flawed studies,
     
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  14. Tightrope

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    Interesting. They can test for testosterone, estrogen, and other hormones. Maybe they can test for this. If not, it would be great if they can find a way to do it. When all these tests are new - just like brand name pharmaceuticals - they are often very expensive.

    At my next quarterly visit, I will be asking to try bupropion. There is enough of a period right after that where nothing exciting will be going on and I can calmly see how I react. If I can perk up some with a combination, I'd rather go that route.
     
  15. mnguy

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    Another chemical I wonder about is oxytocin and people get it from love feelings. Not getting that enough over decades probably rewires the brain since it never gets any strong reason to want to stick around. Enough oxytocin and/or other neurotransmitters are needed to keep humans going. What happens to a person who can never get that? Just a theory if feeling happy, or any feeling is a result of chemical and electrical reactions. What are feelings and emotions made of? I've heard of actions leading to feelings, so what was released or what happened in us that we recognize as the feeling we got from the action?
     
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  16. Tightrope

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    I've had health professionals tell me your brain rewires after being on a med for a long time or there are big stressors that have been a constant.

    I've only heard of oxytocin more recently in articles describing humans and their pets. Domestic animals are supposed to help with depression for that reason, but I don't think they're recommended when a person can drop way down and doesn't have a back-up system like a person who can help out with the domestic animal. Oxytocin was described as the love hormone that elevates the mood.
     
  17. mnguy

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    Good point and it made me think of being a domestic animal myself and not having a person around when I need help haha. Medication probably works better or maybe would feel just fine with enough healthy socializing and romantic love that most people have in life. What are feelings and emotions made of?
     
  18. Tightrope

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    Well, I just picked up my first prescription for bupropion extended release (Wellbutrin) to add to sertraline (Zoloft), which I have been on for what seems like forever. I am supposed to see my psych P.A. quarterly, only for medication management. He has more empathy and is easier to talk to than the jerk psychologist I no longer see. I contacted him and told him that not much was going on with me at this time, I am staying put, except for feeling really flat and that now might be a good time for me to try it. I got an initial 30 day supply.

    I'm hoping it goes well. I sure could use a change and a boost. Now if I could only shake this pesky sinusitis I've had for a week or two.
     
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  19. Colm

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    Good luck, I hope it helps you.
     
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  20. Tightrope

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    I'm now at about the 2 week mark on bupropion 150 XL (generic for Wellbutrin) and it seems to be working. I have not had the side effects I was told about. I was worried about cottonmouth. Dry mouth doesn't make for good oral health.

    What it's doing is make me feel a little more placid, even if it feels slightly artificial and detached. It's probably a little extra dose of that emotional blunting! I'll take it over any downward swings. I will message my psych PA who only handles my depression and insomnia medications tomorrow. He wanted me to let him know how it's going.

    To @lottaotter and others who struggle while your medications are being calibrated, stick with the fight. It's worth it. If a medication is not working that well for you and the side effects are a big deal and might not go away, I might consider going off of it. I haven't done this too often, but it has happened.