WHEN DO YOU TRY MEDICATIONS?

If you have ever struggled with depression, anxiety, or any form of mental illness, the concept, and choice of medication has probably crossed your mind. Do I try it, or should I push forward without it? What side effects may it have, if any?

Too many times I have seen people continue to suffer within their own minds, instead of trying medication. With the fear of the complications, medications may have. The unknown is scary to people, and the mile-long list of possible conditions of its effects is even scarier. 

I will be honest; I have tried a long list of treatments for my own mental illness. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 1, manic depression, anxiety, and PTSD (and I just said that out loud).   And for treatment, I tried anything from mild meditation (really, helpful, you should try it) to what seemed to erase my mind with shock therapy (did I just forget why I’m here?)  As I was saying, I have experimented with a lot of methods, and just because some worked or didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it will have the same effect on you. 

I would suggest (always getting the opinion of your doctor) trying a milder antidepressant to start (and many help with anxiety too) such as Lexapro, Celexa, Prozac, Paxil, or Zoloft. All of these fall under the SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) category and tend to have fewer side effects. But of course, there is always the possibility you fall into the small group that suffers these side effects.

There are also other forms to try that effect the brain chemistry differently. Such as:

• Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs): These differ from SSRIs as the SSRIs block serotonin reuptake, while SNRIs stop the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine. venlafaxine (Effexor XR), duloxetine (Cymbalta, Drizalma Sprinkle), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) and levomilnacipran (Fetzima).
• Atypical antidepressants: which can fit into a few medication categories, are ones like mirtazapine (Remeron), vortioxetine (Trintellix), trazodone, vilazodone (Viibryd) and bupropion (Forfivo XL, Wellbutrin SR, others).
• Tricyclic antidepressants: such as nortriptyline (Pamelor), amitriptyline, doxepin, imipramine, and desipramine (Norpramin) are depressants that have been around for longer, but still have more side effects than newer meds.
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs): such as phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), and isocarboxazid (Marplan). But these are typically perscribed after trying the other medications as these can have more serious side effects.

Another matter that is discouraging about medications is most of them take weeks, sometimes months to build up in your system and actually have a therapeutic amount of medicine for you to feel a difference. But its not all bad, occasionally if you do suffer side effects they may only last a week or two and then they subside, so always try to give it time and be patient.

Trying new medication is sometimes a game of roulette, you could possibly be lifted from the dark cloud that circle’s your mind. Or you could come up with all new side effects. There is always the chance, that it just doesn’t work for you, but the beautiful thing is, there is also the chance that it will.

I personally have experienced several quite unpleasant sides effects such as itching all over (that one was unpleasant in public), difficulty swallowing (yet I still gained 15 pounds), chronic migraines, profusive sweating (gross), awful nightmares, and emotional, crying outbursts (yes, every commercial made me cry…not just the Sarah Mclachlan one, where she is saving animals). Most of my side effects were mild, until I tried a new medication, I don’t recall the name, but it made me feel really disorientated and nauseous, plus it made it impossible to eat, nothing seemed appealing. I did what every doctor says not to do and I took myself off the medication and abruptly stopped. Along with my other meds, because I was so mentally confused and blurry that I thought my body needed to detox from all the medications.

But that only made it worse, and my disorientation was scary. I couldn’t remember anything and I stayed in bed for two weeks. After contacting my doctor she had me slowly taper back onto my regular meds, but by this time the damage was done. And my memory was so bad that I would forget if I took my meds or not and ended up taking my medication numerous times a day. I ended up with Lithium positioning and almost died. I was found on the floor of my house, unable to speak or move, constantly going into convulsions. I spent two weeks in the hospital, getting kidney dialysis, and the doctors told my family they didn’t know if I would live. That was a scary moment where I finally realized just how serious and strong these drugs are. And how much I needed to learn how to take them timely and correctly.

Now, this isn’t meant to discourage you, everybody is different, and that’s why I hate suggesting medications. Because the chemistry in my body is completely different than yours. Possibly causing it to react in different ways. So what medication is perfect for me, may not be for you, but my point is to try. Moving past the fear, for the first time in my life the heavy weight has been lifted from my chest and I can breathe. I can sleep, I can laugh, and I can enjoy myself. Laying in bed all day doesn’t make you feel any better (I know it’s comfy) but there is a whole world out there that you’re missing.  Do your research, talk to a licensed practitioner and explore your options. Life is waiting for you, so catch up.

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RESOURCES:

Mayo Clinic. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Antidepressants: Selecting one that’s right for you. Sept. 23, 2023. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/antidepressants/art-20046273