Antidepressants

There are several different groups of anti-depressants and under each group will be a list of anti-depressants which meet the criteria for that group . Your GP/psychiatrist/psychologist will probably offer the one that is the best for you. Was diagnosed with depression after my mum died 10 years ago, started on citalopram than a few years ago was changed onto sertraline, which has helped me more than citalopram did. Some will work, other won't.

I hesitently went onto sertraline and was on it for just over a year. Up to 150mg but it wasn't touching the sides. I was given 2mg of diazepam to take as and when. It was ok first few times but again didn't really help. Sertaline made me gain weight and i was always sweating. I didn't feel any benefits to my mood. The option was go up to the highest dose or come off them. I tapered off and stopped completely. I think sertaline helped with low level anxiety (like morning anx) but not the intense hard-to-describe stuff. What has really helped has been CBT. I had a really good therapist. Its been nearly 7 months since i finished CBT and the intense symptoms have mostly gone. If they come back, it's not as intense and more manageable. I've complemented this with mindfulness.  Changing how I see myself and the world has helped far more than medication.

Setraline has helped me for three years 

I’m coming off sertraline. 50 mg was ok, helped a little bit with depression (not anxiety though) but I still had suicidal thoughts on 50 mg so I increased the dose to 100 mg and it was awful: brain fog, couldn’t concentrate, feeling sleepy. So I went back to 50 mg (and now I’m on 25 mg, planning to stop taking it in 2-3 weeks)

hiya,

I take 100 mg of sertraline and it has really helped with my low moods however it hasn't had much effect on my anxiety.

Thanks angel, that's interesting.

As I say, I've never tried them, but I know a lot of people are on them almost permanently.

My ex partner is on a very small does of citalapram (like 10mg), which helps her a lot. If she misses a does it has a big effect on her.

I've never been on them. But from what your saying they may not be the answer for me, if you build up a tolerance for them. I suppose it means they are only a short term, (get you over a bad patch) type of thing.

I was kind of thinking there might be something I could take long term

hello! when i first started sertraline, on 50mg a day, I experienced positive effects almost instantly. it really helped to calm my anxiety, helped me to focus and thus in turn this all lifted my mood. 

however i got used to the dose very quickly, so the dr increaed to 100mg, then again to 150mg, and im considering going up to 200mg but this is the limit to how much you can take per day, ive been told.

i started sertraline in august 2019, and am now feeling as though id like to come off it, because i am still struggling with anxiety and depression, and i feel quite flat/numb too. 

this is just my experience, everyone is so different and in my opinion, lifestyle factors surely have to contribute to the symptoms of anxiety and depression. 

The only one I have tried is Sertraline and it triggered appalling migraines in me, but other people have no problems with it and it does seem to help them. I should add, that for me it had no tangible effect on mood.

Hi Dave.

Antidepressants are used to treat the symptoms of clinical depression. Opinions vary on how effective antidepressants actually are in relieving the symptom.  Some people say they have no effect at all, while others consider them to be highly effective. But, like with many other treatments, antidepressants may help some people and not others. There are also some unpleasant short-term side-effects and uncomfortable long-term changes side-effects to deal with if you use them.