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Do antidepressants work?

Ladybug5
over 1 year ago

I have struggled with depression for at least 5 years and only more recently diagnosed as autistic. I’ve been on two different antidepressants- Sertraline and citalopram- and I’m not sure if I can even tell anymore if I feel any better.

I’ve been told that I’ve most likely been in a state of burnout for a long time so i now don’t know if autism is the root cause of all the depression I’ve felt ( I know it has definitely contributed) so would antidepressants just not work in this situation? Or am I just finding it harder to tell if I’m doing better because I can’t identify may own emotions as easily? I know that I don’t feel ‘happy’ or stable yet but I can tell if my mood has improved at all because I feel like my depression has caused so much brain fog.


has anyone had similar experience ?

Parents
  • over 1 year ago
    I was prescribed SSRI's for anxiety (I wasn't depressed) and was up to almost the maximum dosage with no effect so came off them. I was stressed and exhausted (burnout). My feelings of "not being able to cope" were not depression but that my brain could no longer process everything.
    Of course, one can be depressed and in burnout at the same time. If you are in burnout it's because there's been too much going on for your brain to process. What is needed is rest and recuperation over a period of time.
    What I also recognise now is that previous episodes of "depression" were a manifestation of not being able to properly recognise or access my own emotions or experiences of the world, rather than low mood per se. I think burnout and alexithymia can be self perpetuating....when in the depths of burnout I would not have been able to tell you how I was feeling and this added to the confusion of what the hell was going on. It might have looked like depression on the surface but it didn't feel that way but I couldn't explain this! I'm sure that over time you will look back and see things a bit more clearly. It takes time. Sometimes things are hard to unpick. I have found my mood has increased as I have rested, accepted who I am, what has happened in the past, and look at how I can move forwards.
    I am not saying anti-depressants are useless or to come off them. I'm sure they help many people if they are given for the appropriate problem. This is just my experience.
  • over 1 year ago in reply to out_of_step
    out_of_step said:
    when in the depths of burnout I would not have been able to tell you how I was feeling and this added to the confusion of what the hell was going on. It might have looked like depression on the surface but it didn't feel that way but I couldn't explain this

    Wise words indeed.

  • over 1 year ago in reply to Number

    It's quite strange looking back!

Reply Children
  • over 1 year ago in reply to Number

    It sure does.

    I never wanted to be on medication but ended up with little choice. It was hard to know if they were working. This also went for certain talking therapies. I could never quite put my finger on it but now I can. My "problems" felt different to other people's representations of anxiety or depression. It sounds like we both have more awareness in moving forward. So while we can't stop things from happening, we know how we would better deal with it or what to expect. That is definitely progress.

    Peace out.

  • over 1 year ago in reply to out_of_step

    Yes, it is.

    For me, it wasn't SSRI's I was on, but barrel loads of booze.  Like you, I knew that the booze was not helping my core underlying problem, but it did help me cope with the "confusion of what the hell was going on"(to use your wise words.)

    Now I do understand what the hell is going on, it is still a bit tripy and confusing at times, but because I now understand WHY I feel that way, I seem to have very little problem in dealing with it without the need to drown my confusion.

    I think that this is all progress......so whilst it is strange looking back.....it reinforces how far I have progressed in a relatively short time since understanding what my autism means for me and my life.

    Positivity reigns (most of the time.)