Depression Medication

I was depressed when I used them, and they helped me out of a slump. Well, they stopped me doing ‘you know what’ , so I’m thankful.  I took them for 2 years. 
I haven’t, and wouldn’t use them for burnout alone.

I have had terrible trouble with my mental health - it is hard to tell how much of this is an impact of autism or how much it is other outside issues. 

After a lot of trial and error trying lots of different drugs and drug combinations, I now take Sertraline & Risperidone. The latter is pretty heavy duty though so I would start on a small dose of a regular antidepressant and take it from there. I am sure that your doctor will put you right. :) 

There is quite a lot of useful information in this thread.

https://community.autism.org.uk/f/adults-on-the-autistic-spectrum/32756/does-anyone-else-find-low-dose-ssri-s-have-severe-side-effects

I think that asking people for their own personal experiences of these drugs, as you have done here, is invaluable.

There is no substitute for lived experience, as long as you bear in mind whilst reading that the side-effects and efficacy of drugs varies from person to person.

Yes, I've been off and on them during the last few decades and they definitely help me.

After my sister's death, I went back onto Paroxitine (Seroxat) and I haven't come off.

One of the ways in which this particular medication helps me is that it makes me feel much more able to cope.

Being locked into a state of anxiety was my normal modis operandi without it.

However, side-effects vary from person to person, as does the efficacy of the drug.

I have very little faith in GPs having had extremely poor service from them the last couple of decades.

Maybe due to NHS pressures, maybe due to incompetence etc, I find they tend to want you out of their consulting room the minute you have walked in and that very little time indeed is spent in discussion.

This is if you are lucky enough to actually make contact with one.

GPs have a 10 minute slot for each consultation which is nowhere near enough.

I hope that yours is better and is able to help you.

All the best with this.

I would completely agree with Iain, speaking to you GP should be a priority. They would be best placed to support you with all of the available information.

That being said, I'm on antidepressants and go to counselling regularly, the combination of both together works well for me, but then I've been on and off a variety of antidepressants for the last 20 years and have had several different courses of CBT and counselling, so I'm aware that if only through hard won experience, I know when I need to do something more proactive for my mental health. At the beginning I know it can be hard to work out what's best for you but again your GP can help with that.

Antidepressants can work for some people. I would ask myself how depressed am i? Is it worth it? Are the side effects of taking antidepressants worth it? They can numb good and bad emotions amongst other things. 

I now realise i still had melt downs and burn outs despite taking antidepressants. 

Have you considered an alternative to antidepressants, such as mindfullness, exercise such as swimming or something else that you like doing? 

If you think it is caused by burnout, will it pass with rest alone? 

I hope you feel better soon.

Chloé said:

I've been thinking about seeing my GP to discuss taking medication for depression.

This is absolutely where to start.

Quoting from the article on the subject:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20356013

Your primary care doctor or psychiatrist can prescribe medications to relieve symptoms.

However, many people with depression also benefit from seeing a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health professional.

Your GP will have been trained on how to triage your symptoms and offer the appropriate route for dealing with it, whether by therapy and/or medication.

Asking for advice on taking medication from people you don't know on the internet that is mind altering is a poor substitute for a trained medical professional so please be careful in considering what you listen too.

There will be factors such as your health, your history, any other medication you are taking and factors in your life that you would be able to tell your GP that we would not know, so it is best to go with the one who is best informed.

If you have any specific issues you want help with then we can be more helpful however.

Good luck with finding a solution to make life better for you.