Posted by sedona on July 11, 2005, at 23:07:35
In reply to on meds for too long? please read, posted by jessers11581 on July 11, 2005, at 19:18:06
I don't know that I can help much, but I difinitely identify with the way you feel. I have been taking antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs for 5 years, and each time I have tried to quit I have ended up going back on them because I feel as though I am crashing. I have been off for one month now, and I still haven't returned to my pre-antidepressant self. And now I wonder if I have done permanant damage to my brain by being on so many drugs. The one thing I do know is that when a person takes an antidepressant there is a reduction (downregulation) of certain receptors and sometimes upregulation of other receptors. This phenomena is sometimes thought to explain why it takes antidepressants so long to work. When I asked my doctor when my receptors would return to their natural state, he couldn't really answer because no one really knows how these drugs work. He guessed it would be about the same amount of time it took for the antidepressants to cause the downregulation. But I don't know that I trust this information. It's almost 5 weeks for me with no antidepressants and I stil feel terrible-almost unable to function and very suicidal. I was never suicidal before I took antidepressants and I was a functioning depressive. I realize that these drugs work miracles for many people and I am glad for them, but I wish I had never taken them.
> I'd like to know if anyone who has been using psychiatric medications for an extended period of time can relate to this. I've been taking one antidepressant or another for the past 8 years continuously. The only time I stopped was for one month recently, but I ended up having to resume them because of withdrawal effects and terrible depression. Really, I think that my problem is more with anxiety than with depression--the depression has only come on in the past couple of years. But ANYWAY, I often feel that my mind is totally different than it used to be--almost like I've been rewired or something. I feel like I can't think about anything rationally, like I'm incapable of functioning on the same level that I used to be. I find myself constantly worrying about my mental health in a way that is very detrimental to my overall wellbeing. This all began happening about five years after beginning medication (SSRI's). Since then I've tried several different drugs, therapy, dietary changes, supplementation, etc. But I STILL feel like something just is not right with my head. And I can't help but wonder if I've been on medication for so long that it's completely changed the way my brain is able to process things. Does anyone else feel this way? Is 8 years too long a time to have been taking antidepressants? Please help if you can. Thank you very much. J
poster:sedona
thread:526343
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050708/msgs/526505.html